This summer's flounder action was the best in recent memory, and it has carried through right into September. Providing there are no severe weather fronts to push them out prematurely, anglers should enjoy a few more weeks of good fishing as flatties stage on structure during their movement offshore. Fluke continue to be found on Reef Sites 9, 10 and 11, the Old Grounds, and on bottom features surrounding DB and DA Buoys. Captain Brent worked over the flounder pretty good during the week with groups aboard Katydid. He returned early Tuesday with a 32 fluke limit that included Charlie Jammer's 6.65 pounder. Bully Bob and his crew of "atheletes" joined Brent Wednesday, and put together a limit of 40 quality flatfish. Thursday was another 40 keeper day, highlighted by Bob Fleming's 9.24 pound doormat. A bunch of regulars boarded Katydid Saturday, and brought back a boat limit of 36 flatties. Among the take was a 6.28 pound fluke for Ron Mistretta, and Bob Crossley's 3 pound sea bass. That catch raised the total number of keeper flounder landed aboard Katydid this season to more than 1500. Plenty of nice batches of fish came to the cleaning table this week as well. Bob Horton and his buddies took advantage of good conditions and limited out three trips in a row while working Site 11 and the Old Grounds. Jim Meyers was dialed in on big fish at Site 10. Tuesday, he scored a pair of fluke scaling 6.83 and 8.01 pounds. He topped them Friday with an 8.36 pound citation earner. Wayne Brady boated a 5.3 pound flounder from the Old Grounds aboard Miss Kirstin. Jon Bixler drifted squid on the Old Grounds for his 5.9 pounder. Harry Glembocki had his limit of flatties Thursday. Half of it was a keeper double header that included a mat weighing 6.08 pounds. Vince Budnavage checked in his best flounder yet. The 6.84 pound beauty fell for a squid and minnow sandwich on the Old Grounds. Joe Crowley captured a pool winning 5.95 pound fluke on Thelma Dale IV Saturday. Scott Ayars wasn't far behind with his 5.7 pounder. Anglers reported success using a variety of baits including squid, smelts and shiners. Live offerings like minnows and spot worked, but weren't necessary. Cut meat was quite effective. Fresh strips of bluefish, croaker, spot, mullet or sea robin were gobbled up by feeding fluke. A 3 to 6 ounce Spro bucktail sweetened with cut bait or Gulp! produced numerous flatfish, and frequently performed better than traditional bottom rigs. Jigging often causes a reactive strike from otherwise uninterested fish. Besides flounder, Ocean bottom bouncers encountered some big croakers between Site 10 and DB Buoy.Captain Vince had several in the 15 inch range mixed with flounder there on Wednesday. In Delaware Bay, some flounder and assorted panfish were available at the Star Site. That mix included jumbo spot, hardheads, kingfish, puffers, triggers, sea bass, spike trout and snapper blues. Clams, bloodworms, squid, shrimp and Fishbites got bit. Snapper blues have been active in the lower Bay and could usually be found beneath working birds. The rip on the shoal just off the Outer Wall's north end attracted numerous snappers. They could be hooked there with cut baits on bottom rigs, or cast bucktails and metal jigs. Bluefish also roamed the Ocean surf, especially since more mullet have shown up. Beach casters caught small blues using fresh mullet from inside Cape Henlopen on down to the Towers. Decent numbers of kingfish were still in the suds, and would respond to pieces of bloodworms or Fishbites on small float rigs. Lance Cochran landed 25 kings while soaking fresh mullet at Keybox Road Saturday. Offshore trollers found white marlin and dolphin. Steve Fleming and his group trolled the Baltimore Thursday for a nice batch of dolphin. Shawn Gallagher and the guys on Free Spool released a white from 50 Fathoms inshore of Poor Man's Friday. Captain Chris Thurman's crew had 3 white marlin and 9 mahi trolling Poor Man's Saturday aboard Quintessa. The bigeye bite was off and on in the Wilmington Canyon. Charlie Horning had three eyeballs while trolling the East Side Thursday evening on his Fish Whistle. Captain Brian's gang on Lil' Angler II trolled up some nice dolphin in the Wilmington Saturday. Brandy Parker put 15.9 pounder in the box.
Flattie Action Continues
Lewes Harbour Marina - 9/6/2014 12:00:00 AM