Delaware Fishing Report August 23

Fishing Report for Delaware Waters, Beaches and Bays

If you can avoid a summer cold, no matter what it takes do it! Day five and I can still hear colors thanks to the NyQuil which is the only thing keeping me sane. What is it about summer colds that make them worse than a winter cold. Speaking of cold we have a front incoming, mild temperatures for the weekend. Saturday is going to be nautical or right snotty. Flies won’t be an issue Saturday, for once.

The fishing has been fun all around for the most part, some are getting the skunk but that is normal. Not everyone catches everyday, well unless you fish for a living, then you better be catching everyday. even that isn’t always guaranteed.

The water temperatures are still holding in the low seventies along the surf and coast. The sea surface temp offshore is eighty degrees. From Cape May to Ocean City the surf temperature is sixty nine to seventy degrees according to NOAA buoys.
Cape May .. 69 (off the beach)
Cape May Delaware Bay Station … 78 degrees
Lewes … 75 (mouth of the Delaware Bay)
Ocean City … 70 degrees
Inland Bays … Fluctuating 74 to 84 degrees (Refer to graph below)
There is cool water off our coast surrounded by much warmer water. Great for fishing. This is one reason the surf fishing has been so good this summer, mild temperatures not the usual summer bathtub.

The water despite all this rain and pop up storms has been clean looking at the beach. Clear water is much easier to fish. The waves haven’t been to bad it has been rather calm, until a pop up storm shows up then all hell breaks loose for a tick. Once the storm is over you should go back to fishing. People riding out the storms are catching as soon as the line hits the water again. I am not recommending riding out a thunderstorm on a beach, but if you get jammed up stay in the vehicle. On a crowded day you are going to be in a line of vehicles trying to get off the beach at once.

The surf fishing has been decent for catching spot, they have been the hot catch. Two at a time on top and bottom rigs. DS Custom Tackle has been working overtime for many anglers.
Weakfish (spike trout), sand perch, short striped bass, blowfish (northern puffers, burrfish, pinfish, and pompano are all hitting top and bottom rigs with fishbites, sand fleas, bloodworms, squid, or cut fresh fish. Bluefish are up and down the coast in schools, mullet rigs or spoons for the win. Bunker schools and other bait fish schools are on the move being followed by predators. Spanish Mackerel are still caught on occasion following these schools. Been a fun season in the surf, and it ain’t over yet.

The inland bays have been okay for flounder fishing, tough for keepers, but that is par for the course this time of year. It does help that the inland bays stayed a little cooler this year, but at low tide they are now peaking to eighty four degrees. I expect the weekend cool down to help drop those a bit. The Lewes canal has seen some decent flounder action. Spot, pinfish, and croaker are around the bays. I would catch some small spot and live line them. Big bait, big fish. This little minnows and small gulp are not as large a presentation as a live spot.

Slot season for striped bass In the Delaware Bay and its tributaries ends August thirty first. The structure in the Lewes canal from the train bridge to the Roosevelt inlet is considered a tributary to fish for slots. Great action on the structure in the Lewes canal. There are decent slot sized keeper striped bass up the Broadkill River and Canary creek. Look for them on an incoming tide along the bay beaches in schools, in the evenings. Swim shads, bucktails, spec rigs or small bucktails in tandem, and fly fishing has been producing.
The Cape Henlopen Pier is in the slot area for striped bass.

Speaking of the Cape Henlopen Fishing pier, the spot bite is hot to not so hot, but still catching. This changes daily, and according to Dave Beebe there isn’t any pattern just be out there on the incoming tide and start fishing. The end of the pier gets crowded during the day. Over night and extremely early morning anglers are doing well with little competition. We need a new pier, extended out where it used to be fishing is getting too crowded, trying to fish the deep water.
Flounder action is always good at the pier and there are keepers. The structure of the old pier and around the existing pylons is the best. The kayak anglers are doing well. Check with the shop crew at Lighthouse View Bait and Tackle for the updated info on all the action.

The offshore action has been great for most boats getting out. I have been checking out the Mid Atlantic Tournament scales online. Lot of decent fish coming to the scales, tuna, marlin, mahi, all the usual suspects. Anglers that skunk offshore are hitting structure on the way back in to catch mahi for the save. Lot of tacos out there. Get in on the action hit up a charter from Lewes to Ocean City. I always say fish the weekdays, there is less competition. Speaking of competitors Michael Jordan is apparently fishing the Mid Atlantic Tournament right now.

Pond hopping has been fun blasting bass and pickerel. Snakeheads are hitting hard where they are found. Kill’em all, I don’t care what anyone thinks, invasive is invasive. In a small pond they are devastating. In a large body of water, not so much I get that, but they should not be here, and they are good to eat. Top water action is hot, there are bugs galore out there now, just turn on a light after dark in the country and wait.

The summer season may be coming to an end, but the fishing will last for a while. Second summer as we call it locally is almost here. The point opens next weekend in Cape Henlopen State Park and all will be right with the world. Then we can get back to some semblance of what normal should be for this area. Then again that depends on who you ask and how long they have lived here.
Have a great weekend, slow the hell down driving, the beach isn’t going anywhere. The more activities you try to shove into a weekend, the faster it disappears. Relax!

Fish On!
Rich King

Tides Indian River Inlet …

2019/08/23	Fri	02:03 AM	2.48	H
2019/08/23	Fri	07:52 AM	0.59	L
2019/08/23	Fri	2:47 PM	2.84	H
2019/08/23	Fri	8:54 PM	0.90	L
2019/08/24	Sat	02:58 AM	2.41	H
2019/08/24	Sat	08:47 AM	0.58	L
2019/08/24	Sat	3:49 PM	2.94	H
2019/08/24	Sat	10:01 PM	0.87	L
2019/08/25	Sun	04:00 AM	2.39	H
2019/08/25	Sun	09:48 AM	0.52	L
2019/08/25	Sun	4:55 PM	3.07	H
2019/08/25	Sun	11:06 PM	0.76	L
2019/08/26	Mon	05:07 AM	2.43	H
2019/08/26	Mon	10:51 AM	0.39	L
2019/08/26	Mon	5:59 PM	3.24	H

Weather from the National Weather Service …

Today A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. High near 81. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight Showers and thunderstorms likely before midnight, then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. North wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday A slight chance of showers before 8am, then a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Northeast wind around 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Saturday Night A slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. East wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

SundayA chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Northeast wind around 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Sunday NightA chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Marine Forecast …

Coastal Waters Forecast
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
648 AM EDT Fri Aug 23 2019
Sandy Hook NJ to Fenwick Island DE to 20 NM offshore and Delaware
Bay
648 AM EDT Fri Aug 23 2019
.SYNOPSIS FOR THE COASTAL WATERS FROM SANDY HOOK NJ TO FENWICK
ISLAND DE AND FOR DELAWARE BAY…

A cold front will continue to slowly push to our south today and
over the weekend as high pressure builds to our north through
early next week. The high will try to nose itself down the east
coast, but not fully make its way into our area. This high will
retreat north and eastward by Tuesday and Wednesday as an area of
low pressure lifts northward offshore of the east coast and a
cold front approaches from the west around the middle to end of
next week.

Coastal waters from Cape May NJ to Cape Henlopen DE out 20 nm-
Coastal waters from Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island DE out 20 nm-
648 AM EDT Fri Aug 23 2019
.TODAY…W winds 5 to 10 kt, becoming NE this afternoon. Seas
2 ft or less, then around 3 ft early this morning. Swell mainly
from the S with a dominant period of 6 seconds. A chance of
showers until late afternoon. A slight chance of tstms this
afternoon. Showers likely late.
.TONIGHT…N winds 10 to 15 kt. Gusts up to 20 kt late. Seas
around 3 ft in the evening, then 2 ft or less. Swell mainly from
the SE with a dominant period of 6 seconds. Showers likely early
in the evening. A chance of showers in the late evening and
overnight.
.SAT…NE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Swell mainly from
the NE with a dominant period of 6 seconds. A chance of showers
early in the morning.
.SAT NIGHT…NE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Swell mainly
from the NE with a dominant period of 6 seconds.
.SUN…NE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 4 to
6 ft. A chance of showers.
.SUN NIGHT…NE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas
4 to 6 ft. A chance of showers.
.MON…NE winds around 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 4 to
6 ft. A chance of showers.
.MON NIGHT…NE winds 15 to 20 kt, diminishing to 10 to 15 kt
after midnight. Seas 3 to 5 ft. A chance of showers.
.TUE…NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt, becoming E
5 to 10 kt in the afternoon. Seas 3 to 5 ft. A chance of showers.
.TUE NIGHT…SE winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 3 to 4 ft.
Winds and seas higher in and near tstms.

Delaware Bay waters south of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE-
648 AM EDT Fri Aug 23 2019

.TODAY…N winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves 2 ft or less. A chance of
showers until late afternoon. A slight chance of tstms this
afternoon. Showers late.
.TONIGHT…N winds 5 to 10 kt, increasing to 10 to 15 kt with
gusts up to 20 kt late. Waves 2 ft or less, then around 3 ft
after midnight. Showers likely early in the evening.
.SAT…NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Waves around
3 ft early in the morning, then 2 ft or less.
.SAT NIGHT…NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Waves
2 ft or less, then around 3 ft after midnight.
.SUN…NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Waves around
3 ft. A chance of showers.
.SUN NIGHT…NE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Waves
around 3 ft. A chance of showers.
.MON…NE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Waves 3 to
4 ft. A chance of showers.
.MON NIGHT…NE winds 15 to 20 kt, diminishing to 10 to 15 kt
after midnight. Waves around 3 ft in the evening, then 2 ft or
less. A chance of showers.
.TUE…NE winds around 10 kt, becoming E in the afternoon. Waves
2 ft or less. A chance of showers.
.TUE NIGHT…SE winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves 2 ft or less.
Winds and waves higher in and near tstms.

Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE-
648 AM EDT Fri Aug 23 2019
.TODAY…N winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves 2 ft or less. A chance of
showers this morning, then showers with a slight chance of tstms
this afternoon.
.TONIGHT…N winds 5 to 10 kt, increasing to 10 to 15 kt late.
Waves 2 ft or less, then around 3 ft late. Showers likely early
in the evening.
.SAT…NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Gusts up to 20 kt in the morning,
then 20 kt late. Waves around 3 ft early in the morning, then
2 ft or less.
.SAT NIGHT…NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Waves
2 ft or less.
.SUN…NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Waves 2 ft or
less. A chance of showers in the afternoon.
.SUN NIGHT…NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Waves
2 ft or less. A chance of showers.
.MON…NE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Waves 2 ft or
less. A chance of showers.
.MON NIGHT…NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Waves
2 ft or less. A chance of showers in the evening.
.TUE…E winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves 2 ft or less. A chance of
showers.
.TUE NIGHT…SE winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves 2 ft or less.
Winds and waves higher in and near tstms.