Fishing Report

The season's first mako hit the dock this week. Wes and Shane Olson and Barney Gallagher were drifting 59 degree water in the tip of Baltimore Canyon when they hooked and landed the 84 pounder. Wes said they had just finished putting the first line out when the blackeye bit. Captain Steve Moore's crew aboard the All In, out of Ocean City Fishing Center, took a 201 pound mako from 30 Fathoms outside the Hot Dog. Other sharkers found threshers in The Fingers and at the Twin Wrecks. Threshers should be caught along the Delaware shipping lane soon. Strong winds kept most boats in Saturday and Sunday over the Holiday weekend, but seas laid down Monday, allowing Katydid to head off to the Del-Jersey-Land Reef for a sea bass trip. The results were good, and patrons returned with 114 bass, 99 ling, a bucket of cunners and a pair of nice codfish. Lou Pennella landed a knothead bass scaling 4.7 pounds. One of the cod, which Brent himself boated, weighed 22.7 pounds and was the largest we've seen in some time. It's great that cod have staged a comeback off Delaware's coast in the past few years. Captain Carey's bassers aboard Grizzly had a productive trip Monday. John Mattson and friends put a mix of 121 seabass, ling and cod in the box. Wesley Bernard checked in the unusual combination of a 4.2 pound cod and a 4.2 pound flounder he caught while reef fishing on the Dana Lynn. Structure of the Del-Jersey-Land Reef Site, that includes wrecks of the Radford and Gregory Poole, has yielded good action, but bass also came from Site 11, closer inshore. Striped bass catches have been good during nighttime incoming tides at Indian River Inlet. Jetty jocks and boaters had rockfish while casting Storm Shads and bucktails. Carl Swinn and Buster Bair stopped by with a trio of bass to 20 pounds they got by livelining eels from the rocks. Stripers were also hooked in Delaware Bay. Guys tossing lures around the Outer Wall got into fish. Bombers, X-Raps, RatLTraps and Stretch 12 plugs were popular. Paul Matthews managed a 22 pound linesider with a swimming plug at the Ice Breakers. Black drum continued to come from the Coral Beds, but the run traditionally tails off through early June. Kevin Parker had his hands full with a 69.2 pound boomer he boated with light spinning gear. Mark Gardenghi and friends drummed aboard the Grizzly for their limit of fish to 68 pounds. Captain Brian's group on Lil' Angler II had plenty of action Sunday night. P.J. Sneeringer muscled in a 73 pound brute. Tara Wiker wound in a 57 pounder and Anthony Wiker wrestled one of 56 pounds. Jackie Robinson reeled in a 55.5 pounder aboard the Angler. Sophie Gressens came all the way from France to catch her first black drum. She's an exchange student and celebrated graduation by boating the 50.1 pounder on the Fish Hawk. Flounder aficionados are still picking flatties from Lewes Canal, along the Inner Wall, and around the Henlopen Pier. Trout have been in good supply too, and those using Gulp! and other soft artificials have had some nice sized weakies. Increasing numbers of spot and croakers are showing up in Delaware Bay. Kingfish have been plentiful on the Coral Beds.

The 2013 Canal Flounder Tournament held May 19th was a great success. This year's turnout was the largest ever. The weather was beautiful, and decent numbers of flatties were caught. Bragging rights for his winning 5.09 pounder go to James Stanley. Charlie Booth secured Second with a 4.24 pounder. Danny Schurman scored Third with a 4.06 pound flatfish. Jesse Steele's 4.04 was Fourth. Gene Stalls got a 3.98 pounder that was good for Fifth Place. Mike Hoffman had a 3.94 pound fluke for Sixth, and Will Wiedmann wound up Seventh with his 3.93 pounder. Twenty percent of the entry fees will be donated to Camp Awareness, which promotes education about the State's natural resources to young fishermen, hunters, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts. We thank all who participated to make the day a fun event, and are already looking forward to next year's Tourney. Flounder continued to come from the Canal following the Tournament, though the numbers have dwindled compared to a couple weeks ago. It seems that the fish have started to move out into the Bay. Flukers on Katydid returned with the first nice catch of flounder from the open Bay last Saturday. They had 8 keepers plus a 32.2 pound striper that Captain Brent bucktailed off reef rubble. It's likely we'll see more fluke from structure like the artificial reefs, and inner and outer breakwaters in the coming weeks. Fishermen on the Cape Henlopen pier had flounder on speck rigs tipped with shiners or Gulp! They also reported increasing numbers of spot and croakers. Shore fishermen inside Cape Henlopen and on Lewes Beach also caught a mix of croakers, spot, kingfish, blowfish, bluefish and weakfish. Zach Brown brought in a beautiful 5.66 trout he took while casting a pink Gulp! from the beach. Sea trout have definitely come back in better numbers and sizes than in past seasons, and anglers targeting them around the Roosevelt Jetties, and the Inner and Ferry Walls have done well. Artificials such as Bass Assassins, Fin-S-Fish, Gulp! and paddletail worms were effective. There have been some surprises for trout fishermen tossing jigs around the rocks. Robert Perholtz was working a pink Gulp along the Inner Wall when it was inhaled by a 72.6 pound black drum. Amazingly, he was able to land the brute with the 10 pound test spinning outfit he was using. Just to prove it was skill and not luck, the very next day, Robert boated a 63.3 pounder at the same spot, using pink Gulp! on the same ten pound spinning gear! Those actually trying to catch a drum also got into some big boomers at the Coral Beds while baiting with surf clams. The fleet of New Jersey boats that had been fishing there disappeared, so it's likely they've located some schools on their side of the Bay. Spots such as Brandywine, Tussey's, the Pin Top and Horseshoe usually yield drum. This weekend traditionally offers the best action with boomers. Some of the most impressive specimens to hit the dock this week included a monster 93 pounder boated by Mark Butler aboard the Indian, and an 82.7 pound behemoth taken by Tom Kuzsma on the Pirate King. Richard Hammond had a 68 pounder on the Pirate King, and Chuck Coverdale captured a 67.3 pounder on the Indian. Kathy Rodgers checked in drum scaling 65.4 and 58 pounds. Nick Campbell nailed a 64.5 pounder on Martha Marie. Larry Grim landed a 62.5 pounder, and Scott Dostaz decked a 60.9 pounder, both aboard the Lil' Angler II. In recent days, drum seemed to feed more actively in the late afternoon rather than after dark. A lower Bay striper bite has failed to materialize, which is surprising since it's been so good in the upper Bay. However, there were some nice bass pulled from the surf during daybreak at Herring Point by casters using clams. Wayne Demarco and Wayne,Jr double teamed rock of 15.4 and 25.9 pounds. Martin Kris captured a 33.8 pound lunker rockfish. Andy Lano and Mickey Bremer limited out with 4 linesiders to 24.3 pounds. Robert Baum deployed a chunk of bunker to beach a 25.7 pound bass at Roosevelt Inlet. Sea bass season got off to a lumpy start, with high winds and rough seas last Sunday. Captain Brent on the Katydid pushed many miles offshore despite crappy conditions, and made several anchor stops. He said the structures were not loaded up like he expected, but his anglers picked some keepers at each spot, and ended up with a boat limit. Paul Pergeorelis put a 3.25 pound knothead in the box on that trip. Seas were friendlier Tuesday, and bassers aboard Katydid had a much better time of it. They returned with a 160 bass limit, plus 30 plump ling and a pair of nice cod. Boats working reef site 11 had good numbers of fish, but the majority were shy of the 12.5 inch minimum.

There were some nice stripers taken from the Cape Henlopen surf early in the week. Guys fishing near the jetties at Herring Point had best success at daybreak, when the tide was low. Clams and bunker were the offerings of choice. Chris Vann and Ernie Stone kept four striped bass from 13 to 19 pounds they caught at first light Sunday. Bert Long brought in a 19.8 pound rockfish Monday. Chris Vann had his limit of bass that same morning, which included a 25.7 pounder. Keith Sherman landed a lunker linesider weighing 31.7 pounds. Surfcasters continued to pick at stripers throughout the week, with most catches occurring during periods of low light at dawn and dusk. Striped bass action in the surf was good this same time last year, so hopefully the catching will continue. Indian River inlet fishermen have also been hooking into rockfish, mostly after dark. Marc Uhde took a pair of stripers weighing 19 and 24.4 pounds from the jetty while casting Storm Shads. Drum fishing has been decent on the Coral Beds off Slaughter Beach. Captain Chris took the Pirate King there Saturday night and returned with 5 boomers in the 25 to 30 pound range. Mike Newsham fished the Beds Tuesday evening and had four drum from 30 to 35 pounds. He said the bite took place at the end of ebb tide and the beginning of flood. Captain Brian on Lil' Angler II got two drum Tuesday night. Traditionally drum catches are best around the May full moon, that this year falls on the 25th. Smaller members of the drum family, croakers, made an early appearance this year, and have been reported by surf fishermen along the Ocean beach, and by bottom bouncers in Delaware Bay. This could be a good sign for those targeting hardheads this summer. Fair numbers of weakfish have also been caught so far this spring, and we should see more as the season progresses. Glenn Parker weighed in a 4.28 pound trout he captured by tossing a white Gulp! from the Cape Henlopen Pier. Lewes Canal continues to produce flounder, but catching wasn't as good on days when the water was dirty. The annual Canal Flounder Tournament takes place tomorrow, so we'll have a rundown on the results in next week's report. Sea bass anglers are anxious for the season opening on Sunday May 19th. The reefs and wrecks should be loaded, and fishermen will be able to keep 25 bass measuring at least 12.5 inches long. Reef Site 11 yielded some quality tog at the end of Spring Season, which was over May 11th. Keith Orendorf caught an 8.3 pounder, Guy Jensen got a 12 pounder, and Robbie Hummel had a 14.6 pound bruiser.

Surf fishermen have been hooking into black drum over the past couple weeks, and boaters are now getting in on the game. The biggest boomers to hit the dock so far were brought in yesterday. Mason Newsham nailed a 75.7 pounder, and Richard Bloom boated a 64 pounder. They also had drum of 24 and 36.8 pounds while using clams at the Coral Beds, with Mike Newsham and Geoff Klopp aboard Local Girl. First of evening flood tide was best. Captain Ted had a pair of 40 pounders on the Indian Thursday night. Surf casters along Broadkill Beach continued to catch drum, and a few were beached by anglers working the wash at Cape Henlopen as well. Bert Long landed a 28 inch drum at Herring Point Thursday. Bert also released 7 short stripers, and had the surprise catch of two 14 inch croakers. It's early for hardheads, but hopefully a good sign for the season ahead. Lance Cochran captured a 21.7 pound linesider from the Herring Point surf using bunker. There was a good run of rockfish in the Broadkill surf midweek, when the weather was at it's worst. Cool east winds and damp, dreary conditions held bass in close to the beach. Several fishermen had limits of legal rock. Jack Austin, Tosh Tryon, Chris Vann and Brent Wiest limited out with Bass to 18.5 pounds Tuesday. Jack Austin went back Wednesday and baited with clams to tempt an 18.8 pound striper from the suds. Flounder fishing came on good in Lewes Canal. D.J. Churchill and Bruce Phillips had their limit of 8 nice flatties to 23 inches while drifting minnows and shiners in the Canal Thursday. Bear Berezansky and Art Kitzmiller checked in four fluke to 22 inches plus a plump trout from the Canal. Chuck Hazel had a 5.75 pound flatfish using shiners on a chartreuse colored rig. Donald Lewis was working a minnow on a jig when he connected with a 6.9 pound doormat. John Gudknecht was surprised when a 21 inch trout grabbed the Gulp! he was drifting in the Canal for flounder.Don't forget the CANAL FLOUNDER TOURNAMENT Friday May 17th. Complete details in last week's report. Tautog fishing was good for those squeezing in the last few trips of the Spring Season that closes May 11th. Limit catches were common among toggers at the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers, and reefs 6 and 7. Skip Long scored a 9.42 pound blackfish at the Breakers. Jacob Webb wound in an 8.21 at the Inner Wall. James Kossek caught a 7.69 pound tog at the Wall, and John Shoemaker stuck a 7.06 pounder at the Ice Breakers.

Lewes Canal has produced a decent number of keeper flounder in past days. Even with strong currents from last week's full moon, and murky water, flatties fed actively during outgoing tide. Harry Aiken and his fishing partner caught 22 fluke and kept their limit of 8 nice ones during a recent trip to the Canal. Harry said chartreuse hair rigs tipped with shiners and chartreuse Gulp! were the key to success. Joe and Drake Crowley teamed up for a good pair of Broadkill River flatfish scaling 4.79 and 3.6 pounds. Ryan Weiber was casting a white Gulp! at Canary Creek bridge when he connected with a 4.14 pound flounder. Flatties also came from Cape Henlopen Pier. Some of the better catching occurred at night on the edge of the light line. Bob Tripple stopped by with a pair of keepers that fell for a small bucktail tipped with pink Gulp! Fishing should be in full swing for the annual Lewes Canal Flounder Tournament to take place Friday May 17th. Participants may fish from boats or kayaks. Entry fee is $25 per angler to be paid in cash at Lewes Harbour Marina any day before the Tournament begins. No sign ups will be accepted after the 7am start time on May 17th. Five dollars of each entry will sponsor the Camp Awareness Youth Fishing Tournament. The remaining $20 goes into a pool and will be awarded as cash prizes for the six heaviest flounder weighed in by registered anglers during the event. The more entries, the bigger the prizes. Last year, 360 people fished the Tourney. Fishing is permitted within the confines of Lewes Canal from the Rehoboth Bay entrance to Roosevelt Inlet. You may fish in Roosevelt Inlet, but not past the red and green entrance markers. Fishing is also allowed in Broadkill River from Roosevelt to the Oyster Rocks Ramp. Fishing hours are between 7am and 3pm on May 17th. Flounder need to be weighed at Lewes Harbour Marina between 7am and 4pm. It's strongly recommended that fish be weighed live so there are no questions about freshness. In case of a tie for weight, the flounder weighed in earliest will take the higher prize. Therefore, it's beneficial to bring a contending fish to the scale as soon as you can to avoid the fish loosing weight, and to maintain good placement in the standings. All flounder weighed must be caught with hook and line by a registered contestant. The cash pool will be divided among the winners as follows: 35% will be awarded for the Heaviest flounder, 25% for the Second Heaviest, 20% for Third Heaviest, 10% for the Fourth Heaviest, and 5% each for the Fifth and Sixth Heaviest Flounder weighed in by registered contestants. The Seventh Heaviest weighed in by a contestant earns a $100 Lewes Harbour Marina Gift Certificate. This is a flounder tournament only, and all state and federal regulations apply. Drifting boaters are reminded they must give the right away to any vessel underway in the Canal. Thanks to the Dewey Beach Lions Club for their help with the event. Be Safe and Have Fun! Bay surf fishermen continue to hook stripers, drum, blues and blowfish for Broadkill Beach, using bloodworms, clams and bunker. Andy Lano landed a 36 inch striper and a 20 pound drum at Broadkill with clams. After this recent full moon, the first few black drum were taken in the evenings by boaters anchored near the submerged pilings off Slaughter Beach. That action should heat up through May, and peak around the next full moon May 24th. We'll be stocking surf clams, but suggest you call early in the week to reserve baits for the weekend. Togging was good around the Walls and on Reefs 6 and 7 prior to the big moon, but was challenging over the weekend with strong currents. Guys who fished the beginning of the tides did ok though. Doug and Scott Riniker, Steve Kiibler and Scott Haas had their limit of chunky tog at the Wall by 8am Sunday. The bite happened with clean water during the first of flood tide. Hannah Staniszewski checked in a 6.04 pound tautog she pulled from the Ice Breakers. Jay Schlink caught a 7.81 pound citation tog aboard the Martha Marie. Lance and Chad Hitzelberger, Gil Waddington and "Vito" enjoyed a teriffic trip to Site 11 Saturday. They culled an impressive limit of blackfish over 8 pounds from several they caught. Among the take were tog of 9.6 pounds, 10.6 pounds and a 13 pound bruiser. Along the Ocean Beach, surf casters caught few bluefish in the 1 to 5 pound range and an occasional striper near Herring Point. A bright spot has been the number of blowfish in the suds this spring. Anglers report catching lots of tasty puffers in the wash at spots like Keybox Road, the Old Coast Guard Station and 3 R's Road. Bloodworms or bits of clam on small hooks did the trick.