Article by Larry Jock
It was a nasty, windy week all along the Delmarva coast, keeping most boats at the dock and fewer surfcasters soaking baits in the suds.
Bluefish continue to be the major star of the show this spring with fish caught up and down the Delaware coast, from Fenwick Island up to Cape Henlopen. I would have to say that the bite was not as consistently strong as it has been in past weeks, but there were a few blitz’s that were epic. An especially good bluefish bite occurred on Friday night at the Cape Henlopen Pier. Brittany Trombetta and Jason Craig reported action like they had never seen before with ferocious choppers feeding on anything in their way starting at 5:00 PM. The duo was worn out by 7:00 PM and left the fish biting. They said that in those couple of hours, they saw over 100 bluefish caught by anglers at the Pier.
At Lewes Harbour Marina, Tommy reported an improved flounder bite in the Lewes Canal, just in time for the Joe Morris Memorial Canal Flounder Tournament on Friday, May 19th. The best bite has been during the incoming tide for anglers using squid, minnows and Gulp! artificial baits.
Black drum are starting to show up more often at the Coral Beds and for anglers fishing off Broadkill Beach. Clams are the bait of choice for these bruisers.
Stripers have been in very short supply this spring. Tommy said that they haven’t seen many keepers, with mostly short fish being caught off the beaches. Further south, there were a few keepers caught off 3R’s Road by surf fishermen using bunker for bait. Unfortunately, I’ve seen reports and pictures from big linesiders caught from the beach in New Jersey, so it looks like some monsters are slipping by us.
At the Hook’em & Cook’em Tackle Shop in the Indian River Marina, Capt. Bert Adams said that outside of hungry bluefish, there isn’t much else happening right now.
In the Inlet, anglers are catching bluefish during the incoming tide while tossing poppers and any kind of metal lure they have in their box. A few small stripers were caught in the Inlet and Bert only heard of one flounder hooked last week. Bert said that he did hear rumors of keeper flounder caught in the back bay, but he personally never saw one come into the shop.
Tautog season is now closed, but sea bass season opened on May 15th with anglers being allowed to keep 15 fish measuring 12 1/2-inches or larger this season. Before the closure, fishermen along the rocks at the Indian River Inlet were catching short tautog while using green crabs for bait.
Upcoming Tournament
It’s been a year since the fishing community lost an icon, Capt. Joe Morris of Lewes Harbour Marina. In memory of Joe, the tackle shop is holding the Joe Morris Memorial Canal Flounder Tournament on Friday, May 19th. The entry fee is only $40 and anglers can register anytime before the tournament starts at 7:00 AM. It is a flounder-only tournament with anglers allowed to fish from the Rehoboth Bay Canal entrance to the Roosevelt Inlet entrance and from the Broadkill River to Oyster Rocks Road. All fishing must be done from a boat with weigh-ins on Friday from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The top 6 heaviest fish will be awarded prizes and proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
Until next week, keep those lines tight and have fun! That’s what it’s all about.