Fishing Report

The Ocean flounder bite has been very good in the past week. Flatties congregated around the structure of reef sites 10 and 11, and on the edges of many wrecks. The live bottom and natural contours of the Old Grounds between DB and DA Buoys held fluke too. Drifting squid and mackerel strips, minnows, shiners, smelt and Gulp! on bottom rigs worked well. Guys jigging bucktails caught plenty of fish too. Captain Charlie on the Tranquila hosted Greg, Josh, Justin and Jena Hayer, along with Tori Bell and Emily Olexy for some fluking near DA Buoy last Friday. The group returned with 17 quality keepers and a nice batch of sea bass. On Saturday, Katy Did had one of the most impressive catches to hit the dock in awhile.

The 10 anglers aboard limited out, with 40 plump flatfish, including 2 over 9 pounds. Captain Brent Wiest boated a 9.5 pound doormat, and Paul Pergeorelis put a 9.3 pounder in the box. Captain Pete Haines hooked a 7.18 pound citation fluke as part of his limit on Top Fin. Captain Pete went rubble bouncing again Monday for 15 keepers to 6 plus pounds. Pete also did a couple shark trips to the mouth of the Bay, and told of solid action with Browns and Duskies in the 5 to 6 foot range. Captain Brent on Katy Did drifted wreck and reef junk on an afternoon trip Wednesday for 18 flounder. He concentrated on the same mix of structure today to secure a 20 fish limit for his fares. Blake and Donna Reed, Josh and Henry Sharp, and "Flint" fished the Old Grounds today for their limit of 20 plump flatties. Wes Olson weighed in an 8.25 pound beauty he captured today on the Old Grounds, southeast of DB Buoy. Although Delaware Bay flounder fishing in general has been slow, some fishermen found nice fish. Ron Schmier and Len Shaffer scored five beauties, including Ron's 8.51 pound citation winner, while employing 6 inch Gulp!

Swimming Mullets over Reef Site 5. Indian River Inlet anglers have been getting in on fine flounder fishing too. Small spot have been abundant in the River, and flounder funneled through the inlet for their share of the desirable baifish. Folks freelining live spot along the bottom have done well with flatfish. Other good news tells of continuing tuna catches offshore. Wayne Wilson and his crew trolled 40 fathoms outside the Tea Cup for 5 nice yellowfins. The boys on Knot Right fished the West Wall of the Baltimore for 9 yellowfins, then moved to the East Wall to deep drop for 20 tilefish. The Katy Did iced 8 yellowfins and 36 tiles on a trip to the Baltimore Monday. Dave Popovich battled a big blue marlin for some time on the Quintessa, and unfortunately the jumbo billfish made a last minute dash under the boat and broke off before the leader could be touched for an official release. The crew also released a white and boated a yellowfin on that trip. Bluefin tuna have popped up on structure in 20 to 30 fathoms. They were seen and caught in the Dumpsite, on the 19 Fathom Lump, at Massey's Canyon, and today, in 30 fathoms outside the Hot Dog.

A big bluefin caused a buzz on the dock this week. Dave Cook and Sean Herlihy teamed up to best a 162.6 pound bruiser, the heaviest tuna brought back so far this season. The fish had a 66 inch fork length. The guys were trolling a ballyhoo skirted with a blue and white Joe Shute lure way, way back, when they connected with the tuna near the 19 Fathom Lump. Other trollers encountered bluefins inshore as well, but most of those were in the 30 to 50 pound class. Captain Alan Steele saw bluefins busting bait at the Chicken Bone Wednesday afternoon, and trolled up his keeper on the way home from offshore. He said the same thing happened on a previous trip when bluefins in the Dumpsite rose to the surface to feed late in the afternoon. Keep in mind the limit on bluefin tuna is one per boat per day from 27 to less than 73 inches curved fork length. Yellowfin action continues good, with catches reported from several locations between 40 and 100 fathoms from the Tip of Baltimore Canyon all the way down to Washington Canyon.

Crews told of sounder screens red with baitfish and flocks of working birds frequenting the corridor. The 40 to 50 fathom area between the Hot Dog and Poor Man's Canyon was particularly productive. Captain Larry Coyle said he came across a temperature break in the region that went from 65 to 71 degrees, where he trolled up a half dozen tuna, and had several more bites. Shawn Gallagher and his gang on Total Chaos came on a bunch of birds working 66 degree water in 45 fathoms west of the Baltimore, and landed 5 yellowfins to 50 plus pounds. Ed Sigda and the boys on Snow Goose enjoyed fast fishing while pulling spreader bars inshore of the Baltimore, putting 6 tuna in the box. John Joe Kabino, Evan Falgowski, Matt Shoup and Rhett Passwaters teamed up for 7 tuna on Tuesday. Captain Carey's group on the Grizzly had a great trolling trip Wednesday, returning with 8 nice yellowfins. On the inshore bottom scene, sea bass and flounder were available. Captains Brent and Dave on the Katy Did anchored up over a few wrecks Wednesday, and put together a limit of 225 bass and many plump ling for their 9 fares. Jigs worked well for knotheads that were sometimes suspended well above the structure. Bass were taken on the open bottom between DB and DA Buoys, but the majority were shy of the 12 1/2 inch minimum. Fluke were hanging out on the Old Grounds. Wes Olson and his buddies had 8 nice keepers there Tuesday. Taylor Deemer used an orange jig with a squid strip to tempt a 7.68 pound doormat while drifting the Grounds with Captain Ricky Yakimowicz.

Ricky mentioned there were numerous chub mackerel around, and that they could be captured with sabiki rigs or jigs and tubes. The tinkers make excellent fresh cut bait for fluke and sea bass. Delaware Bay bottom bouncers had spotty catches of flounder, spike trout, kingfish and blowfish around the rubble of reef sites 5,6,7 and 8. Triggerfish made an early appearance on Bay structure thanks to warm weather. Captain Ted had nice triggers on trips aboard the Indian. Mike DuFour decked a 4.02 pound triggerfish aboard the Martha Marie. Small boaters drifting Lewes Canal are still finding keeper flatfish. John Bickleman celebrated Father's Day with his daughter Lexie by landing a 6.28 pound flattie from the Canal. Jenny Manning outfished the men on Father's Day with her 4.64 pounder caught in the Canal. Spot have shown up in Indian River. Boaters using bits of bloodworm or Fishbites on small hooks near Buoy 20 hooked spot which they could use as live baits for stripers and flounder in the Inlet.

Sharkers report good numbers of blue whalers, sandbars, duskies and makos inshore so far this season. The toothy critters have been frequenting structure, mainly in the 20 to 30 fathom corridor. Wrecks such as the Misty Blue, Jacob Jones, Northern Pacific, Dry Docks, Hooper, San Gil and Marine Electric are all popular stopovers for migrating pelagics. Bottom contours that cause current changes and hold baitfish also attract sharks. The 19 Fathom Lump, Elephant Trunk, Tea Cup, Massey's Canyon, Chicken Bone, Hambone, Hot Dog, Sausages, South Paw and The Fingers are likely spots to set up on.

Alex McClure was sharking at Massey's Canyon Sunday aboard the Joint Venture with Captain Jeff Hoepfl when he hung into the largest mako we've had brought to the dock so far this season. The big blackeye inhaled a mackerel fillet, and with some quick work by the crew, was subdued after a relatively short battle. Back at the Marina scales, it weighed in at 221.5 pounds. The guys also trolled up their limit of a single bluefin in the Dumpsite outside Massey's. The boys on Big Herring drifted between Massey's and The Dumpsite for a 92 pound mako and a dolphin, then trolled a 40 pound bluefin from acres of tuna busting on the surface. Corey Walker and his buddies took a 93 pound mako, and released another mako, a blue shark and a brown shark in 66 degree water at the Hambone. They also put a gaffer dolphin in the boat. Tuna action continued good for offshore trollers. Captain Tom Cornell's crew on High Hook pulled skirted ballyhoos in Baltimore Canyon Friday, and returned with 13 yellowfins. Shawn Gallagher's guys on Total Chaos went 3 for 6 on yellowfins in the tip of Poor Man's. They also had a mako on the troll and tangled with a big blue marlin on light gear for awhile. In addition, they ran over a big Thresher that was lounging just below the surface, which didn't do the running gear any good. Johnny Mancuso, Kyle Hamilton, John Hazzard and Bubba Hastings ran Johnny's Palmetto center console on it's maiden voyage to Baltimore Canyon, and were rewarded with five 40 pound class yellowfins. Captain Chris on Quintessa worked the West Wall of Wilmington Canyon for 8 nice tuna, including Billy White's 61.5 pound sickle fin. Gunnar Zorn and his anglers on the Dawg Haus really got into tuna while trolling Washington Canyon, putting 19 yellowfins in the box. The first bigeye of the season, a 131 pounder, was boated in the Wilmington Canyon by Matt Boomer on the Four Eights out of Ocean City. Back closer to the beach, bottom bouncers between DB and DA Buoys found loads of sea bass, however not many met the 12 1/2 inch minimum. Maybe they'll be big enough by the end of summer.

Fluke were mixed in, and some decent flatties were decked by anglers deploying buctktails with strip baits or Gulp! In Delaware Bay, boaters fishing around the artificial reef sites had a few flounder, trout and kingfish. Surfcasters on Broadkill Beach caught some weakfish using peelers and chicken, but trout have spread out since water temperatures rose into the 70's. Small boaters in Roosevelt Inlet hooked trout using Bass Assassins, Gulp! and Fin-S Fish. Lewes Canal is still giving up an occasional flatfish to flukers using minnows, shiners or Gulp! on small tandem rigged jigs.

Even though flounder catches in Lewes Canal this spring haven't met anglers' expectations, it appears there may be some good fluke fishing ahead for folks fishing Delaware Bay and Ocean structure.

Captain Ted's flukers aboard the Indian had 6 keeper flatties to 5 pounds while pile hopping at Site 5 a few days ago. Matt Baker anchored on Site 5 Sunday, to deal with wind and a fast drift, and managed 3 keepers in the 21 inch range while on the hook. It's likely flounder will turn on around most of the Bay's artificial reefs in coming days. Ocean bottom bouncers found good numbers of flatfish on the Old Grounds, southeast of DB Buoy. Captain Ricky's patrons on Thelma Dale IV got into specimens upwards of 6 pounds while bucktailing and fishing strips of cut bait on rough bottom over the weekend. Flounder were still available in Lewes Canal and Broadkill River, but as mentioned earlier, anglers had to really work for every fish. Chris Teeter managed to put together a limit of flatties to 21 inches, along with his single trout limit while drifting Gulp! and minnows in the Canal Sunday. Trout continue to please fishermen with their return to Bay waters.

Spike weakfish were caught around the submerged jetties of Roosevelt Inlet, and along Broadkill Beach. Bait fishermen chose chicken, peeler crabs and soft crab aprons as offerings. Those fond of casting lures found success with 4 inch Bass Assassin Sea Shads, Fin-S Fish, Gulp! Swimming Mullets, and Speck Rigs. Last part of incoming tide, and dawn or dusk were good times to try for trout. Sea Bass action is holding up, but it seems the farther off you go, the better the quality of bass. Captain Brent ran Katy Did to an offshore snag Sunday for a nice batch of big ling, pollock, and knothead bass, including Craig Lester's 4.37 pounder. Plenty of bass were residing at reef site 11, but many of the keeper sized fish have been picked off. Bass are spreading out onto the open bottom as well. The Old Grounds southeast of DB Buoy produced good numbers of sea bass. Bassers reported seeing free jumping Thresher Sharks in the same area, and although some brutes have been caught from boats out of other ports, we haven't had one brought to our dock yet. During the Mako Mania Tournament in Ocean City, Dave Nolan decked a 576.5 pounder at The Fingers. Jeff Guest brought in a 110 pound mako he got at the Sausages aboard Port-A-Bella. The crew on Jenny Lynn had a mako and several blue sharks while drifting near the Jacob Jones. Wes Olson sharked at the Triple Wrecks for a mako, a blue whaler, and a bonus batch of big sea bass. The warm water responsible for attracting pelagics into the 40 to 60 fathom corridor inshore of Baltimore Canyon the past couple weeks has been pushing south. Trollers told of getting into tuna and dolphin while working the same depths near Poor Man's Canyon. George Merrick said he fished aboard the Boy's Toy in 40 to 65 fathoms along the 150 line Sunday. The crew had 13 yellowfins and some gaffer dolphin. Josh Gessler released the first white marlin of the season reported by a Delaware boat on that trip as well.

Offshore anglers have been treated to some good early season action. Warm water that pushed into Baltimore Canyon held lots of life. Boaters reported seeing porpoises, ocean sunfish, flying fish and other bait concentrated along temperature breaks. Much of the activity took place in 40 to 60 fathoms between the West Wall of the Baltimore and Poor Man's Canyon. Yellowfins showed in good numbers, and some crews racked up impressive catches. The biggest bites happened when trolling spreads were covered up with multiple fish at once.

Anglers on the Reel Chaos experienced wild fishing two days in a row over the weekend, returning with 14 tuna on Saturday, and 24 more on Sunday. Plenty of dolphin were mixed in, and the first few wahoos made an early appearance as well. On Sunday, Grant Clubb released the first white marlin of the year aboard the Chain Reaction. Blue marlin were also hooked by trollers looking for tuna. Makos were attracted by all the activity in the area too. Several crews told of big blackeyes chewing on yellowfins that were hooked up. Sea bass still held the attention of inshore bottom fishermen. Reef Site 11 was a popular spot, and twenty fathom structure such as the Dry Docks had bass too.

Captains noted that it often took more stops during the day to put a catch together than earlier in the season. A lot of keeper sized fish have been pulled from the common places, and it involves more work to put bass over the 12 1/2 inch minimum in the box. Bottom bouncers seeking flounder started to find fish around Delaware Bay structure.

Captain Carey's flukers on the Grizzly scored 8 keepers on a half day trip Sunday, while drifting reef rubble in the lower Bay. Lewes Canal gave up flatties as well. Bill Koran captured a 6.29 pounder in the Canal. Lee McClellan managed a 7.45 pound citation doormat from the Canal. Flounder slayer Nick Psaroudakis nabbed a 6.4 pound specimen while drifting minnows. Nick's young daughter Paige is taking after her Dad, and pulled her first flounder from the Canal, a plump 20 incher. In addition, she landed her first trout, also measuring 20 inches. The numbers of trout in the Bay this spring have been surprising, and perhaps the species is on it's way to a comeback. Folks fishing Roosevelt Inlet from shore and small boats caught many weakfish while casting 3 to 4 inch soft plastic artificials and Gulp! lures.

Bait fishing with chicken or peeler crab also produced sea trout. Last of incoming tide during early morning or evening hours was best. Keep in mind the 13 inch minimum size and one trout per person limit. Most fish have been between 12 and 15 inches, but some larger specimens have shown up. Debora Wineland was surfcasting from Broadkill Beach using chicken when she connected with a 4.5 pound beauty. The surf striper bite at Cape Henlopen cooled off, but some decent rockfish were hanging around the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers. Top Fin Captain Pete haines took a busman's holiday to the Wall where he hooked a 17 pound linesider while tossing a Yo-Zuri plug. Nick Sharp nailed a brace of bass scaling 21.1 and 21.8 pounds that grabbed Gulp! eels he was working in the dark.