Weekend Outlook

 

masseys landing, long neck, delaware, sussex county, water temperatures
Masseys Landing water temperatures this past week … USGS survey

First day back wetting a line, Doc gave me the okay to play.  Sorry it has been a little while I had to take a break and heal.  Big thanks to the folks at Beebee Hospital for the excellent care.  Especially everyone on the third floor, Thank You!  The Delaware Seashore Fall Surf Fishing Classic is this weekend, I made it just in time.  I did sneak down and check out the beaches and they look just fine for driving. The waves are short but fast, and the northeast winds have been pushing water for a couple of days.  Hopefully there is a lot of fish here for the weekend.  The surf temperature is about seventy four degrees.  The weather will cool off over the weekend, so expect it to be chilly in the mornings and decent during the day.  Wind will be out of the north and northeast and breezy by the weekend.  A little taste of fall like weather.  Water temperatures have been holding in the midseventies.

 

redfish, red drum, delaware, sussex county, cape henlopen state park
Reese Hitchens with a small red fish from the surf.

Bluefish are steadily hitting fresh mullet on mullet rigs, when a school runs by the surf.  There is a lot of mullet along the back bays in the flats and the beaches, especially the Delaware bay beaches.  All of the stores have mullet but either cal ahead or get there early it doesn’t last long.  Cut mullet on top and bottom rigs or surf rigs are working for the blues.  Many of the blues being caught are score-able sizes, that will help with this weekend’s tournament.  Last year we were surrounded, literally by tons of those tiny bluefish pushing bait fish onto the beach and a lot of birds.  We shall see how this year goes, there has been some decent sized bluefish caught here and there so you never know what four hundred plus lines along the beach are going to catch.

 

pompano, delaware, sussex county, cape henlopen fishing pier, delaware bay, harbor of safe refuge,
Pompano caught at the Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier by Scott Broadfoot.
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The puppy drum are still hitting in the surf despite the rougher waves the last couple of days.  They are hitting squid or  fishbite’s bloodworm or crab formula.  Black drum are on the tournament list this year and have to be sixteen inches, the state creel size, to score.  Most of the puppy drum I have seen are in the ten inch range.  Though there are some larger ones around.  Redfish or red drum are occasionally hitting in the surf but they are small and don’t make the slot limit.  Pompano are still around, but I doubt for much longer.  Kingfish are hitting squid, fishbites, and occasionally mullet rigs.  The bigger kings will hit cut baits and whole mullet.  Of course there are plenty of dogfish, skates and rays in the surf.  Lot of people catching small sharks, most of them appear to be sandbar sharks, leave them in the water.  They are all hitting cut baits, especially bunker.

Stargazer, delaware, sussex county,
Stargazer caught by Brandyn Rice

The Delaware Bay has decent bluefish action just look for the birds out in the rips near the outer and inner wall.  The upper bay tidal creeks are hot for schooling striped bass, on swim shads or rattle traps.  Lot of bait fish up there.  Puppy drum the small black drum are as far up as battery park.  Croaker are pretty far up beyond Woodland beach.  The croaker action has been great around the inland bays and decent at the Cape Henlopen State Park Fishing Pier.  The Lewes canal has some decent short striped bass action and croaker.  Flounder action inshore around the canal and inland bays is still slow and far and few between for keepers.  Offshore like the old grounds is the best flounder action with sea bass hitting pretty good.

The white marlin bite is still great, lot of flags flying at the docks in Ocean City.  Despite the storms here and there boats are getting out.  The mahi and wahoo bite is good.  Congratulations to Captain Kyle Peet of the No Quarter and crew for the the Fantasy Slam.   They caught five different billfish in one day, white marlin, spearfish, blue marlin, sailfish, and a swordfish.   They also landed a mako that tried to make lunch out of the swordfish, but when it got too close to the boat, it was added to the box.  The No Quarter crew and her captain Kyle Peet know fishing.

Fish On!!

Rich King

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