Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
The hot humid air continues! This week saw temperatures in the mid to upper 90’s again. The fish did not seem to mind the heat and record catches were made all along the inshore. Flounder remains the big winner this week however sea bass are still around strong with many anglers catching limits if they put in the time.
Flounder, Croaker, Redfish & Rockfish
This week's bay area was loaded with some nice big flounder. The key areas are the deeper trough near the Coast Guard station as well as the main channel leading through the middle of Indian River. The Lewes Harbor area has slowed a little but some real quality fish can be found if you put the time in. Jon Little and Frank Tucker had a great day out in the Indian River Bay catching 31 flounder and keeping their limits with fish up to 22”. Nick Garcia was at it again with 4 big keepers up to 21”. Nick said everyone he saw was catching. Kevin Fiddles got his first ever keeper flounder using white Gulp. Jeff Flanagan caught a huge 5lb 9oz flounder on the “Captain's Lady”. The “Thelma Dale IV” out of Lewes had some nice catches this week as well while working some ocean structures. Alicen Sharp and crew for example got their limits on Monday and reported that most people on the boat limited out. Off the shore Michael Park got a nice 18’ one on the south side jetty of Indian River on Monday. The “Judy V” also reported nice catches this week with Eamonn Carey scoring a nice couple of flounder for dinner. Rob Grieb was in the back channel and got a couple nice ones up to 22”. On the ocean side, flounder seemed even more ready to bite with just about every angler I talked to stating that limits were there to be caught with very little effort. This time of year, with the heat, try to fish a little deeper for a better-quality fish. 80-120 ft. appears to be the right depth for the big ones. The Old Grounds and A Buoy are the best areas this week, however Delaware Bay near the wall and Ice Breakers is also very productive with Jason Schuster jigging up a few nice size flounder on Wednesday. Croaker remains steady, but a lot of little ones, both in the back bays as well as in the ocean. Cut bloodworms and small pieces of squid are the best baits, but truth be told if the fish are around they will bite just about anything. I received the first reports of the year about a few puppy drum (redfish) by the channel at the Indian River Power Plant. The fish were caught on paddle tail swimbaits. The fish are right up against the grass so cast along the shore and pull your baits down along the edge as close to the grass as you can get it. Stripers and bluefish are still around at night, however, most are undersized. Hook Junky reported they did not disappoint on Thursday night as he caught a nice keeper rockfish off the rocks by the inlet.
Weakfish and some triggerfish have been caught along the Indian River Inlet, mostly on an incoming tide. A few speckled trout have also been reported but we are not seeing any real numbers yet.
Sea Bass, Cobia & Triggerfish
This week in sea bass history is usually the very end of our early season. Last year however sea bass went right up to August and this year is looking much the same. Record numbers of limit catches and solid sized knotheads are still being caught. The deeper water in the range of 100 ft or more is the best chance of getting close to a limit, but sea bass are even still showing up in the warmer shallower water. The “Thelma Dale IV” as well as the “Judy V” both reported good catches of some big sea bass along with their flounder catches inshore. Boats heading further out to the deep wrecks were rewarded with nice catches and even limit catches. Clam is the go-to bait with squid running second. Many boats returning from the Tuna Grounds are stopping on a wreck or two on the way home and loading up on these tasty creatures. Most of the near shore wrecks are also loaded with triggerfish. Squid and sand fleas account for most of the catches of these fish. Traditionally as the sea bass move offshore the triggerfish move in, so they can be found on most wrecks, with the ones on the Fenwick Shoals and inshore being the best. Cobia are still hard to find, but a few are around. The Burbage boys have been out several times but have yet to catch one.
Surf Fishing & Crabs
Surf Fishing is typical summer fishing with tons of spot and kingfish coming in on bloodworms. A few pompano and triggerfish are also in the surf with most being reported near Fenwick Island. Crabs are back in full swing with pots yielding between 10-14 keepers per pot. Bunker is still the prime bait, out fishing chicken every time. Start looking to the deeper water for the crabs as lower levels are becoming oxygen deficient.
Until next week...
Tight lines and fins up
