Fishing Report

By Acie Mankins
Special to the Coastal Point

Tom from Cedar Creek Bait and Tackle said flounder fishing picked up a little from last week. Brown Shoal at about 40 feet of water, and one mile east of G buoy and F buoys in about 60 feet of water have been the hot spots.

James Estepp Jr. of Towson, Md., had an 8.4-pound flounder. Croaker are being caught in the Broadkill Slough on squid or clam.

Joe of Lewes Harbor Marina reported good croaker fishing at the Star Site reef and Broadkill Slough or near the ferry jetty. As for flounder, he heard good numbers are being taken at the Star Site reef and Brown Shoal.

On the pier at Cape Henlopen State Park, spot continue to give anglers a lot of fun. They did see a nice 33-inch 7.5-pound, speckled trout on a fly taken on the beach near the pier. Flounder are still being taken in good numbers with the largest of the week being 27 inches, but most are throwbacks.

Rick of Rick’s Bait & Tackle said good numbers of bluefish are being taken in Massey’s Ditch. As for flounder, they seem to be scattered all over the bay but most are undersized.

Butch from Old Inlet said this past week was fantastic on stripers, mostly at night. They also saw a few more trout, and tog remains pretty good on sand fleas or green crab.

Over the past week, we saw some decent fish taken from the jetty.

Danny Mouynivong of Clarksville had a 16-pound, 39.5-inch striper taken on a storm lure. Ed Montz of Pottstown, Pa., caught two stripers (34.5 inches and 35 inches). Both were caught on black bucktails. Burt Campbell of Dagsboro had a 20-pound, 10-inch striper taken on windcheater. John Stansfield of Cranbury, N.J. had one 34-inch trout caught on a bucktail.

On the incoming tide, bluefish are coming in the inlet in good numbers. They are being caught on bucktails, gotchas or any type of metal. We also heard a lot of the striper were taken on swimming plugs or live eels, mostly at night.

Surf fishing is pretty much the same. A lot of king fish and spot are being caught on bloodworms or fishbites. There are also some croaker and trout being taken on bloodworms or small pieces of cut bait. Conner Davis of Wilmington had seven kingfish taken on fishbites in the Fenwick surf, and a 14-inch bluefish.

Inshore fishing really picked up on flounder between B and A buoys and at the Old Grounds in about 80 feet of water. Some of these fish have been weighing up to 6 pounds. Seabass are being caught near B buoy or on structure. Thrashers continue to be taken near B buoy. Captain Tim Tribbit on the Red Drum Taxi had an impressive 500-pound-plus thrasher taken on a mackerel bait.

Offshore fishing remains pretty good. Bluefin and yellowfin are being taken in the Hot Dog by trolling. In the Washington Canyon, yellowfin up to 35-pounds are also being taken on the troll. Captain Ed on the Jade II had two yellowfin and two bluefin, each weighing around 30 pounds.

Judy of the Judy V reported that the headboats in our local area are doing well on flounder, croaker and sea bass.

Saturday morning, the buzz came in on Channel 71 VHF that a giant bluefin was on its way in.

Captain Dave Collins on the Captain Ike II blew away the previous state record of 322-pounds. The giant bluefin weighed 873 pounds and was an impressive 115 inches in length. This big tuna took a bluefish bait while shark fishing.

Way to go, Dave. It’s almost as good as when you broke ice to catch white perch in January.

Until next week, good luck and see ya on the beach.

Acie Mankins is the manager at B & R Bait & Tackle in South Bethany.