Fishing Report

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.

There has been a good tuna bite so far this season. Bluefins normally show up this time of year, however, it's encouraging to hear of numerous yellowfins that have been caught over the past week. Wes Olson and crew trolled Green Machines and spreader bars inshore of the Wilmington Canyon for 3 yellowfins to 36 pounds. Captain Tom Cornell's guys aboard High Hook had 8 yellowfins in 40 fathoms between the Wilmington and Baltimore Canyons. They finished the day with an 88 pound bluefin that George Durant decked near Massey's Canyon. Jim Short and the boys on Knot Right put 4 forty pound yellowfins in the box while trolling the Wilmington Canyon. Angelo Delapo's anglers aboard Spoiled III trolled up five keeper yellowfin and their one allowable bluefin. Jimmy Reed, Mike Cannon and friends worked the West Wall of the Baltimore to ice eight yellowfins. Bill Swords and his buddies trolled up 4 nice yellowfins then switched to deep dropping for a good catch of golden tiles. Yellowfins were spread from 40 to 60 fathoms in several spots between the Wilmington and Poor Man's Canyons. Bluefins seemed to be more prevalent inshore, between the Hambone and Hot Dog, on the Chicken Bone and at Massey's Canyon. All of the trollers reported many short tuna and skipjacks.

False Albacore made an early arrival, and schools of big albies roamed the same structure as the yellowfins and bluefins. Chopper bluefish were feeding on the Hambone and other inshore lumps too. Sharking has been decent. Herb Guest and the guys on Port-A-Bella brought in a 150 pound mako. They had that shark and several others while drifting the Elephant Trunk. Sea Bass action was fair at Reef Site 11. Bassers had to weed through mostly short fish to end up with some to take home. Anchoring was more productive for keepers. Cod have been mixed in on the the same structure as bass, and offered a pleasant bonus for bottom bouncers. Ocean flounder fishing came on in the past couple days. Captain Ricky Yakimovicz reported good fluking in 80 feet of water between DB and DA Buoys. Fishermen using 3 to 4 ounce bucktails tipped with a strip of fresh bait did well. Shark, mackerel, bluefish and skate were great cut baits. Delaware Bay flounder fishing was fair, with a few keepers coming from reef sites 5,6,7 and 8. Flounder continue to be pulled from Lewes Canal. Gulp! artificials have been highly effective all spring.

Flatties were caught at the Cape Henlopen Pier too. Black drum were caught at the Coral Beds over the weekend, but that fishing will likely wind down soon. Jordan Stradling scored her first drum, weighing 34 pounds, on Saturday night. Stripers roamed the rocks of the Ice Breakers and Outer Wall, and could be tempted with buctails, Storm Shads and Bomber plugs. The bite was best in the evenings or after dark. Evan Falgowski was surprised when two big drum grabbed Stretch Plugs he was using for stripers near the Haystacks.

The season's first thresher shark was brought to the dock on Memorial Day, and it was a whopper! Captain Ted Moulinier took the Pirate King to his favorite sharking grounds northwest of DB Buoy, and returned with a 487 pound longtail. Captain Brian Wazlavek and Alex Capozio shared winding time on the reel. The crew attempted to wrestle the big shark aboard after it was caught, but it was too heavy to get over the gunwale, so they towed it home. The mammoth thresher attracted plenty of attention at the Marina, and yielded quite a pile of delicious steaks. Other threshers were reported along the Buoy Line and in the Fingers. Makos were also taken at the Hambone and in the Fingers. Bluefish were plentiful in the same areas, and trollers caught choppers in the 8 to 15 pound range. Bluefish were also found on the lumps southeast of Delaware Light.

There was a good tuna bite over the weekend. Yellowfins showed up outside The Rockpile, between Poor Man's and Washington Canyons. There were a lot of small fish below the 27 inch minimum, but crews were able to cull out decent numbers of keepers. Some tuna were in the 30 to 40 pound range. Bluefins were mixed in with yellowfins, and most boats had their limit of one.

Mark Stephens and his buddies trolled up 10 keeper yellowfins and released many others at the "800 Square" of the Washington Sunday. It's encouraging to see good tuna action, and hopefully it will be a great offshore season. Bill Swords and friends enjoyed some fine offshore bottom fishing. They had 16 tilefish to 35 pounds, plus nice sea bass and ling while deep dropping in the Baltimore Canyon. Sea Bassers at Reef Site 11 picked away at fish, and anchoring seemed more productive than drifting. Hobby Isaacs iced the biggest bass we've see so far this year, a 5.62 pound knothead. Chuck Coverdale caught a 3.59 pounder on the Angler. Back inshore, flounder are still coming from Lewes Canal. Thurman Stanley caught an 8.1 pound doormat right in front of the store Tuesday morning while fishing with a chartreuse Gulp! Ethan Boyle used a white Gulp! to catch his 3.46 pounder. Flounder also came from the Cape Henlopen Pier. Some flounder have been caught in the Bay east of Fourteen Foot Light, and on Reef Site 7. Croakers have started to move into the Bay as well. Surfcasters on Broadkill Beach caught small hardheads, and fishermen on the Cape May Ferry Jetties had them too. Black drum lingered at the Coral Beds. Ogden Lester landed a 68.6 pounder on the Miss Kirstin, and Phil Spare scored a 72.1 pound boomer on Joint Venture.