Article by Larry Jock
Joe Morris at Lewes Harbour Marina said strong northeast winds wiped out the weekend for most boating anglers, but up until Friday, flounder action remained pretty good. Ocean structure continued to produce decent numbers of flatties for fishermen drifting Site 10 and natural bottom of the Old Grounds, between “DA” and “DB” Buoys. Bucktails with Gulp! were responsible for many fluke, but strips of squid, shiners and fresh cut sea robin, croaker or bluefish on hair teaser rigs got the attention of flatfish as well.
Bill and Charlotte Hughes joined Captain Brent and Mate Chris on the “Katydid” on Monday for their limit of 16 flounder weighing up to 5.5 pounds, plus triggerfish up to 3.2 pounds. They topped off the box with a limit of 40 bluefish. Neil and Colby Erdessy traveled from Colorado Springs to fish with Craig Jennings of Rehoboth on the “Miss Kirstin” and the three generations of flounder pounders put together their limit of a dozen keepers on Monday at the Old Grounds. The Wednesday regulars aboard the “Katydid” showed their stuff again by icing their limit of 28 stout fluke. Wednesday flukers on the “Miss Kirstin” took home 20 flatties.
The Thursday crew on the “Katydid” captured their limit of 28 flatfish. Mike and Norm Buczik nailed five quality fluke at the Old Grounds on Thursday. Charlie and Tom Malewski, Dave and Kevin Haldeman and Rob Keaveney worked the Old Grounds on Thursday for 18 nice keepers on the “Outcast”. Senior group member Charlie, showed he’s still got it by decking a 6.6 pound doormat. John Yoder pulled a 6.8 pounder off the Old Grounds on Thursday by jigging a Spro bucktail aboard the “Thelma Dale IV”.
Back in the Delaware Bay, currents diminished somewhat following the full moon, allowing flounder seekers a little more bite time during the tides. Bob and Bobby Bryant, along with Al Riberio hit Site 5 on Thursday afternoon at the top of flood tide and limited out with 12 chunky flatfish during the first two hours of the ebb tide. Captain Brent stayed in the Bay on Sunday because of northeast winds, but his flukers still put together a batch of 14 keepers. Ty Becker was Top Dog with his 5.9 pounder. Joe and Michael Walker, and Bob and Robert Karpovich captured 13 plump flatties on Sunday while working Reef Sites 6, 7 and 8.
Other Delaware Bay bottom bouncers found croakers, snapper blues, spike trout and kingfish around Reef Sites 5 and 8. Drake McGregor checked in a 1.01 pound citation king he captured aboard the “Lil’ Angler II”. The nicest croakers around have taken up residence in Lewes Canal and anglers soaking bloodworms, Fishbites, clams or small strips of squid connected with hefty hardheads weighing up to over a pound.
Canal anglers continued to take advantage of the summer striper season as well, reporting slot rockfish responding to eels, bloods, clams and a variety of artificials including RatLTraps, Zara Spooks, Storm Shads and Gulp!
Some flounder were still located along Lewes Beach. Alvontae Drummond landed a 3.91 pound fluke while tossing a Gulp! Swimming Mullet from shore near the Ferry Jetty.
Inshore trollers encountered dolphin. On Thursday, Captain Brian’s crew on the “Lil’ Angler II” trolled up a nice catch of mahi to 10 pounds, east of Site 11.
It’s wahoo time, and trolling boats targeting the speedsters over traditional grounds have connected with tasty scombrids. The corridor between Delaware Light and the Twenty Fathom Line has been holding hoos. Captain Jeff Hoepfl pulled Braid Marauder plugs and ballyhoo skirted with Joe Shutes over bottom changes, east of the Delaware Light on Thursday aboard his “Joint Venture”. That’s also where Matthew Hoepfl boated a 47.2 pound wahoo and Lee Abel landed a 22.1 pounder. Captain Alan’s guys on the “Big Herring” had a 25 pound wahoo on Thursday.
At the Hook’em & Cook’em Tackle Shop in the Indian River Marina, Capt. Bert Adams reported an extremely slow weekend due to winds keeping almost everyone at the dock.
Before the blow, anglers were catching some short stripers in the Indian River Inlet, with a few keepers mixed in. Bert said the throwback to keeper ratio was running around 20:1. The majority of keepers came in at night from anglers tossing Swim Shads and Bombers off the rocks or live baiting with sand fleas. In addition to the stripers, anglers were also tangling with some short bluefish and right now, tautog are non-existent. Bert said that triggerfish should be showing up very soon for anglers fishing off the jetties.
Croakers have been very scarce, according to Bert, and “tons” of spot are being caught in the creeks and back bays, but have been extremely hard to keep alive.
Flounder fishing in the Indian River Inlet has been horrible, but action on ocean structure was excellent prior to the heavy winds over the weekend. As this report was being written, Bert reported that the inshore flounder bite was slow but anglers were seeing more sea bass than they have seen in quite some time while fishing 8 miles off the beach.. One day doesn’t make a season, but hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.
Until next week, tight lines.
