Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
Last week in the Delaware waters was a bit slower than previous weeks, but some quality fish are still available for those willing to work a little harder for keepers.
Sea Bass & Flounder
Summer is in full swing with many of the headboats changing over from sea bass to flounder as their main targets. Flounder have been a little slow to start this year, and the waters are still holding a lot of undersized fish. Targeting deeper wrecks seems to be the key to catching a doormat.
Old Grounds
A Buoy and the Old Grounds are producing a ton of fish, however many are undersized. The Indian River Marina Annual tournament was held last week. For the inshore division, Captain Luke Horney and team on the 41’ Regulator, the “Sea N Double' took first place for the second year in a row with a massive 7 lb. 12 oz. doormat. Great job guys! Fred Robinson on the boat “No Limit” took second place with a 4 lb. 5oz. flattie. Bill Mercadante took 3rd place on the “Tapsy Turvy” with a 4 lb. 4 oz. flounder. Congratulations to all the winners.
“Bad Wind Charters” was out at the grounds last week and was blessed with a couple nice days. The crew managed a few really quality flat fish with Nate and Luke pulling in limits. Luke ended up the “King Of Fluke” hauling in an impressive 5 pounder. Rodney Meyers was out and pulled in a pair of keepers measuring 19 ½ and 17 ½”. Rodney reports they were his first and second drop of the day. Fuentes Riva Lucio got a nice limit at his favorite spot, bringing home some quality fillets for dinner. Chris Moody was just south of B Buoy using salmon Gulp for a nice limit. He said he stopped and picked up a few crabs to make dinner even better. Who doesn't love stuffed flounder?
Hook’em and Cook’em Bait & Tackle at Indian River Marina reports that Lenny Nester and Rachel Logullo fished the Old Grounds and brought home several nice flatties for cleaning at the tackle shop. For those of you who have never used the cutters at Hook’em and Cook'em Bait & Tackle, you are missing out. I have worked on and cleaned fish off headboats my entire life and 90% of the time I bring my fish to them to clean. The folks at the cutting shop do a great job and charge a very minimal fee. After a long day on the water it's nice to return to the dock, clean the boat, then drive over to pick up the prepared fish, all bagged and on ice.
A Buoy was also a good spot for targeting fluke with several big fish coming on to the decks. Gulp in your favorite color, about 40 to choose from, seem to be the best baits. The coral just outside the channel east of A Buoy has been the most productive. The “Endorfin” boat was out in this area and brought home several nice fish. Salmon Gulp on bucktails was the ticket to getting the job done for these guys.
Indian River Bay
The rock walls of the inlet are producing some decent flounder bites, however it is reported that the fish are mostly undersized. The best chances for keepers seem to be further back in the bay towards the power plan according to local sources. Old Inlet Bait & Tackle confirmed that many boats are now fishing the far back bays for flounder. The main channel leading in from the bay is full of boats every day making fishing pressure in this area very strong and sending fish further back in the bay.
Nick Garcia was back on the water last week with his grandfather bringing home 6 keepers. The biggest fish was 23”. Nick reports that he had a few throwbacks also. Chyrl Boggs caught a nice 3.8 lb. 21” fish last week but stated that fishing has been a bit slow. John Spence found two keepers early in the week measuring 17.75” and 18.75”. John stated that when he changed from a bucktail to a bucktail with a green silicone skirt, that made all the difference. John always jigs with Gulp baits on his bucktails.
Lewes area has been slow this week with few reports of the canal giving up many fish coming in. The canal area from now till the end of August is packed with boats coming and going forcing the fish to other waters.
Sheepshead
The Lewes Harbour Marina said they have been busy all week with anglers coming in for bait and rigs to target the big sheepshead now in the area. Mike Campanese was one such customer, and using a Bottom Sweeper Jig he managed a huge 11.01 lb. sheepy on ocean structure. Julia Mae Mister said “we killed it today”, when referring to the big sheepshead they caught early last week. Corey Joseph reported his first time targeting convicts and was rewarded with several nice fish to bring home for dinner. The fish were checked in to Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em Tackle in Indian River Marina. Brian Seglum came back to Lewes Harbour Marina with a nice 8.5 lb. fish that qualified him for a citation. He fished with Captain Paul Matthews on the boat “That’s Right” on a Delaware Bay structure.
The big fish I heard of this week also out of Lewes came from Mike Mazzetti who caught a 13.6 lb. and a 12.5 lb. one day and then went out the following day and caught a 12 lb. fish the next. I need to go sheepshead fishing with this guy because he has them dialed in.
Tog, Bluefish & Others
The Lewes Tog Club reports a lot of undersized tog are coming over the rails with a few keepers mixed in. Billy Mister had a nice keeper caught on a yellow jig head topped with peeler crab. Alejandro Cornejo pulled in a couple nice bluefish off the surf, and Alex Milanek got a nice cownose ray from 3R’s beach.
Until next week
Tight lines and fins up §
