Fishing Report

Tautog catches have been improving since the season's opening. Tog were reported from the Ice Breakers and Outer Wall, and also on ocean reef sites 9, 10 and 11. It seems better numbers of keepers have been caught on Ocean structure, but Bay spots should produce more with cooling water. Captain Pete on Top Fin had a nice batch of blackfish Saturday, including a 9.4 pounder he put in the box himself. Captain Brent's toggers aboard Katydid captured 37 keepers in the Ocean Tuesday. Wednesday's group on Katydid kept 28 tog. Standings in the annual Lewes Harbour Tog Tournament show Tom Wood in the lead with his 7.2 pounder. Clara Hollingsworth is Second with a 6.9 pounder, and Bob Murphy's 5.1 pound tog holds Third. The Tourney runs through October 31st, and offers cash prizes. With relatively warm water still in the area, other species are mixed in with tog. Fred Ruff wrestled a 4.61 pound triggerfish from remains of the China Wreck. Buddy Masten muscled in what may be a new state record triggerfish on Sunday. Buddy boated the jumbo 6.34 pounder while togging at the Ice Breakers. The existing record trigger weighs 5 pounds 15 ounces. Some good sized sheepshead still linger around the rocks as well. Paul Long landed a near record 14.65 pounder at the Ice Breakers on Saturday. A few flounder continue to come from the rip on the shoal outside the Outer Wall. The season closes October 24th. Plenty of snapper bluefish remain near Cape Henlopen. They pop up under working birds during moving tides, usually the last half of incoming current. Boaters have had a blast chasing the little choppers and catching them on light tackle. Bucktail jigs and flashy metals were favored lures. Sea bassing is holding up. DNREC added a few extra days to the fall bass season. It will now be open through October 14th and reopen November 1st. Last Saturday, bassers aboard Katydid boxed a 175 bass limit, plus a nice pollack. Dave Popovich nailed a 3.31 pound knothead on that trip. Captain Brian on Lil' Angler II worked some wrecks Monday for more than 200 keeper bass. Sea bass, croakers, trout and a few flounder were found on bottom structure between Site 10 and DA Buoy. Boats trolling the 20 to 30 fathom corridor connected with wahoos. Mike Ambler and John Markey pulled a purple and black Ilander ahead of a ballyhoo near Massey's Canyon for a 46.5 pound 'hoo. Tuna haven't been too plentiful, but the Olson boys found some offshore. A long ride to the Lindenkohl Canyon was worth it for Wes, Shane and Sean Olson, and Jimmy McCoy. They boated four quality yellowfins from 63 to 71 pounds while chunking overnight in 500 fathoms.

The Annual Lewes Harbour Tog Tournament begins October 1, 2012 and runs through October 31, 2012. Contestants must register prior to fishing. Anglers can pay $25 and fish as many days as they want during the event, or pay $3 each day before they go fishing. All entry money goes into a pool, and at the end of Tourney, the pool is split among the registered anglers who catch the three heaviest tautog weighed in at Lewes Harbour Marina during the contest. 50% of the pool goes to the heaviest Tog, 30% to the Second heaviest Tog, and 20% to the Third heaviest Tog. The Annual Lewes Harbour Striper Tournament starts October 20, 2012 and goes on through November 20, 2012. Participants must register before fishing, and can pay $25 to fish any number of days during the Tourney, or pay $3 prior to each individual day of fishing during the contest. All entry money collects in a pool, and at the end of the event, that pool is split among the registered anglers who catch the three heaviest Stripers weighed in at Lewes Harbour Marina during the Tournament. 50% of the pool is awarded for the Heaviest Striper, 30% of the pool goes to the angler who catches Second Heaviest Striper, and 20% goes to the Third Heaviest Striper. All contending fish in either Tournament must be caught on hook and line and weighed by the registered angler who caught it on the Lewes Harbour Marina Scales during regular store business hours within the Tournament dates. All Delaware State and Federal fishing regulations apply. Please be safe and have fun!

Delaware's Tautog season reopens this weekend, Saturday September 29th. Anglers should be aware that as of August 11, the minimum size was reduced from 16 inches to 15 inches. The creel limit this fall will be 5 tog per person per day, 15 inches or greater. We'll have crabs and sand fleas available at the store for blackfish bait, and also keep rope, wreck anchors and toggles on hand for toggers. The water is still warm, close to 70 degrees, so tog fishermen are likely to encounter triggerfish and sheepshead in the next couple weeks, since they frequent the same structure. Matt Johnson recently scored a 4.31 pound jumbo trigger aboard the Lil' Angler II. The Inner and Outer Walls, Ice Breakers, Reef Sites and wrecks are all probable hangouts for blackfish. Ocean bottom fishermen will also encounter sea bass on reefs and wrecks until that season shuts down for two weeks from October 12 to 31. Catching has been pretty decent for crews willing to brave rough seas the past week. Captain Brent ran Katydid to wrecks in the 25 to 35 mile range for 105 keeper bass Saturday, and 165 keepers Monday. Luis Mispireta decked a 3.49 pound citation knothead on that trip. The guys also boxed some big ling and a flounder. Scott Ayars fished with Captain Ricky Yakimowicz Saturday for a nice catch of bass and a 4.3 pound fluke. Those fishing lower Delaware Bay still found a few trout, kingfish and croakers around the Outer Wall and on Site 8. Snapper blues continue to work over baitfish near the Outer Wall lighthouse. Captain Brian hosted a hardy group from Minnesota for some bluefish action on this past blustery Sunday aboard Lil' Angler II. They bucktailed over 50 blues near the Wall, and also released some short stripers. Spot are still here, and folks fishing Lewes Canal, Broadkill River, and the Cape Henlopen Pier with bits of bloodworm or Fishbites on small hooks had fair numbers of eating size panfish. Mullet have been thick along Lewes Beach. They may be grouping up before making their exit for the season. Many guys have been castnetting a supply to freeze to use for bait later later when fresh ones aren't available. Wind made it tough to get offshore, but Goeff McCloskey and his crew braved big waves Saturday aboard his 28 foot center console. The pounding was worth it when Phil Falgowski landed a 61.4 pound wahoo just inshore of the Baltimore Canyon.

Wind caused a problem for anglers this week, so not many boats ventured out. Today's conditions were better, even though there was a considerable easterly heave in the Ocean. The Katydid pounded her way to an inshore wreck, and Captain Brent was pleasantly surprised by how cooperative the sea bass were. His fares limited out with 150 chunky bass, and released many more. He fished structure in the region a few days earlier, and had to work much harder for a fair catch, even though they were quality bass. Joe Pergeorelis put a 3.1 pounder in the box that trip. Perhaps the weather change during the week prompted fish to move, and bass may be staging on other wrecks in coming days. Flounder have been scarce this week, but while they were making their way out along the shipping lane last week, flukers on Katydid scored 12 keeper flatties Thursday near DA Buoy. Captain Brent put the 800th keeper of the year aboard Katydid himself. He followed up the 5.1 pounder with a 7.8 pound citation winner. Boaters working live bottom west of DB Buoy had good action today. Carl Esterly brought in a bucket full of big croakers he took about a mile inshore of the Buoy. In addition to hardheads, he had trout, sea bass and bluefish while using cut mackerel on bottom rigs. Back in the Bay today, Captain Jack on the Fishhawk set up at the Star Site, where his folks put together a nice catch of blowfish. There are still good numbers of tasty puffers in the Bay, and fares on the Pirate King had puffers today as well. Bluefish remain at the Bay mouth too, feeding on plentiful baitfish. Schools of mullet were thick along Lewes Beach today. Usually they bunch up like that prior to their exodus, so they may be getting ready to scoot. Offshore action was spotty today, with only a few white marlin reported from the Washington Canyon. Captain Les on Martha Marie trolled the 19 Fathom Lump today and told of false albacore and dolphin.

Fluke are on the move this time of year, but the fishing can be good if you find groups staging in spots along their offshore migration routes. Edges of the ocean shipping lane offer likely structure for flatties to stopover on. Flounder have been found between DB and DA Buoys in recent days, and they should linger there for a little while yet. Plenty of baitfish are available in the area, and usually, gamefish stay with a food supply. Captain Brent ran Katydid to DA Buoy yesterday, where his patrons enjoyed fine flatfish action. They captured 16 keepers to more than 5 pounds. Those fish brought the number of keepers brought aboard this season to near 800. In addition to the fluke, the guys had several nice sea bass to over 2 pounds. Mate Dave said there was a huge barracuda lying underneath DA Buoy, but the big critter couldn't even be coaxed into striking a live blue runner that was caught right there and deployed on a hook. He guessed the cuda was already full from snacking on the multitude of baitfish hanging around the buoy. Another customer stopped by who had landed a pair of flounder over 20 inches and some decent sea bass while drifting Site 11 yesterday. Sea bass croakers and trout have been scattered along the sides of the channel between DB and DC Buoys. In the Bay, croakers, spot, kingfish, blowfish, porgies, trout and triggerfish were taken from Reef Site 8. Snapper blues are still plentiful, feeding heavily on abundant silversides, anchovies and finger mullet. A few false albacore and Spanish mackerel have been mixed in. Redfish continue to surprise anglers at Roosevelt Inlet and in Lewes Canal. Stripers and flounder were caught where Canary Creek empties into the Roosevelt Inlet basin. There's been a good bite of eating size spot at the Cape Henlopen pier for folks lining the rails using bits of bloodworm on small hooks.