Fishing report and then some

 

striped bass, rockfish, chesapeake bay, nanticoke river, bay fishing, spring run, prespawn bass,
47 inch Striped bass caught on the bay surf by Dave Moore in the Chesapeake Bay on bloodworms.

Easter weekend is upon us, everyone have a safe and fun time be safe traveling.  Unfortunately we are looking at some snotty weather for the next 2 days but Sunday is looking pleasant despite the wind.   The water temps are slowly creeping up, the ocean surface temp has been almost 41 degrees.  The Delaware bay this morning according to the National Buoy center …  Lewes DE … 42.9 Brandywine Shoal light … 42.1 Ship John Shoal … 44.2 Reedy Point …44.5 and Delaware City … 46.6   Masseys Landing peaked to 49 degrees at low tide and 43 degrees at high tide.  The inland bays are starting to see some short striped bass action but it is far and few between.   I watched some folks do a little pier fishing at Masseys Landing yesterday.  Didn’t seem like they were catching but they were having fun and that is all that matters.

augustine beach, striped bass, rockfish, bloodworms, kent county, sussex county, delaware, spring run, prespawnbass, cold water fishing
Short striped bass near Augustine beach caught by Mike Trala in a boat

The further north you go on the Delaware Bay and River the better the fishing is getting.  Woodland Beach pier and up have been the best.  Bowers Beach at the jetty for the Murderkill river should get good soon.   Bloodwomrs are the best bait this time of year.  By land or boat, fish are starting to be caught.   Bait and wait, otherwise if you want to use plugs, jigs, or bucktails slow your retrieve and action for the more sluggish fish.  Some of the keepers people are hearing about are small keepers and definitely resident fish, have yet to see a picture for those reports.  Show me a picture or tell me a lie.  In the Chesapeake the flats and bay bridge area are heating up and that may be the sign of the beginning of the spring run.   Resident fish are moving towards the spawning grounds.  Don’t forget the spawning ground laws are in effect for Delaware the new striped bass creel limits do not start until May 11th.  High tides will be the mid morning hours this weekend in the Sussex county ocean areas and later further north and inland.  The surf has seen little action, and not for the lack of trying.  We do have dolphins out there now and that is always a good indication there are fish, just not a good sign when you are trying to fish.  It is hard to stop and feed when you are being chased as the food.  I watched an osprey plucking fish from the waters at Cupola Park yesterday, was hard to tell what it caught.  Always a pleasure to watch natures fish finders at work.  If they are catching at least you know fish are present.

 

bluegill, pan fish, mispillion river, delaware fish, sussex county, fishing report, freshwater, sweet water
Bluegill that put Danny Schanne in first palce in the All Species Fishing tournament

White perch action has been hot one day and not the next. Heavy westerly winds have not helped that factor.  The Mispillion River, Murderkill river, Nanticoke, and Broad creek to name a few have seen good action, the further north the better it gets.  Bloodworms, grass shrimp, and minnows for that action.  Freshwater mill pond fishing is picking up with crappie bass, pan fish, other bass action, pickerel are a given.  The All Species Fishing Tournament has been heating up with more frequent catches,Danny Schanne is now in first place, a bluegill put him on top.  So far it has been real fun watching the tournament and should be for the next 7 months.  Remember you can sign up anytime.  Trout were stocked yesterday up north for the upcoming season opener on Saturday, get your trout stamps.

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The bait shops are geared up for the new season, pun intended.  Check out our business directory to see the shops we frequent.  We are currently working on beefing up the fishing location section.  I have many places to add and will do so over the weekend and following week.  It will help many who are looking for an alternative to the Cape Henlopen Fishing pier which is closed.    In the mean time there is a boat ramp page that has some fishing piers listed for tidal waters.  The river walk in Seaford along the Nanticoke has a nice area to fish and a few places there near the spillway across from the hospital, and below the drawbridge near the kayak launch area.  Also the pier at the main boat ramp in town.  There are a lot of great places to fish, the catching is the random part of that equation.

 

moose in chesapeake bay
Chris Ragni and Brian Mack’s Moose on the loose prank

Our April Fools joke article was a lot of fun and big thanks to everyone for being good sports.  It was fun to watch all the crazy jokes online the other day, even more fun to see people falling for them.  Big hat tip to Chris Ragni and Brian Mack!  A shopped picture of a moose on the loose in the Chesapeake bay went a little viral posted by the Annapolis Facebook page, well these boys took it to another level.  They put out an alert they were going to rescue this moose with their work boat.  They shopped a few picture, posted them and everyone fell for that one, for the most part.  It was classic!  Way to go boys …well played.  The other funny one was the CERN folks saying they discovered the force, yes Star Wars, with their particle accelerator.  There were a lot of clever jokes online, and it was relief from the typical drama you see on social media at times (all the time).

 

Check out the latest articles from our other contributors this week.  It has been a pleasure having these folks share their advice and insights on the website.  Some are writing weekly and others biweekly.  Let us know what you think with any feedback, as usual we want to bring you the best information possible.  We will be adding more sections soon and let us know how you like the new website format.  We are always looking to improve your experience online.
Fishing with Bob Jones …. Trout Season – A Spring Tradition For Delaware Fishermen
Sports by Tim Sullivan .. Final Four prediction
Fishing Tales by Kevin Blouch … Name your fish for fun
Finance with Steve Morgan …. Buying a second home advice
Hunting by James Blackstock … Spring Turkey Season in Delaware

The weekend is finally here and everyone is dying to get out of the house.  Keep an eye on the weather and the temperatures have been beautiful .  From the NWS …

masseys ditch, inland bay water temperatures, indian rvier inlet, rehoboth bay, assawoman bay, sussex county, delaware fishing report
Masseys Landing (ditch) temperatures the past week. rising a degree or more a day. The low temp is high tide the high temp is low tide

Today

Showers, mainly before 2pm. High near 69. West wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tonight
Showers likely before 2am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 2am and 5am, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds. Cloudy, with a low around 50. South wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday
A slight chance of showers before 11am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 57. Breezy, with a northwest wind 18 to 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 29. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light west after midnight.
Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 58. Southwest wind 9 to 14 mph.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.

Fish On!!
Rich King

 

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