Fishing Report

Croakers came on strong in the Ocean. Hardheads were really thick around Reef Site 10. Many flounder fishermen remarked that it was difficult to get a bait past the ravenous panfish and keep it on bottom long enough for a flattie to find it. The abundance of croakers pleased headboat patrons, and folks aboard the Angler loaded their coolers Saturday. In areas where croakers werent as plentiful, boaters did continue to have decent catches of flounder. Reef Site 11 held numerous flatfish, but most were shy of the 16 inch minimum. Flukers also found fish staging on natural bottom of the Old Grounds between DB and DA Buoys. Captain Brent on Katydid worked Ocean structure during the week for more good flattie action. Mondays crew captured 40 keepers, topped off with a 6.2 pounder landed by Luis Mispireta. Bill, Charlotte and Jordan joined Brent Tuesday for 16 keepers. On Wednesday, the regulars were back at it for a 44 flattie limit. Conditions were a little tough Thursday, but Lawrence Coughlin and his group got 18 good flounder and a 2.5 pound sea bass aboard Katydid. Things shaped up Friday, and Brent's anglers put a limit of 32 keepers in the box. Saturday saw another 44 fish limit for Ernie Stone and his buddies. Captain Carey on the Grizzly got into flounder again this week. On Monday, his flukers kept 18 fine fish, including twin citation doormats weighing 7.25 pounds each for Carey and Don Watson. Sunday's gang on the Grizzly got a limit of 28 fluke to 7 pounds plus a batch of keeper sea bass. Bucktail specialist Max Maxwell stopped by with a 6 pound beauty he jigged up aboard Thelma Dale IV Monday. Jen Miebauer managed a 4.7 pound flounder, and Mike Thompson took home a 4.4 pounder from their trip on the Thelma Dale IV. Wayne Demarco and his crew consisting of Daryl, Joe, Diana and Sheree drifted the Old Grounds Friday for their limit of quality fluke to over 24 inches. Delaware Bay flounder seekers had a tough time with full moon tides. Some fish came from reef structure at the beginning and end of running currents. Dave Walker and his buddy Mike did put together an 8 fish limit of chunky flatties to 5.2 pounds at Sites 6 and 7 Thursday afternoon. Other Bay bottom bouncers found croakers, kingfish, puffers, porgies and spike trout around the reef sites. Silversides and anchovies have been numerous in the Bay, and bunches of snapper blues could often be seen crashing through baitfish around structure and in current rips. Snappers hung out along the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers and could be caught by casting bucktails, metal jigs and swimming or popping plugs.

Flounder action continued to capture the attention of Bay and Ocean anglers. Reef Site 11 had yielded numerous flounder in previous weeks, but boaters found better catching recently on natural bottom between DB and DA Buoys. Inshore Sites 9 and 10 also produced flatties. Flukers relied on the usual arsenal of offerings to get the job done. Rigs sporting hair teasers in white, green or orange sweetened with a small whole squid, strip of squid, cut bluefish, robin or croaker, smelt or shiners, or any combination of these were popular. Bucktailers did well using 3 to 6 jigs with a teaser of a lighter bucktail, vinyl squid, or hair skirt tied to a dropper up the leader in front of the main lure. The addition of Gulp! greatly increased effectiveness. Many times, those using the revolutionary soft artificial with its powerful scent outfished others employing natural baits by a wide margin. Old Grounds anglers preferred 5 and 6 inch sizes, in colors such as pearl, chartreuse, pink shine, new penny, glow, and the super popular nuclear chicken. Flounder pounders on Katydid enjoyed another good stretch. Monday's morning group gathered a boat limit of flatties. Bill and Charlotte Hughes and Steve Thompson joined Captain Brent in the afternoon for another limit, including Charlotte's 6.25 pounder. Terry Euston and his crew captured a 40 flatfish limit Tuesday. Bully Bob and the every Wednesday gang did it again, returning with another limit of 40 flatties. It was pretty windy Thursday, but Frank Felbaum and his gang persevered to put 20 keepers in the box aboard Katydid. Paul Jackson and his party put together a catch of 10 nice keepers despite Fridays questionable weather. Paul boated his personal best fluke, a hefty 6.5 pounder. On Sunday, Randy and his friends took home their limit of 20 keepers off Ocean structure from their trip on Katydid. Captain Carey's anglers on the Grizzly also got into flounder. His Wednesday group brought back 32 fish. Flukers on the Indian had 13 nice flatties Wednesday. Joe Walker, Bill Wiest, Tony Vansant and Tom Coyle took their limit of 16 flounder Tuesday near DB Buoy. Mike Thompson checked in a chunky 5.14 pound flatfish he caught Tuesday at the Old Grounds. Joe and Dave Walker and their buddies limited out Wednesday while working the bottom near DB Buoy. Joe scored a 5.75 pounder. Evan Falgowski and his family fished Site 9 Sunday morning for a couple hours and put a dozen keepers in the box. Young Kale Falgowski celebrated his birthday by decking a 4.5 pounder during the outing. Aaron Brommer brought in a 4.85 pounder he caught with squid and shiners at the Old Grounds aboard Thelma Dale IV Sunday. In Delaware Bay, flounder were still hanging around sites 4,5,6,7 and 8, but the best window for a bite happened during the last hour of flood tide, or first of the ebb. Joe Walker, Bob Murphy and Dan McGeady hit the reef circuit Monday for 10 stout keeper fluke. Other bottom bouncers trying around the artificial reefs found croakers, kingfish, blowfish, triggerfish, trout, porgies and snapper blues. It blew hard northeast Saturday, but slacked off in the afternoon, and Tony Little, Jason Rutt and Maverick Rutt fished Site 8 for a couple hours aboard the Fish Hawk to capture 60 croakers. Bluefish have also been feeding around the rocks of the Ice Breakers and Outer Wall, and would respond to a bucktail tipped with a squid strip or shiner. Slot stripers remain in season until August 31st, and those seeking stripers in Lewes Canal and Broadkill River had success drifting eels around the drawbridge and train bridge. Casting surface and swimming plugs and soft plastic artificials along the marsh banks at dawn and dusk also produced rockfish. Canal anglers caught spot and croakers too using bits of bloodworm on small hooks. Ocean surf casters at Herring Point had a few kingfish, small blues and spike trout with bloodworms and Fishbites. The white marlin bite is starting to shape up offshore. Billfish were reported in decent numbers near the Triple Zeros of South Poor Mans. Dolphin have been plentiful around floating stuff in Baltimore Canyon. Matt Wright muscled in a 20.2 pound mahi while trolling in the Baltimore aboard Lil Angler II. Rob Jarboe and his crew aboard Ella Belle spent a rough Saturday night in the Baltimore Canyon, but were rewarded with a nice swordfish. Scott Hicks handled the 93 pounder after it ate a live croaker in 1800 feet of water. The guys also released a pair of white marlin trolled up in the daylight.

Local boaters reported better offshore action at weeks end. Billfish, tuna and mahi came from the Baltimore and Washington Canyons. Ian Binnersley brought in a 26.3 pound bull dolphin trolled up in the Baltimore aboard Griffin. The crew iced several other mahi and also released four white marlin on Thursday. Andrew Seipp scored a 54.2 pound wahoo while trolling ballyhoo through 70 fathoms, inshore of Baltimore Canyon. Mike Fritz had his hands full Friday when a bigeye grabbed the lightest rig in the spread, but all went well, and the 136 pound eyeball ended up in the bag. The crew also landed several dolphin, and topped off the take with blueline and golden tile by drifting bottom in the deep of the Baltimore aboard Snow Goose, with Captain Ed Sigda. Joe Ruger reeled in a 27.8 pound mahi while trolling the Baltimore Sunday on the Port-A-Bella. Shawn Gallagher and his crew aboard Free Spool overnighted in the Washington, where they boated a dozen keeper yellowfins at night, drifting with sardines and jigs. Shawn said the sharks were terrible, and they lost several tuna to large toothy critters. The guys also trolled up a 25 pound wahoo. Rob Jarboe and his gang on Ella Belle ran to the Washington and had fun with tuna at night. The guys decked 6 yellowfins by livelining squids on light tackle. Wilkie Jarboe battled a nice swordfish that ate an eel on a spinning outfit for quite awhile before it finally got hung up in the running gear. The boys also had a white marlin, and jumped off a blue one, for a great offshore experience. Back inshore, flounder continued to please Ocean bottom bouncers at Sites 10 and 11, and on the Old Grounds. The Wednesday regulars aboard Katydid made Captain Brent look good again, bringing back a boat limit of 40 flatties plus some bonus black bass. Thurday flukers on Katydid had their limit of 40 fish by 10:30 am. Ken Seltzer and his crew captured 40 keepers Friday on Katydid. Deanna McGovern had big fish honors for her 5.87 pounder. Mate Chris Vann's birthday trip on Katydid produced a 44 flatfish limit for him and his buddies during their Saturday celebration. Ernie Stone had the hot hook that day, and bested everybody with his first citation fluke weighing 7.44 pounds, and another that went 6.92. Bill and Charlotte Hughes enjoyed a great Sunday of flounder action aboard Katydid with Captain Brent and Mate Chris. They returned with the boat limit of 16 fish, including Charlotte's 5.25 pounder. Scott Riniker and his crew captured their 16 flattie limit from Ocean structure Saturday. On Friday, Bob Horton, Todd Mills, Jack Henriksen and Pastor Fred fished Site 11 for their limit of fine flounder. Bob boated the biggest, a 6.36 that ate a squid and smelt sandwich. Brian Seglem boated his personal best flounder Thursday at Site 11, weighing 5.64 pounds. Larry and Joe Coyle landed their limit of 8 nice fluke while working Ocean structure Thursday. On Sunday, Tony Vansant decked a doormat weighing just under 8 pounds while drifting an Ocean reef. In Delaware Bay, flounder fans who were on reef sites 6, 7 and 8 at the beginning and end of the tides had decent fishing. On Monday, Joe and Michael Walker and Bob and Robert Karpovich made the reef route and assembled a catch of 13 keepers, including a brace scaling 5 and 5.5 pounds. On Thursday, Bob Bryant just missed earning a citation with his 6.9 pounder from Reef Site 5. Bob was at it again Sunday. He and his crew on the Nervous Wreck had their limit of 20 keepers in just a couple hours, at the end of the flood on Upper Bay structure. John Schnaitman stuck a 5 pounder on that trip.

Strong northeast winds wiped out the weekend for most boating anglers, but up until Friday, flounder action remained pretty good. Ocean structure continued to produce decent numbers of flatties for fishermen drifting Site 10 and natural bottom of the Old Grounds, between DB and DA Buoys. Bucktails with Gulp! were responsible for many fluke, but strips of squid, shiners and fresh cut sea robin, croaker or bluefish on hair teaser rigs got the attention of flatfish as well. Bill and Charlotte Hughes joined Captain Brent and Mate Chris on Katydid Monday for their limit of 16 flounder to 5.5 pounds, plus triggerfish to 3.2 pounds. They topped off the box with a limit of 40 blues. Neill and Colby Erdessy traveled from Colorado Springs to fish with Craig Jennings of Rehoboth on Miss Kirstin, and the three generations of flounder pounders put together their limit of a dozen keepers Monday at the Old Grounds. The Wednesday regulars aboard Katydid showed their stuff again by icing their limit of 28 stout fluke. Wednesday flukers on Miss Kirstin took home 20 flatties. The Thursday crew on Katydid captured their limit of 28 flatfish. Mike and Norm Buczik nailed five quality fluke on the Old Grounds Thursday. Charlie and Tom Malewski, Dave and Kevin Haldeman, and Rob Keaveney worked the Old Grounds Thursday for 18 nice keepers on the Outcast. Senior group member Charlie showed he's still got it by decking a 6.6 pound doormat. John Yoder pulled a 6.8 pounder off the Old Grounds Thursday by jigging a Spro bucktail aboard Thelma Dale IV. The Old Grounds yielded a flounder limit to Thursdays gang on the Grizzly. Back in Delaware Bay, currents diminished somewhat following the full moon, allowing flounder seekers a little more bite time during the tides. Bob and Bobby Bryant, along with Al Riberio hit Site 5 Thursday afternoon at the top of flood tide, and limited out with 12 chunky flatfish during the first two hours of the ebb. Captain Brent stayed in the Bay Sunday because of northeast wind, but his flukers still put together a batch of 14 keepers. Ty Becker was Top dog with his 5.9 pounder. Joe and Michael Walker, and Bob and Robert Karpovich captured 13 plump flatties Sunday while working Reef Sites 6,7 and 8. Other Bay bottom bouncers found croakers, snapper blues, spike trout and kingfish around Reef Sites 8 and 5. Drake McGregor checked in a 1.01 pound citation king he captured aboard Lil Angler II. The nicest croakers around have taken up residence in Lewes Canal, and anglers soaking bloodworms, Fishbites, clams or small strips of squid connected with hefty hardheads to over a pound. Canal anglers continued to take advantage of the summer striper season as well, reporting slot rockfish responding to eels, bloods, clams and a variety of artificials including RatLTraps, Zara Spooks, Storm Shads and Gulp! Some flounder were still located along Lewes Beach. Alvontae Drummond landed a 3.91 pound fluke while tossing a Gulp! Swimming Mullet from shore near the Ferry Jetty. Inshore trollers encountered dolphin. On Thursday, Captain Brian's crew on Lil Angler II trolled up a nice catch of mahis to 10 pounds east of Site 11. It's wahoo time, and trolling boats targeting the speedsters over traditional grounds have connected with tasty scombrids. The corridor between Delaware Light and the Twenty Fathom Line has been holding hoos. Captain Jeff Hoepfl pulled Braid Marauder plugs and ballyhoo skirted with Joe Shutes over bottom changes east of DE Light Thursday aboard his Joint Venture. Thats where Matthew Hoepfl boated a 47.2 pound wahoo, and Lee Abel landed a 22.1 pounder. Captain Alan's guys on Big Herring had a 25 pound wahoo Thursday. Congratulations to some Lewes Harbour regulars who did well in the recent White Marlin Open. Scott Joseph took Second heaviest wahoo with his 44 pounder from the Baltimore with Kenny Gray and his crew aboard Just Right V. Andy Shelton scored the heaviest dolphin with a 46.5 pound bull.

Hard running currents around the recent Blue Moon were an issue for Delaware Bay fishermen, but Ocean anglers fared well with flounder at Reef Sites 9, 10 and 11, and on natural bottom of the Old Grounds between DB and DA Buoys. The best bites seemed to occur during morning flood tides. Flukers reported success using squid and other fresh cut baits such as sea robin, bluefish and croaker, plus shiners and smelts. Gulp! Swimming Mullets and 6 inch Grubs, especially in Nuclear Chicken color were quite effective, either on a bottom rig or a bucktail jig. Tandem rigged bucktails with Gulp! or cut baits worked well. Flounder specialist Captain Brent on Katydid was dialed in on flattie action during the week. His Monday group had a limit of quality fish, including Jim Osborne's 6.55 pounder. Tuesday's gang got their limit of 28, with Bill York's 5.5 pounder on top. The Wednesday regulars reeled in 22 keepers. Brent boated a citation worthy 7.27 pounder himself. On Thursday, flukers from Harrisburg scored a limit of 36 chunky flatfish aboard Katydid. Frank Felbaum fought a 6.81 pounder. The flounder were chewin' hard Friday morning, and patrons on Katydid returned early with their limit of 40 flatfish. Kathy McClune broke in her new rod and reel with a pair weighing 3.8 and 3.9 pounds as part of her limit. Saturday saw another 36 keeper limit for Katydid anglers. Larry McDonald landed a 6.6 pounder for top honors. A 40 fish to 6 plus pounds limit finished out the weekend on Sunday for Katydid. Fluke fans fishing with Captain Carey on Grizzly had nice catches during the week too. Friday's group on Grizzly took home their limit of 24. Carey's young son Josh Evans is a real chip off the old block when it comes to flounder fishing, and put a brace of beauties weighing 5.5 and 6.25 pounds in the boat Wednesday. Jason Beakes deployed a whole squid while drifting aboard Grizzly Saturday to tempt a 7 pound fluke. Bob Kauffman had an unusual flounder experience Thursday while bouncing bottom off Bethany aboard the Last Dollar. He had a double header of fluke weighing 5.03 and 3.28 pounds on the same hook of a Capt. Joe's Tinsel Rig. Not just the same rig, the same hook! Joe and Michael Walker, Bill Wiest and Robert Karpovich worked Site 10 for their limit of keepers Saturday. Robert reeled in his personal best flounder that trip, a 7.18 pound citation earner. Joe, Michael and Dave Walker and Robert Karpovich went back to Ocean structure Sunday for another limit of 16 flatties. The Old Grounds yielded some impressive flatfish recently. Whopper of the week went to Billy Talbot for his awesome 10.2 pound doormat decked aboard the Thelma Dale IV. Despite hard running currents in Delaware Bay, there were windows when fish bit. Bob and Buckwheat Bryant , Bobby Fleming and Al Riberio drifted Site 4 in the Upper Bay all by themselves Tuesday for 14 chunky flatties. Flounder also came from Site 8 at the beginning and end of the tide. Joe Walker and Tony Vansant limited out at Site 8 Monday. Croakers were a little finicky, but Captain Dave put together a catch of 45 nice hardheads for his group aboard the Indian Saturday afternoon on the northeast corner of the Star Site. Croakers continued to come from Lewes Canal, along with a few flounder and slot size stripers. Donna Muller was fishing the Canal for croakers when a 4.13 pound flounder pounced on the small piece of bloodworm she was using for bait. More spot of varying sizes are starting to show in Lewes Canal. Good news for guys who like to catch and stockpile them for flounder and striper baits.