2015 Year In Review

Article by Larry Jock

2015 will go down as another amazing year of fishing off the coast of Maryland and Delaware. World records were broken. Multiple state records were set, the biggest bluefish we have seen in over a decade wreaked havoc along the coast, reef and wreck fishing exploded, anglers caught bigeyes at a record clip and a lot of smiling faces were seen at the dock. You couldn’t ask for more than that!

Following is a summary of each week’s issue. Issue dates are in bold.

April 29, 2015 - What a way to start the year! On January 2nd, Ken Westerfeld of Queens, NY took a trip on the “Fish Bound” and caught a 28.8 lb. tautog to set a new world record, breaking the old world record by 3.8 lb. The fish was estimated to be 23 years old... unseasonably cold air and water temperatures made it a slow start to the fishing season... the 1st mako of the year was caught on March 25th in 200 fathoms in the Baltimore Canyon aboard the “Nontypical”. Water temperature was 65-degrees... the best bluefin bite we have seen in a decade, with fish up to 18 lbs., were caught along the coast by fish following huge schools of bunker... the 1st flounder of the season was caught on April 18th in 6-feet of water north of the Rt. 90 Bridge... the Ocean City Shark Tournament ended after 34 years... Mike Matha landed a 51.5-inch striper south of the Sugar Lumps... a few bluefish and black drum were being caught off the Rt. 50 Bridge... a few flounder were caught north of the Rt. 90 Bridge and behind Assateague Island... In Delaware, stripers haven’t shown up but anglers were kept busy tautog in the ocean and on Delaware Bay structure... big bluefish were caught as far north as Port Mahon...

May 6, 2015 - Noulack Mouyniuong graced the cover with a 49-inch striper caught in the Indian River Inlet... water temperatures crept closer to 60-degrees... mako sharks were caught in the Poor Man’s in 63-degree water... huge bluefish continued to dominate inshore action... tog fishing was excellent on ocean structure... short stripers were caught around the Rt. 90 Bridge and off the tip of the North Jetty... cold water made flounder fishing dismal... good size stripers were caught on the north end of Assateague Island... In Delaware, Bill Ream set the bar high when he caught a 9 lb. 10 oz. flounder in the VFW?Slough on April 30th... bluefish action was incredible in the DE Bay... bluefish also surprised flounder fishermen in the Lewes Canal... good numbers of tog were caught around the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers... flounder fishing improved in the Lewes Canal... water temperature in the Indian River Inlet dropped into the mid-50’s bringing in bluefish, shad and a few stripers.

May 13, 2015 - The first bluefin of the season was caught on May 8th in the Wilmington Canyon aboard the “Mate Trix II” in 68-degree water... there was a good black drum bite off Assateague... spectacular bluefish run continued... flounder fishing improved in the bay with fish caught around the Rt. 90 Bridge, West Channel, Thorofare and behind Assateague... cod and tautog were caught on ocean structure... sea bass season opened on May 15th... chopper bluefish and a few stripers were caught by surfcasters off Assateague... a few black drum were hooked around the Rt. 50 Bridge... small makos and blue sharks were hooked in 49-degree water in the Washington Canyon and in 500 fathoms in the Poor Man’s...a thresher shark was released on Isle of Wight Shoal... In Delaware, “Knock On Wood” went to the Spencer Canyon and caught 5 yellowfins in 65-degree water... the 1st mahi of the year was caught in 71-degree water in the Wilmington... Bob Hilton caught a 19 lb. 8 oz. bluefish in the Indian River Inlet... bluefish continued their run up the Broadkill River at Oyster Rocks... tog fishing was good along the Walls and Ice Breakers... black drum showed up between Primehook and Fowler beaches... striper fishing was spotty although upper DE Bay fishing was hot... flounder were more active in the Lewes Canal... bluefish dominated action in the Indian River Inlet... DE surf fishermen were kept busy with snapper blues and some stripers.

May 20, 2015 - Big stripers, measuring 40 to 45-inches, cruised into the OC Inlet... Phillip Gray caught a 50-inch striper on cut bunker while surf fishing in mid-Ocean City... chopper bluefish were caught all week around the Rt. 50 Bridge with water temperatures around 60-degrees... yellowfins weighing between 45 and 70 lbs. were caught in 66-degree water in the Wilmington Canyon and in 120-fathoms in the Baltimore... “Boss Hogg” found a 62 to 64-degree break in the Baltimore and caught 12 yellowfins and an 84 lb. bluefin... Great Eastern Reef was the hot spot for sea bass... a 250 lb. thresher was caught at the Sausages in 57-degree water... “Spring Mix II” hooked several makos and blue sharks on the inside edge of the Baltimore Canyon... several striped bass over 40-inches were caught off Assateague... good numbers of cod were caught on ocean structure... In Delaware... Over 400 anglers fished in the Lewes Canal Flounder Tournament with Mickey Payne’s 6.2 pounder taking 1st place... black drum came on strong on the NJ?side of the DE Bay following the new moon... 20 fathoms structure provided decent sea bass action and a surprising number of cod... sea bass fishing was better inshore, particularly around Site 11 and at the Washingtonian wreck... golden tilefish were caught in deep water in the Wilmington Canyon... the evening incoming tide around the Indian River Inlet provided good striper action... the bluefish run was ridiculously good... a few flounder were caught by the VFW?Slough.

May 27, 2015 - On May 24th, Dale Downey caught and released a white marlin, the earliest release since the OC Marlin Club started keeping records. The white was hooked on the east side of the Baltimore Canyon in 300 fathoms... the yellowfin bite moved to between the Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons in 66 to 68-degree water... “Boss Hogg” had 17 yellowfins in the Baltimore... most boats running to the canyons over the Memorial Day Weekend averaged 4 to 7 yellowfins... the first bigeye tuna was caught in 200 fathoms in the Baltimore Canyon aboard the “Over Billin”... mako sharks continue to run small, between 100 and 120 lbs. with most coming from the Baltimore Canyon and the Sausages... thresher sharks showed up at the Fingers... sea bass and tautog fishing was very slow... flounder fishing improved in the bay behind OC with fish caught by the Rt. 90 Bridge, in the Thorofare, East Channel and at the mouth of the Commercial Harbor... minnows, squid and white or pink Gulp! Swimming Mullet were the best flounder baits... the fist sheepshead of the season was caught by Hugh Cropper around the South Jetty... the amazing bluefish bite started to slow and were found mainly around the Rt. 50 Bridge... striper fishing was good off Assateague with fish caught up to 49-inches... surfcasters also tangled with some black drum and chopper bluefish... In Delaware, the 1st thresher hit the scale when Pete Truitt caught a 307 pounder at Reef Site 11... warm water pushed into the Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons where anglers found yellowfins and mahi in 90-100 fathoms... sea bass and cod were picked at near Site 11... the DE Bay black drum bite was in full swing with good catches coming from the Bayshore Channel and south of 8 Buoy... croakers made an appearance in the Broadkill Slough... short stripers were caught off Herring Point... flounder fishing in the Lewes Canal improved with fish up to 8 lbs... bluefish were caught in good numbers inside the Indian River Inlet... stripers were found under the bluefish.

June 3, 2015 - windy weather put a damper on fishing for most of the week... a 286.4 lb. swordfish was caught on the “Dawg Haus” while daytime trolling in 32 fathoms inside the Rockpile where the captain found 68-degree water... the 1st blue marlin of the season was released on May 29th in 100 fathoms, 10 miles north of the Washington Canyon... the second white marlin of the season was released in 59-degree water in the Washington Canyon... the shot of good water between the Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons broke apart, sending tuna fisherman down to the Washington and Norfolk Canyon... most yellowfins were around 30 lbs... bigeyes were caught in 100 fathoms in the Norfolk Canyon... a thresher estimated at 300 lbs. was released at the African Queen... it was hit-or-miss for sea bass fishing on ocean structure... cod fishing was excellent... south/southwest wind shut down flounder fishing in the bay... In Delaware, small bluefish dominated action in the Indian River Inlet... flounder fishing heated up in the Lewes Canal as water quality improved... more croakers showed up in the DE Bay at Site 5 and Reef 8... black drum were caught at the Star Site on clams by anglers looking for hardheads... striped bass were active in the Lewes Canal with larger bass coming on eels... black drum were caught at the Coral Beds inside Broadkill Slough and near the submerged piles off Fowler Beach but the better bite was between 14 Buoy and the Pin Top.

June 10, 2015 - Bad weather continued to keep most anglers at the dock... the “Hook’n Tail”, a 26-foot boat, won the Thresher Division of the Mako Mania Tournament with a 500 pounder caught inside the Fingers... Joe Stein on the “Marli” caught a 281.6 lb. mako at the Hot Dog... other makos were caught at the Fingers and in the Washington Canyon... “Reel Vibrations” caught a 465.7 lb. thresher at the Fingers... before the bad weather, yellowfins were caught in the Washington Canyon and bigeyes came in from the Bigeye Hole and the Norfolk Canyon... flounder were caught in good numbers by boats drifting outside the South Jetty with 5-inch Gulp! Swimming Mullets... anglers drifting the Thorofare flats also saw decent numbers of flatties... in the ocean, flounder were caught at the Great Eastern Reef, Gary King caught a 4 lb. 15 oz. sea bass on ocean structure while fishing on the “Morning Star”... In Delaware, anglers on the “Indian” caught a 509.5 lb. thresher shark at “DB” Buoy... water temperature in the Indian River Inlet was still unseasonably cold (59-degrees) but flounder started showing up and an occasional striper was caught... cold water made sea bass fishing tough... the bluefish bite really tapered off and surf conditions were too rough to fish... anglers found a mix of croakers, kingfish and blowfish in the Broadkill Slough and at Reef Site 5... DE?Bay structure started producing catches of flounder up to 24-inches... Lewes Canal anglers found stripers and flatties around the bridges... sea bass and cod action was decent at Site 11.
June 17, 2015 - Bad weather continued to hamper fishing, but when anglers could find clean water they smacked the flounder around the duck blinds behind Assateague and on the flats north of the Thorofare... big flatties were also caught off the 2nd Street Bulkhead and in the East Channel... anglers on the charter boat, “Get Sum” set a boat record with 10 keeper flounder during a 2-hour trip around the South Jetty... flounder fishing on ocean reefs and wrecks was stellar for anglers fishing with minnows and flounder belly... sheepshead were caught around the South Jetty... stripers were caught late in the day around the Rt. 50 Bridge... anglers on the “Blood Money” caught a 370 lb. blue marlin and a pair of bigeye tuna in the Wilmington Canyon... several white marlin were released in 70 fathoms in the Baltimore Canyon... the first wahoo of the season was caught in 71-degree water on the East Wall of the Baltimore Canyon... bigeye tuna came in mainly from deep water in the Baltimore Canyon and a few were caught in the Wilmington... the best bigeye bite was just before dark... yellowfins were caught in 45 fathoms in the Baltimore... the Squidnation Flippy Floppy with a green machine trailer produced good catches of yellowfins... In Delaware, anglers working natural bottom of the Old Grounds and at Reef Site 11 found a decent flounder bite when weather permitted... the Subway Cars gave up sea bass, ling and cod... DE Bay anglers encountered croakers, kingfish and blowfish around artificial reefs, particularly Sites 5 and 8... flounder were caught by kayaker’s fishing the Henlopen flats and by anglers in the Lewes Canal and Broadkill River on Gulp! artificial baits in the Nuclear Chicken color... stripers up to 32-inches were also caught in the Lewes Canal on mackerel chunks and by casting plugs... down at the Indian River Inlet Jetty, bluefish were caught during the incoming tide and stripers were fooled with bucktails, eels and swim shads... most Indian River offshore boats ventured to the Wilmington Canyon where they found yellowfins and bigeyes up to 215 lbs...”Risk Reward” boated a 340 lb. thresher shark near “B” Buoy.

June 24, 2015 - the yellowfin tuna bite moved from the Baltimore Canyon down to the Poor Man’s Canyon with most of the action in 40 to 70 fathoms... “Marli” had 20 nice size yellowfins one day at the 000’s... good numbers of bigeyes were caught at the Bigeye Hole with several boats returning with multiple eyeballs... bluefin tuna have been very scarce, but a 104.5 pounder was caught in the Poor Man’s Canyon... mahi action was strong all week, especially around the 000’s... “Game Changer” went 5 for 9 on white marlin in the Baltimore Canyon... several blue marlin were released, primarily in 70 fathoms in the Poor Man’s... junior angler, Courtney Grady released a blue marlin, estimated at 750 lbs. after hooking it in 57 fathoms in the Washington Canyon... makos, blue sharks and hammerheads were hooked at the Fingers... a large school of small striped bass invaded the waters around the South Jetty... flounder fishing was excellent, especially by the duck blinds in the bay behind Assateague... the “Bay Bee” with 17 flounder on 1 trip and the “Get Sum with 16 flounder led the way... more anglers are discovering the incredible flounder action to be had on ocean structure, especially at the African Queen and Russell’s Reef... In Delaware, Bill Fintel caught a 19.7 lb. blueline tilefish in the Baltimore Canyon to temporarily set a new Delaware state record... flounder fishing improved in the DE Bay, especially around Site 5 and Reef 8... croakers, kingfish and spike trout were also caught at Sites 5 and 8... larger trout were caught by anglers tossing D.O.A Terreyz’s at the Inner Wall... the natural bottom around “DB” Buoy produced good catches of ocean flounder up to almost 7 lbs... deep droppers had luck catching blueline and golden tilefish, rosefish, ling and sea bass in the Wilmington Canyon... water temperature in the Indian River Inlet rose to 74-degrees... stripers were caught in the Inlet during the incoming tide on bucktails, swim shads and sand fleas... sheepshead were caught from the rocks on both sides of the Inlet on sand fleas... headboats reported poor sea bass fishing but the flounder bite on ocean structure more than made up for it.

July 1, 2015 - Kevin Twilley, mate on the “Fish Bound” set a new Maryland state record for winter flounder with a 5 lb. 2 oz. fish caught on a chunk of clam 20 miles off the coast... yellowfin tuna were caught around the Hot Dog and the Tea Cup all week in 71-degree water... bluefins were mixed in with yellowfins at both the Hot Dog and the Tea Cup... a better class of mahi started arriving at the scale with fish closer to 20 lbs... no blue marlin releases this week and a few white marlin were released around the Hot Dog... flounder fishing was good behind Assateague with water temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70’s... snapper bluefish are being caught around the Rt. 50 Bridge... a load of short stripers were caught in the Ocean City Inlet and around the South Jetty... In Delaware, the Indian River Kid’s Tournament was cancelled due to bad weather... flounder and striper fishing was good in the Indian River Inlet for most of the week and a few sheepshead were caught off the rocks... flounder fishing on ocean structure continues to shine... “Fish Whistle” burned up the bigeyes, catching 4 up to 230 lbs. during an overnight trip to the Bigeye Hole... the Lewes Canal and Broadkill River continue to produce good catches of flounder... plenty of croakers were around Reef Sites 5 and 8 and also in the Lewes Canal... the Old Grounds was a hot spot this week for flounder... stripers roamed the Lewes Canal and were caught on eels around the drawbridge.

July 8, 2015 - Anglers on the “Pumpin’ Hard” returned from the Bigeye Hole in the Washington Canyon with 4 bigeyes up to 296 lbs... white marlin were released in the Washington, Wilmington and Baltimore Canyons and around the Rockpile... blue marlin were released in the Wilmington Canyon... mahi were hooked in the Wilmington Canyon... bluefins were boated at the Chicken Bone... anglers on the “Playmate” recorded a Grand Slam when they released a blue marlin, a white marlin and a spearfish in the Poor Man’s... the bigeye bite was on fire at the Bigeye Hole, especially just before sundown and into the night... bluefins were picked off anywhere inshore from the Twin Wrecks up to Massey’s Canyon... yellowfins were mainly found at the Hot Dog... wahoo were hooked in the Wilmington Canyon, at the Hambone and at the Hot Dog... tilefish were hooked by deep droppers in the Washington and Poor Man’s Canyons... flounder fishing was fantastic all week as it shifted from the bay behind Assateague up to the East and West Channels where a couple of 7+ pounders were boated... white Gulp! Swimming Mullet was the hot bait of the week for flatties... undersized stripers were plentiful around the Rt. 50 Bridge and the jetties... In Delaware, anglers had much success catching slot stripers by drifting eels around the drawbridge... croakers were numerous in the Canal... flounder fisherman had good luck fishing with Gulp! artificial baits in the Nuclear Chicken color... flukers landed quality fish around DE?Bay reef sites along with croakers, kingfish, blowfish, snapper blues and spike trout... the 1st triggerfish of the season was caught at the Outer Wall... sea bass fishing improved on ocean structure... the Old Grounds was on fire for flounder and some mahi were actually caught here as well... a mix of bluefins and yellowfins were found at Massey’s Canyon, 19 Fathom Lump, Tea Cup, Hambone and Hot Dog.

July 15, 2015 - Rob Wagner on the “Sea Slammer” caught a 182 lb. bigeye to win the OC Tuna Tournament... tuna fisherman in the Washington Canyon continued to battle sharks eating their catch... bigeyes dominated the tournament and yellowfins and bluefins were very scarce... white marlin were scattered with the best coming from the Norfolk Canyon where blue marlin were hooked as well... inshore headboats are catching dolphin... bluefins were found at the Fingers and Lobster Claw... commercial fishermen found good numbers of yellowfins in 500 fathoms outside the Washington... water temperature at the Bigeye Hole was 78-degrees... bigeyes were also caught in the Wilmington and Norfolk Canyons... large schools of bunker invaded the East Channel... the best flounder bite was in the Middle or West Channels... flounder fishing on ocean structure was outstanding at the Old Grounds and down at Winter Quarter Shoal and the Attwater wreck... sheepshead were caught at the South Jetty... In Delaware, flounder fishing was good between “DA” and “DB” Buoys... croaker and flounder mainly came from the Lewes Canal as strong DE?Bay currents made drifting difficult... in the Indian River Inlet, flounder fishing was best by the Coast Guard Wall or on the south side by the condos, close to the rocks... large spot were caught off the beach near Sea Colony.

July 22, 2015 - The Ostrowski family teamed up to catch a 667 lb. mako shark at the Fingers... 307 junior anglers participated in the Kid’s Classic... white marlin and blue marlin releases were racked up during the week in the Poor Man’s and Washington Canyons and moved to the Baltimore Canyon on the weekend... better action was found by those taking the trip to the Norfolk... bigeye tuna catches were insane with the “Fish Whistle” leading the way with 6 during one overnighter to 79-degrees at the Bigeye Hole... eyeballs were also caught in the Poor Man’s, Baltimore and Wilmington Canyons mainly between 6:00 and 8:00 at night... warm water moved inshore bringing mahi close to the Delmarva shoreline... wahoo showed up at the Jackspot... flounder fishing in the ocean was spectacular but those trying in the bay had a hard time weeding through throwbacks to get their keeper in 73-degree water... small stripers were around the bridge... In Delaware, flounder fishing at the Old Grounds and at Reef Sites 9, 10 and 11 was outstanding... slot striper action was good in the Lewes Canal... the first spot showed up in the Canal... tautog fishing was slow... “Dream Girl” brought back an 84.2 lb. wahoo from just north of the Hot Dog.

July 29, 2015 - “Pumpin’ Hard” won the Big Fish Classic with a 276.5 lb. bigeye and also weighed a 106.5 lb. yellowfin... good numbers of white marlin were released, primarily in the Baltimore Canyon... “Moore Bills” went 11 for 15 on whites in 500 to 1,000 fathoms in the Poor Man’s... quite a few blue marlin were released in the Wilmington, Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons... wahoo bite picked up at the 19 Fathom Lump, Hot Dog and the Twin Wrecks... three swordfish were caught during the week at the Bigeye Hole... most boats have switched to chunking, but yellowfin action was slow with mainly undersized fish being hooked... largest yellowfins came from the Norfolk Canyon... flounder fishing in the bay is slow but fishing on ocean structure is producing good numbers of quality fish, mainly while using flounder belly for bait... In Delaware, there was a good croaker bite in the Indian River Inlet... striped bass were caught at night on Bass Assassins... tog bite around the rocks was slow... kingfish and croakers dominated the surf action... flounder fishing in the DE Bay was good, but a lot of fish were short of the 16-inch minimum... big hardheads were caught in the Lewes Canal... a few black drum were caught at the Ice Breakers... slot stripers were caught on eels in the Lewes Canal and Broadkill River.

August 5, 2015 - “Miss Annie” swept the Tuna Division and won the Dolphin Division in the OC Marlin Club Ladies Tournament while the “Grande Pez” took the Billfish Release Division with 4 whites and a blue... Greg Donahue’s 26 5/8-inch flounder won the Ocean Pines Flounder Tournament... flounder fishing in the bay was slow this week so we are seeing more and more anglers venturing to the ocean for superior fishing... red drum were released in the OC Inlet... croaker were found in the Inlet and at the mouth of the Commercial Harbor... the bigeye bite continues to dominate offshore fishing with boats returning with up to 6 fish after an overnighter... yellowfin action was abysmal this week... mahi were caught up and down the coast and as close as 3 miles from the beach... white marlin were scattered with the best bites coming from the Washington Canyon and the Rockpile... the Washington Canyon also produced a few blue marlin releases and a swordfish... wahoo were caught at the Hot Dog, the Hambone and around the Rockpile... In Delaware, most of the flounder action centered on ocean structure at the Old Grounds where Billy Talbot muscled in a 10.2 pounder... more spot are showing up in the Lewes Canal and Indian River Inlet... all the small stripers you wanted were found in the Indian River Inlet at night... a couple of thresher sharks were hooked in the Inlet... good numbers of bluefish were caught on the troll at Fenwick Shoal...

August 12, 2015 - Cheryl McLeskey on the “Backlash” became the first woman to win the White Marlin Open when she weighed a 94 lb. white marlin worth $1,176,113... for the 1st time in 7 years, over 300 boats entered the WMO... total prize money was $3,875,000... Larry Hesse, Jr. won the Blue Marlin Division with a 551 pounder... John Gudelsky took Top Angler honors with 655 points (6 whites, 1 blue and 1 spear)... bigeye tuna dominated the Tuna Division with most bites coming from the Bigeye Hole... 649 white marlin were released in the tournament, and increase from 411 in 2014... outside the tournament, bad weather created rough conditions for flounder fishing and the bite never turned on until Sunday morning in the East Channel... spot began to show up in good numbers in the bay... In Delaware, bottom bouncers found croakers, snapper blues, spike trout and kingfish around Sites 5 and 8... Canal anglers took advantage of the summer striper season with fish caught on eels, bloodworms, clams and artificials... inshore trollers found dolphin around Site 10... the corridor between Delaware Light and the 20 fathom line held wahoos.
August 19, 2015 - In the “Poor Girls Open”, the lady anglers on the “Billfisher” won 1st place for Heaviest Dolphin and 2nd place in the Billfish Release Division with 8 releases... the “Reel Joy” won 1st place in the Billfish Division with 9 white marlin releases... the “Wound Up” posted a Grand Slam with a white, a blue and a sail all released in their first hour of fishing in the Norfolk Canyon... marlin bite for the fleet centered in the Baltimore?Canyon over the weekend and in the Poor Man’s earlier in the week... bigeye tuna were still snapping in the Washington Canyon... “Restless Lady” caught their 29th bigeye of the season... yellowfins showed up strong early in the week in 250 fathoms... gaffer dolphin were on the increase... wahoos were caught along the 30 fathom line from the Baltimore down to the Washington Canyon... throwback flounder dominated the action in the bay behind OC... beautiful weather allowed anglers to venture to ocean reefs and wrecks where they tore up the flounder by dropping 4 oz. bucktails tipped with strip baits... cobia were caught 3 miles off the beach... sea bass fishing continued to be slow... In Delaware, croakers were caught in the Indian River Inlet and off the coast at Site 10... flounder fishing was strong for anglers heading to the African Queen, the Old Grounds and the Bass Grounds... Reef sites 6, 7 and 8 produced a decent flattie bite for DE?Bay fishermen.

August 26, 2015 - For the second time this year, the DE?State Record for tilefish was broken when Andy Orr landed a 22.2 pounder in the Baltimore Canyon... on the final day of The MidAtlantic tournament, “Texas Tea” arrived at the scale with a 77 lb. white marlin to take 1st place and over $714,000... 486 white marlin were hooked in the tournament, down from 619 in 2014... blue marlin hook-ups increased from 30 to 38... local boat, “Reel Joy” won top honors for Most Points with releases of 13 white and 2 longbill spearfish... most of the white marlin action took place on the west wall of the Baltimore Canyon... bigeyes continued to snap in the Washington Canyon but the winning eyeball came from the Lindenkohl... dolphin were plentiful this week with bailers dominating the action along weedlines... wahoo were caught in the Washington and Baltimore Canyons... flounder fishing in the bay was horrible but the bite on ocean structure was great for those fishing with strips of flounder and mahi belly... croakers were caught in good numbers in the bay... a pair of cobia were caught in the bay highlighted by a 73 pounder caught at the South Jetty... In Delaware, Pete Hesson won the Paradise Grill Flounder Pounder with a 5.8 lb. flattie and won $12, 550 in award money... water temp in the Indian River Inlet was 72-degrees... fishing was slow... more croakers entered the Inlet... flounders dominated by short fish... good flounder bites were at Site 10 out to the Old Grounds... in the DE?Bay, Site 11 produced good flounder bites... ocean flounder fishing was better between “DA” and “DB” Buoys and at inshore Sites 9 and 10... bluefish were feeding around the rocks at the Ice Breakers and Outer Wall... slot stripers were caught in the Lewes Canal and in the Broadkill River... Canal anglers also caught spot and croaker.

September 2, 2015 - Anglers on the “Out-Rea-Geous” boated a 420 lb. mako in 80 fathoms at the East Wall of the Baltimore Canyon... spadefish were caught on Winter Quarter Shoal... during the week, the billfish bite was good in the Baltimore Canyon and offshore of the Rockpile, but moved to 300-500 fathoms in the Washington Canyon on the weekend... “Partnership” released 10 whites and a blue near the 461 Lump... “Billfisher” and “Reel Joy” each released 10 in the Washington... several blue marlin were released this week... “No Quarter” had a Grand Slam in the Poor Man’s with a white, a blue and 2 spearfish... “Boss Hogg” caught a 288 lb. swordfish in the Washington and “Wanderer” caught a 68 pounder in 200 fathoms in the Baltimore... bigeyes continue to be caught at the Bigeye Hole and a few were hooked in the Baltimore Canyon... “Cheryl Lynn” caught a 254 lb. eyeball during an overnighter in the Washington... the yellowfin bite was horrible with only a few caught in the Washington... Kate Fingle caught a 40 lb. dolphin in the Poor Man’s... dolphin were caught in big numbers in all the canyons...flounder fishing in the bay was not good, but the Bass Grounds was on fire and the African Queen and Old Grounds saw good numbers of flounder hooked on strip baits... Doug Jackson caught a 27-inch flounder in the West Channel... inshore shoals were loaded with snapper bluefish... red drum were caught and released in the OC Inlet... In Delaware, croakers came on strong in the ocean around Reef Site 10... Reef Site 11 was a hot spot for flounder... DE Bay reefs held croakers, kingfish, puffers, porgies and trout... croaker fishing in the Indian River Inlet was good making it difficult for flounder fishermen to get their baits to the bottom... the “Del-Jersey-Land reef site produced good catches of sea bass...

September 9, 2015 - Bad weather dominated the weekend... the Old Grounds was on fire for flounder fishermen... “Fish Bound” had 32 keepers on 1 trip with fish up to 5 lbs. 12 oz... “D.A. Sea” released 13 white marlin and the “Billfisher” released 7 whites, a blue and a spearfish, all in the Norfolk Canyon... Madison McGinnis caught an 82 lb. wahoo at the Rockpile... mahi were everywhere, dominated by bailers... small yellowfins were caught in good numbers in the Washington and Poor Man’s... bigeyes continued to be caught on overnight trips to the Bigeye Hole... flounder fishing in the bay was horrible but fishing on ocean structure couldn’t be better at the Old Grounds, Bass Grounds, Jackspot, Winter Quarter Shoal and the African Queen... surf fishermen are finding loads of kingfish, sharks and skates... In Delaware, the flounder bite was good at Reef Sites 9, 10 and 11 as well as on natural bottom between “DA” and “DB” Buoys... croakers were thick at Site 10 and “DB” Buoy... more sea bass showed up on Old Ground structure and at Site 11... the Indian River Inlet saw good snapper bluefish action along the rocks... hardheads were caught in decent numbers anywhere from 2 to 5 miles off Indian River.

September 16, 2015 - Fishing in the bay was horrible this week and bad weather kept most offshore anglers at the dock... “First Light” caught an 88 lb. wahoo in 250 fathoms between the Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons... 14 to 15-inch flounder made up 99% of flounder caught in the bay... anglers fishing with strip baits on ocean structure tore up flounder when they could get out... during the evening around the Rt. 50 Bridge, good numbers of snapper bluefish and short stripers were caught... dolphin were the star of the show offshore... before bad weather rolled in, the “Miss Annie” released 17 white marlin and a blue marlin in the Norfolk... at the same spot, the “Ma