Fishing Report

Local boaters reported better offshore action at weeks end. Billfish, tuna and mahi came from the Baltimore and Washington Canyons. Ian Binnersley brought in a 26.3 pound bull dolphin trolled up in the Baltimore aboard Griffin. The crew iced several other mahi and also released four white marlin on Thursday. Andrew Seipp scored a 54.2 pound wahoo while trolling ballyhoo through 70 fathoms, inshore of Baltimore Canyon. Mike Fritz had his hands full Friday when a bigeye grabbed the lightest rig in the spread, but all went well, and the 136 pound eyeball ended up in the bag. The crew also landed several dolphin, and topped off the take with blueline and golden tile by drifting bottom in the deep of the Baltimore aboard Snow Goose, with Captain Ed Sigda. Joe Ruger reeled in a 27.8 pound mahi while trolling the Baltimore Sunday on the Port-A-Bella. Shawn Gallagher and his crew aboard Free Spool overnighted in the Washington, where they boated a dozen keeper yellowfins at night, drifting with sardines and jigs. Shawn said the sharks were terrible, and they lost several tuna to large toothy critters. The guys also trolled up a 25 pound wahoo. Rob Jarboe and his gang on Ella Belle ran to the Washington and had fun with tuna at night. The guys decked 6 yellowfins by livelining squids on light tackle. Wilkie Jarboe battled a nice swordfish that ate an eel on a spinning outfit for quite awhile before it finally got hung up in the running gear. The boys also had a white marlin, and jumped off a blue one, for a great offshore experience. Back inshore, flounder continued to please Ocean bottom bouncers at Sites 10 and 11, and on the Old Grounds. The Wednesday regulars aboard Katydid made Captain Brent look good again, bringing back a boat limit of 40 flatties plus some bonus black bass. Thurday flukers on Katydid had their limit of 40 fish by 10:30 am. Ken Seltzer and his crew captured 40 keepers Friday on Katydid. Deanna McGovern had big fish honors for her 5.87 pounder. Mate Chris Vann's birthday trip on Katydid produced a 44 flatfish limit for him and his buddies during their Saturday celebration. Ernie Stone had the hot hook that day, and bested everybody with his first citation fluke weighing 7.44 pounds, and another that went 6.92. Bill and Charlotte Hughes enjoyed a great Sunday of flounder action aboard Katydid with Captain Brent and Mate Chris. They returned with the boat limit of 16 fish, including Charlotte's 5.25 pounder. Scott Riniker and his crew captured their 16 flattie limit from Ocean structure Saturday. On Friday, Bob Horton, Todd Mills, Jack Henriksen and Pastor Fred fished Site 11 for their limit of fine flounder. Bob boated the biggest, a 6.36 that ate a squid and smelt sandwich. Brian Seglem boated his personal best flounder Thursday at Site 11, weighing 5.64 pounds. Larry and Joe Coyle landed their limit of 8 nice fluke while working Ocean structure Thursday. On Sunday, Tony Vansant decked a doormat weighing just under 8 pounds while drifting an Ocean reef. In Delaware Bay, flounder fans who were on reef sites 6, 7 and 8 at the beginning and end of the tides had decent fishing. On Monday, Joe and Michael Walker and Bob and Robert Karpovich made the reef route and assembled a catch of 13 keepers, including a brace scaling 5 and 5.5 pounds. On Thursday, Bob Bryant just missed earning a citation with his 6.9 pounder from Reef Site 5. Bob was at it again Sunday. He and his crew on the Nervous Wreck had their limit of 20 keepers in just a couple hours, at the end of the flood on Upper Bay structure. John Schnaitman stuck a 5 pounder on that trip.

Strong northeast winds wiped out the weekend for most boating anglers, but up until Friday, flounder action remained pretty good. Ocean structure continued to produce decent numbers of flatties for fishermen drifting Site 10 and natural bottom of the Old Grounds, between DB and DA Buoys. Bucktails with Gulp! were responsible for many fluke, but strips of squid, shiners and fresh cut sea robin, croaker or bluefish on hair teaser rigs got the attention of flatfish as well. Bill and Charlotte Hughes joined Captain Brent and Mate Chris on Katydid Monday for their limit of 16 flounder to 5.5 pounds, plus triggerfish to 3.2 pounds. They topped off the box with a limit of 40 blues. Neill and Colby Erdessy traveled from Colorado Springs to fish with Craig Jennings of Rehoboth on Miss Kirstin, and the three generations of flounder pounders put together their limit of a dozen keepers Monday at the Old Grounds. The Wednesday regulars aboard Katydid showed their stuff again by icing their limit of 28 stout fluke. Wednesday flukers on Miss Kirstin took home 20 flatties. The Thursday crew on Katydid captured their limit of 28 flatfish. Mike and Norm Buczik nailed five quality fluke on the Old Grounds Thursday. Charlie and Tom Malewski, Dave and Kevin Haldeman, and Rob Keaveney worked the Old Grounds Thursday for 18 nice keepers on the Outcast. Senior group member Charlie showed he's still got it by decking a 6.6 pound doormat. John Yoder pulled a 6.8 pounder off the Old Grounds Thursday by jigging a Spro bucktail aboard Thelma Dale IV. The Old Grounds yielded a flounder limit to Thursdays gang on the Grizzly. Back in Delaware Bay, currents diminished somewhat following the full moon, allowing flounder seekers a little more bite time during the tides. Bob and Bobby Bryant, along with Al Riberio hit Site 5 Thursday afternoon at the top of flood tide, and limited out with 12 chunky flatfish during the first two hours of the ebb. Captain Brent stayed in the Bay Sunday because of northeast wind, but his flukers still put together a batch of 14 keepers. Ty Becker was Top dog with his 5.9 pounder. Joe and Michael Walker, and Bob and Robert Karpovich captured 13 plump flatties Sunday while working Reef Sites 6,7 and 8. Other Bay bottom bouncers found croakers, snapper blues, spike trout and kingfish around Reef Sites 8 and 5. Drake McGregor checked in a 1.01 pound citation king he captured aboard Lil Angler II. The nicest croakers around have taken up residence in Lewes Canal, and anglers soaking bloodworms, Fishbites, clams or small strips of squid connected with hefty hardheads to over a pound. Canal anglers continued to take advantage of the summer striper season as well, reporting slot rockfish responding to eels, bloods, clams and a variety of artificials including RatLTraps, Zara Spooks, Storm Shads and Gulp! Some flounder were still located along Lewes Beach. Alvontae Drummond landed a 3.91 pound fluke while tossing a Gulp! Swimming Mullet from shore near the Ferry Jetty. Inshore trollers encountered dolphin. On Thursday, Captain Brian's crew on Lil Angler II trolled up a nice catch of mahis to 10 pounds east of Site 11. It's wahoo time, and trolling boats targeting the speedsters over traditional grounds have connected with tasty scombrids. The corridor between Delaware Light and the Twenty Fathom Line has been holding hoos. Captain Jeff Hoepfl pulled Braid Marauder plugs and ballyhoo skirted with Joe Shutes over bottom changes east of DE Light Thursday aboard his Joint Venture. Thats where Matthew Hoepfl boated a 47.2 pound wahoo, and Lee Abel landed a 22.1 pounder. Captain Alan's guys on Big Herring had a 25 pound wahoo Thursday. Congratulations to some Lewes Harbour regulars who did well in the recent White Marlin Open. Scott Joseph took Second heaviest wahoo with his 44 pounder from the Baltimore with Kenny Gray and his crew aboard Just Right V. Andy Shelton scored the heaviest dolphin with a 46.5 pound bull.

Hard running currents around the recent Blue Moon were an issue for Delaware Bay fishermen, but Ocean anglers fared well with flounder at Reef Sites 9, 10 and 11, and on natural bottom of the Old Grounds between DB and DA Buoys. The best bites seemed to occur during morning flood tides. Flukers reported success using squid and other fresh cut baits such as sea robin, bluefish and croaker, plus shiners and smelts. Gulp! Swimming Mullets and 6 inch Grubs, especially in Nuclear Chicken color were quite effective, either on a bottom rig or a bucktail jig. Tandem rigged bucktails with Gulp! or cut baits worked well. Flounder specialist Captain Brent on Katydid was dialed in on flattie action during the week. His Monday group had a limit of quality fish, including Jim Osborne's 6.55 pounder. Tuesday's gang got their limit of 28, with Bill York's 5.5 pounder on top. The Wednesday regulars reeled in 22 keepers. Brent boated a citation worthy 7.27 pounder himself. On Thursday, flukers from Harrisburg scored a limit of 36 chunky flatfish aboard Katydid. Frank Felbaum fought a 6.81 pounder. The flounder were chewin' hard Friday morning, and patrons on Katydid returned early with their limit of 40 flatfish. Kathy McClune broke in her new rod and reel with a pair weighing 3.8 and 3.9 pounds as part of her limit. Saturday saw another 36 keeper limit for Katydid anglers. Larry McDonald landed a 6.6 pounder for top honors. A 40 fish to 6 plus pounds limit finished out the weekend on Sunday for Katydid. Fluke fans fishing with Captain Carey on Grizzly had nice catches during the week too. Friday's group on Grizzly took home their limit of 24. Carey's young son Josh Evans is a real chip off the old block when it comes to flounder fishing, and put a brace of beauties weighing 5.5 and 6.25 pounds in the boat Wednesday. Jason Beakes deployed a whole squid while drifting aboard Grizzly Saturday to tempt a 7 pound fluke. Bob Kauffman had an unusual flounder experience Thursday while bouncing bottom off Bethany aboard the Last Dollar. He had a double header of fluke weighing 5.03 and 3.28 pounds on the same hook of a Capt. Joe's Tinsel Rig. Not just the same rig, the same hook! Joe and Michael Walker, Bill Wiest and Robert Karpovich worked Site 10 for their limit of keepers Saturday. Robert reeled in his personal best flounder that trip, a 7.18 pound citation earner. Joe, Michael and Dave Walker and Robert Karpovich went back to Ocean structure Sunday for another limit of 16 flatties. The Old Grounds yielded some impressive flatfish recently. Whopper of the week went to Billy Talbot for his awesome 10.2 pound doormat decked aboard the Thelma Dale IV. Despite hard running currents in Delaware Bay, there were windows when fish bit. Bob and Buckwheat Bryant , Bobby Fleming and Al Riberio drifted Site 4 in the Upper Bay all by themselves Tuesday for 14 chunky flatties. Flounder also came from Site 8 at the beginning and end of the tide. Joe Walker and Tony Vansant limited out at Site 8 Monday. Croakers were a little finicky, but Captain Dave put together a catch of 45 nice hardheads for his group aboard the Indian Saturday afternoon on the northeast corner of the Star Site. Croakers continued to come from Lewes Canal, along with a few flounder and slot size stripers. Donna Muller was fishing the Canal for croakers when a 4.13 pound flounder pounced on the small piece of bloodworm she was using for bait. More spot of varying sizes are starting to show in Lewes Canal. Good news for guys who like to catch and stockpile them for flounder and striper baits.

Summertime flounder action has been good. Anglers reported catching numerous fish on Delaware Bay and Ocean structure, however, a lot of the fish have been short of the 16 inch minimum. Although, we've seen several of this seasons biggest fluke over the past week. Jim Davidson decked a dandy 9.25 pound doormat, while drifting cut bait over Delaware Bay structure Saturday aboard the Grizzly. John Yoder used a 6 inch Nuclear Chicken Gulp! to tempt his personal best 8.64 pound fluke form Ocean bottom Saturday on the Capt. Bob II. Mike Eastman managed a 7.5 pound citation earner Saturday on the Old Grounds. Steve Price used squid and minnows on a B2 Squid rig to hook the 6.84 pound flatfish he pulled from a wreck outside the mouth of Delaware Bay. John Schnaitman scored a 6.64 pounder over reef rubble at Site 10. George Durant decked a 6.25 pound flattie on the Old Grounds. Captain Brent's flukers on Katydid enjoyed fine fishing all week. Mike Surowiec and the Monday regulars limited out with 32 keepers. The every Wednesday crew on Katydid returned with 39 fluke, topped off by Ron Mistrettas 5.65 pounder. Captain Brent hosted a group of junior anglers Thursday afternoon , and they did a great job, returning with 13 keeper fluke. A gang of flounder poundin' locals fished on Katydid Friday, and put together their 32 flatfish limit. Pat Irelan had big fish honors with his 6.25 pounder. Ken Seltzer and his crew had a great Saturday on Katydid, bringing back a boxful of flatfish. Sunday's morning flukers on Katydid returned with a limit of 24 keepers, and the afternoon group took home 27. Dave Walker, Matt Shoup, Bill Wiest and Kyle Fagowski worked Bay rubble Thursday for their limit of 16 stout fluke. Wayne DeMarco, Joe Pergeorelis and Doug Mickowski bucktailed Site 11 Tuesday for their limit of a dozen flatties. Wayne, Doug, Harry Hudson, Daryl Mergenthaler and Doug Mickowski did Site 11 again on Friday for their limit of 16 keepers. Bob Bryant and Michelle and John Schnaitman jigged up 10 keepers to 6.6 pounds at Site 10 Tuesday. Bottom bouncers seeking panfish in Delaware Bay found croakers, kingfish and blowfish at Reef Site 8. Some of the biggest hardheads continued to come from Lewes Canal. Jason Miller had a 1.46 pound croaker in the Canal that he hooked on a small bucktail with a piece of Fishbites Sunday. It seems all the big black drum hadn't dropped out of the Bay yet. A couple anglers tangled unexpectedly with boomers while trying for other species. Brad Sokso was fishing for croakers at the Ice Breakers with a small piece of Fishbites on a size 4 hook when a big fish grabbed his rig. The boomer broke his light rod during the battle, and busted his net at boatside, but Brad finally landed the 35 pounder. Dillon Talley was working a bucktail tipped with Gulp! near the Ice Breakers Friday when he had a heavy hit. After quite a tussle, Dillon decked what turned out to be a 49 pound drum. Slot sized striped bass were active in Lewes Canal and Broadkill River. Drifting eels near the bridges or casting plugs and soft plastics along marsh banks produced keepers. Rich Kline Sr. and Rich Kline, Jr. fished the Canal all week, and had limits most days by deploying eels. Brayden Coverdale used a Gulp! to get his first Canal keeper striper. Offshore boaters chunked up small yellowfins at the 19 Fathom Lump, but had to contend with swarms of bluefish that invaded the area. Best bites were early in the day, and often, anglers had to use light fluorocarbon leaders to get tuna to eat a hook bait. Trollers working between the 19 Lump, Massey's Canyon, Chicken Bone, Hambone and Hot Dog connected with dolphin and wahoo. Ted Garman landed a 60 pound wahoo while trolling ballyhoo at the Hambone Saturday. Billfish action was decent in 100 Fathoms of the Baltimore, with whites and blues reported. Canyon deep dropping was productive. Adam Lovenguth celebrated his 30th birthday by dropping in the Wilmington Saturday with Matt Baker, Chip Graves and Jeff Drury aboard the Sea Tiger for 10 golden tile and 50 big blackbelly rosefish. With nice conditions Saturday, John Schneider ran his Patient Lady to the Norfolk Canyon for some tilefishing. That's where Jesse Kegley landed a potential new Delaware State Record Blueline Tilefish. The big Gray weighed in at a whopping 21.8 pounds. Bill Fintel boated the current 19.7 pound Blueline in the Baltimore just two months ago.

We checked in a real nice mako Saturday. Ed Sigda and his crew aboard Snow Goose drifted 82 degree water in the deep of Wilmington Canyon Friday night. They deployed a chum slick of ground tuna and bunker, and baited with false albacore fillets, using 20/0 circle hooks on 400 pound mono. Mike Fritz hooked up a shark, and boated the blackeye after an hour battle. The circle hook mono rig had done its job, lodging right in the corner of the jaw. Back at Lewes Harbour, the male mako was weighed in at 272.5 pounds. At the cleaning station, a deteriorating longline J hook on mono was discovered lodged in the back of the stomach. Evidently the shark swallowed and bit off the bait some time ago. Had a circle been used, the hook would likely have ended up outside the cutting teeth. Wilmington Canyon trollers hooked bigeyes while pulling ballyhoos behind Joe Shutes and Iland Lures between 6 and 11 pm. Other offshore reports told of a chunk bite for bluefins and yellowfins at the 19 Fathom Lump. Captain Brent's Sunday crew on Katydid chunked the 19 to bring home 11 yellowfins. Captain Carey set up Grizzly there as well Sunday, and his chunkers put a 45 inch bluefin, 7 yellowfins and a 16 pound mahi in the box. They also released several small yellowfins. Evan Falgowski chunked the Hot Dog Sunday, and said light fluorocarbon leaders were necessary to get bites. Finesse fishing paid off for Evans crew with three yellowfins to 50 pounds and a pair of gaffer mahis. Trollers picked up a few tuna and good numbers of mahi around Massey's Canyon, the Hambone Hot Dog and the Fingers. Back inshore, flounder action was decent on the Old Grounds, and over Reef Sites 9, 10 and 11. S&S Bucktails with Gulp teasers, and hair skirted rigs sporting strips of fresh meat like cut sea robin, bluefish or croaker have worked well. Smelts and shiners were also popular baits. Captain Brent's flukers on Katydid had quite a catch of quality flatfish while working Ocean structure Saturday. They put 34 keepers in the box, with several between 5 and 6 pounds. Ron Mistretta added a 7.33 pound citation earner, and Tom Wood topped the take with his 8.19 pound doormat. Conditions were tough Friday, but persistent anglers on Katydid managed 20 keepers. Wednesday's regular "atheletes" had an early bite for 24 keepers aboard Katydid. Flounder poundin' brothers Joe, Dave and Michael Walker teamed up to bring back 10 fine flatties to 4.75 pounds from Ocean structure Wednesday. On Monday, Joe Walker, Ron Mistretta and Bob Murphy made the circuit of Sites 9, 10 and 11 to assemble their limit of 12 flounder to 5 pounds. Captain Ted took Pirate King II to the Old Grounds Monday, and returned with 18 good keepers for his party of flounder seekers. On Sunday, Joe Pergeorelis, Josh Wilkers and Doug Mickowski drifted the Old Grounds for their limit of flatties to 4.5 pounds. Fred Robinson, Joe McNeal and Daryl Mergenthaler decked their limit of 12 fine fluke by bucktailing the Old Grounds Sunday. In Delaware Bay, boaters had to contend with hard running currents, but caught some flatties at the end of the tide around Reef Sites 5 and 8. Alex Robertson reeled in a 20 inch flounder, and her Uncle Kirk Robertson captured a 22 incher during their morning trip to Site 8 on Lil Angler II. Landon Burkhart and Dalton Stanley scored four flatfish to 23 inches drifting Nuclear Chicken Gulp over Site 5 at the beginning of flood tide Sunday morning. Wes Grove and his guys pulled 5 chunky keepers off Bay structure Sunday. Bob Bryant and his crew drifted Bay reefs Sunday to capture 10 stout flounder to nearly 5 pounds. Croakers and kingfish continued to come from reef rubble as well. Roosevelt inlet is still giving up flatties. Larry Taylor and Lou Chudnofsky had five keepers fishing minnows during incoming tide Saturday morning. Mike Buczik boated a 23 inch fluke while working a pink Gulp in Broadkill River. Some of the nicest croakers around came from the Canal. Edward and Jason Miller had a batch of 12 plus inch golden beauties while using small bucktails tipped with Fishbites, between the Drawbridge and the Train Bridge. Slot striper action has been good on the Canal. Drifting eels or bottom fishing with squid heads and clams near the bridges works. For those who prefer artificials, casting swimming and topwater plugs and soft baits along the marsh banks is also effective. Jake Mundok stopped by with his two rockfish limit that fell for Yozuri plugs. The first few spot were caught in Lewes Canal on bloodworms and Fishbites. Tautog season was off to a slow start. Only a handful of keepers were taken by toggers along the Inner and Outer Walls and Ice Breakers.