Fishing Report

The offshore billfish bite has been very good, just in time for the 39th Annual White Marlin Open, to be held from August 6 to 10. Crews told of beautiful cobalt blue 80 degree water full of life in 1000 fathoms between the Poor Man's and Baltimore Canyons. Two tone porpoises and tunas aired out and fed as shearwaters dove on bait among scattered weeds and sulphur. Double digit white marlin release days were common among boats running the distance. Blue marlin and even sailfish were also hooked. The scene should be set for an interesting Tournament. Tuna action in 20 to 30 fathoms has cooled off. There was a scattered chunk bite on the Hot Dog and in the 30 Fathom Notch, but nothing reliable. Trollers told of a handful of wahoos in the same area. Offshore bottom fishing has been productive. Patrons on Katy Did deep dropped Saturday for a big catch of gray tile to 18 pounds, golden tile to 25 pounds, several blackbelly rosefish and a pair of barrelish. Inshore bottom bouncers did well with flounder. Captain Pete hosted Nevin Byler and his group aboard Top Fin last Friday for a nice catch of 20 keepers to 5.83 pounds while working Site 10. Joe Walker, Joe Walker, Jr, Tom Coyle and Tony Vansant fished Site 10 for their limit of 16 on Friday. Tony used a bucktail and croaker strip combo to tempt a 7.81 pound beauty. Captain Charlie's flukers on Tranquila put 16 keepers in the box near DA Buoy Saturday. Tony and Diana Vansant, Steve Millman and Brian Plummer fished reef structure Saturday for 12 quality flatties to 6.2 pounds. Wayne and Matt Baker, Chip Graves and Adam Lovenguth used live spot at Reef 10 for their 13 flatfish, including Adam's 6.76 pounder. Reef rubble has yielded some weighty flounder specimens this season, but Joe Walker, Jr brought in the heaviest so far. Joe was jigging a bucktail with cut bait at Site 10 when it was inhaled by an 11.36 pound doormat. Congratulations to Joe on his biggest flounder to date. Delaware Bay reefs have produced flatties as well. Captain Pete on Top Fin had 6 keepers to 5.8 pounds during a 3 hour Bay trip Wednesday. After Thursday's half day, Top Fin returned with 7 flounder, including young Adam O'Connor's 5.58 pounder. Delaware Bay fishermen also noticed an increase in the size of croakers caught this past week. More nice hardheads in the 10 to 12 inch range showed up around the Star Site. That area also gave up kingfish, blowfish, sanpper blues and legal trout to 16 inches. Triggerfish were taken along the Outer Wall. Fallyn Smith checked in triggers of 4.19 and 3.48 pounds from the rocks. Vic Gross got the first sheepshead of the season at the Wall, a citation worthy 8.14 pounder.

Delaware anglers have been enjoying a summertime mix of fish available in the region. Bottom bouncers caught flounder, sea bass, trout, croakers, spot, kingfish, blowfish, snapper blues, tautog and triggerfish. Offshore fishermen continued to find yellowfin tuna, dolphin, wahoo, and marlin. The Old Grounds and reef sites 10 and 11 remain the places to be in the Ocean for flounder and sea bass. Bucktailers and those using traditional bottom rigs tipped with squid, shiners, smelt, cut bluefish or Gulp! caught decent numbers of fish.

Captains Brent and Dave on Katydid worked the Ocean grounds Thursday for 23 keeper fluke, including Ryan Mayer's 7.87 pound citation winner. Tuesday, flukers on Katydid pulled 17 keepers from Site 10. Captain Pete took Mr. Chung Ro's group to Site 10 Sunday to put 15 nice flounder in the box. In Delaware Bay, reef sites 5,6,7 and 8 produced flatfish. Joe Walker and Tom Coyle drifted Site 8 for 8 good keepers Tuesday. Boaters drifting or anchored on Sites 5 and 8 caught numerous small croakers, along with kingfish, puffers, snapper blues and some legal trout. Triggerfish also came from the reef sites, as well as from wrecks at the Bay mouth and the Ice Breakers and Outer Wall. A small piece of clam, squid, shrimp or a sandflea worked for triggers. After a slowdown due to heavy weekend boat traffic on the Hot Dog, tuna chunking action bounced back. Some crews told of double digit catches of yellowfins around the Dog Monday and Tuesday. Tuna were also reportedly found in the notch of the 30 Fathom Line.

Recent tuna action has been reminiscent of that years ago, when there used to be reliable chunking for yellowfins on the inshore lumps. Anglers have enjoyed some of the better fishing we've seen in awhile. Bluefins that were thick on the Hot Dog moved out around the middle of last week, when water temperatures rose above their comfort levels. They were replaced by numerous yellowfins that took up residence due to a daily feeding of butterfish chunks. Perhaps they'll keep showing up for the butterfish buffet as long as crews keep chunking on a regular basis. Some boats have done very well. Anglers on Quintessa, with Captains Chris Thurman and Evan Falgowski, got in the hot bite at the Dog. Saturday, they returned with 5 nice yellowfins in the 45 to 50 pound class. Sunday, the boys boated 22 yellowfins. And, on Tuesday, they put 19 more in the box. Wes Olson and his team limited out at the Hot Dog Tuesday, with 9 plump yellowfins aboard the Deep Penetration. Riley Zimmerman and Racheal Strawser each had 48.5 pound yellowfins on their chunking trip to the Dog. Although chunking has accounted for most of the tuna, trollers still found a few willing to pounce on ballyhoos or spreader bars. John Markey and Mike Ambler trolled between the Hot Dog and Hambone Saturday for a 40.8 pound wahoo and a 45 pound yellowfin. Keith Mohring and friends trolled the Baltimore Canyon for 6 dolphin from 10 to 20 pounds. On the inshore scene, flounder pounders continued to have success on natural structure between DB and DA Buoys.

A recent fluke trip aboard Katydid produced 36 keepers, limiting out all patrons aboard. On Tuesday, flukers on Katydid captured 14 keepers to 6.14 pounds while working the Old Grounds and Site 10. Today, Thursday, Katydid returned with 23 more keepers, including Ryan Mayer's 7.87 pounder. Jake Wiles whacked a 6.5 pound flounder aboard the Lil' Angler II. Bob "Buckwheat" Bryant brought in the largest flatfish we've seen so far this summer. His 31 1/2 inch doormat weighed 10.92 pounds, and was pulled from an ocean wreck. John Mazulla muscled in a 7.96 pound citation flounder on the Indian. Flounder action was decent in Delaware Bay for those who know how to work the artificial reef sites. Presentation is key, and sometimes it's necessary to keep the boat in gear or deploy a sea anchor for the proper drift. Of course, you should be courteous and considerate of boaters fishing close by. Matt Baker, Chip Graves had a limit of quality flatties to 6.33 pounds using live spot on Site 7. Tog season reopened July 17th, but blackfish haven't been to cooperative in the 80 degree Bay water. However, Captain Pete on Top Fin took Mr. Choi's group to an Ocean wreck with cooler temps today, and put together a catch of 26 keeper tautog, most in the 3 to 5 pound range. Triggerfish like the hot water. Captain Ted had 17 triggers during a half day trip to a Bay wreck aboard the Indian on Wednesday. Chuck Coverdale caught a 1 pound porgy on that trip. Other species that we don't usually see have been attracted to warm water in the Bay. Dan Riley was shark fishing on the Coral Beds, using a 16 inch bluefish for bait, when it was eaten by a big cobia.

During the fight, a huge shark appeared and grabbed the cobia. Fortunately, the cobia escaped, and was boated in one piece. Back at the Lewes Harbour scales, the battle scarred fish weighed 48 pounds. Schools of bunker have been roaming the Bay, and fishermen have noted an increase in catches of croakers, kingfish, spot, small trout, blowfish and snapper blues. Hopefully the presence of all the baitfish and the improved panfish activity point to a productive season ahead. Slot stripers continue to come from Lewes Canal. Drifting eels around the Drawbridge or casting Storm Shads along the marsh bank got the attention of rockfish in the 20 to 26 inch range.

Although the Ocean flounder bite has been good recently, fluke action on Delaware Bay kicked in this past week. Boats working the artificial structure of reef sites 5,6,7 and 8 did well with flatties when conditions were right. Squid strips, shiners and smelts on bottom rigs worked, and bucktails tipped with Gulp! or cut bait caught their share.

Dave Walker checked in a 6.86 pounder he got with a jig. Flukers on Katy Did scored a great catch while rubble bouncing Sunday. Captains Brent Wiest and Dave Walker, Fred Robinson, Sam Scott, Richard Adams, Jeff Kerner, Bill Wiest, John Furbush, Clara Hollingsworth, Nancy Nortonheimer and Joe McNeal teamed up for 39 keepers, plus a black drum and a trout. Joe had the largest flatfish, a doormat weighing 9.28 pounds. Captain Brent hosted the Cannon and Sheffield families for some flounder fishing, returning with 25 keepers. Matt Baker, Chip Graves and Nate Evans used live spot to tempt 11 quality fluke from a Bay reef site. Chip caught a 5.76 pounder, and Nate nailed a 6.33 pound beauty. As mentioned earlier, flounder fishing in the Ocean has been productive too, with natural bottom structure of the Old Grounds giving up plenty of fluke, along with some decent sea bass. Reef 10 yielded flatties too. Pete Geng got an 8.4 pound trophy there aboard Top Fin. Michelle Schnaitman got a 5.2 pounder at Site 10, and John Schnaitman, Jr took a 6.06 pound flounder. John Mazzula muscled in a 7.96 pound citation aboard the Indian. Tuna fishermen continue to find success at the Hot Dog.

Chunking the northeast corner of the lump produced both yellowfins and bluefins. Yellowfins responded to hand fed chunks of butters or sardines on 50 pound fluorocarbon leaders, usually early in the morning. Bluefins ate baits deeper in the column, even on the bottom. Jigging with Butterfly or Hammered Diamond Jigs was effective as well. Bill McMahon, Steve Schad and Rick Peters chunked a 75 pound bluefin at the Dog, and released 8 other bruisers. Jim Weidman and friends had fast chunking action at the Hot Dog Tuesday aboard the Grizzly. Captain Carey Evans said they were hooked up constantly from the time the first butter went in the water at 6 am until he stopped for a break at 10:15. They kept 5 yellowfins plus their "over and under bluefins", and released numerous other bluefins. Back inshore, striper seekers fishing Lewes Canal found slot size specimens between the Drawbridge and Railroad Bridge. Casting Storm Shads worked well. Drfiting eels or bottom fishing with clams also produced rockfish.

Bluefins have taken up residence at the Hot Dog, and crews working the east side of the structure caught some nice tuna. Anchoring and chunking with butterfish and sardines proved productive. Fish responded to baits presented at different depths, but those closer to the bottom got bit most. Butterfly and hammered diamond jigs sent deep in the water column were effective too.

Yellowfins were mixed in, but it seemed they stayed higher in the slick, and preferred hand fed chunks. Captain Carey hosted Brian Arnold's group aboard the Grizzly for some great tuna action on July 1. They boxed 2 yellowfins, a 90 pound bluefin, and their under 47 inch bluefin. They also fought and released several 100 plus pound bluefins before calling it a day. Carey said the trick to tempting yellowfins was offering baits on 50 pound fluorocarbon. Bruce, Brad and Josh Buchalter, and Gerry and Scott Wert enjoyed fine fishing at the Dog on July 2nd. They kept 3 yellowfins and Scott's 88 pound bluefin, and released other bluefins as well. Captain Carey on Grizzly returned to the Hot Dog July 3rd with just one angler. Jim Weidman had a banner day, reeling in a pair of yellowfins and 8 bluefins up to 100 pounds. Other captains told of good bluefin chunking at the Dog, and still some trolling catches too. Boats pulling ballyhoos way, way back on the Hambone and Chicken Bone hooked bluefins, many over 50 inches. Yellowfins continued to pop up in 40 fathoms southeast of the Dog, but not in the numbers of previous weeks. Phil Falgowski and his buddies fished in the Baltimore Canyon where they had 5 gaffer dolphin, a 50 pound yellowfin and a 300 pound blue marlin release. In addition to good tuna fishing, inshore bottom bouncing was hot too. Flounder were taken from the Old Grounds between DB and DA Buoys, and on reefs 9 and 10. Anglers drifting squid, mackerel strips, smelts and shiners did well. Flukers also had success jigging bucktails tipped with Gulp! Kevin and Tammy Parker, Lance Cochran and "Flint" Sherman had their limit of 16 fine flatfish to 5.7 pounds on a trip to the Old Grounds. Buckwheat and Bobby Bryant, Bob Fleming and Steve Reynolds rounded up 13 keepers to 5.75 pounds at Site 10. Captain Brent's fares on Katy Did kept 28 flatties to over 5 pounds while rubble bouncing on July 3rd. A couple days earlier, Brent's anglers came back with 33 quality keepers. Dennis Fish and friends iced 19 fluke aboard the Grizzly. Several big flounder were weighed in during the week. Steve Parseghian pulled in a 9.42 pounder. Matt Shoup scored a 9.3 pounder using a bucktail tipped with Gulp! Matt Baker boated a 6.25 pound fluke. Diana Vansant decked one weighing 6.22 pounds. Matthew Maskell fooled a 5.04 pounder with a squid and minnow sandwich.

Flounder catching is improving in Delaware Bay. Steve Warren used live peanut bunker to get his limit near the Ferry Jetty. All the fish were over 4.25 pounds, and the heaviest was just under 9 pounds. Jack Henriksen and friends on his "Legal Eagle" had 11 keepers while drifting a reef site on July 4th. Bay reefs have also started to produce legal sized croakers. Using clams, bloodworms or Fishbites on small hooks at Site 5 resulted in hardheads that mostly ranged 8 to 12 inches. Blowfish, kingfish, spot, snapper blues and triggerfish were found on reef junk too. The slot size striped bass season is now open in Delaware Bay and it's tributaries. Anglers may keep 2 stripers between 20 and 26 inches per day until August 31. The slot limit does not apply to coastal waters, Indian River Inlet or the Inland Bays, where a 28 inch minimum size remains in effect. Striper were plentiful in Lewes Canal. They could be seen working baitfish in the evenings between the Drawbridge and Train Bridge. Anglers casting Storm Shads or Rat-L-Traps caught their slot size keepers. Other keeper bass fell for clams, squid heads or eels fished on the bottom.