A big bluefin caused a buzz on the dock this week. Dave Cook and Sean Herlihy teamed up to best a 162.6 pound bruiser, the heaviest tuna brought back so far this season. The fish had a 66 inch fork length. The guys were trolling a ballyhoo skirted with a blue and white Joe Shute lure way, way back, when they connected with the tuna near the 19 Fathom Lump. Other trollers encountered bluefins inshore as well, but most of those were in the 30 to 50 pound class. Captain Alan Steele saw bluefins busting bait at the Chicken Bone Wednesday afternoon, and trolled up his keeper on the way home from offshore. He said the same thing happened on a previous trip when bluefins in the Dumpsite rose to the surface to feed late in the afternoon. Keep in mind the limit on bluefin tuna is one per boat per day from 27 to less than 73 inches curved fork length. Yellowfin action continues good, with catches reported from several locations between 40 and 100 fathoms from the Tip of Baltimore Canyon all the way down to Washington Canyon.

Crews told of sounder screens red with baitfish and flocks of working birds frequenting the corridor. The 40 to 50 fathom area between the Hot Dog and Poor Man's Canyon was particularly productive. Captain Larry Coyle said he came across a temperature break in the region that went from 65 to 71 degrees, where he trolled up a half dozen tuna, and had several more bites. Shawn Gallagher and his gang on Total Chaos came on a bunch of birds working 66 degree water in 45 fathoms west of the Baltimore, and landed 5 yellowfins to 50 plus pounds. Ed Sigda and the boys on Snow Goose enjoyed fast fishing while pulling spreader bars inshore of the Baltimore, putting 6 tuna in the box. John Joe Kabino, Evan Falgowski, Matt Shoup and Rhett Passwaters teamed up for 7 tuna on Tuesday. Captain Carey's group on the Grizzly had a great trolling trip Wednesday, returning with 8 nice yellowfins. On the inshore bottom scene, sea bass and flounder were available. Captains Brent and Dave on the Katy Did anchored up over a few wrecks Wednesday, and put together a limit of 225 bass and many plump ling for their 9 fares. Jigs worked well for knotheads that were sometimes suspended well above the structure. Bass were taken on the open bottom between DB and DA Buoys, but the majority were shy of the 12 1/2 inch minimum. Fluke were hanging out on the Old Grounds. Wes Olson and his buddies had 8 nice keepers there Tuesday. Taylor Deemer used an orange jig with a squid strip to tempt a 7.68 pound doormat while drifting the Grounds with Captain Ricky Yakimowicz.

Ricky mentioned there were numerous chub mackerel around, and that they could be captured with sabiki rigs or jigs and tubes. The tinkers make excellent fresh cut bait for fluke and sea bass. Delaware Bay bottom bouncers had spotty catches of flounder, spike trout, kingfish and blowfish around the rubble of reef sites 5,6,7 and 8. Triggerfish made an early appearance on Bay structure thanks to warm weather. Captain Ted had nice triggers on trips aboard the Indian. Mike DuFour decked a 4.02 pound triggerfish aboard the Martha Marie. Small boaters drifting Lewes Canal are still finding keeper flatfish. John Bickleman celebrated Father's Day with his daughter Lexie by landing a 6.28 pound flattie from the Canal. Jenny Manning outfished the men on Father's Day with her 4.64 pounder caught in the Canal. Spot have shown up in Indian River. Boaters using bits of bloodworm or Fishbites on small hooks near Buoy 20 hooked spot which they could use as live baits for stripers and flounder in the Inlet.