Fishing Report

Offshore action has been pretty good. Both Poor Man's and Baltimore Canyons yielded yellowfins to crews trolling a mix of plastics and ballyhoo. Geoff Klopp and Frank Stiles fished with Captain Chris Irelan aboard April First Friday. They pulled green spreader bars on the Bltimore's West Wall for 7 hefty yellowfins from 50 to 64.6 pounds. Geoff noted there were several hammerheads in the area, and whenever the boat was near a shark on the surface, they got a tuna bite. Captain Ed Sigda, Mike Fritz and Bill Fintel overnighted on the East Wall of Baltimore Canyon Friday aboard Snow Goose. They trolled up 3 yellowfins at dusk and into the darkness. At night, tinker mackerel were incredibly thick around the boat, and the guys tangled with hammerheads which they released, and a 108 pound mako subdued by senior crew member Bill. Bill also boated a 50 pound yellowfin that grabbed a live tinker on a spinning rod. Jim Short, Kyle Hamilton and the guys on Not Right laid over on the West Wall of Baltimore Canyon Friday night for a 108 pound mako. They also reported ridiculous numbers of tinkers. In addition, they released another mako and a hammerhead. There was a good tuna bite from first light until 7am, and trolling produced 4 yellowfins to 60 pounds. Charlie Boyles battled a 100 pound mako, and Vincent Dimenco decked a 50 pound yellowfin in the Baltimore Saturday while fishing with Captain Cory Walker. Matt Baker released his first white marlin in the Baltimore Saturday. Captain Bill Swords and his buddies on Swords Fish trolled Baltimore's Bight Sunday afternoon, where a pack of yellowfins pounced on Green Machine spreader bars in the boat's wake. Bill, Chris Gaswirt, Tommy Fitgerald and Douglas Miles ended up with 4 tuna in the 50 to 60 pound range, and released 2 white marlin. Tony Vansant, Steve Millman and Mike Zorzi released a good sized blue marlin Saturday in the Baltimore. Canyon Bottom bouncing was consistent. Ronnie Baker, Brad Clark and Jim Clark drifted the edge of the Baltimore to put 18 golden tiles to 25 pounds in the box. Geoff McCloskey, Joey DelAversano, Bill Coates and Steve Mtthews dropped in the Baltimore Saturday for a nice catch of Goldens to 27 pounds. Captain Brent's Saturday group on Katydid bounced bottom in the Baltimore for a big load of Blueline Tiles, along with some of the Golden variety. Tom Birago boated an impressive pair of Gray Tile weighing 15.1 and 16 pounds. Back inshore, flounder fishermen had mixed results on the Old Grounds and at Site 11. Days with good drift conditions served up some decent catches. Wes Grove and John Santana worked jigs tipped with cut bait over the Old Grounds Saturday for their limit of chunky flatfish. Katydid returned to the Ocean Sunday, where Captain Brent's anglers put together a fine catch of 23 keepers while drifting structure. Michael Walker carried on in the tradition of his Dad, consummate flounder specialist Joe Walker, limiting out and landing heaviest fish of the day, a 4.47 pounder. Ricky Mills and friends fished the Old Grounds Sunday to put 14 flat ones in the box. Ricky also reeled in a monkfish, for a little bonus "poor man's lobster" to go with his flounder dinner. Shallow water fluking is still producing. Flounder pounders Mike Hoffman, Nick and Paige Psaroudakis drifted minnows in Lewes Canal Saturday for a limit of 12 quality flatties. Barb Sweikert celebrated her birthday Sunday by catching 3 keeper flounder to 4.24 pounds in Baker's Cahnnel, near Massey's Ditch. Andy Nowakowski used strips of cut croaker in Indian River Inlet for fluke scaling 2.61 and 4.91 pounds. Small stripers have been plentiful in Lewes Canal. Casting Storm Shads, Chug Bugs, Zara Spooks and RatLTraps along the marsh banks was an effective method that got the attention of rockfish feeding on shrimp and shiners. Eels drifted around the drawbridge, or clams fished on the bottom were responsible for some legal bass. Striper slot season goes into effect July 1st, allowing anglers to keep 2 striped bass between 20 and 26 inches per day from Delaware bay and it's tributaries. Striper aficionados found a few keepers in Indian River Inlet. Carl Swinn scored a 6 incher while tossing a live eel from the jetty at night. Brandon Keller drfited live bait in front of the Coast Guard station for a plump keeper linesider.

Offshore action has been off to an early start this season, despite the cool spring. Bluefin, Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna have already shown in good numbers, and Jason Massey reported the first couple longfins from Baltimore Canyon Thursday. Most exciting news this week was the first White Marlin release of 2014. Captain Hank Draper and the guys on "Prime Hook" trolled 71.5 degree water in 80 fathoms of Baltimore Canyon on June 11th, where the billfish was hooked on a blue and white Ilander and ballyhoo combo. Angler Aaron Hood fought the fish to the boat where it was brought aboard for a photo op, and discovered that it carried a Billfish Foundation tag. The tag was clipped off before the 61 incher was returned to the Ocean. It was later determined the fish had been tagged last September off Oregon Inlet, NC. Because it was his first billfish, Aaron went overboard for the obligatory ceremonial dunking. Mark Layton and Will Emmert were also on board for the trip, and in addition, the crew had 5 yellowfins to 50 pounds for an awesome day! Boaters trolling Poor Man's Canyon yesterday got into yellowfins, but best catching occurred late in the day. Seems the afternoon bite has been better all week. Green Machine and squid spreader bars and ballyhoos combo'd with Joe Shute's or Iland Lures were popular and effective offerings. Back inshore, bottom bouncers in Delaware Bay had success with croakers, kingfish, blowfish, spot, snapper blues and spike trout. Many of the croakers have been small, but anchoring on rubble of Reef Sites 8 and 5 produced bigger hardheads. Clams, bloodworms, shrimp and Fishbites were good baits. A few black drum lingered around the same structure where croakers hung out, and provided a surprise for anglers using small hooks and light tackle for panfish. Ray Woods wound in a 24.1 pound drum and Amanda Saxton landed a 33.3 pounder aboard the Angler Tuesday. Dan, Drew and Cole Simpson teamed up for a nice drum on Katydid Thursday. Karen Maull managed a 9 pound drum with a croaker rig on a light rod Friday. Flounder haven't turned on in the open Delaware Bay yet, but continue to come from Lewes Canal, Broadkill River, and shallow water along Lewes Beach and near Cape Henlopen Pier. Shea Lindale and Chris Donaldson fished shallow water under a dreary sky Thursday for 5 good sized keeper flatties. Terry Hornberger took home 3.42 pound fluke caught in the Canal. Andy Lano landed a 21 inch flounder and a 21 inch trout while working Tsunami soft plastics in Broadkill River prior to Friday's storms.

Thresher sharks captured the spotlight this week among inshore anglers. Threshers aren't usually caught at night, but the one Captain Brian and his crew on Lil' Angler II landed Monday didn't get the memo. They headed down the Buoy Line around midnight and set up over some wrecks west of DE Light about 2am. Brian located a temperature break from 58.5 degrees to 61 degrees that was holding a school of bunkers, and figured that was a good place to set up. The guys deployed a slick of mackerel chum, Aquatic Nutritions Bloodstream and Voodoo Menhaden Milk. Within a short time after setting out lines baited with butterflied mackerel, they had a bite. They hooked up in the dark, and after a 45 minute battle, Joshua Chubb landed a 221.5 pound Thresher Shark, with the help of Mike Trestka and Aaron Jost. They were back at our dock way before lunch time to check in the first shark of the season. Greg Wagner had his sights set on a Thresher, so Captain Brian from Lil' Angler II had the day off, and offered to tag along on Marie Ann for some guidance and a Busman's Holiday of sorts. The boys headed towards DE Light, but stopped short when they saw a free jumping Thresher. They set up, and got bit at 6:50 am. Forty minutes later, Greg put a nice whiptail aboard with help from Chris Wagner and Ron Steen. Back at Lewes Harbour's scales, the shark weighed 144.5 pounds. A little farther offshore, Dustin Schell, Trevor Paradyscz and John Kenyon were trolling Baltimore Canyon when an 85 pound mako pounced on the Ilander and ballyhoo combo they had intended for tuna. Back inshore, sea bass fishermen worked hard for keepers. Captain Brent anchored Ktydid many times on wrecks in 100 to 130 feet Wednesday, but the work paid off. His anglers ended up with 111 bass and 22 ling. There has been an early showing of fluke on the Old Grounds, but the bite has been good one day, and off the next. Kind of the same deal back in the Bay. Croakers appeared sooner than normal, and have been caught many places, but the biggest concentration seemed to be around the Coral Beds. Kingfish, spot and puffers were mixed in. Hardheads came from Roosevelt Inlet, along with some nice trout. K.B.Brittingham was tossing a MirrOLure there when he connected with a 5.16 pound weakfish. Flounder are still frequenting Lewes Canal. Young Flounder Pounder Andrew Wertz checked in keepers of 16 and 18 inches, and released 6 others while fishing minnows near Roosevelt Inlet. Jeff Weaver used a Gulp!/minnow combo for his 4.5 pound Cnal flattie. Ricky and Todd Mills returned from their Canal outing with 7 legal flatfish. Delaware Bay drum action is fizzling, but a few were captured during the week. Trevor Gouert got a 57 pounder on the Angler.