Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
The wind died down and the fish haven’t been pressured for a week and it shows.
Sea Bass
Lots of small fish. The ratio of keepers is about 10 throwbacks to 1 keeper. According to Old Inlet, the Site 10&11 reef areas have shown some very good action. Salted clam is still the hot bait although many are changing to squid strips as well as Gulp to also target the flounder that have moved into the area. The deeper wrecks near or over 90 feet are producing the larger fish.
Bluefish
This week, like the past one, has seen snapper blue everywhere. The surf and back bays are full of them. At night, schools of small blues are ready to bite anything you throw at them. On the near shore wrecks some slammer blues are still around. Any cut bait or whole mullet is great for blue fishing. Old Inlet Tackle also reports that blues and bonito have been trolled up on the Fenwick Shoals. Clark spoons being the choice for these fish. The blues out on the reefs tend to stay in the middle to upper part of the water column. One of the techniques I use when sea bass or flounder drifting is to use a redfish float, cast out behind the boat with about a 6 foot fluorocarbon leader circle hook(6/0..8/0),tipped with cut bait. This bait floating behind the boat will attract predators from all around your boat. Not only are these baits good for the passing shark or blue but cobia can’t resist a spot swimming under a redfish popping cork. Use a wire leader on the hook to prevent bite offs.
Flounder
Starting in the bay areas, the flounder have been taken in the main channel of Indian River Inlet. Fishing along this area at the end of high tide to the hour after the tide begins to fall is producing the best fish. Gulp seems to be the angler’s choice, but squid and minnows are a close second. Be aware that Old Inlet says that they are having a hard time getting minnows right now, so hit them up early before they are all gone. The main channel area leading back into Indian River Bay has seen several nice flatties taken from here. The further back you go in Indian River, the less fishing pressure there is. This makes fish ready to bite. The main tactic is to find the deeper holes surrounded by shallow flats. Some of the better spots to try are areas along the power plant and the middle of the bay out in front of Holts Landing. On the offshore coral grounds, the area around A Buoy seems to be the most productive. Burt from Hook’em and Cook’em Tackle said that both the Judy V as well as the Captain Bob have both had many good trips with lots of keeper flounder and even a big sea bass or two still being caught. Coral near A and B Buoy are really starting to turn on. Bucktails tipped with Gulp are producing the best. We are seeing spot in the surf as well as in the bay. Most larger flounder cannot resist a live spot. Although these baits can get pricey, they are well worth the money or time to catch them yourself if you want to target trophy flounder. Many of the winning fish from tournaments come off of wrecks. Be prepared to lose some tackle when fishing the wrecks and try to hit them as the tide begins to slack.
Sharks
Near shore sharking is starting to heat up with larger Dusky and Thresher sharks moving into the areas. Nighttime surf fishing for sharks has also been getting much better. Cut bait on big circle hooks are the working bait. Mullet as well as any oily fish are working the best. In the inlet and bay area’s rays and sharks are seen frequently cruising for a meal. Sharks such as Dusky sharks are a protected species and harming them in any way is unlawful.
Crabs & Clams
The crabbing in Indian River Bay is really getting good. The bait of choice is bunker which seems to dominate chicken by almost double. The areas around Piney Point and the area around Bay Colony seem to be the best producing areas. The area in front of the bay commonly used for sandbar parties seem to be producing the best catches of clams. The areas around Holts Landing are also showing good clams being caught.
Surf fishing
Matt Shoup of Fenwick Tackle reports snapper blues and kingfish are the sought after fish of the surf right now. Be aware, bloodworms are in short supply and are mostly small in size, so Fish Bites may be a good alternative. Tons of sharks and rays are coming ashore on the surf fisherman’s lines also with several bigger sharks from up at Cape Henlopen being shown on social media.
Get out and catch some fish.
Tight lines and fins up!
Captain B.J.Pietryak
