Seals And Whales Off The Beaches

A few days ago I visited with Henry Busby while he was surf fishing off Conquest beach.  While we were trying to decide if those were gannets diving a quarter mile off the beach, a whale swam by.  Then it turned and swam back north, then it went back south, then there were two of them.  Seems like they were chasing bait in front of us or just playing with their food.  The next day the same two whales were still in front of conquest and the following day.  This time they had a lot of birds following them  On the same day I visited Henry, I was on the point earlier and saw a seal in the rips feeding on bait fish or striped bass.  Sunday morning (today) I get a call asking if the large school of fish off the beach in Cape Henlopen are bass or bunker.  I would guess just bunker but the water apparently was “boiling” a little so it could have easily been bass too.  Only one way to find out is cast and see what happens, hopefully this school moved in closer to the towers on Gordons Pond.  The Rehoboth Beach replenishment project will probably push anything away from the beaches, especially during the incoming tide.   I would start looking at the Fenwick Shoals today and this week if I had a boat.  Some of the striped bass being caught in the Delaware bay could be migratory or residential fish.  You will have to put in the time to find out.

These schools are all out of casting distance.  I know a few boaters that have pulled onto and followed the schools.  Some are hooking up with striped bass and others are finding nothing behind the schools of bunker.  I guess you have to pick the right school, and obviously put in the time.  Head boats are still seeing large schools off the coast in the EEZ of bass on bunker.  There is a lot of activity out there, you just have to be around when it happens.  That is the problem with fishing migratory schools, they are here one minute and gone the next.  When the action happens you have to be there or hear about it later.

The offshore action for seabass and tautog is great on ocean structure.  The charters out of Lewes have been doing very well.  Some bluefish out there in the mix, up to the gator sizes.  There should be striped bass in the mix soon enough.  The Del-Jerseyland reef area has been a hot spot but there are plenty of other sites to check out like site 11.  Anglers are also catching a lot of scup or porgy on the reef structures.

Water temperatures are bouncing around form forty six degrees to forty nine degrees at Masseys Landing.  The Delaware Bay near Lewes is averaging fifty degrees during the day and dropping to forty six at night into the morning. The surf is around fifty degrees during the day.  Friday it was fifty five degrees around two in the afternoon, but fifty one degrees two days before that at the same time.   Perfect striped bass temperatures, we have the food they want, we just need them to come close to shore.

Fish On!!

Rich King

Seal at the point … 

Whale at Conquest Beach …