Article by Larry Jock
Welcome back to another season of the Delaware Fishing Report in the Coastal Fisherman. I hope everyone has a great season. With the very mild winter we experienced, it should make for an interesting and unpredictable season. Already, it looks like things may be a couple weeks earlier than normal.
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The last couple of weeks have been interesting with an incredible run of chopper bluefish up and down the coast and in the bay as well. Striper action has been slow with small fish dominating the action right up until the bluefish moved in and then the striper bite slowed down. I can’t blame the small stripers though, since I would have left town also when those big maulers arrived on the scene.
At Hook’em & Cook’em Tackle Shop in the Indian River Marina, Capt. Bert Adams reported bluefish dominating the scene in the Delaware surf, the Indian River Inlet and in the back bays. Angler fishing in the suds are having the best luck catching big bluefish (10 lb. +) with finger mullet. Bunker seems to be producing mostly catches of sharks and skates. In the Inlet and back bays, anglers are having a blast tossing topwater poppers to choppers in water as shallow as 2-feet.
Striped bass have been few and far between for lower Delaware anglers. There were a few keeper size fish caught in The Ditch, but small fish have dominated the early season. Bert did say that they have also seen some shad in the Indian River Inlet as well.
Surfcasters fishing off Lower Delaware beaches also caught a few black drum over the last several weeks before the last northeast blow, mainly while using clams and crabs for bait.
Keeper flounder continue to be non-existent for anglers drifting normal hot spots in the Inlet. Bert said that he has only heard of 3 short flatties caught so far this season.
Tautog fisherman have landed some hosses this season and right now most who are fishing out of Indian River are having the best luck around Site 10.
Matt at Fenwick Tackle also reported big bluefish keeping his customers busy while fishing in the surf. He also said that in addition to a few keepers coming from The Ditch, there have also been a couple of legal stripers landed as well.
Most of his customers are reporting small stripers in the surf and up around the Rt. 90 Bridge, but that action tailed off when the big bluefish started roaming the waters. Surfcasters off Fenwick have been able to nail a few keeper stripers on bucktails and bloodworms.
Surprisingly, Matt said that surfcasters in Lower Delaware have also seen a few kingfish and puffers in the suds.
At Lewes Harbour Marina, Tommy said that a few keeper flounder have finally showed up in the Lewes Canal along with some short stripers. Like everywhere else, big bluefish are the main attraction right now with big fish (10 to 18 lbs.) showing up off all the beaches. Most anglers are fishing with cut bait until the bite heats up and then switching to topwater plugs or anything shiny. Tommy said that you could probably throw a fork in the water and get a chopper to take it. I think he is right!
Black drum are starting to be caught off Broadkill, Augustine, Slaughter and Cape Henlopen Beaches but they haven’t heard of anyone having luck yet at the Coral Beds which is always the normal hot spot for black drum.
After dealing with small stripers for the early part of the season, larger fish are starting to show up off Broadkill Beach and off Cape Henlopen.
Until next week, keep those lines tight and have fun! That’s what it’s all about.
