Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
2021 is in the books, but it is always fun to look back on the year that was! The following is a week by week review of the Coastal Fisherman’s Delaware reports with the issue dates in bold!
May 5, 2021
It was colder than it was last year, but the tog were still biting in good numbers. The rock walls of the Indian River Inlet were also yielding some keepers. Bluefish were around the near shore wrecks. They were mostly small and not in the numbers we have seen in past years. Small flounder in the back bays were starting to show up, but keepers stayed mainly in the channel by the IR inlet. Sandra and Nick Roof from Dover caught a nice black drum off of Broadkill Beach.
Offshore the cooler weather also limited the action. Normally by this week we would have seen yellowfin and bluefin tuna and even a mako, not so in 2021.
May 12, 2021
Black drum were the fish to target. Morrice Miskovitz caught a big 77 lb. drum at the inshore wrecks. Flounder catches saw a surge in both overall quantity and keepers. The Lewes Canal was the top spot with some action in the back bays, but nothing consistent. Several slammer bluefish were caught at the inshore wrecks and the surf had a nice mix of smaller fish with rockfish, blowfish, small blues and some random flounder being reeled in.
Offshore the water remained cold with only a few boats venturing to the canyons. Those that did made long 90 mile rides south to the Norfolk looking for warmer water. The “Hot Lick” ran south and caught the first bluefin tuna for the season in 1000 fathoms in the Baltimore Canyon. The “Black Magic” released a 75 lb. mako in the same area.
May 19, 2021
Sea bass season opened with a bang! Opening day fell on a Saturday and the weather was perfect. Capt. BJ headed out himself to the Del Jersey Reef and was greeted by a fleet of at least 300 boats. Low wind made drifting difficult. The Lewes Canal remained the hot spot for flounder with fish up to 23” being reported. Tog fishing remained strong in the deeper waters as did the bluefish and the evening striper bite. The Old Inlet Bait & Tackle held their Spring Surf Fishing Tournament, however fishing was tough.
Offshore the colder water continued to dampen the action. Several shark releases were reported from the Rockpile in 300’. Unlike the week before, no tuna to report however anglers on tuna trips did find tilefish and sea bass for their efforts.
May 26, 2021
It was the official kickoff of summer with the Memorial Day Holiday. It also found the popular Joe Morris Memorial Flounder Tournament fundraiser hosted by Lewes Harbour Marina. Fishing was restricted to the Lewes Canal, but that was OK because it was on fire! Ricky Blitz took top honors with his 4.44 lb. flounder. The Del Jersey Reef was still the best spot for sea bass. The tog season closed until July and elsewhere the bite slowed inshore and off the beach.
Offshore - We did get a report of the first thresher shark of the season caught at the Twin Wrecks that measured 81” and 267 lbs. We were seeing more bluefin tuna arrive with the “Gringo Loco” out of Lewes boating 2 blues from the Washington. A few boats were still making the long runs to the Norfolk Canyons and beyond and found blue marlin bites.
June 2, 2021
Sea bass remained the big catch with fish at any of the nearshore wrecks. Flounder started to show up at A Buoy and the nearshore coral areas, most were still undersized. Keepers were still being found, however, in the Lewes Canal with the main or VFW channels in the IR Bay. While the rock fishing over all was slow, Henry Busby managed to catch and released a 37” fish from the surf. Bluefish could be found at the Inlet mostly on the south side and kingfish were in the surf.
A strong Nor’easter moved through the area making the weekend a washout offshore. However as anglers headed out Monday we saw that the tuna had fully arrived. The crew of the “Blood Money” landed both the first bigeye and yellowfin tunas of the season. Tilefish continued to be an additional catch on the tuna trips and we got a report of the first mako shark catch for the season from the Fingers in 20 fathoms. The Capt. Ike II brought a huge 309 lb. thresher shark to the scales at Hook’em & Cook’em at the Indian River Marina.
June 9, 2021
Cooler temps didn’t seem to affect the fishing. Sea bass catches remained positive. While the Del Jersey Reef remained strong, the fishing pressure from the previous 2 weeks were starting to show with the throwback ratio growing. Keeper flounder catches also jumped up nicely. The coral near B Buoy was a hot spot nearshore, and in the bay, the main and VFW channels remained the best choices. Surf fishermen found good size sandbar sharks in the suds and a lot of rays! Anglers also reported kingfish were in the waves in much better numbers than previous years.
With warmer water moving in offshore, it was time for the tuna run! The Poor Man’s Canyon was where almost all the action was with many double digit catches of yellowfin along with some bluefin tuna. The first ‘over’ bluefins were also reported. Shark reports came in from the Hambone and Fingers and a 129.9 lb. mako was found in the Poor Man’s. Still no reports of white marlin.
June 16, 2021
This week started with storms and lightning, followed by the planned implosion of the towers and structures of the Old Indian River Power Plant. What a week! The storms cleared by the weekend and allowed for some nice fishing. The amount of keeper flounder coming from the Old Grounds picked up as well as the nearby coral beds. With water temps finally hitting 64°, the fish were more aggressive. Those that knew some holes in the bay were finding a couple keepers as well. Sea bass fishing remained strong, but many of the top spot had been hit hard resulting in a lot of throwbacks. Bigger fish were in deeper water. Striper fishing was still slow and the surf was still showing mainly kingfish with some shad and spots mixed in.
Offshore we saw the first white marlin of the season caught by the “Tuna Fowl” in the Washington Canyon. The warmer water continued its march north making the southern Poor Man’s Canyon the hot spot with reports of yellowfin and bigeye tuna as well as our first mahi and swordfish for the season.
June 23, 2021
Cool mornings and warm afternoons were the setting with excellent fishing! Flounder inshore remained strong with action picking up in the bay as well; mostly on the edges of the main and VFW channels. Some nice sized sea trout were also found in the inlet while the Lewes Canal action slowed for flounder. The throwback ratio was about 6:1 for keeper sea bass and anglers were finding some sheepshead mixed in, our first of the season. Rockfish and bluefish were being caught at night in the inlet.
Offshore we saw dusky sharks as well as lots of dogfish around the nearshore areas. Our first cobias were also reported from the same areas as was the first wahoo from the Washington. Yellowfin remained strong, still in from the lower Poor Man’s through to the Norfolk Canyons. The bigeye bite slowed, but those landed were larger. On the marlin front, the first blue marlin was released by the “Blood Money” in the Washington Canyon. As of this week, all of the First Fish we track were reported except longfin tuna.
June 30, 2021
Cooler weather slowed fishing a little and we begin to see crowds hitting the water. Flounder remained solid nearshore and in the bay. High winds made drifting more difficult offshore, and in the bay the fish remained mostly on the edges of the channels. Warmer water finally put some pressure on the sea bass moving them into deeper water around 100’ or deeper.
Offshore the tuna bite remained but cooled from the large catches earlier in June. They were still to our south. The bigeye were getting bigger with a 233 lb. tuna being caught by the “Kilo Charlie” and a 235 pounder from the “Ro Sham Bo”. Both were in the Washington. More blue marlin bites were reported, and white marlin were still hitting on anglers’ tuna spreads. Lastly peanut and small bull dolphin were hitting the docks in numbers.
July 7, 2021
Mid to upper 90°s had everyone flocking to the water for relief so the key was to get out early before the crowds if you were bay fishing. Nearshore the flounder were still hitting at the wrecks. Site 11 and deeper wrecks were yielding keeper sea bass and flounder. Stripers and bluefish were still at the inlet with the best action at night. Kingfish remained the primary catch from the surf.
Offshore was tough as it seems mother nature pumped the brakes on the heavy action in June. Tuna catches dropped to the single digits, mainly from the Washington and billfish releases were few and far between. A couple of highlights were the 458 lb. thresher shark caught by Roy Badger at the Old Grounds and a 250 lb. mako caught by the “Reel Desire” in the Poor Man’s.
July 14, 2021
95° weather and wind from Hurricane Elsa forced many boats to stay at the dock. For those that found a window to get out, the fishing was good. Anglers at the Old Grounds were seeing fish over 20”. Luke Horney was the winner of the Indian River Marina Tournament with his 5lb. 13 oz. flounder. The sea bass continue to move deeper. Many of the nearshore wrecks were now full of triggerfish with some spadefish and sheepshead. More rockfish were being caught nearshore and in the surf, however they were small.
The offshore action remained tough as weather and preparation for the OC Tuna Tournament kept crews otherwise busy. Some highlights were several large bigeye tunas from the northern and southern canyons in the 200 – 233 lb. range. Yellowfin catches were usually in the single digits with sharks really impacting catches in the southern canyons. Billfishing remained tough as well, but some blues & whites were found in the southern canyons.
July 21, 2021
Record catches were being made all across the inshore sites. Flounder remained the top fish and sea bass were still around with limit catches for anglers that put in the time. Deeper areas like the Coast Guard station were key for big flounder in the Indian River Bay and the Wall and Icebreakers were the hots spots in the Delaware Bay. Croakers were plentiful, but lots of small fish. We also got some reports of puppy drum (redfish) by the Power Plant.
Offshore was a little fickle with the southern wind and many boats were also prepping for the upcoming White Marlin Open. The “Rhonda’s Osprey” found 9 yellowfin in the Poor Man’s Canyon and Fiore Celano III set the new record for Heaviest Bigeye in DE with his 171 lb. eyeball. We also had our first reported catch of a longfin tuna from the Baltimore Canyon completing the First Fish chart! Billfishing was still spotty, however, some sailfish were released in the Washington.
July 28, 2021
Fishing was in full throttle as we hit mid-summer. Flounder was again the top inshore target with the back bays full. The catch in the ocean was the best in years. Notably, Mark Bonk hooked a nice 8.8 lb. and 28” doormat from the Indian River Inlet. Outside of the flatfish, sheepshead were along the rocks at the Indian River Inlet, triggerfish were on most wrecks, bluefish and weakfish were kicking it at the Fenwick Shoal and sea bass were still here (even though the throwback ratio grew to 10:1).
Offshore saw generally good fishing with moderate weather. Earlier in the week saw the tuna and white marlin bite turn on, only to moderate again as we approached the Huk Big Fish Classic. Top tourney fish for 2021 was a 301 lb. swordfish caught by the “Reel One” in the Washington Canyon earning a record $542,648. Yellowfin tuna dominated the tuna catch with most on the smaller end with a notable exception being a 111 pounder caught by the “Chaser” in the Spencer Canyon! Billfish catches were dominated by the swordfish due to the tournament, and marlin fishing remained spotty.
August 4, 2021
The flounder slowed due to very light winds. Masseys Ditch and the Old Grounds were the best choice for keeper fish. Bluefish and trout could be trolled up at the Fenwick Shoals.
As we were in full tournament season, the offshore fishing was dominated by the start of the White Marlin Open with 444 boats registered! For billfish, the mid to lower Wilmington Canyon through to the Poor Man’s Canyon was the place to be. Captains reported releases in the mid single digit for white marlin and single blue marlin. Big wahoo were showing up at the Hot Dog and 19 Fathoms Lump including a 92 lb. speedster caught by the “That’s Right”. Bigeye once again dominated the notable tuna action with several fish in the mid 200 lbs.
August 11, 2021
August weather was upon us and despite the heat, the back bays were still strong with flounder and croaker. The main channel near the Coast Guard station remained the best spot. Adam Miller caught an impressive 22” weakfish on a 10 weight fly rod. Nearshore saw continued mahi and flounder on the wrecks. Cobia was still quiet and sea bass slowed but was still way above the keeper ratio from past years.
It was a heck of a week for fishing in the canyons with some amazing catches being reported from the White Marlin Open. There were lots of whites weighted and the winning one was 85.5 lbs. and 76” caught on the “Sushi” deep in the Norfolk Canyon. Their payout set a new tournament record at $3,238,160. The top blue marlin was from the “Seven” with their 775 lb. winner from west of the Wilmington Canyon in only 300’. The boat also took the top spot for tuna with a 137 lb. bigeye from the Wilmington as well. The mahi where in the low 30 lb. range and several wahoo made it to the docks with 1st Place going to the “El Azul” for an 84 lb. fish.
August 18, 2021
Water temps hit the mid 70°s. While this puts pressure on some species, it does bring opportunity for other fish. Ribbonfish for example were at most of the nearshore wrecks. Flounder remained solid with the main channel in front of the Coast Guard Station being the hot spot. The IR Inlet area was also producing tons of croaker and some sea trout, spanish mackerel as well as mostly undersized rockfish being caught at night. Tim Morris took out a group of his buddies and caught their limit of flounder from 17” to 21” in the Lewes Canal. Redfish were popping in the morning hours behind the Power Plant. Those working the surf could find kingfish and pompano.
Nearshore continued to have decent flounder catches with the Old Grounds being the top spot. Anglers also found mahi and sea bass there as well.
Offshore the bite was tough for the first half of the week but picked up toward the weekend. The majority of our reports had billfish moving north and in deep water to the east and southeast of the Poor Man’s Canyon. Depth was consistent at 1000-1400 fathoms so some diesel was burned that week! Tuna were in the Baltimore and down to the Rock Pile. The catch was mainly yellowfin in the 35 - 50 lb. range, however a few bigeye were being found in the Baltimore Canyon. A lot of wahoo action was reported with fish in 40-50 lb. range and the mahi bite remained but mainly for smaller fish.
August 25, 2021
The ‘Second Season’ started and anglers enjoyed less crowded waters. Almost all fish species we see on our coast were present. While flounder remained the strongest catch, redfish and sheepshead were being targeted as well. In the IR bay the main channels, Masseys Ditch and the VFW Slough remained the best spots for keeper flounder. Croakers were everywhere with the best spots near the mouth of the IR Inlet or the rocks near the Coast Guard Station. The inlet area was also yielding some nice weakfish and sea trout. The channel behind the IR Power Plant was a good spot for these fish and redfish were really snapping there as well! The sea bass were still biting despite the warm water. Top spots were Site 11 as well as the Del Jersey Reef, very unusual for this time of year. Anglers at Site 11 were also finding tog and some keeper flounder. Triggerfish and sheepshead were being found on the nearshore wrecks. Anglers working the Fenwick Shoals found bluefish and sea trout as well as triggerfish on the wrecks. Surf fishermen were getting a steady catch of kingfish and small pompano with croakers and an occasional shark thrown in!
Offshore the action was dominated by the MidAtlantic Tournament. Blue marlin was the top action. The “Billfisher” brought in a huge 1,135 lb. blue marlin to the scales from below the Washington Canyon setting both a tourney record and a new record for Maryland. The “Wolverine” also boated a 958 lb. blue from between the Spencer and Wilmington Canyons. Bigeye tuna were being caught in the 100-175 lb. range, however the “Pipe Dreamer” found a pair of over 200 lb. eyeballs in the Wilmington. Mahi were most likely caught trolling open water off the Baltimore Canyons and some big wahoo were found a little more inshore at the Fingers and Sausages.
September 1, 2021
Anglers had nice mid 70s water, but with the lack of wind for a drift and high heat, fishing was uncomfortable. A nice surprise was that tarpon had been spotted and caught in the shallows of the back bays of the Indian River and outside of the inlet. In the back bays the VFW Slough and Masseys Ditch were the hot spots for flounder as long as you found moving water. Near shore most wrecks were holding flounder with tons of small mahi thrown in. This year large schools of mahi were as close as 6 miles off shore. Just north of A buoy on the outside coral was the place to be for these Taco Tuesday specials. Site 11 was still the hot spot for sea bass. The charter boat “Lucky Break” trolled up tons of spanish mackerel at the Fenwick Shoals using small Clark spoons. Tom Casper found a nice 10.2 lb. black drum at Masseys Ditch, a rare catch this time of year.
Offshore the blue marlin bite was some of the best we had ever seen. Mainly in the Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons, but it did cool by the weekend. White marlin fishing on the other hand was spotty. The tuna were still running with lower catch numbers during the week, however the weekend picked up with boats reporting 5 or 6 yellowfins per trip.
September 8, 2021
While not too close, Hurricane Ida caused rough seas limiting many to staying near shore or in back bays. The water got dirty and churned up, however a few nice flounder were still caught in back bays, in the main channels, by the VFW and even by the Masseys Ditch boat ramp. In the Lewes area, the canal fishing was slow. Earnie Stone however did find a nice 6.72 lb. sheepshead at the Inner Wall in the Delaware Bay. Off the beach the weather slowed the rockfish bite, even at night with heavy tidal flows.
Near shore were very rough seas however those that ventured off were rewarded with nice flounder and small mahi everywhere. Diane Vansant was lucky enough to catch a big 27¼“ and 7.8 lb. flounder at the Old Grounds. The Del Jersey Reef remained the hot spot for sea bass.
Offshore was tough for marlin with most drawing a blank for their efforts. Tuna remained consistent with mostly yellowfins in the 40 to 50 lb. range being reported. An exception was a nice 75 lb. yellowfin pulled from the Washington Canyon.
September 15, 2021
Water temps were still in the upper 60°s and flounder and sea trout were abundant. Flounder were on fire in the back bays with many anglers catching them over 25”. George Magaw caught a doormat at 26” and 9 lbs. near the Coast Guard station. The VFW Slough continued to be a hot spot with several limits over 20” being caught. Spot and croaker were all over the bay. Pompano were being found in the surf during the day at the 3Rs with small blues and rockfish in the evening hours. Near shore the fish of the week was flounder. The Fenwick Shoals were still holding nice spanish mackerel along with blues and triggerfish. Sea bass were to be found around the A Buoy.
Offshore the weather played her hand with high winds and Hurricane Larry made his appearance with high wave action. For those that got out before the weather, the mahi slowed a bit from the previous week and marlin fishing remained tough. Captains did find fish in the Poor Man’s and the Baltimore Canyons. Tuna, specifically yellowfin, remained strong with multiple hookups common. A notable catch was a 113 lb. allison yellowfin tuna caught on the “Primary Search” in the Washington. While most mahi were bailer or peanut sizes, a 58 lb. bull mahi was caught by Brad Brin.
September 22, 2021
We ended this season with more warm weather and some of the best fishing we have seen in the month of September in years. Mahi were still around for the taking but in lower numbers and not as easily found as in past weeks. The Del Jersey reef and A buoy were the prime spots. Big flounder were all around both inshore and in the bays. Brian Hayden landed a true doormat there at 8.5 lbs. and 29”. The Indian River Power Plant and Masseys Ditch were the place for sea trout and James Roe notably caught a big one there on swim jigs. On the wrecks near shore, sheepshead were everywhere with many anglers getting their limit catches. The Del Jersey Reef was also the hot spot for sea bass.
Swordfishing was in full swing in the Washington, however the hot tuna bite drew the anglers attention to chunking! §