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.

Current Conditions

Fishing is getting redundant as summer moves along. There are fish being caught everywhere from Lum’s Pond to the Baltimore Canyon with the only disrupting factor being the weather.

Delaware Bay

Patty at Captain Bones told us folks fishing Augustine Beach with bloodworms or Fishbites are catching white perch. Those using cut bait find catfish willing to join the party.

Down at the Woodland Beach fishing pier it is croaker that draw anglers in and they use bloodworms or Fishbites with good success.

Leipsic

Steve at Smith Bait in Leipsic said boats leaving Port Mahon and fishing structure in Delaware Bay are catching flounder on minnows, black drum on clams, blues on cut bait and trout on bucktails.

Down at the Bowers Beach Jetty it is flounder on bucktails with Gulp! or live minnows. Trout on bucktails with Gulp! or Fishbites. Croaker on bloodworms or Fishbites.

Broadkill Beach

Dan at Dan’s Tackle had an interesting catch to report. A customer brought in a fish he caught on an earthworm at Flowers Beach and it turned out to be a mangrove snapper.

On a more normal level, anglers fishing Broadkill Beach with bloodworms and Fishbites caught spot and croaker. The Broadkill River gave up croaker and a few flounder.

Lewes

Lewes Harbour Marina told us that small boats fishing the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal caught croaker and the occasional keeper flounder. They also reported that private boats fished the Outer Wall and the Ice Breakers with sand fleas and green crabs to catch tog, sheepshead and triggerfish.

Charter and private boats worked the Old Grounds and inshore reef sites for flounder, sea bass and croaker.

Breakwater Tackle on the fishing pier at Cape Henlopen State Park said spot and croaker were the mainstay of fishing from the pier last week. Kayak anglers working the pilings at the end of the pier caught a few keeper flounder.

Fishing the pier after dark produced a few larger striped bass and big sharks.

Indian River Inlet

Old Inlet Bait and Tackle told us the blues are now under the bridge in the morning and run from 3 to 10 pounds. Bucktails or metal lures are still the top producers.

During the day, sand fleas or green crabs will attract sheepshead or triggerfish.

Flounder are available in the down current side of structure.

Indian River and Rehoboth Bays

Rick’s Bait and Tackle told us Indian River and Rehoboth bays suffer from heavy boat traffic after 10 a.m. Get out early and fish the flats on high water and the channels on low water and be back at the dock by 10 a.m.

You should find flounder and bluefish before the boats run them over.

Surf Fishing

Old Inlet Bait and Tackle reported spot, croaker and kings were caught from the beach during the week.

Skates and dog sharks were still numerous.

Ocean

Burt at Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em said Inshore action at the Hambone produced bluefin tuna.

The Old Grounds saw sea bass, flounder and croaker.

Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em reported that both private and charter boats that ran to the canyons brought back yellowfin tuna and/or tilefish.

Freshwater

Patty at Captain Bones told us fishing at Garrison’s Lake and Lum’s Pond remained the same, although the recent rain may have made the water a bit dirty.

Steve at Smith Bait told us snakeheads were caught on surface frogs at Massey’s Mill Pond. Crappy were also caught there on minnows and crappy jigs.

Crabbing

If you are looking for something different to try, try crabbing.

From my reports, the Broadkill River has been a good location and the upper reaches of Indian River Bay was always good when I went crabbing.

Pick up a few hand lines, a dip net and an old bushel basket plus a supply of chicken necks or fish heads and you are ready to go. Of course, you will need to have a recreational fishing license.

No boat, no problem. Several local piers allow crabbing and you can even crab from shore along Indian River or Rehoboth Bay.

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.