Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
This week in Delaware fishing the word is hot! All water is approaching the 70 degree mark, making fishing for some species difficult while also bringing in the summer species.
Tautog
Great news! Tog is back open in Delaware as of July 1st. Tog has to be 16” with a limit of 4 per person. Green crabs and sand fleas are the best baits. Remember Tog hang right in the wrecks so pay attention to the bites as they are usually very light. Tog once hooked will head straight into the wreck and hang you up. The old saying is Tog separates the boys from the men.
Sea Bass
Sea bass continue to be slow due to warmer water. Seek deeper wrecks for keepers. Site 11 still seems to be the best area for keepers. The Coral areas still have sea bass around but keepers are hard to find. Old inlet has green crabs and sand fleas.
Bluefish & sharks
Small bluefish are still in back bays as well as the surf. Near shore shark fishing is heating up as the water warms with many larger sharks being taken within 10 miles of the beach.
Flounder
Flounder fishing gets better every day. Most inshore coral is holding nice flounder. Several smaller flounder must be picked though, but limits are being caught. Pink, red, green and white large Gulp baits are among the best baits. Squid and spot are also working well. B and A buoy are the hot spots, although some of the wrecks are also producing some nice fish. Remember to hold on to your rod instead of putting it in the rod holder as many bites are soft and often missed by rods in the rod holder. Matt from Fenwick Tackle says that the back bays are producing some nice flounder with many using spot to catch the keepers.
Croaker
Croakers have begun to show up in the surf which means the area in front of Indian River Inlet as well as the area by Lewes lighthouse should begin holding these fish very soon. Small fish bites, bloodworms, and squid are the best baits.
Crabs & Clams
Crabbing remains hot with the best areas being in the back bays from Holts Landing to the power plant. Bunker is still the best bait. Many are also switching to trot lines and single traps with bunker or salted eel. I personally am averaging about 10-12 keepers per pot on a 3 day soak. Clamming is also good but many of the smaller clams have been picked out leaving the larger clams. These large clams can be used for chowder or stuffed clams. Holts Landing still seems to be the hot spot.
Surf fishing
Small blues and rays are still around. This week both sea trout and weakfish have really started hitting in the surf. As the water warms the surf fishing begins to slow down. Use small bloodworms for kingfish. Spanish mackerel have been taken in the surf using spoons. Old Inlet reports Ryan O’Neil ( Wilmington) Caught a 28 lb Cobia in the surf last Sunday. Matt (Fenwick Tackle) reported that a nice run of bluefish came in this week from the surf which is rare for this time of year. He also said several croakers are in the surf. Remember the distancing rules on the drive on beaches are being enforced after the limitations on state beaches due to Covid 19.
Other reports
Many reports coming from Fenwick shoals stating the blues and Bonito being caught trolling small plugs and spoons . Cobia are beginning to show up in our waters. These fish can get very big and put up a great fight. Live spot and live eels tend to be the best baits. Bright color bucktails with long worm trailers or feather trailers also work well. The meat of the cobia is great table fare with many people who try it for the first time saying it's one of the best fish they have ever eaten. Cobia can be baked, fried, or even poached. Boiling in a bath of hot water and brown sugar makes the meat taste very much like lobster. About ½ of a small box of brown sugar to a spaghetti pot of water is the mixture used. Don't get scared of the sugar as it does not sweeten the meat of the fish as you would expect.
So as the water continues to heat up so does the fishing. Get out and catch a few today.
Tight lines and fins up!
Captain B.J. Pietryak
