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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.
June 11, 2026
The summer weather has warmed the water and some summer fish have joined the fun. We are seeing spot, croaker and trout in the reports to go along with the stripers, blues and flounder. So, when sea conditions are favorable a mixed bag is quite possible.
Patty at Captain Bones told us that 15-year-old Masom Walsh caught a 10.25-pound snakehead out of the Appoquinimink Creek on a surface lure.
Croaker have been caught at Woodland Beach and the pier there on bloodworms and Fishbites.
Steve at Smith Bait in Leipsic said that striped bass, trout and flounder have been caught from the jetty at Bowers Beach. The stripers will take bucktails sweetened with Gulp! or Fishbites while the trout will go after bucktails decorated with clams, Fishbites, squid strips or yellow worms. Flounder like live minnows or squid strips on their bucktails or flounder rigs.
Dan at Dan’s Tackle said Broadkill Beach saw flounder on a jig with a Gulp! teaser and bluefish on jigs with cut bait.
Croaker and spot were caught on bloodworms.
Lewes Harbour Marina told us the Katydid had flounder and sea bass on her trips to ocean structure. Other charter and private boats did equally well. Boats drifting the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal for flounder had some success with minnows the top bait.
Breakwater Tackle on the fishing pier at Cape Henlopen State Park said a 35-inch bluefish was caught from the beach alongside the pier on a surface lure. On another day, a 40-inch striped bass was caught and released on a bluefish rig baited with cut mullet.
A 5-foot sand tiger shark was caught and released on another bluefish rig.
A few blues were also caught on bluefish rigs.
Spot and croaker have been caught on bloodworms and Fishbites and a few keeper flounder have been taken on minnows fished close to the pilings.
Old Inlet Bait and Tackle told us that blues and striped bass are caught on incoming water from the jetties at dawn and dusk on most mornings. Stripers are also caught after dark. Blues may come through the inlet on their own schedule.
Both blues and stripers will take bucktails and plugs and the blues will also hit metal lures.
Bucktails will also attract flounder from the Inlet when worked around the calm water and decorated with Gulp! or Fishbites.
Rick’s Bait and Tackle said the flounder action in Indian River Bay really improved once the hot weather warmed the water. They said flounder catches were good when the wind was calm and the boats could make a reasonable drift. Minnows were the top flounder bait.
Burt at Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em said the all-day boat, Captain Bob, had a boat limit of sea bass on Tuesday and good numbers of sea bass and flounder on other days when she could get out.
The Captain Ike brought in a 518-pound thresher shark and the Tips Up had a boat limit of bluefin tuna.
The Youth Fishing Tournament was held on June 6th in all three Delaware counties.
Gaberial Alfaro was the overall winner with 10.1 pounds of fish. He actually caught 70 fish, mostly bluegills, out of Lum’s Pond to walk away with the big prize.
The largest fish of the day out of Lum’s Pond was a 4.14-pound northern snakehead caught by Olivia Strong.
In Kent County, Kaylee Shockley was the overall winner at Akridge Scout Reservation, with 8.58 pounds of fish including the largest fish on the day, a 2.5-pound largemouth bass.
In Sussex County at Blockhouse Pond, Jason Betal took top honors with 9.22 pounds of fish including the largest of the day, a 9-pound carp.
While the Youth Fishing Tournament put on by DNREC was a success, it carried with it some bad news for fisheries managers. It seems that two northern snakeheads were caught from Lum’s Pond. Prior to that, Lum’s was thought to be one of the few ponds in New Castle County without snakeheads. Unfortunately, that is no longer true.
Both snakeheads were guarding a big fry ball. Hopefully other fish will now eat those fry, but in truth some will survive and go on to do damage to our native species.
From my fishing reports I know that Lum’s Pond already has a population of the invasive flathead catfish. The Nanticoke River and Broad Creek have populations of blue catfish.
All invasive species must be killed if the angler is keeping the fish. It is against the law to transport a live invasive species for any purpose.
Fortunately, most are good to eat.
Learn more about Invasive Aquatic Species in Delaware.
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.
Related Topics: delaware bay, dfw, fishing, freshwater, indian river inlet, ocean and coasts, outdoors and recreation, surf fishing, wildlife
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