Delaware Fishing Report

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 Eric Burnley, Sr.

Find information on fishing in Delaware on the new Recreational Fishing page and the updated DNREC Fisheries Section page and in the Delaware Fishing Guide. Don’t forget that you will need a Delaware fishing license.

Find information on the tides in Delaware tidal waters from NOAA and about Delaware’s freshwater fishing ponds.

April 2, 2026

Registration is now open for the 2026 Youth Fishing Tournament. The tournament is set for June 6, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at one freshwater fishing pond in each county. Registration is required by May 29.

Current Conditions

Open water fishing remains at a standstill. The wind remains the constant problem along with the cold water. We are beginning to see some improvement inshore with the first reports of summer flounder and stripers from Delaware Bay and the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal.

Delaware Bay

A light-colored fish with stripes. — **Striped Bass (Rockfish)**

Patty at Captain Bones told us she had reports of small striped bass with a few over the 28 to 31-inch slot caught from Woodland Beach on bloodworms or bunker chunks. White perch are found in the same area on bloodworms.

Leipsic

Steve at Smith Bait said he had reports of white perch and small stripers from the pier at Woodland Beach. He even saw a keeper flounder caught on a bloodworm from the pier.

Broadkill Beach

Dan at Dan’s Tackle was closed on Thursday. I expect him to reopen once we get back to warm weather.

Illustration of a summer flounder.Summer Flounder — **Summer Flounder**

Lewes

Lewes Harbour Marina told me that some of the charter boats were in the water, but none have ventured out as yet.

He did see a man in a private boat with a catch of flounder from the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal on Wednesday.

Small stripers have also been caught out of the Canal.

Indian River Inlet

Old Inlet Bait and Tackle had reports of small stripers caught out of the South Pocket on bucktails and plugs.

Surf Fishing

Old Inlet Bait and Tackle said surf fishing is all but impossible.

Inshore Ocean

Burt at Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em may be closed for the season.

Offshore Ocean

Zero reports from offshore.

Freshwater

Painting of a Black Crappie — **Black Crappie**

Patty at Captain Bones said she has been selling some minnows and crappie jigs to customers who are catching a few crappie in the little bit of open water below spillways.

Carol at Taylored Tackle in Seaford recorded three Delaware Citations for Crappie. The first went to Kenneth Hudson for his 1.55-pound beauty caught on a minnow out of the Mispillion River. Ronald Littleton had a 1.05-pound and James Warner had a 1.60 crappie both caught from the Nanticoke River and both caught on a minnow.

Spring Weather

Wednesday and Thursday were perfect examples of spring weather in Delaware. Wednesday, we had temperatures in the mid to upper eighties and on Thursday we struggled to get out of the fifties. A thirty-degree temperature difference will make the wind blow and that’s what it did both days.

Wednesday, we did see an improvement in the fishing as flounder were caught from Woodland Beach and the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal. What we need is a few days between cold fronts to give the wind a chance to drop out and us a chance to get out on the water.

Eric Burnley, Sr. is a native Delawarean who has fished local waters for more than 60 years. Eric Burnley has been a full-time outdoor writer since 1978, with articles appearing in most national magazines and many regional publications. He has written three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Catching Striped Bass and Fishing Saltwater Baits.