Article by Larry Jock
Hard to believe we are into August already. Flounder are still biting, tuna are hitting the dock on a regular basis and the white marlin action is heating up just in time for the White Marlin Open.
Flounder
Capt. Bert at Hook’em & Cook’em said that flounder are still biting in the Indian River Inlet and really well on ocean structure and coral bottom. Head boats and charter boats out of the Indian River Marina returned with their limits of flatties on several days last week, and many with quality fish weighing up to 5 lbs.
Further north at Lewes Harbour Marina, Capt. Joe reported bottom fishermen continuing to have success on Delaware Bay and ocean structure. Star Reef, along with Reefs 6 & 7 all produced good catches for anglers drifting live spot. Ocean flukers had a mix of flounder and sea bass at Reef Sites 10 and 11. The “Tranquila” returned with 16 plump keepers from “DA” Buoy on Saturday.
Anglers have had good success with bucktails tipped with cut bait such as croaker, bluefish, flounder belly and squid.
Croakers
The back bays behind Indian River have seen good numbers of croaker, but most are too small, averaging in the 10-inch range. Anglers have also had good catches while drifting in the Indian River Inlet and at Massey’s Ditch. Surfcasters have been fishing from the shore at Roosevelt Inlet during the incoming tide, with most fish measuring between 10 and 14-inches.
The prime hardhead baits have been Fishbite bloodworms, Fishbite clams or strips of squid.
Bluefish
Bluefish are being caught on the troll around Fenwick Shoal and also in the Indian River Inlet, although the recent bout of east wind is sure to drive them out from the Inlet and off the shoreline.
Striped Bass
Joe at Whitetail Taxidermy & Outdoor Supplies mentioned that stripers are being caught in the Indian River Inlet well into the night by anglers fishing with eels or live spot.
Up in Lewes, Capt. Joe said that slot stripers were available in the Lewes Canal for anglers drifting live pencil eels around the Drawbridge. Stripers in the 20 to 26-inch range also fell for Gulp! Alive Swimming Mullets or Storm shads cast to the marsh banks, in addition to clams and squid heads fished on the bottom.
Tautog / Triggerfish
The warm water has dampened the tautog bite around the Outer Wall, but anglers were kept busy with triggerfish biting on shrimp, clams or sandfleas. Fallyn Smith landed a pair of triggers on Saturday weighing 4 lbs. 3 oz. and 3 lbs. 8 oz.
Sea Bass
Small sea bass are being caught in the Indian River Inlet and the bite has been consistently good on ocean structure, although not necessarily when it comes to catching fish large enough to keep. Some days are good, while on other days you struggle to bring home dinner. Plenty of fish to catch though, if you are looking for good action on light tackle. Clams and squid are the best baits to use right now.
In the Surf
Surfcasters continue to see the typical summer menu of fish coming in from the surf. Kingfish, Norfolk spot, snapper bluefish and an occasional flounder during the day and sharks at night. Anglers crazy enough to kayak their cut bait out past the breakers are hooking up to big sharks during the nighttime hours.
Offshore
The tuna bite was excellent during the early part of the week for anglers chunking at the Hot Dog and slightly north of the Hot Dog, but tapered off considerably into the weekend when the scene looked like the parking lot at WalMart. Boats continued to return with few yellowfins on Saturday and Sunday trips, but nothing compared to the double-digit days they had been having.
Surprisingly, towards the end of the week, boats trolling around the chunking fleet actually did as well, if not better, than those tossing butterfish chunks.
Those chunkers that outperformed the fleet reported lighter lines and smaller hooks making all the difference for catching finicky yellowfins.
The weekend did provide for excellent white marlin action for boats willing to venture out to over 1,000 fathoms outside the Poor Man’s and Washington Canyons. A few blue marlin were hooked in green water further inshore, where captains found good amounts of bait and whales.
Until next week, tight lines!
