Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
We saw a nice slow down in fishing pressure after the world famous Flounder Pounder Tournament. The mahi seem to be back on the bass pots. The flounder are back in their normal spots. Big storms last Tuesday churned up the water and slowed fishing for a day or so, but when it turned back on Thursday it was really hot! Big sea bass, flounder and sheepshead are being caught.
Inshore Reefs & Coral Grounds
The inshore reefs and coral grounds have been producing some quality fish. I received an email last week from a reader asking about the nearshore coral grounds. I always assumed they were common knowledge, but I am now learning that many don't understand the coral that grows between the lightship and the Delaware Bay. For reasons that the biologists can't explain, we grow a yellowish/brown hard coral along the shipping channel out in front of our beaches. There are about 30-40 different coral ranging in different sizes and shapes in different depths. They grow between 60 and 130 feet in depth. None of these spots are secret, however there are a few smaller spots that are not well known and their locations are guarded by locals. The main areas for the larger coral patches are just north of A Buoy on the inshore and offshore side of the channel as well as one further north between A and B Buoy. The inshore coral is located in the area of N38.3422.065-W 74.46.34.851. The offshore coral is located around N38.34.22.226-W74.46.40.371. When you fish the coral and your sinker hits the bottom you should feel a “tink”, like you bounced off of concrete. If you feel sand or soft bottom you are not on the coral. The bottom on your sounder will be dark red indicating a hard bottom. I hope this helps to clear up some of the understanding of the coral grounds.
“3 Amigos Sportfishing Charters” was out getting on the mahi bite last week. They were happy to see a few sea bass and flatfish caught by their clients. On the inshore areas flounder is still the prime target for anglers. Kenneth Decker and Brian Stevenson were out fishing for flounder and returned home with a limit. Wendy Reynolds Martino and crew went out last week and caught several nice fluke while drifting the bottom near A Buoy. Group “Delmade” was out this past week and also returned home with limits of fish up to 4 lbs. Nick Hopkins caught two nice fish measuring 20 and 21” along with a sea bass that ate a whole spot fish he used for bait.
Back Bays of Delaware
James Yohe was fishing the Indian River Inlet and caught a nice 19” fluke. The bay area of Indian River has really started to heat up with some nice keeper fish coming back to the docks. Dustin Wolf from Reading, PA used a duel colored spoon to catch a trophy 29”, 8.25 lb. flounder at the Indian River Inlet. Tom Passwaters caught 3 keepers measuring 16 3/4”, 18”and 19”. Nick Garcia was fishing on Captain Gordon Muller’s boat with his grandpop, Ariaseileen Gracia and Jason Cole. The fishing in the Delaware Bay was tough but they did end up with 15 keepers totaling up to 24”. They kept their 12 fish limits, returning the rest to be caught again. Ryan West and Frost Byte picked up a few nice fish up to 22”. “Flip N Fins” stated the fishing was tough but did manage to hook 4 keepers. The fish were weighed at Lewes Harbour Marina.
Julie Mister did it. She caught a citation 9.39 lb. sheepshead as well as a 8.45 pounder. Julie was fishing with sand fleas on the “Ice Breakers” in the Delaware Bay when she hooked these citation brutes! This year has produced several citation sheepies and continue to do so every week. As the weather cools they will migrate out of the area.
Now is the time if you want to target trophy sheepshead in the Delaware Bay. Live sand fleas work best with peeler crab a close second.
Old Inlet Tackle reports that the daytime bite at the Indian River Inlet has been slow, with a few blues, short stripers and trout.
Tog and drum are coming off the rocks but most are undersized. Night time has produced a few keeper rockfish on spot and chunk bait, but the keepers are few and far between. Alex Artese was out by Massey’s Ditch and caught a nice 8 pound sheepshead.
In the bay, Tony Dipetro pulled in a nice sea trout. He was fishing a white paddle tail on a white jig head.
Surf Fishing, Clams & Crabs
George Frimm was out at Fenwick State Park and used a couple of spot he had caught in the surf and managed to catch a good quality keeper flounder. Flounder in the surf are not uncommon, however they are not very easy to catch. If you are not using live bait, you will need to keep the bait moving along the bottom. Great job George putting the smaller baitfish back out to catch the trophy one!
Crabbing in the bay remains very strong with some of the biggest crabs I've seen in years. Samantha and I are averaging 10-12 keepers per pot with at least half being over 6 inches. Bunker is far superior to chicken and should be considered for your pots. A 3-5 foot range has been the most productive as of now. Old Inlet has fresh bunker flats available as well as many other tackle shops in the area.
Clamming is also showing a very productive season with most anglers returning to the shore averaging around 50 clams per hour of raking. Many bigger clams are being found at this time of the year, but smaller cherrystone size can be found if you put in the time. Holts Landing State Park is a great place to wade fish for these delicious treats. The bigger clams make for a great clam chowder.
Until next week...
Tight lines and fins up §
