DSF fishing report and conditions

Not much going on in our tidal waters in Sussex county.  Hunter Lied (I kid you not, the best name for an angler) was at Broadkill beach yesterday hitting skates.   He had a good time getting a tug on the line, and chillin on the beach.  Instead of surfing a couch, and playing video games.  Most kids these days are not into fishing and the outdoors.  My brothers and I used to get thrown out of the house by mom so we would spend our time outside.  I think she just got tired of the shenanigans of three kids, before there was medication or even a diagnosis for hyperactivity.  Home computers were a thing of the future, and the internet was science fiction.  We spent our time in the great outdoors, and I love it when kids contact us for information to fish our waters in Delaware.  Get your heads out of that phone and into the outdoors.  I am guilty of this phone phenomenon as well.  I hope to see more of you kids out in the surf this year, catching them up, and throwing them back.  Either way get outside and have some fun this year.  White perch and cats are still heavy up north.  The Broadkill River is producing perch as well at all locations on bloodworms.  The park in downtown Milton, DE is a great place to take the kids for a day on the water.  Easy access, decent fishing , and a great little town to visit.  Jeff Sands and Jason Duncan have been trout fishing up north at White Clay Creek.  Catching on the Pennsylvania stretch, and finding some sweet honey holes in Delaware with serious fish numbers.  Soon it will be time to break out the fly rods.  Trout fishing streams in Delaware will open April 6th this Saturday.

Speaking of Saturday, DSF will be at Bill’s Sport Shop’s Flea Market.  Striper King Gear will be there, Delaware Paddlesports, and  OTW Sand Sticks all DSF sponsors.  I will be introducing a product by a new sponsor Long Neck Outfitters, The Sand Stool.  Ray Hibbs came up with a great design, and showed us this last month.  I was very impressed, and liked the concept.  This is perfect for fishing in the surf, on the shore, and even in the rocks.  I am product testing one right now, yes literally right now, I am sitting on a Sand Stool, and writing this report.  My new beach office chair if you will,  comfortable and versatile.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love a beach chair, but only if I really want to take a nap.  Once you get all set up in your chair you get lazy from comfort.  I probably spend more time sitting on a upside down 5 gallon bucket.  The Sand Stool can be used as a bucket seat as well.  The reason I prefer the Sand Stool, I can set the height I want to sit, and stay on top of my gear.  Ready to move at a moments notice.  If you are surf fishing the correct way to increase your catches, you never leave, or put down your gear.  The Sand stool allows comfort at a time you need to be mobile as fast as possible.  I found a great spot to wedge the PVC post into on the rock pile and created a very comfortable place to sit.  Casting was no problem and I don’t think I have ever felt more relaxed on a rock pile.  Now I just need a cup holder on my Sand Stool.  Check them out this Saturday at the Flea market at Bill’s Sport Shop.

The back bays are coming alive, with small jellyfish looking creatures.  There were hundreds of them yesterday at low tide in a very small area.  Grass shrimp are abundant on the rock piles and grass lines.  I saw a plethora of them yesterday on the rocks at Massey’s Landing during low tide.  The water is 44 degrees according to my trusty pool thermometer, this is average for all of the bays and waters I have checked.  Yesterday the boys were fishing in front of Bethany Beach about a mile off shore and the water was 45 degrees.  They saw several bait balls on the scopes but produced nary a hit.  They did see some gannets working the water on occasion.  I watched osprey feed the back side of the wash yesterday on the south side of the Indian River Inlet.  All of the birds produced from the wash and the large pool created by the sand relocation machinery   There are shad starting to move around farther up the coast in New Jersey.  It is possible the fish the osprey were catching were shad, as there were some decent sizes to their catches.  We are working on that, and will let you all know.  Spring is here despite the cold temperatures.  You can look at the edge of the woods, and what  once looked dead is now filling in with hues from the buds of spring.  Just seeing that makes you feel warmer and better.  This week it is going to warm up and we are expecting things to start picking up in our area tidal waters.  DSF Pro Staff will be in the field all week fishing, they have such a tough job.  Still no signs of blue crabs but we check daily, and the DSF Pro Staff is still finding horseshoe crabs.  I am seeing minnows in all cuts, creeks, guts, sloughs, and marsh pools.  They are small minis, but they are moving around in huge numbers.  The beaches are still Jersey flat but starting to carve out a bit, reading the surf will be tricky this week.

Don’t forget the flounder contest … prove with a picture, and witness of the first keeper flounder of the year, wins a DSF T Shirt.

Fish On!!

Rich King