Article by Larry Jock
Like elsewhere on Delmarva, the season in Delaware looks like it is just starting to hit its stride with good catches of flounder, striped bass, black drum and even a bit of action offshore.
Bert at Hook’em & Cook’em at the Indian River Marina reported some striped bass being caught in the surf off Delaware beaches. Most of the fish are in the 11 to 15 lb. range and are being fooled primarily with chunks of fresh bunker.
Surfcasters have also been hooking into some black drum in addition to some 3 to 5 lb. bluefish off 3R’s Road.
The Indian River Jetty has been producing striped bass at night. Anglers have had good luck tossing Tsunami Swim Eels and swim shads from the rocks. John O’Leary captured a big 45-incher while tossing swim shads off the Indian River Jetty at 4:00 in the morning.
In the Indian River Inlet and its back bays, flounder fishing still hasn’t been fantastic with only a few fish caught at the entrance of the Indian River Marina.
The headboat “Judy V.” took a trip to the Delaware Bay on Friday where anglers caught black drum and a lot of sharks. On Saturday, anglers had a great day catching and releasing black sea bass.
Offshore, the “Free Spool” left the Indian River Marina and ventured out to the 65-degree water in the Wilmington Canyon, where they boated a 60 lb. bluefin tuna. Unfortunately, the young fish cleaner at the marina sliced and diced the tuna before any pictures could be taken. He is now on double secret probation.
Joe Morris at Lewes Harbour Marina said the Canal Flounder Tournament held on May 17th was a great success. The weather was beautiful and this year’s turnout was the largest ever. Bragging rights for his winning 5.09 pound flatfish went to James Stanley. Charlie Booth secured second place with a 4.24 pounder. Danny Schurman scored the third place 4.06 pound flounder. Jesse Steele’s 4.04 pound flattie was fourth and Gene Stalls got fifth with his 3.98 pounder. Mike Hoffman had a 3.94 pounder, good for sixth place and Will Wiedmann wound up seventh with a 3.93 pound fluke. Twenty percent of entry fees will be donated to the Camp Awareness outdoor education program for youth. Joe and Amanda extend thanks to all who participated to make the event a fun day, and said they’re already looking forward to next season’s Tourney.
Flounder continued to come from the Lewes Canal following the tournament, and good numbers of flatties were found around Cape Henlopen Pier. Speck rigs tipped with shiners were effective, and the best catching occurred on the edge of the lights at night. Flounder have started to come from open waters of the Delaware Bay as well.
Other species are showing in the Bay too, some earlier than usual. Kingfish have been particularly plentiful on the Coral Beds. Croakers made an early appearance, and some spot have already been caught as well. Blowfish are in good supply in the Bay too. Bloodworms have been the top bait for panfish.
Both boaters seeking drum and surf fishermen along Broadkill Beach have encountered the aforementioned mix, along with bluefish and sea trout.
Trout seem to be here in good numbers, and some decent sized specimens were reported around the Roosevelt Jetties and Ferry Wall. Soft plastics such as Bass Assassins and paddletail worms work well for weakfish.
Drum action has been pretty good at the Coral Beds. Patrons on the “Pirate King” enjoyed good daytime drumming Saturday, returning with four, including a 68 pounder for Richard Hammond. Chuck Coverdale captured a 67.3 pound drum on the “Indian” on Saturday night. Kathy Rodgers checked in a couple behemoths she boated at the Coral Beds. The largest tipped the scales to 65.4 pounds, and the other weighed in at 58 pounds.
Several nice striped bass came from the Cape Henlopen surf this past week. There was a good dawn bite at Herring Point Tuesday through Thursday, at the bottom of the tide. It was usually done when the sun came up. Clams and bunker were the baits of choice. Keith Sherman landed a 31.7 pound linesider and Martin Kris managed a 33.8 pound citation rockfish.
Those targeting sea bass had a bumpy start to the season, with stiff southeast breezes and rough seas on Sunday.
Until next week, tight lines!
