All The Delaware Beaches

We took a surf fishing tour of all the beaches yesterday.

The drive on beaches are open, all of them. The town beaches and some f the park walk on beaches are closed, event to fishing and surfing. We wanted to check them all out after the rough weather and to get some air. Being able to use the drive on beaches is a huge relief for many people. Beach hopping while fishing is a lot of fun this time of year. There is hardly anyone out there. The other day there were twelve trucks on 3R’s. I said “This looks crowded let’s go north.” Seriously that is the most vehicles i have seen on a beach at one time this year so far.
This time of year is always like this, but this year it is extra quiet. As I write this there are three trucks in view of the DelDot traffic Cameras from the Charles W Cullen bridge towers showing Delaware Seashore State Park.

We started at Fenwick Island State Park, pulled onto the southern crossing. The bathhouse parking lot is closed at Fenwick Island State Park She is a little steep from wind blown sand. There was a total of two trucks on all of Fenwick Island State Park, maybe two people walking. The water is beautiful and blue. The surf is wide at low tide, the cuts are really defined and moving.

Then we headed to 3R’s drive on access in Delaware Seashore State Park, to check the beach and set up in another favorite spot or two. There was one vehicle on the beach, no one walking, and eight guys on the south jetty wall. Some serious social fishtancing was occurring. We fished for an hour then headed north.

Conquest and Keybox are still closed at the parking lots. Surf Anglers can access those beaches from Faithful Steward crossing. That is the one everyone calls Savages ditch, that sign is actually for the bayside area. The air station n the bay side is open the parking lot is closed. There was two trucks when we pulled onto Faithful Steward. There was one when we left an hour later. We are on the falling tide at this point the surf is getting wider. We caught two short striped bass so far, and one skate.

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At conquest before we left, while scouting cuts for fish, we saw a juvenile Great Black-backed Gull. Those are the giant mutant looking sea gulls you see n the beach. Sea gull is not an actual bird by the way, it is just a general term, such as shorebirds. Sea gull is used more often than not. That mutant gull picked up a live bunker right behind the first breaking wave. Dropped it on the beach and proceeded to eat the guts out of the bunker. I gave him a minute took some cool action shots, then inspected the bunker, it was alive. Not a cast off from a surf angler, the Great Black-backed Gull caught the bunker. We set up and started fishing, just in case anything was following these bunker schools running the surf.

We also saw a huge ghost crab. I wanted some close ups of one they are pretty fast and don’t sit still too often. This ghost crab was holding his ground. I picked him up and he was soft seems he just shed, and was trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. His hole wasn’t finished either, it couldn’t get back in a partial dug hole. Normally you would snatch this guy up and use it for bait. Yesterday I gave him a reprieve, everyone deserves a break in the pandemic.

We headed north to Cape Henlopen State Park. It was colder and wetter now despite pouring off and on all day, and the temperature kept dropping. By four in the afternoon we were worn out. I haven’t aired up between beaches, it is nice to just drive up to Gordons pond and pop onto the beach. I used to have a vehicle I just left at twenty PSI and drove all over the place. This one can’t handle that nor the amount of tires I would go through.
There were a few people walking Gordons Pond, and maybe three trucks. We stopped at a favorite spot for a little while, saw many flocks of cormorants on the beaches yesterday. Resting from feeding I would guess. They walk like penguins, weird bird. Eats a huge amount of fish, probably how that Great Black-backed Gull got a hold of that bunker. A too big to eat discard.

Naval crossing to the point comfort station crossing had one vehicle while we were there. The stumps were really visible at low tide at naval crossing today. These are old cypress tree stumps that have been there a long time. Less and less are seen these days due to the Naval Jetty doing its job protecting the beach from erosion.
We headed north and checked out Point Comfort Station Crossing, surf fished a bit then went home. We skipped Beach Plum Island State Park. it is fine and still open.

Have a great weekend
Fish On!
Rich King

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