Beach Conditions from the storm

Fishing the surf the past few days has been decent.  Bluefish, kingfish, croaker, spot, and flounder have been caught.  Mullet has been the best bait for bluefish.  The mullet have shown up but are small right now.   The bluefish are averaging eighteen inches for the larger ones and eight inches for the smaller.  Croaker are showing up in the mega size upwards of two pounds.  Flounder are hitting on bucktails with white plastic worms or chartreuse gulp, and on mullet rigs during the retrieve to check bait.  Croaker, spot, and kings are hitting bloodworms and Fishbites.  Cape Henlopen had a little excitement this weekend aside from fishing.  We saw a catamaran flip over just past the point.  That is a dangerous place with heavy currents, some of use were surprised to see that boat rip across the Point.  We could barely hold bottom with six ounces of weight, that looked like one fast boat ride.   The sailors got the boat upright and eventually sailed back to the bayside of Cape Henlopen.  Smaller bluefish were on the ocean side and larger on the bayside Saturday afternoon.  Sunday I went for a boat ride with some of the boys and we did a little clamming.  Aahron Jost found a live sand dollar while we were out there.  I haven’t seen a live one since I had my saltwater aquarium store years ago.  We find the shells of them after storms on the beach.

The storm that showed up today has carved up the beaches.  The usual shelf has formed at the tide line.  Hopefully that will smooth out over the next few days.  I was on the point this afternoon and met Corby out there.  On the ocean side casting was impossible, bayside you could throw a mile.  The wind was steady blowing twenty miles plus and hour out of the East.  The sand was covering everything in the winds path, including our vehicle’s interior.  Waves were steady rolling onto the beach.  Holding bottom with 8 ounces was impossible.  We did get to watch a great show.  Dolphins were feeding and playing in the surf, body surfing the waves, would be a good description.  They seemed to find an area of current they enjoyed and would ride in sets of waves like surfers.  It was Sea World at the beach in Delaware.  There were fish out there, but the dolphins had them preoccupied.  Some blue fish were caught today, despite the heavy angry seas my friends.  Hopefully by the weekend we will have clearer and calmer waters.   East winds will abide for a few days during this full moon.  As many of my old salt friends say, wind out of the East, fish the least.  We tried Roosevelt Inlet this afternoon but mostly we caught a lot of wet clothes.

Fish On!!

Rich King