Fishing Report

Great news for fishermen that had been running to the Canyons to catch yellowfins. Tuna showed up closer to home this week, and boats found them in good numbers at the Hot Dog. There were lots of fish short of the 27 inch minimum size, but also plenty of keepers from 20 to 40 pounds. Some dolphin and billfish were mixed in on the same structure. The gamefish had been feeding on sand eels hanging out in the area. Tuna were taken by trollers pulling skirted ballyhoos, and a variety of artificials.

Tony and Diana Vansant, Steve Millman and John Davis had a nice trip to the Dog Wednesday, returning with 8 yellowfins to 40 pounds and a gaffer dolphin. Tony also caught a white marlin that put on quite a show. Captains Brent Wiest and Dave Walker on Katy Did also trolled the Hot Dog Wednesday, and ended up with 9 keeper yellowfins. In addition to yellowfin tuna, bluefins were close inshore. Captain Vince Keagy an the Miss Kirstin pulled cedar plugs between Delaware Light and the 12 Fathom Lump for a keeper bluefin and 3 dolphin. Bluefins were also reported at Massey's Canyon, the Hambone and the Jackspot. Tuna were still taken offshore. On Saturday, the crew on Katy Did made a long run from Lewes to the Bight of Washington Canyon and were rewarded with 7 quality yellowfins to 52 pounds. They released 12 other tuna in just an hour's trolling. Offshore deep dropping produced some nice tilefish. Frank Frabizzio checked in a 38 pound golden tile he captured in the Baltimore Canyon. Inshore bottom bouncers had flounder at Site 10 and on the Old Grounds. Captain Carey's Saturday group on the Grizzly kept 11 out of 53 fluke they caught on the Old Grounds.

Delaware Bay flounder fishermen found flatties at the Star Site, however, getting the right drift during full moon tides was difficult. Tautog action was pretty good at the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers. Triggerfish and sheepshead were mixed in. Guys tossing topwater plugs along the Wall in the evenings had fun with slot size stripers. Spot catches were good from the Cape Henlopen pier.

Flounder catches have been pretty good for guys who know how to work rough bottom structure. The rocks and sea trees of the Old Grounds between DB and DA Buoys, as well as the rubble of reef sites 9 and 10 have been holding fluke, and savvy fishermen have found that modifications to standard rigging helps them catch more flatties amongst that kind of cover.

According to Captain Ricky Yakimowicz, short leaders are the key. He said a 3 to 4 ounce bucktail with a hair teaser on a 4 inch leader about a foot ahead of the jig works well. He mentioned that flukers also had success employing a rig with a sinker as heavy as necessary to maintain contact with the bottom, and a hair teaser hook on a short dropper about 6 to 8 inches above the weight. The jigs or hooks get sweetened with a strip of squid, shark, bluefish, a shiner, smelt, Gulp! or any combination of these. Anglers should constantly bounce the rigs as they drift through the chunky grounds and be alert for the quick strike of a flatfish lying in ambush. The jigging action seems to provoke more aggressive strikes than when baits are drug casually over the bottom, and flounder just hang on while deciding to swallow or not.

The short leadered setups are also less likely to get snagged. Some days when the drift was too fast or in a bad direction, crews that anchored and cast rigs upcurrent so they walked across the structure did well. Jigging produced some nice specimens during the week. Dave Walker bucktailed a 6.21 pound doormat at Site 10 aboard Katy Did. Jim Woods got a 6.97 pound fluke on the Katy Did. Flounder came from Delaware Bay artificial reefs too. Laura Kemper and Lisa DiVincenzo checked in 3 nice flatties to 22 inches they got with Gulp! at the Star Site. Jamie Moore managed a 3.92 pounder at the Star Site. Harriet Paul put a 5 pounder in the box aboard Lil' Angler. Curtis Hawkins captured a 6.02 pound trophy on the Angler. Clayton Horvath had a 7.6 pound welcome mat while working a wreck with Capt. Chuck of First Light Charters. Joe Walker and his crew had 8 quality keepers at the Star Site Wednesday. Among the catch was a 5.39 pound beauty boated by Joe's granddaughter Candace Way. Tautog fishermen had decent catches at the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers using green crabs, sand fleas, shrimp and box crabs. Faith Roth reeled in a 7.29 citation tog at the Wall. Triggerfish and sheepshead have shown up in warm water. Kyusok Yi captured a jumbo 12.54 pound sheepshead at the Ice Breakers. Tuna catches have slowed compared to the good bite over the past two weeks. However, chunkers did catch some bluefins in Massey's Canyon. Yellowfins popped up in the Baltimore and Poor Man's Canyons, but not in numbers like before. Good sized dolphin have been taken. Craig Lester landed a 28.2 pound mahi in the Baltimore aboard Swords Fish.

Tuna fishing continues good. Boats running offshore at the beginning of the week had plenty of yellowfins in the Baltimore, but the bite shifted south as the week wore on. By week's end, best catches came from Poor Man's and the Washington. On Monday, the crew on Katy Did crushed 'em while trolling the 250 line of the Baltimore in 75 fathoms. They put a limit of 21 keepers to 51.7 pounds in the bags, and released a white marlin.

On Friday, Captains Brent and Dave on Katy Did went back offshore and told of good activity near the Lower Lump of Poor Man's. They had 3 nice yellowfins and 5 gaffer dolphin. Bill Swords and the guys on Swords Fish trolled Poor Man's Friday for 5 yellowfins, a gaffer dolphin and a Mako on mono. Some big dolphin have shown up in the warm water. Chris Ragni and Jimmy Kersey checked in a pair of monster mahis scaling 38 and 32 pounds that were taken at the 461 lump. Billfishing has been good as well with many whites released. "Rockfish Ed" Healy released two big blue marlin in one trip offshore earlier this week. Back inshore, fluke fishermen working artificial reef structure found flatties on days with favorable drift conditions. Last Sunday, flukers on Katy Did returned with a boat limit of 36 keepers including Bob Murphy's 8.02 pounder. Thursday, Katy Did drifted Site 10 for 24 keeper flatfish. The Grizzly got 13 keepers at Site 10 on Thursday. Anglers using bucktail and teaser rigs tipped with squid strips and shiners did well on legal sized fish. Flounder came from reefs in Delaware Bay too. Joe Walker, Tom Coyle, Larry Coyle and Barry Gerhard fished the Star Site Tuesday and scored 12 nice keeper flatties. Small boaters still had flounder in Lewes Canal, and also around the Inner Wall and Ferry Jetty. Gulp! was the hot bait. Tautog season reopened July 1, and toggers told of success along the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers. Captain Carey on the Grizzly had 25 tog and 15 triggerfish on an Ocean wreck opening day. Some impressive citation fish were recorded Friday. William Bonniwell boated an 11.69 pound blackfish with Cpatain Ted on the Indian Friday. Aaron Brommer brought in a 10.59 pounder aboard the Martha Marie. The slot size striper season in Delaware Bay and it's tributaries also opened July 1. Anglers are permitted to keep 2 striped bass between 20 and 26 inches only, from now until August 31. Minimum size in the Ocean and Indian River inlet remains at 28 inches with a two bass per person daily limit. Rockfish were caught by casters tossing Rat-L-Traps and Storm Shads at the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers.

Those employing eels, clams or cut tuna bloodline captured slot stripers in Lewes Canal.

Tuna action has been hot both inshore and offshore. Bluefin tuna have been plentiful on traditional twenty fathom structure such as the Hambone, Chicken Bone, Sausages, Massey's Canyon and other lumps along the edges of The Fingers. Bluefins also came from the Jackspot, Twin Wrecks and the 19 Fathom Lump in the Dumpsite. Trolling skirted ballyhoo and artificials such as cedar plugs, Green Machines and squid spreader bars was effective. Recreational anglers are reminded that only one bluefin tuna measuring between 27 inches to less than 59 inches curved fork length may be kept per vessel per day.

Offshore yellowfin catches have been the real highlight. Numerous tuna were spread in 70 to 100 fathoms between the Baltimore and Wilmington Canyons, with a concentration between the 350 and 380 lines. Crews that were on the grounds for first light found slicks, birds and schools of tuna aggressively working squid and baitfish. The best bite was early, but sometimes fish fed throughout the day. A lot of skipjacks and yellowfins short of the 27 inch minimum were mixed in, but plenty of keepers ranging 20 to 50 pounds were caught, along with the occassional 70 to 90 pounder. Tuna responded to trolled ballyhoo, spreader bars and green machines behind birds. Jim Short and the boys on Knot Right were on the spot Saturday for the early morning bite and trolled up their limit of 18 yellowfins to 60 pounds, after being covered up multiple times. The Grizzly had a great overnight trip Saturday. During the darkness, the anglers released 8 large dusky sharks, then when it came light, it was full on with tunas. They ended up with a limit of yellowfins to take home. Captains Brent Wiest and Dave Walker took Katy Did offshore Monday and returned with 11 yellowfins to 45 pounds. Paul Pergeorelis also put a 14.8 pound dolphin in the box on that trip. The Katy Did went back to 70 fathoms Wednesday for 16 more keeper yellowfins and many additional short ones. The anglers had some extra excitement when a 10 foot long Hammerhead shark ate two of their tunas. Back inshore, on the bottom fishing scene, flounder fishing was decent on the Old Grounds between DB and DA Buoys.

Catching was better on days with favorable drift conditions. Three to 4 ounce bucktail jigs tipped with squid strips or cut mackerel worked well. Fluking is shaping up in Delaware Bay too. Anglers who know how and when to work the artificial reefs were successful. Joe Walker, Tom Coyle, Larry Coyle and Joe Coyle drifted at Brown Shoal Wednesday for 12 keepers, including three in the 6 pound class. Will Burdett boated a 6.49 pound flounder at reef 5 aboard the Lil' Angler II. Flounder continue to come from Lewes Canal. John Northeimer checked in a 5.26 pounder he took from the Canal using Gulp! Small boats drifting the Canal had good numbers of flatties, although they had to cull through many throwbacks. Shad darts, speck rigs and other small jigs sweetened with Gulp!, minnows or shiners were effective. Some big flounder were landed from the Indian River inlet jetties. Ryan Wieber brought in an 8 pound 11 ounce doormat that took a Gulp! along the rocks. David Wyszynski was tossing a Storm Shad from the jetty for stripers when a 6 pound 4 ounce flounder inhaled his lure. Fishermen on the Cape Henlopen pier had a few flounder, along with spot and small croakers. Boats drifting along the rocks of the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers got into staripers while casting Storm lures and Bomber plugs in the evening and at night. Stripers were caught on popping plugs along the Canal marsh banks between the Freeman Highway Bridge and Gordon's Pond.

Delaware Bay flounder action showed promise for some good fishing this summer. On days when drift conditions were favorable, Bay reef sites yielded decent numbers of flatties. It was a little tough around the full moon, but prior to it, flukers enjoyed good catches. Captain Brent's fishermen aboard Katy Did kept 10 flounder out of 57 they caught on Sunday at Reef 5 in Broadkill Slough. Mark Adams got the first sheepshead of the season on that trip, a 5.45 pounder. Other reports of flounder came from the Old Grounds between DB and DA Buoys in the Ocean. Three or four ounce bucktails tipped with squid strips were productive. On a recent trip to the Old Grounds, guys on the Grizzly got 41 flatties, returning with 9 keepers. Seven of the fish were over 22 inches. Flounder continue to come from Lewes Canal as well.

John Davis checked in a 4.75 pounder he caught using Gulp! Fishermen on the Cape Henlopen pier had a few flounder, along with spot. Black drum were still active on the Coral Beds around the full moon, but the run will likely wind down soon. Rick Bortz and a buddy had four boomers from 25 to 40 pounds at the end of flood tide Monday evening. The offshore tuna bite remained good over the past week. Water temps have been warmer than usual due to current eddies moving in. The Skipjack came back Sunday from an overnighter to the Wilmington Canyon with 8 yellowfins and a mako. Darryl Boyer and his crew trolled Iland Lures and ballyhoo in the Baltimore Canyon Saturday to release 3 white marlin. They also put a dolphin in the box and tangled with a very large blue marlin that eventually left with all the line off of a TLD50II reel. Angelo Delapo fished 81 degree water in 250 fathoms near the tip of the Wilmington Wednesday on the Spoiled III. His anglers released two of five white marlin that pounced on Green Machines and spreader bars they were towing in search of tuna.

Sharking is still going on. Captain D.J. Churchill and the boys on "Tighten Up" boated a 418 pound thresher between DB and DA Buoys. Captain Tom Smith put Herb Guest and the guys aboard "Port-A-Bella" on makos of 120 and 148 pounds during two days of drifting the Elephant Trunk.