Article by Larry Jock
Joe Morris at Lewes Harbour Marina said fishing in general was good during the week, with a variety of species available to area anglers. It’s been exciting to see the return of nice sized sea trout (weakfish).
Tiderunners have shown up at many of their old haunts. Casting a white Gulp! in the rain from Cape Henlopen Pier paid off for Brian Hebel. He hooked and landed a 6.33 pound weakfish. Mike Slaughter and Charlie Booth worked purple grubs in Roosevelt Inlet for trout weighing 6.32 and 3.58 lbs., plus a bonus 6.39 lb. red drum. Jonathon McCabe, Derek Swafford and Zachary Morris managed three fine trout of 5.74, 5.11 and 4.64 lbs. while tossing Bass Assassins to the Ferry Wall. Frank Hornberger was fishing in Broadkill River when he connected with a 5.33 lb. weakie. Jason Hall, Paul Caras and Matt Purnell put three pretty trout weighing 5.97, 5.66 and 4.7 lbs. in the box Friday night near the Inner Wall. They also kept 4 nice fluke. It seems like we can look forward to more action with quality trout as their numbers continue to increase.
Drumming held up over recent days. Shallow water off Broadkill Beach, a couple miles northwest of Roosevelt Inlet was productive. Drum also came from the submerged piles off Fowler Beach and the Coral Beds. Becki Price boated a 76 lb. boomer aboard the “Indian”. Robert Reinhart reeled in a 59.9 pounder on the “Pirate King II”. Trevor Gouert got a 57 pound drum on the “Angler”. Johnny Blatt bested a 77 lb. black drum, Earl Snyder scored a 60 pounder, and Daryl Lehew landed a 68 lb. black drum aboard the “Miss Kirstin”. Scott Campbell caught a 78.4 pound behemoth, Robert Barrett boated a 71.3 pounder, and Stephanie Kearns captured a 64.2 pound drum on the “Martha Marie”. Ryan Johnson checked in a 71.2 pound drum. Donald Barnes decked a 70.5 pounder, and West Sarver wound in a 59.9 pound specimen.
The Bayshore Channel on the other side of Delaware Bay recently gave up numerous drum. Captain Carey on the “Grizzly” said fish really chewed Friday night, and again through the afternoon on Saturday near #8 Buoy. His drummers iced 13 boomers. Three of them were over 60 pounds, and the largest, landed by Terry Swope, weighed in at a whopping 80 pounds.
Flounder catches were decent in Lewes Canal, Broadkill River and around the Cape Henlopen Pier. The reduced minimum size of 16-inches has resulted in more keepers for most anglers. Minnows, shiners and Gulp! were favored offerings among the flounder crowd. Clayton Morgan captured a 4.2 lb. flattie using minnows. Clayton and Ed Yingling ended up with 5 flatties in the box after a couple hours of Canal drifting. Fred Smith edged out Todd Meredith by ¼-inch with his 20-¾ incher for the longest fish in the Probation and Parole Flounder Tournament on Friday. Young Dylan Churchill was dialed in on Lewes Canal flounder on Saturday. He outfished his dad, Capt. D.J. Churchill with a pair of 18-inch keepers. On Sunday, Ricky and Todd Mills combined for 7 keepers from the Canal using 5-inch pink Gulp!. Jeff Weaver checked in with a 4.5 pounder he got using Gulp! and minnows.
Bottom bouncers in the Delaware Bay have had fun with hardheads, kingfish, blowfish and spot while anchored and fishing with clams and bloodworms over the Coral Beds.
Folks on the rail at Cape Henlopen Pier have been enjoying the arrival of spot, and got into good numbers of the tasty panfish on Saturday using bloodworms. Nighttime anglers on the Pier did pretty well with flounder jigging speck rigs and Gulp!.
Surfcasters along the ocean beach encountered some small bluefish, kingfish, blowfish and the occasional striper. Dave McDaid got a 36-inch rockfish while soaking bunker in the suds at 3R’s Road.
Stripers made a showing in Indian River Inlet during the week, and jetty jocks tossing Bomber plugs, Storm and Tsunami Shads and bucktails had success during evening and early morning incoming tides. Justin and Don Hallacher, along with Chris Raezer fished the Inlet on Memorial Day morning and caught bass weighing 11.5, 14.9 and 15.8 lbs.
Boaters seeking sea bass found legal sized fish on inshore wrecks and snags, although there were many more shorts. Captain Brent’s bassers aboard the “Katydid” had a limit catch of quality knotheads along with 22 ling on Friday. Adam May and Maggie Lingo landed jumbo bass weighing 4.94 and 3.25 pounds respectively. Charles Edwards iced a 3.5 pound sea bass during a previous trip on the “Katydid”. On Sunday, “Katydid” regulars brought back 97 bass and 22 ling.
The Old Grounds are starting to come alive. Saad Soliman kept 3 fluke, measuring up to 24-inches, while working a white bucktail tipped with pink Gulp!
Early offshore action continues to please tuna aficionados. Reports of yellowfins and bluefins came from various locations including the Wilmington, Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons, as well as the 461 Lump. Jon Bixler trolled 67-degree water in 500 fathoms of the Baltimore for 3 yellowfins on Sunday. Bill Swords and his buddies pulled spreader bars and ballyhoo through 65-degree, 65 fathom water inshore of the Baltimore on Tuesday for their over and under bluefins weighing up to 65 lbs., plus three yellowfins between 35 to 40 lbs.
Further south at Hook’em & Cook’em at the Indian River Marina, Bert Adams reported that the Inlet striper bite has been reduced to mostly throwbacks with some keepers here and there. Fish are still being caught with artificials like Storm lures, Tsunamis and bucktails tipped with white worms. Bluefish action has slowed down with not as many being caught during the incoming tides by anglers using bucktails, spoons and Gotcha plugs.
There was a nice 6 lb. weakfish caught by Clayton Anders while fishing in the Inlet on Wednesday afternoon and reports came in about other keeper weakfish, measuring up to 30-inches, being netted.
Flounder are still just being picked at here and there using live minnows and squid. A nice 3 pounder was caught on the south side of the Inlet in front of the Campgrounds over the weekend.
Upcoming Tournament
Don’t forget to register for the 1st Annual Kids Catch-All Tournament to be held at the Indian River Marina on Saturday, June 28th and Sunday, June 29th with registration on Friday night from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and Saturday morning from 6:00 to 8:00 AM.
Anglers are allowed to fish both days with lines in the water at 6:00 AM and lines out at 3:00 PM. The tournament is open to all youth anglers, ages 3 to 18. Parents may help the junior anglers reel in the fish and circle hooks are required for those fishing in the Offshore Division.
There will be 15 divisions including a Billfish Release category.
Cost is $150 per boat (up to 6 anglers) and $25 per angler for those fishing on a headboat or from shore.
Weigh-ins will be held at Hook’em & Cook’em from 3:00 to 6:30 PM on Saturday and 3:00 to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Lyme Disease Association of the Eastern Shore of Maryland serving Sussex County.
Until next week, tight lines!
