Article by Rick Willman
Hi folks. Fishing continues to be good in both the back bays and in the ocean. Overall this has got to be one of the best bottom fishing seasons in recent history.
In the Indian River and Rehoboth Bays, croaker fishing is fantastic. Flounder fishing is still good even though a few less keepers being taken.
To find the bigger flatties you want to fish the deeper holes and drop-offs. Squid and minnow is still the most popular offering, but the GULP! products sure are providing catches to many anglers.
Inshore ocean action continues to improve with real good catches of flounder at Reef Site #10 and Site #11. The “DB” Buoy area as well as the Old Grounds are giving up good catches of flounder. Heather Preece was fishing Site #10 using squid and minnow and caught a 4.75-lb. flattie. Dylan Registar fished Brown Shoal in Delaware Bay to trick a 9 pound 8 ounce flattie using squid and minnow.
Offshore fishing has been tough if you are looking for tuna. Boats trolling for tuna are scoring more dolphin than anything else. Rick Rothenberger on the “Shooting Star” trolled up Spanish mackerel, bonita, and bluefish while trolling the Lightship. Gary Aughenbaugh on the “Empty Hook” had the Jeff Boertner crew offshore and trolled up a wahoo. We
heard from Capt. Mike Baniewicz on “Reel Escape”, he had a party from Ohio out to the Baltimore where they scored 2 White Marlin & 2 gaffer Dolphin. Bobby Haas and Mike Bender scored another cobia east of the Lightship. This one tipped the scales at 32 lbs.
The Sea Side Gas & Grill / Rick’s Bait and Tackle Flounder Tournament ended Saturday. Here are the final results:
1st - Mickey Payne - 10 lbs. 9 oz.
2nd - Mickey Payne - 6 lbs. 2 oz.
3rd - John Marmer - 5 lbs. 5 oz.
Keep checking for information about our Striper Ganza Tournament starting on October 21st.
Ron at Rattle and Reel Sporting Center informed us that the area around “DB” Buoy in giving up much better numbers of keeper size flounder. A long strip of squid, partnered with a minnow seems to be doing the trick. Massey’s Ditch is providing plenty of croaker action.
At Henlopen Bait and Tackle on Savannah Road in Lewes, Dan reported good flounder action in the Delaware Bay. The Reefsites and the Anchorage are giving up lots of flatties with pretty good numbers of keeper size fish. Croakers are still roaming the waters all over the bay. Bluefish action improved over the past week for those soaking bait in the surf.
The guys at Bill’s Sport Shop reported that Scott Aiken was fishing the surf in South Bethany and beached 11 kingfish, many croaker and spot. Ed Pilling of Lewes, DE. caught a 7.45 lb flounder at the Haystacks using a squid and minnow combo for bait. Mark and Carol Stiegler and Bill Weiss were fishing south of Savages Ditch with fresh mullet and reported a steady afternoon bite of small blues and kingfish. Dwyane Powers hauled in a tautog tipping the scales at 12 lbs. with a length of 29" while using fleas and green crabs.
Captain Carey Evans of the "Grizzly" reports, "flounder fishing has been the best we have seen in years. When conditions are right for these flat fish we can really catch them. We finally have seen some quality croakers in the bay."
Joe Morris at Lewes Harbour Marina said area anglers continued to enjoy fine bottom fishing. Croakers are plentiful in the Delaware Bay, with larger hardheads hanging out around structure. The Star and Broadkill reef sites were productive, and small boaters casting around the Inner Wall and Ferry Jetty had some big croakers as well. Fishbites, bloodworms, clams and shrimp were favored offerings. Hand-size spot were mixed among croakers in shallower areas. Spot action was best around the Cape Henlopen Pier, and in the Lewes Canal and Broadkill River. Bloodworms and Fishbites on small hooks or sabiki rigs did the trick.
Flounder catches remain good, with the largest flatties taken around heavy cover of the artificial reefs. Sites #6 and #7 at Brown Shoal were productive, as well as the #8 Star Site. Reef site #10 in the ocean gave up good numbers of flounder also. Drifting boats caught fish, but sometimes, when drift conditions weren’t right, anchoring worked well. Walking rigs along the bottom, or casting bucktails upcurrent and bouncing them along were effective techniques.
Some crews racked up decent numbers of keepers. The guys aboard “Lil’ Angler II” returned with 20 flatties from a reef site last Tuesday. Captain Pete’s group on the “Top Fin” limited out with 20 keeper flounder Saturday at Site #10. Citation fluke are still being checked in regularly. Matt Millman scored an 8.9 pounder, and John Brackbill brought back an 8.74-pound flounder. Shawn Williams decked a 6.05-pound flatfish at Site #10. Flounder favored fresh meat, and strips of spot and bluefish were also good producers along with shiners and smelt. Bucktails tipped with Gulp! Belly Strips, Sand Eels and Jerk Shads also took their share. Matt Jester jigged up a 6.57-pound fluke at “DB” Buoy.
Boats working the Old Grounds had flounder and sea bass. Most of the bass were below the 12-½ inch minimum, but increasing numbers of keepers were reported. Triggerfish were found on many of the inshore wrecks. Sand fleas, shrimp or pieces of clam on small hooks tempted triggers. Cobia have also been reported around Delaware Light, the Weather Buoy and “DA” Buoy. They’ll respond to live eels and spot, or a bucktail tipped with a Gulp! Eel.
Tuna action was slim, but fair numbers of dolphin were available between twenty and forty fathoms. Pete Russo landed a 16.7-pound Mahi on the “Skipjack”, and John Ribinsky got a 17.8 pounder on the “Tranquila”. Dan Iacangelo trolled up a 16.8-pound dolphin in the Wilmington Canyon aboard the “Black Bart”. Captain Chris on the “Skipjack” said that the 19 Fathom Lump was “covered up with Atlantic Bonito.” The striped speedsters are a blast to catch and quite tasty. They can be taken by trolling Clark Spoons and small feather jigs, or by casting Stingsilvers or similar metal lures. They’ll also move into a chum slick and will grab a free-lined spearing or live minnow.
Until next week, have fun and be safe !
Rick and his wife Deb are owners of Rick’s Bait & Tackle in Long Neck, DE.
