The Delaware Fishing Report offers information on when to fish, where to fish, which species are biting, and how to catch them. It is written weekly by veteran Delaware angler Eric Burnley, Sr.

Delaware Bay

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The Delaware Bay has seen anglers going from big black drum to panfish sized spot, croaker and kings. The Upper Bay and the tidal rivers still hold catfish and white perch, and the reef sites give up the occasional trout.

Patty at Captain Bones in Odessa told us the local tidal rivers hold catfish and white perch that will take bloodworms or imitations by Gulp! or FishBites. The catfish are more likely to chomp down on a chunk of fresh bunker or a nice, juicy chicken liver.

Steve at Smith Bait in Leipsic said sheepshead have been caught on fiddler crab at the lighthouses. The pier at Woodland Beach has seen some catfish and white perch plus the occasional croaker.

We are in the midst of a dry spell. If it continues, we will see blues and more croaker at the pier.

Dan at Dan’s Tackle in Milton said not much has changed. Those who can stand the hot weather are catching spot, croaker and kings at Broadkill Beach on bloodworms and pieces of clams. Gulp! and FishBites will also work. A few flounder and blues have been caught out of the Broadkill River. Few people target bluefish there so most of them are caught on flounder rigs. The flounder are caught on Gulp! or live minnows.

At Lewes Harbour Marina the Angler and the Pirate King have been doing quite well catching kings over bay structure. A few private boats are finding sheepshead over structure in the bay. The occasional keeper flounder has been caught out of the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal on live minnows or Gulp!

Henlopen Tackle reported that Mike McCormick caught a 6.17-pound flounder out of the Canal on a minnow.

Breakwater Tackle on the fishing pier at Cape Henlopen State Park reported spot, croaker and kings caught on bloodworms, Fishbites and Gulp! bloodworm imitations.

Just when you think you have heard everything, you get the report that an angler on the pier caught a short flounder on a hot dog. Another angler had a 20-inch flounder from the pier and while the bait was not disclosed, I kinda doubt it was a hot dog.

Indian River Inlet

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Old Inlet Bait and Tackle said blues are still coming through the Inlet during incoming water. A white bucktail with a white worm is still the ticket to success.

Striped bass are caught at night by drifting sand fleas close to the rocks. Put one or two sand fleas on a circle hook and cast them up current. Allow the bait to drift with the current along the rocks until a fish takes the sand fleas. When the line comes tight you should have a striper hooked.

Surf Fishing

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Old Inlet Bait and Tackle said kingfish have been in good supply along the beach for the past week. Bloodworms or FishBites bloodworms will do the trick. Skates and smooth dog sharks are also more than available.

I did not hear of any cobia caught from the beach last week.

Back Bays

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Rick’s Bait and Tackle on Long Neck told us spot and croaker have moved into the Back Bays. These are not big fish, but they can be lots of fun for kids of all ages on light tackle.

The live spot make a great bait for big flounder. Catch them on shad darts or Sabiki rigs baited with bloodworms.

Inshore Ocean

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Lewes Harbour Marina said small craft advisories and full-moon currents crushed any hope for good flounder fishing last week.

Burt at Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em said fishing for flounder was very difficult last week due to high winds and the full-moon currents.

The Captain Bob did manage to put together one good day when several customers actually caught a limit of flounder. The Gale Force had a half-day trip with the Luckenbill family — they had 5 flounder in the morning.

Offshore Ocean

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Hook ’em and Cook ‘em said the windy weather put a halt to offshore fishing last week.

Freshwater

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Patty at Captain Bones in Odessa said very few anglers ventured out due to the heat. Those that did went very early in the morning and targeted largemouth bass and snakeheads. Garrisons Lake and Silver Lake in Dover were two that were popular with the early risers.

Taylored Tackle in Seaford also told us the heat has cut down on the number of anglers she sees in her store. Blue cats have been the primary target in the Nanticoke River and Broad Creek. Phillips Landing is a popular land access area while boaters look for deep holes and channel edges to soak cut bunker or live sunfish.

Careful Catch and Release

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The summer heat and the lack of rain has moved the salt wedge up the Delaware Bay and has also raised the water temperature in the bay and ocean. Combine this with the current regulations for sea bass, weakfish and striped bass and we will be releasing a lot of fish over the summer.

Handle these fish with care. I use a rag soaked in sea water and try to return the fish back to the water as quickly as possible.

If you are catching weakfish or sea trout and you hit a school of small fish, pack up and leave. These fish do not survive catch and release very well.

Large fish, like striped bass, should not be removed from the water. Remove the hook and keep the body of the fish suspended in the water.

If you want a photo, have someone take it while the fish is in the water.

Related Topics:  delaware bay, dfw, fishing, freshwater, indian river inlet, ocean and coasts, outdoors and recreation, surf fishing, wildlife