Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
This week in Delaware saw the start to the summer storms and hurricanes. Not many boats ventured out due to the storms. Many anglers were pulling their boats, however a few ventured into the back bays and near shore areas.
Sea Bass & Croaker
Sea bass remains very strong despite the summer heat. Many keepers are being reported from the deeper wrecks. Many anglers fishing the old grounds report catches of both keeper flounder as well as sea bass. The coming storm seems to have slowed the bite a bit, making drifts and anchoring more difficult. The inlet areas are reporting some croaker. These fish are still small and are coming in waves .It’s being in the right place at the right time. Fishbites and small pieces of squid are the best baits and the hour after high tide is reportedly the best time to catch croaker. Some croaker are being reported in the surf but rough surf has made fishing difficult.
Flounder & Triggerfish
Flounder is in full summer swing. A lot of anglers passed going offshore for flounder this week because of the storm, however, those that did found flounder in every spot. The Coral Grounds and Old Grounds are holding good numbers of flounder with several 20-22” fish thrown in. A&B buoys are the hot spots with green and red Gulp being the hot bait. After the storm had passed and anglers returned to the water, the catch had fallen off due mostly to dirty water. As the next week comes, the water should clear and I'm betting flounder catches will return to normal. I did a flounder trip this week on my boat and ended up with a limit of flounder as well as a few sea bass thrown. Triggerfish were coming on strong at the wrecks inside of Fenwick Shoal prior to the storm. After the storm the fish are reluctant to bite. Again as water clears I'm sure the bite will return. Small pieces of squid or clam are working best for triggers.
Sharks, Blues & Skates
The inlet area remains good for blues at night. Casting along the rock walls and inlet breaks are the prime spots. Casting bucktails is ranked as the best method with cut bait being a close second. I heard from an angler who hooked a nice hammerhead shark off of the pier at Holt’s Landing. After fighting the fish for about two hours the fish was released unharmed. Reports of rays and skates in the bay are also coming in. Cut bait and live spot which anglers are using for flounder are the best baits. Some reports of sharks and blues are coming in from the surf but with surf beaches closed due to the storm not many anglers have fished the beach this week.
Surf Fishing
The drive on beaches were closed during part of this week due to the storm, so there‘s not any reports coming in. After the storm passed, anglers found small blues, kingfish and spot very close to shore just beyond or in the breakers. Amy Zingarelli-Uzmack caught her first fish of the surf on her 50th birthday...way to go Amy! Other reports of sharks at night after the storm have been spotty. With more storms being called for all week this week may be a wash.
Clams & Crabs
Clamming should improve with the past hurricane .Many of the local spots have been very muddy and hard to find clams. Post storm should see more sandy areas as the mud is washed back out to sea, so this coming week would be a great time to try clamming. A simple clam rake available at most tackle shops and hardware stores is all you need. If you can't find a rake just digging your toes into the sand will locate them. Crabbing remains good. My daughter had her best haul of the year with 74 crabs in 4 pots. Back bay areas along Pots Nets and by the back tributaries seem to be most productive. More reports of stolen crab pots keep coming in. Check your pots on a regular basis. Bunker or bunker and chicken mix are producing the best and biggest numbers. Many anglers like myself pulled our pots prior to the storm so the crabs have had a nice break and should be eager to bite this coming week. I was down at Vines Creek Marina today and saw several anglers loading their boats to return pots to the water. 4-6 ft. is the best reported depth at this time.
So after you get all the storm damage cleaned up hit the water for some fresh seafood dinner...
Tight lines and fins up!
