Article by Larry Jock
This has been the strangest spring weather-wise that many people can remember. It looked like we were catching a break over the weekend when the sun popped out, but Sunday saw high winds that either cut the day short or kept anglers at the dock.
At Hook’em & Cook’em Tackle Shop in the Indian River Marina, Capt. Bert Adams reported that tautog fishing was excellent right up to the 11th when the season closed. Anglers were catching limits, mainly at Site 10, and off the rocks in the Indian River Inlet. Sand fleas and green crabs were the baits of choice.
Bert said that several boats headed up to the Delaware Bay to get in on the good black drum bite, primarily at the Coral Beds. Young Rylie Tingle took advantage of the bite, landing a 66.7 pounder while fishing with clams.
Anglers fishing in the Indian River Inlet found a number of short stripers, in the 8 to 14-inch range but they also caught keepers at night while tossing lures off the South Jetty. Casters mainly threw poppers, bucktails and swim shads but purple and black Bomber lures were the top producer.
Bert didn’t see or hear of any bluefish or flounder being caught by boaters in the Indian River Inlet.
There were a few flounder caught in the back bay over the weekend by anglers drifting shiners, minnows and Gulp! artificial baits in the VFW Slough.
From the beach, surfcasters are still finding nice size striped bass taking fresh bunker and crabs in the suds. The bluefish and puffer bite has definitely slowed and anglers are still having to deal with good numbers of skates.
With the “Talkin’ Trash” returning with 12 yellowfins from 1,200 fathoms outside the Baltimore Canyon on Saturday, offshore anglers are itching to get out there, but windy weather kept them at the dock last weekend. One boat ventured out to the canyons and returned with some small golden tilefish.
Further north at Lewes Harbour Marina, Matt said that the black drum bite at the Coral Beds is very good right now and should get even better in the coming weeks. A couple of charter boats came back with multiple fish caught on clams at the Coral Beds.
Bluefish are still being caught around the Cape Henlopen Pier, but the bite has been inconsistent for anglers tossing spoons or soaking mullet.
Stripers are being caught along the beach from Herring Point to 3R’s Road.
The string of rainy and windy days have turned the Lewes Canal into chocolate milk, significantly hurting the flounder bite. It looked like the bite was improving before the bad weather hit with water temperatures hovering in the upper-50’s.
With tautog season now closed in Delaware, Matt said that anglers will start looking for flounder around the Outer Wall but you will need 4-6 oz. bucktails to get your bait down in the strong currents.
Sea bass season opened up on May 15th, so anglers will be heading out to ocean structure in search of big knotheads. Squid is typically the go to bait for these fish but clams can also do the trick.
The Delaware fishing community is still reeling over the lost of Joe Morris, owner of Lewes Harbour Marina. I know I think about him often, reflecting on what a super person he was and what a positive influence he was on the Delaware fishing scene. There will be a celebration of Joe’s life on Sunday, May 22nd at Irish Eyes Restaurant in Lewes, DE. The event will start at 4:30 PM and gives folks a chance to support Joe’s wife Amanda and celebrate the many years we were blessed to have Joe in our lives. All are welcome!
Upcoming Tournament
The Lewes Canal Flounder Tournament is scheduled for Friday, May 20th. Cost is only $25 per angler with registration at Lewes Harbour Marina before 7:00 AM the day of the tournament. Fishing time is from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Youth Fishing Tournament.
Until next week, tight lines!
