Black drum turned on in Delaware Bay this past week. Best of the action occurred in shallow water off Slaughter Beach. Boats anchored near the submerged pilings and baiting with surf clams did well. Bites occurred during both daylight and nighttime hours. Some crews reported double digit catches over the weekend. Fish have generally been small males in the 10 to 30 pound range, but a few big boomers have been brought back to the dock. Rebecca Hollingsworth boated a 70.5 pounder aboard the Martha Marie. Doug, Jeff and Lucas May, Mike Goshen, and DJ Kline had 4 drum to 35 pounds on the Pirate King. Rocky Morgan was surprised when a 47.5 pound drum grabbed a green crab he was using for tog bait along the Inner Wall aboard the Indian. Will Wiedmann landed a pair of drum to 20 pounds while soaking clams in the surf at Broadkill Beach. Drum fishing should continue good through this month with peak time around the full moon.

We will be carrying surf clams but suggest you call to reserve bait early in the week to ensure you have clams for the weekend. Flounder fishing has been decent in the Lewes Canal and in shallow water near the Cape Henlopen Pier. Minnows, shiners and smelt were popular offerings. A strip of herring or bunker on a small jig was effective too. Scot Anderson checked in a 4.63 pounder he caught in the Canal. Jay Fleming pulled a 4.3 pounder from the pilings at the Cape Henlopen Pier. Good news is that the minimum size for flounder in Delaware dropped from 18 1/2 inches to 18 inches as of May 11. The creel limit remains at 4 per angler per day.

Remember the Lewes Harbour Canal Flounder Tournament Friday May 20th. Stripers showed up along the Outer Wall. Chad Tingle and Timmy Barnett took their limit of rockfish to 38 inches while casting Storm Shads along the Wall at night. Striped Bass bit in Indian River Inlet as well. Mike Graham, Don Hallacher and Justin Hallacher had their limit of 6 bass from 18 to 27 pounds while tossing Storm Shads in the Inlet Sunday night. Stripers also still came from the surf. Curt Stephens captured a 16.3 pound linesider using clams in the wash at Cape Henlopen. Togging was very good up until the season closure on May 11th. Tog were taken from Bay reef sites, the Inner and Outer Walls, and the Ice Breakers. Chip Kelly wrestled a monster 16.6 pound blackfish from Site 6. Toggers on Top Fin had their limit Sunday morning, including a 9.67 pounder for Pae Bae. The Grizzly returned with limits both days of the weekend. Captain Ted's tog anglers on the Indian limited out and were back at the dock by lunch time on the last day of the season. Jim Sieja scored a 12.32 pounder on the Indian. Don Straughn sneaked in his citation 8.97 pound tog before the season ended. Sheila Stohler got a 7.16 pound citation winner.