Fishing Report

Yellowfins have been hanging out at the Hot Dog, and crews chunking with butterfish and sardines have had good success with tuna ranging from 20 to 40 pounds on average. Jason and Howard Burris, along with Matt and Mario Disabatino and Jason Hanny had a great trip to the Dog Sunday. They chunked tuna to the boat then got them really fired up by tossing in handfuls of live minnows. The guys boated 9 nice yellowfins, one of which was a 32.5 pounder Matt subdued with his fly rod. Captains Brent and Dave took Katy Did to the Dog Monday for some good chunking action. Wes Major, Jim Curry, Dave Carlin, Thomas Borrell, Jim Mays, Jim Martelli and Erminio Savelloni put 13 yellowfins and a pair of dolphin in the bag. In addition to those hooked by chunkers at the Hot Dog, tuna were taken by trollers at the Hambone and Massey's Canyon.

Those pulling ballyhoo and spreader bars also hooked bluefins, wahoo, dolphin and white marlin. Offshore bottom fishing has been good. Captain Pete Floyd and the crew on Candy's Choice dropped in the Baltimore for 30 tilefish, including a 36.3 pounder brought in by Pete's Grandson, Scott Davis. Inshore bottom fishing improved over the past few days. Flukers on Katy Did decked 11 quality flounder today at Site 10, with several over 3 pounds. Among the catch was a 5.8 pounder for Michael Walker, and a 6 pounder for Jerry Cuff. Bucktails were effective for the flatfish. The Angler headboat had a mix of flounder and ling near DB Buoy during the week. In Delaware Bay, fishermen picked at flatties around artificial reefs 5,6,7 and 8. Joe Walker, Bobby Bryant, Tom Coyle and Veryl Burns limited out at the Brown Shoal reefs with 16 flounder to 5 pounds today. Increasing numbers of spot have been caught inside Cape Henlopen, around the piers and walls, and in Roosevelt Inlet and Lewes Canal. Bloodworms and Fishbites were favorites of the tasty panfish. Some croakers have been mixed in with spot, but the large schools of hardheads that hopefully will arrive, have yet to show. Tautog and triggerfish continue to come from the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers, although the bite was slower during the hot weather. Slot size stripers were caught around the drawbridge on Lewes Canal by small boaters using eels and clams.

Delaware Bay flounder catches have been fairly good the past week, despite full moon tides. It's not like everybody is muggin' them, but most anglers end up with a couple fish to take home. The Angler headboat has been returning with keepers from their 6 hour trip.

Much of the action has centered around reef sites 5,6,7, and 8, but some fish have come from open bottom between G Buoy and Brown Shoal, and in the Broadkill Slough. Harry Laws landed a 4.65 pound flatfish at the Beach Ball. Barry Gerhard and his crew drifted the Brown Shoal reefs for 8 keepers, including 4.05 and 4.13 pounders boated by Barry's grandson, Sam Hazlett. On Saturday, Captain Carey's flukers on the Grizzly got 14 keepers while fishing the Brown Shoal rubble. Julian Weaver wound in a 5.54 pounder at the Star Site on Top Fin. Jack Henriksen and John Deiner kept 4 fish to 4.16 pounds out of 9 they caught at the Star Site. Ginger Henriksen had a 3.89 pound flounder that move her into Second Place of the Lewes Yacht Club Tournament. Flatties are still hanging out in Lewes Canal. Nick Psaroudakis and his buddies put 7 in the box just a couple days ago while drifting the Canal. Todd Meredith used minnows and Gulp! near the Cape Henlopen Pier to capture 3 keepers to 21 inches. Flounder catches were decent in the ocean too. The Old Grounds and Reef Site 10 gave up legal size fish on days with favorable drift conditions. Jeff Scurti scored a 6.51 pound doormat on a recent trip to DB Buoy aboard Katy Did. Stripers were active along the Outer Wall in the evenings and could be tempted with topwater plugs. Rockfish were also hooked near the drawbridge on Lewes Canal with eels and clams. Fin-S Fish and other small soft plastics cast at night to the shadow line from the lights of the Roosevelt Coast Guard station produced linesiders too.

Tog and triggerfish were pulled from the rocks of the Wall and Ice Breakers. "Booker" Bookwalter checked in a 7.56 pound citation tautog he wrestled from the Wall while baiting with box crabs. Captain Pete's toggers aboard Top Fin had 17 keeper blackfish today. Cape Henlopen pier anglers told of spot on bloodworms and Fishbites. A handful of croakers were taken around the Star Site and in Broadkill Slough. Numerous hardheads have been reported south of here and hopefully the masses will show up soon. Inshore tuna fishermen continued to enjoy success. Keith Orendorf and friends trolled Massey's Canyon Friday for a nice bluefin, 3 yellowfins and 3 dolphin. They also released several other sub-legal yellowfins. On Sunday, Donna Means decked a 51.6 pound bluefin and Lewis Means landed an 18.6 pound dolphin at the 12 Fathom Lump aboard Joint Venture

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.