The Local Fisherman

The lingering effects of the storm, flood of water released by the Conowingo Dam and floating debris continues to negatively affect fishing. On the bright side, the condition of the bay is considerably better than it has been for several weeks. More anglers are getting out, and there has been an upswing in striper catches throughout the upper and mid-bay sectors. The ideal fishing weather last week was another big help. Trollers resumed catching stripers throughout the harbor and just inside the main channel edge from Belvedere Shoals south to Sandy Point Light on bucktails and spoons. Chumming has been as reliable as ever at the Gooses and throughout the lower bay. There are so many blues around that it’s often difficult to keep a bait in the water before one of these feisty critters attacks it. Unusually big white perch have been turning up from Holland Point north to Seven Foot Knoll, with bloodworms the number one bait.

Brian says that the dirty water pushed the fish and fishermen into the Patapsco River. Trolling along the northern channel edge with small white bucktails and spoons from the Key Bridge out to where the channels intersect typically produces near limits of stripers to 23 inches along with a few small bluefish. Captain Ben Hare on the Kimberly Ann has been scoring on a regular basis while working shallow water and the irregular bottom contours on the southern side of the harbor, pulling tandem rigged bucktails with a sassy shad. Live-lining and jigging close to the Key Bridge pilings has been producing a slightly better grade of fish. White perch and catfish have been biting on bottom-fished bloodworms in the major creeks off the Patapsco River. There was also word of some big yellow perch being caught in Middle River.

Jim and Chuck said that last week, anglers working the rivers and creeks of the Patapsco River caught stripers up to 28 inches on surface lures. Trollers dragging bucktails along the channel edges of the harbor picked up stripers to 26 inches, with the best action a little below Fort Carroll and directly out from Fort Howard. Although not the most sought after, there are plenty of catfish available from the Susquehanna River south to the Patapsco River with bloodworms, clam snouts and peelers among the top baits.

Hank said that as of last Thursday, trollers, chummers and eelers started picking up rockfish along with an occasional small bluefish on the copious shell bottoms and edges below Pooles Island. Most of the legal stripers caught last week have been running from 19 to 22 inches. Anglers specifically targeting stripers in the rivers have been making decent catches throughout the lower Susquehanna and at the mouths of the Bush and Gunpowder rivers on surface lures. Despite the marginal water conditions, a fair number of smallmouth bass have been caught throughout the mid to upper Susquehanna River on shiners and spinnerbaits. Fishing, the weather and the condition of the bay is on the right track!

Woody says that fishing for catfish and white perch throughout the lower Susquehanna as well as the rivers to the south has been productive, with bloodworms and clam snouts the top baits. A few smallmouth bass were caught in close proximity to the islands in the Susquehanna on shiners, Mr. Twisters, Bass Assassins and crankbaits. The bay and its tributaries are getting back to normal!

Captain Charles reported that catches of stripers made by trollers, chummers, live-liners and jiggers have been below seasonal expectations, but it’s easily explainable. There are still remnants of floating rubble and dirty water around. Last week, trollers made their best catches along the northern channel edge of the Patapsco River on small white bucktails and various reflective lures fished close to the bottom. Widely scattered catches of stripers as well as a few blues were made from a little below Craig Hill Light south to Podickory Point. Anglers working the Bay Bridge rock piles landed a few keeper rock along with quite a few throwbacks.

George says that the catfish that were washed down the bay as a result of opening the gates of the Conowingo Dam have taken up residence in the local rivers and throughout the upper bay. Last week, catfish and perch dominated the bottom fishing action in the rivers and creeks from the Susquehanna south to Middle River. Both species have been snapping up bottom-fished bloodworms and clam snouts. Trollers and eelers made their first serious attempt to fish in several weeks and made widely scattered catches of stripers to 23 inches with no particular location, technique or tide producing exceptional catches.

Tony said that anglers have been catching legal stripers throughout the inner harbor, with some of the best catches being made in the Canton area on bloodworms, rattle and rubber type lures. There are some baitfish in the harbor that has been holding the predator fish. Bottom fishermen have been catching a mixed bag in the tributaries of the Patapsco River and along the shoreline from Fort Armistead south to Fort Smallwood on bloodworms, grass shrimp, clam snouts and peelers.

According to Randy at Fearl’s Bait & Tackle, despite the recent problems associated with the bay, the fall fishing is shaping up nicely. Trollers, chummers, live-liners and jiggers have gotten back on track and have been catching on a regular basis. Over the weekend, trollers caught stripers to 28 inches from Sandy Point Light north to the mouth and inside the Patapsco River on bucktails and spoons. Chumming picked up at Hickory Thicket, Swan, Podickory and Love points. Last week, the only grievance that we heard was that small rock and blues were giving just abut everyone a fit.

Mike told me that he personally chummed up legal stripers at Podickory Point. Trollers have been catching a few stripers with the foremost action at the mouth of the Magothy River and throughout the Patapsco River. Anglers slapping bucktails and live baits against the Western Shore Bay Bridge pilings have been making random catches of stripers to 26 inches. Some huge white perch have been caught on bloodworms. The largest perch were caught at the Sewer Pipe on the eastern side. Toby has returned, and he is doing fine.

Woody said that the Severn River is loaded with fish including legal stripers and some baitfish. Over the weekend, trollers pick up legal stripers on white and green bucktails tipped with a thin slice of red/white pork rind out from the naval Academy and at the mouth of the river. Further up the river, trout continue to hold in 25 feet of water out from Sherwood Forrest near the marker. Anglers working spinnerbaits around structure have been tearing up white perch, with some topping 12 inches. Bank bottom fishermen working the southern shoreline of the Patapsco River have been catching a mixed bag, including some huge catfish, on bottom rigs baited with bloodworms, peelers and clam snouts.

Mary reported that trolling and chumming catches improved measurably last week. Chummers continually referenced the Gooses, and trollers tell us that they picked up stripers at the mouths of the Magothy, West and Severn rivers and from Chesapeake Beach south. Trollers report that green and chartreuse lures are outfishing everything.

Anglers reported that chumming has picked up at Hackett’s Bar, Hickory Thicket, Tolly and Podickory points. Bottom fishing for white perch has been exceptionally good at Snake Reef, the mouth of the West River, a few of the Western Shore Bay Bridge pilings, Podickory and Hackett’s points. While compiling the updates, I got a call from captain Frank Tuma on Downtime, who was trolling and found fish just inside the mouth of the Magothy River. He said that he was knocking the socks off stripers to 28 inches as we talked! Soft crabs worked close to the Bay Bridge pilings and rock piles produced a few legal stripers.

Captain Jim ranks the Gooses as the top chumming location. The Hill, Gum Thickets, Hickory Thicket, Thomas Point and Hackett’s Can have been holding mostly undersize stripers along with a lot of small blues. Trolling around the Bay Bridge rock piles and the deep water pilings on the eastern side has been producing an occasional keeper rock. There have been unconfirmed reports of some trout showing up in the Eastern Bay. Bottom fishing, specifically for white perch, has been very good all along the Western Shore.
Captain John is back in town and has been running to the Gooses where he has been putting a limit of stripers and a bunch of blues in his cooler. John said that he chummed the Hill, Eastern Bay and Gum Thickets with minimal success. As for bottom fishing, John recommends anchoring up on the lumps at the mouth of the West River and baiting up with bloodworms. John has been fishing out of Atlantic City and said the ocean fishing was great; he added that he did not visit any of the casinos, I wonder.

According to Marty, there are a tremendous numbers of blues and ample numbers of legal stripers throughout the Annapolis sector. Undersize rock and blues typically dominate the chumming and trolling action. The Gooses remain the top chumming location, with improved trolling catches being made all along the Western Shore. White perch dominate the bottom fishing action, with good catches being made at the mouth of the West River, select Bay Bridge pilings, Dolly’s Lump, Tolly and Podickory points as well as the rivers, which may anglers overlook. As I was completing this week’s report Marty called in some exciting news. Trout have arrived, with good catches being made in the Eastern Bay near Tilghman Point in 30 feet of water and just below Parson’s Island on feathered Stingsilvers. A few also showed up at Marker #1 at the mouth of the West River.
P.J. at <B>P.J.’s Bait & Tackle <P> reported that the chumming bite continues to hold up at the Gooses. Anglers getting there at first light and establishing a chum slick have been catching a few keeper rock at the Hill, Gum Thickets and the Stone Rock. Bottom fishermen tell us that they have been catching some of the largest white perch of the season at the mouth of the West River on bloodworms.

J. J.  said that most of the Deale fleet has been successfully chumming up rock and blues at the Gooses. Over the weekend, the trolling bite picked up in the vicinity of Buoy 83. Trolling has actually improved all along the Western Shore, probably because the water is now clear enough for the fish to see the lure. White perch are plentiful, and there are ample numbers on the lumps directly out from Deale, with bloodworms the optimal bait. Perch fishing has been so good that Captain Jerry, one of the best and ardent trout anglers, has switched to perch fishing.

Captain Kerry says that the Gooses remains the most consistent chumming location. Last week, a few of the stripers that came aboard topped 24 inches. Locations such as the Hill, the Diamonds, James Island and the Stone Rock have been unpredictable and often inundated with undersize rock and tiny blues. Bottom fishing for white perch has been very productive from Holland Point north to the mouth of the West River, with bloodworms the number one bait. Hungry blues are practically everywhere; last week while pulling in a small blue, another bit it in half! Kerry and Chad are looking forward to the run of big fall fish.

Barbara continues to recommend the Gooses as the number one chumming location. Catches vary on a daily basis, but most anglers working throughout the change of the tide normally come up with enough rock and a bunch of blues. When the blues overrun their chum slick, anglers have stopped chumming until they go away on pull anchor and move to another location. Bottom fishermen have been making outstanding catches of white perch at Holland Point on bottom rigs baited with bloodworms.
Captain Stacey told me that he has been chumming up stripers and blues at the Gooses. At times the blues are so thick and aggressive that it’s difficult to get a baited hook past them. Trollers have been picking up a few nice stripers out from the Radar Towers; those working the bay proper and the eastern side have been catching much smaller fish and some mackerel. Bottom fishing for white perch has been very good in 15 to 18 feet of water from Chesapeake Beach north to as far as you care to travel. A few trout turned up at Holland Point.
Captain Dave May says the bottom fishing specifically for white perch has been outstanding at the mouth of the West River, inside the Choptank River and recently Holland Point, with bloodworms the top bait. Chumming at the Gooses has been producing limits of stripers to 24 inches and at times it’s difficult to get you bait past the pesky blues. Razor clams have been exceptionally effective. There are strong numbers of mackerel in the area and some of the blues that were caught last week topped 4 pounds. Trolling from Chesapeake Beach south in 32 to 46 feet of water has been producing some larger stripers, a few of which had lice on them.

Mike reported that there are quite a few schools of breaking fish around, and some of them contain legal stripers. Trolling die-hards have been picking up a random striper topping 28 inches a little north of the marina in 30 to 38 feet of water on green and chartreuse bucktails and parachutes.

Barbara  reported that quite a few marina users have switched to trolling in hopes of catching larger stripers. A few have been caught to the north of the marina in 28 to 38 feet of water, and the anglers swear that spreader bars have been making a difference.

Stripers are regularly turning up with sea lice on them. An angler caught one, didn’t know what it was thought the fish was diseased and threw it back.

Chummers working the Gooses have been catching a high percentage of undersize rock and an inordinate number of blues to 3 pounds.

When I contacted Captain Hank he was trolling and attempting to catch larger stripers just above the marina. He said that in general, trolling has been slow with a 24-inch plus striper occasionally coming aboard. Slinging chum at the Gooses normally produces a limit of stripers including a high ratio of throwbacks, and when the tide is right, just about all the blues you want. On the bottom-fishing front, the hardheads have disappeared, some big spot have been caught at the mouth of the Choptank River, and for the past week or so, white perch have dominated the bottom fishing action. White perch have been bunched up in 13 to 18 feet of water between Chesapeake Beach and Holland Point.

Captain Sonney Forrest says that he is going to continue running to Buoy 72 until the action slows or the big fall fish move in. Fast trolling throughout the bay’s main stem continues to produce rock, blues and mackerel.
Captain Bob reported that there are still plenty of big spot in and at the mouth of the river. Most of the trout being caught have been on the small size, and hardhead have been scarce. With the exception of a few boats targeting mackerel and blues, most of the Solomon’s fleet has been chumming in the neighborhood of Buoy 72 and limiting on stripers to 23 inches.

In Point Lookout, Captain Bruce says the last week, there was a blitz of porgies, with some decent size ones being caught around the rock piles. As a bonus, sea bass have also made their presence known. To top things off, chumming for stripers remains outstanding throughout the lower bay, and over the weekend, some larger stripers were landed. There are so many bluefish around that they are occasionally a nuisance. Anglers chasing breaking fish experience nonstop action once they get on the fish. In a week or so, some of the boats will switch over to trolling, specifically targeting the larger migrant stripers.

Chumming remains the best option for loading your coolers with stripers and blues. Locations such as Buoy 72, the Middle Grounds, the Triangle, Point No Point and the mouth of the river typically produce limits of stripers to 24 inches. Light tackle enthusiasts and trollers have been having a ball when they get on active fish, which contain a high percentage of undersize rock, small blues and an occasional mackerel topping 22 inches. Random catches of flounders have been made in Cornfield Harbor and along the shoreline from the old hotel north to Saint Jerome’s Creek on minnows and squid combinations.

Rick’s reported that bank fisherman have been catching a mixed bag but action has slowed recently, probably because of the change in the weather. Chumming throughout the lower bay continues to hold up, with some larger stripers moving in. Hopefully it’s the beginning of the fall migration.

Captain Greg continues to chum up a limit of stripers as well as a load of blues along the eastern channel edge and Middle Grounds. A few porgies turned up over the weekend. This year’s trout run has been below par, with mediocre and scattered catches being made throughout the lower bay.
Captain Dave told me the he has been chumming up limits of stripers up to 24 inches not far from Point No Point. Dave mentioned that the entire lower bay is inundated with stripers and blues. Dave is looking forward to some late season trolling and will be fishing the Potomac season, which runs until December 31.
Captain Paul reported that chummers have not had a problem catching stripers along the eastern channel edge below Buoy 72. Fishing is currently in a state of flux with bigger stripers moving in, bottom fish adopting their fall patterns and some exotic species beginning to show up.

Captain Peter reported that he continues to chum up a limit of stripers and quite a few blues along the eastern channel edge and Middle Grounds. In general, the stripers have been slightly larger, and now that the temperatures have begun to drop, most bay species have started to feed more aggressively.  Breaking blues, rock and mackerel are apt to pop up anywhere. Pete suggests dragging gold and silver spoons and trolling around 6 knots for the mackerel.

Captain Joseph said that last week, the weather and bottom fishing was outstanding. Bottom fishing has picked up on the western side in the general area of Point No Point. Chumming for rock and blues continues to hold up throughout the lower bay. In general, the stripers have gotten a little bigger, and Joe recommends using larger chunks of alewives and fishing beneath the smaller fish. Joe says that there are some trout around but very difficult to locate.

While weather conditions during the past week remained relatively stable, the upper Chesapeake’s waters continue to resemble chocolate milk in many locations. Fortunately, the rivers are beginning to clear, and in some instances, bottom-fishing action for white perch and stripers seems to be slowly returning to normal.

Captain Bill said, “we’re catching fish again, some on the flats where there are some grass beds remaining. We caught rockfish to 30 inches while casting Tony spoons and popping plugs.” He said that a few crappie are beginning to bite near Town Park Pier, where live minnows were the best bet. Mike says white perch to 12 inches slammed jigging spoons fished in the North East River’s upper reaches, and there seems to be increasing numbers of tidewater largemouths showing up in the nearby coves. The lower end of Susquehanna Flats were covered with nearly 10 inches of silt from recent storms, but from all outward appearances, more than 75 percent of the flats were protected from siltation by aquatic grasses that filtered the water. Outside the grass beds are huge schools of carp, some tipping the scales at 10 to 15 pounds. These fish are a lot of fun to catch on light spinning gear and will gobble down a glob of night crawler or kernels of yellow corn fished on the bottom. Channel catfish seem to be migrating to deeper waters, but those caught lately weighed up to 12 pounds. Most were taken on bottom-fished chicken livers, night crawlers and cut herring baits.

In Rock Hall, there are good catches of white perch and striped bass were made just inside the mouth of Chester River by anglers drifting bloodworms and clam snouts. They were fishing along the river’s southern channel edge near Love Point Rip, and out in the bay from the submerged boulders near Tollchester Beach. Chummers continue to score on stripers ranging from 12-inch throwbacks to 24-inch keepers at Belvedere Shoals, Swan Point Bar and the Peach Orchard.

The action seems to slowing down in some areas, but we’re still catching rockfish to 30 inches while trolling at Hickory Thickets and Love Point. Rob says he’s dragging bucktails and small spoons just beneath the surface. He says there are still some bluefish ranging from 10 to 20 inches around.

In the Mid Bay, anglers are having good catches of small stripers were made in Kent Narrows where topwater plugs proved effective. Trollers in the open waters of Chesapeake Bay caught a few keeper-sized fish while dragging red surgical hose eels and small spoons near Bloody Point Light. White perch to 10 inches are still schooled along the channel edges of Eastern Bay, where bottom fished bloodworms and razor clams produced the best results when fished during the first few hours of ebb tide.

In Easton, Jim says the middle and lower reaches of the Choptank River held lots of small to mid-size rockfish and white perch. Bottom fished bloodworms were best for the perch when fished in depths of 12 to 15 feet. The stripers, some measuring up to 19 inches, smacked small bucktails and Stingsilvers fished in depths of 20 to 30 feet early and late in the day.

In Neavitt, there are mixed schools of breaking bluefish and stripers at Sharps Island Light, The Diamonds and just west of Poplar Island. These were locations where small jigging spoons and streamers flies lured both blues and rockfish ranging 12 to 18 inches.

Limits of stripers to 20 inches and similar size bluefish while chumming at The Gooses. Buddy says he’s anticipating a good run of larger stripers within the next few weeks.

At Taylor’s Island, Bruce reported striped bass action slowed a bit. However, the weakfish action picked up at Hooper Island Light, where jigging spoons lured trout to 19 inches.

At Hooper Island, boats continue to catch limits of stripers while chumming along the bay’s eastern channel edge south of Hooper Island Light. Gibby says the stripers ranged up to 22 inches, and there were lots of snapper bluefish in the chum slicks as well. Mixed schools of breaking rockfish and bluefish were also found at The Targets, where Stingsilvers cast among the breaking fish drew instant strikes.

In Salisbury,  currently, anglers are catching fair numbers of stripers at the Nanticoke River’s mouth, while at Roaring Point, there’s a mix of rockfish and white perch lurking along the beach that will smack a bottom fished chunk of bloodworm.

Anglers fishing out of Crisfield are finding excellent catches of stripers while chumming at the Southwest Middle Grounds. Both captains said the fish seem to be getting somewhat larger, and there are less throwbacks.

Captain Curtis is fishing just south of Buoy 72A. There, he’s chumming up a mix of rockfish and bluefish measuring up to 22 inches.

Captain Dave says there are still a few spot and weakfish around. However, most of his time is now spent chumming along the bay’s eastern channel edge.

Captain Butch spent the past week fishing the Northwest Middle Grounds. There, he’s catching a mix of rockfish and bluefish while chumming with ground menhaden.

Captain Keith  fished the bay’s eastern channel edge just north of the target ship. There, he found bluefish and stripers to 22 inches.
Captain John chummed at the southwest middle grounds and had no trouble limiting out on stripers. He said that he topped off the cooler with lots of tasty bluefish.

Captain Charlie chummed at the Northwest Middle Grounds last weekend. The said that they caught a mix of snapper bluefish and limits of stripers.
Captain Gerald says chumming with ground menhaden provided lots of light tackle action for him while fishing the bay’s eastern channel edge in depths of 35 to 40 feet. He said that swarms of bluefish and stripers ripped through the slicks every day when the weather cooperated.

In Pokomoke City, anglers reported good catches of weakfish, spot and a few croaker in lower Pocomoke Sound. An 8-pound flounder was weighed in at the shop that was caught by Mary of Baltimore while fishing Tangier Sound with a chunk of mullet. The flattie measured 26 inches long.

Delaware Bay is on fire. Anglers fishing the bay are finding croaker, weakfish, bluefish and some rockfish, as well as a couple of black drum. The fishing should only get better as water temperatures drop and the big rock should be moving into the area. Looks like the fall run is underway and should only get better as the season continues.

BE CAREFUL WHEN FISHING FOR ROCKFISH IN NEW JERSEY! New Jersey recently passed striped bass regulations which allow one slot fish from 24 to 28 inches and one over 34 inches; this is obviously different from our current regulations that allow two fish over 28 inches to be kept. When fishing in New Jersey waters, the only way to be safe is to only keep fish over 34 inches in length. If you keep a rock from 24 to 28 inches, when you travel back into Delaware waters, you’re illegal. You’re illegal if you keep a striper over 28 inches (but less than 34) in New Jersey. We’re not sure why New Jersey enacted such regulations, but it makes for trouble. We’ll keep our eyes on this as the season progresses.
In the Upper Bay, fishing action is picking up. He said that there are some croakers, flounder and stripers in the Cape May Rips. Ed said that the bass to 35 inches are around and hitting eels in the rips. Sounds like the fall season is starting!

In Odessa, Anglers have been catching flounder, trout, blues and tons of croakers off of Prime Hook. Around Port Mahon, rockfish, trout croaker and blues are hitting, with the incoming tide being the best. Off Slaughter Beach, croakers, flounder and trout are hitting, with croakers up to 20 inches. When asked about the size, Bob said that some of the rockfish are around 34 inches. The keeper rock have hit crab as well as mullet. Sounds like the run is about to happen.

In Leipsic, Steve reported that the fishing has been good, with croakers around. He said that stripers are hitting off the surf, and some black drum are hitting as well. He indicated that there are a few weakfish off the Number 2 reef off Port Mahon. Steve said that the best time to fish is the incoming tide. Steve said that the fine fall fishing is underway.

In Bower’s Beach, Captain Jack reported that the croakers are doing real well when fishing Blake’s Channel. He said that he’s seeing the occasional trout and bluefish.
Captain Dave said that he’s still landing croakers, trout and a few kingfish. He said that he’ll begin tog fishing this coming weekend. He said that he’s continuing to book for tog and striper trips, so give him a call now to book your charter. Dave said that he’s now booking for next year as well.
In Mispillion, Croakers, trout and bluefish are on tap, according to Marvin. He said that Broadkill Slough has been a hotspot, as well as Brown Shoal, with no tides being better than others.

In Slaughter Beach, Captain Ed  called and said that the weekend was beautiful, both weather and fishing-wise. He said that on Saturday and Sunday, he loaded the boat with croakers and a few trout. In addition, he said that he caught a small rockfish on Sunday, which is good news as the season begins to get underway. Ed said that he’ll be fishing for the remainder of the season, so give him a call if you’d like to get out.

Croakers and snapper blues remain the fish often found in the coolers of Delaware Bay anglers, but stripers are coming on fast. The hardheads and snappers are to be found everywhere from one end of the bay to the other and in deep water, inland spots and along the beach for surfcasters. Bloodworms or chicken on a 1/0 circle hook is the best way to go as this size hook is small enough to do the job even if you hit a larger fish and, being a circle hook, able to hook the fish in the lip instead of down deep. This is particularly helpful on the blues as very few are able to bite off your hook. The stripers are hitting bunker baits from the 32 and 34 Buoys, down to east of the Maull and in the Horseshoe area. A lot of throwbacks are being encountered but several fish in the 34-inch and above category have been taken. Undoubtedly many anglers will be switching over to stripers this weekend and it looks as if their decision will pay off.  Some weaks are still to be had but getting shedders is almost impossible.

According to Joe in Greenwich, there are unlimited croakers and snapper blues in the upper bay. Several throwback bass are on the Seabreeze bar, where Joe plus Frank Wetzel and Karl Blessing bailed lots of croakers plus a pair of keeper bass and two weaks. Very few trout are left in the upper bay.

In Money Island, anglers are taking stripers are being taken at the 32 and 34 Buoys on bunker. They have an ample supply of fresh bunker now. Mike Lopez fished several days and connected each time, with the largest bass being a 47 incher. Jeff Blithe boated a striper that went 44 inches.

In Bay Point, stripers are the big news .

In Delaware, The croaker bite continues to be good off the beaches, and the sea bass bite also seems to have picked up. Anglers fishing Reef Site 11, the B and A Buoys are landing good numbers of hardheads, some bluefish, flounder and plenty of sea bass (although the keepers are few and far between). Those heading offshore are finding good bluefin action, particularly at the Hot Dog and Hambone behind the scallop boats; remember that the current limit of bluefin is one per boat. Further offshore, the tuna action is good at the canyons, with the chunk bite getting better than the troll bite. The fall action is good, so get out there.
In Lewes, the tautog catches improved over the weekend, according to Joe. He said that more blackfish are beginning to show along the walls and ice breakers, but the best action took place on bay wrecks and reefs. Captain Pete returned with limits for his six-man parties on Friday and Saturday. An 11.7-pound tog, taken by Grant Aulenbach, topped Saturday’s boxful. Unfortunately, Grant’s fish was not entered in Lewes Harbor’s Tog tournament, according to Joe. The tournament runs all month and only costs $2 to enter! The crew scored 28 keeper tog plus 80 croakers on Saturday, and Jeremy Hamilton checked in a 4.18-pound tog that he boated aboard. Captain Chet’s groups on the Lil’ Angler enjoyed a mixed bag while anchored into a bay reef site, with each trip producing tog, triggerfish, sea bass, porgies, trout, croaker, blues and blowfish; now that’s a mixed bag! Herbert Hedge nailed a 4.62-pound triggerfish. Joe indicated that the outer wall produced respectable triggerfish as well, with Jane Sullivan nailing a 4.39-pound trigger and a 9.29-pound sheepshead. Paul Hazzard landed a 10.29-pound sheepshead at the ice breakers as well. Croakers remain plentiful at most locations throughout the bay, with the concentrations being found along the channel edges between Brandywine and the number 9 buoy. Outside, he said that fishing outside the wall from the ice breakers to Cape Henlopen and down outside the Hen and Chicken Shoal to the Number 5 buoy in 55 to 60 feet of water is also producing. The Hawkeye nailed triple digits of hardheads while drifting clams in front of the wall on Friday and Saturday. The bottom around DB buoy has been producing croakers, small trout, sea bass and snapper blues, and reef site number 11 held good numbers of sub-legal sea bass. Joe recommended fishing the wrecks that are located in over 100 feet of water. Nick Yengle was wreck fishing with captain Ricky when he nailed a 10.5-pound flounder, landing a good catch of sea bass and several slammer bluefish as well. Offshore, Joe said that the bluefin are still hanging around the scallop draggers that are working near the 30 Fathom Line, Hot Dog and Sausages.

Anglers have been catching blues (some big ones), ling, croakers, spot, flounder, kingfish and sheepshead, according to Joanne. On the striper front, she said that anglers are catching stripers, but there aren’t many keepers to date. Joanne said that both the incoming and outgoing tides have been best, but the big blues have been hitting at night. She recommends fishing cut mullet and finger mullet for the big blues.

The folks over at Bill’s Bait & Tackle called and rejoiced because Mother Nature gave us an entire week of decent weather. They said that surf fishing provided steady action on blues, croakers, kingfish, and an occasional striper. Larry Hilenski stopped limited out on blues to 18 inches, and Bill Weiss from used fresh mullet on green top and bottom rigs and caught a load of blues up to 19 inches and stripers up to 20 inches in the wash north of Rehoboth. One customer named Rick had good luck on the fly rod using white deceivers, landing stripers and loads of blues. They said that the Delaware Bay fishing proved “fruitful,” with customer Joel catching eight keeper trout on mullet and Ron Wyatt and Rich Harpel catching croaker, blues and sharks on cut mullet. Other customers named Wendy and Patsy caught croaker, spot, and a couple of trout on bloodworms. Mathew Lambert from Bills and Randy Brittingham fished Lewes Beach with mullet and blue filets and landed numerous croaker, blues, and kingfish, and Joe Giaquinto and his girlfriend (Darlene) fished Delaware Bay from Broadkill Beach and caught 32 croakers using bloods and squid in 2-1/2 hours time; what a good bite! Tom Griffith also fished Broadkill Beach, beaching 15 croakers and three ling on clam and mullet, and Darwin Nace nailed an 11.25-pound, citation winning sheepshead at the Ice Breakers at the mouth of Delaware Bay.  Chucky Cook fished Site 10 and an ocean wreck, nailing sea bass, trigger fish, tog, croaker, and blues on sand fleas, squid and green crabs, and Mike and Jeff Johnson caught over 100 sea bass at a local head boat. They said that Indian River has been full of small blues, shad, and small stripers, but Don Halverson caught a 13-pound linesider on a live eel. Willie Wright caught nine keeper tog to 6 pounds at Bubblegum Beach. Offshore, they indicated that anglers are still boating fish, although the numbers are beginning to drop. Louis Sartori caught two bluefin tuna (boating one) and one dolphin while trolling the Hambone, and Captain Tom’s group caught six bonita and two bluefin near the Chicken bone, and then caught more bonita on the way back to the docks. Captain Bob Wilson of AJ Charters fished the Baltimore Canyon and boated two wahoo and a dolphin, and locals John Schneider, Brad, and Andrew limited on yellowfin east of the Hot Dog and boated an 83.5-pound bluefin. The inshore and offshore action is good right now, so get out there and fish!
Rick at Henlopen Bait & Tackle reported that there are lots of croakers everywhere. He said that you can’t get past the croakers, and there are bluefish everywhere. Rick said that there are also small stripers around, but he hasn’t weighed any keeper bass yet. Rodney Shumaker landed a 24-inch citation sheepshead while fishing off the rock wall by the icebreakers.

Croaker continue to hit real well, according to Captain Ted . He said that the croaker bite has been so good that he’s gotta fish for them! He indicated that he’s been trying to fish for tog, but the water is so warm that he’s been able to do it just a little. Ted said that he’ll be fishing every day open boat trips, leaving the dock at 8 a.m. and will try to get some tog fishing in as well. He also said that he’ll begin running striper trips during the third week in October.
The tog action has been on fire, according to Captain Pete aboard the Top Fin. Dr. Mike Junk and Bob Witty landed 38 keeper tog, and Grant Aulenbach’s group nailed 33 tog, some sea bass and triggers and a 13-pound black drum. Rich Engle’s Electricians caught 62 keeper tog, and Grant Aulenbach’s group fished again, nailed 63 keeper tog to 11.8 pounds. Pete said that he has been fishing on local wrecks on any tides, all day long.
Captain John called and said that the croaker bite is still good; he said that he had a trip last week and did real well with them. John said that he’s now booking fall striper trips, so give him a call if you’d like to get out.

The tog action has been good, according to captain Carey aboard the Grizzley. Randy Goode’s group landed a number of big tog last weekend and currently leads the fall tog tournament that is run out of Lewes Harbor Marina. Ted Unrugh’s 7-pound, 9-ounce pound tog was big enough to jump into the lead in the tourney. Last Friday, Carl Reed’s group had a great day of togging, capturing the third place tog, a 7 pound, 1 ouncer. Mike Junk’s party also had a good day of tog fishing last Sunday. The terrific togging is underway!

At Indian River, Jack at Old Inlet Bait & Tackle called and said that anglers are catching blues along the beach, with some kingfish as well. He said that anglers are landing good numbers of blues in the inlet, and some tog are also being taken. Overall, Jack said that the action is good on the beaches and in the inlet; fall fishing is just fine right now!

Burt at Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em called and said that there are yellowfin and longfin offshore. He said that the Baltimore Canyon has been good, with anglers still landing bluefin at the Hambone. He said that bluefin are from 80 pounds up. Inshore, he said that there are croakers and trout, with sea bass on the wrecks and open bottom. They said that there are rockfish and blues off the beach, with the larger rockfish hitting live spot. The blues are almost 2 pounds in the inlet, and some trout are also in the inlet.
Captain Steve called and said that he has been landing plenty of croakers. Fred  and crew caught a cooler full of croaker and sea bass. Steve said that the tog are starting to show, and it should only be getting better. He said that the tuna action has been hot and cold, with him landing six longfin. On another overnighter, he had seven yellowfin with a combined weight of 400 pounds, and some dolphin and wahoo are mixed in. Steve indicated that the tuna are beginning to hit on the chunk around 4:30 a.m. then finishing up around daybreak.

Captain Ken aboard the #1 Hooker called and said that the fall fishing has been great! Ken said that he’s still booking for rockfish and bottom fish, so give him a call now to book your charter.
Captain John aboard the Karen Sue called and said that the inshore action has been great with tog on the inshore wrecks. On last Friday’s charter, he landed a cooler full of croaker then headed to a wreck and caught a limit of sea bass at the offshore wrecks. On Saturday, he caught tog and sea bass as well as nice flounder at the inshore wrecks, and on Sunday, he limited on tog and caught a number of spadefish on the inshore wrecks.
Captain Bob aboard the A.J. reported good inshore and offshore action. Early in the week, he ran off and landed a bunch of wahoo and dolphin in the Baltimore Canyon. Later in the week, he said that he caught a 51-pound bluefin at the Hot Dog, then landed a number of dolphin while trolling the canyon. Last Sunday, he fought rough seas to fill a cooler with croakers and sea trout at reef site number 10. The action is good all over!

The B and A Buoys and Reef Site 11 have been producing good numbers of sea bass, according to the folks at Rattle & Reel. They said that clams, fleas and squid are all producing, and big croakers and small trout were taken as close as the bell buoy outside the inlet and as far out as Reef Site 11. Big bluefish have shown on the Bass Grounds, the Southeast grounds and from the A Buoy to the Lightship Buoy, and the tog are hitting on the rockpiles and reefs; they said that some anglers are having better success than others, depending on the tides. However, they said that the action should improve as the water temperatures drop. They also indicated that anglers continue to pick away at stripers and trout along the Lewes walls and in the inlet at night, with live spot being the best bait. Huge numbers of blues are in the inlet, making fishing during daylight hours difficult. Offshore, they said that bluefin have been taken at the Hambone, and the Poorman’s and Baltimore Canyons continue to produce longfin, yellowfin, dolphin and the occasional wahoo. Captain Kelly fished with Paul Forrest and landed three yellowfin and two longfin at the Poorman’s Canyon.

The back bay action is still good, according to Rick at Rick’s Bait & Tackle. They said that there are not a lot of keeper fish, but there are lots of shark, throwback flounder and a few keepers thrown in. There are also a fair number of trout, with some measuring up to 20 inches, and small bluefish. They said that Indian River Inlet is providing snapper blues and lots of short stripers, with a few keepers thrown in. Tog can be found in the inlet and at Massey’s Ditch as well. Boyd and Rich Lord and Dave Lembach fished site #10 and landed sea bass and a few nice tog, and Dave, Rick and Levi Moritz and Ed Smith caught lots of big croaker, some sea bass, blues and trout north of B Buoy. They indicated that sand fleas and squid are the bait of choice, with salted clams also working. Chuck Cook and Chris Bledsoe fished site 11, catching sea bass and a few false albacore. Brian Harner, Ryan Miller, Daniel Mann and Dave Lacey nailed two citation wahoo, nine dolphin and had a white marlin release. Joe Nowicki was fishing with Dave Carr and Bill Folmar and landed a 30-pound bluefin at the B Buoy (that’s right, the B Buoy) while using a live bluefish for bait. Ken Clelland, Al Loaskin and Don Seiple fished the inlet where Dan boated a 9-1/2-pound flounder, and Andrew Gonzon and Tim Pulice fished with Rick, Brian Bergberon and Dan Paolini at the Hot Dog, catching six bluefin to 100 pounds, then trolling the Baltimore for one longfin, seven dolphin and two wahoo. Sounds like the offshore action is just as good!

Jocelyn at Pots Net Seaside Bait & Tackle reported good tuna action. Kevin Gills landed a 123-pound bigeye tuna, and Mark Smith caught a 64-pound tuna at the Baltimore Canyon. John Artysiewicz landed a 58-pound longfin, and Mike Martysiewicz caught a 55-pound longfin at the Baltimore Canyon. The boys went out again, with Mike catching a 47-pound longfin and wahoo at the Baltimore Canyon. Blake Miller caught a 60-pound longfin at the Baltimore, and Brooke Werner bested a 53-pound true albacore. Ryan Marshall caught a 52-pound albacore, and Dan Joenhour caught a 45-pound albacore. Richard Garris caught a 34-pound albacore, and Grant Gabel landed a 50-pound albacore. Doug Currin nailed an 11-pound tog inshore, and Frank Hudson caught a 24-pound striper at the Old Coast Guard station.

Captain Jim reported that the tuna action has been good. He fished with Melvin Romig, Gregory Fenard and John and David Murphy, landing eight yellowfin to 90 pounds at the South Poorman’s Canyon. Looks like those that can get out continue to score!

Greg at B&R Bait & Tackle said that there are lots of bluefish and kingfish being caught along the beaches. He said that the rockfish action has been hit-or-miss in the inlet, but the striper action along the beaches has been real slow to say the least. Let’s hope that action kicks up soon!

In Ocean City, Maryland, Captain Monty Hawkins, skipper of the Morning Star continues to catch good numbers of sea bass ranging from throwbacks to 4 pounds from nearby wrecks. Monty says there are some slammer bluefish following the migrating schools of sea bass and croaker, fish that frequently provide lots of excitement to anglers not prepared to battle these bruisers.

Lynn Jarmon of Delmarva Sports Center says there are a few flounder remaining in the back bays, some of which measure to 19 inches and smack live minnows and small spot fished close to the bottom. Rockfish weighing up 15 pounds were caught from the Route 50 Bridge at night while casting Tsunami lures.
Captain Joe Riley, skipper of the Muff Diver, says monster bluefin are still stacked up at the lumps just a short distance southeast of the Hambone. Bluefin tipping the scales at 100 to 230 pounds are smacking rigged butterfish baits fished in the chunk slicks, fish that will put the angler’s fishing skill and stamina to the ultimate test.

Captain Mark Hoos, skipper of the Marli, spent much of the past week chunking for bluefin as well. Mark says the fish remain plentiful, and the action at times is nonstop.

In Assateague, Lynn Jarmon at Delmarva Sports says only one red drum was caught during the past week, but there were loads of 10 to 12 inch bluefish and a few rockfish mixed with them. The largest striper measured just 27 inches and had to be released. Cut mullet baits have been the most productive for both species.

One might have guessed this week’s report would be mainly of striped bass lost, or landed, but that is not the case. Even though striper season opened, this week’s spotlight was on spot, red drum, flounder and wahoo. For starters, the registration of citation spot continued on a record setting pace, as nearly 600 fish qualified for an award the past week. Meanwhile, the Sandbridge Pier produced unprecedented numbers of 40-inch plus red drum, while veteran flounder fishermen described the flatfish action as, “the best in years” with limit catches of flatfish up to 12 pounds recorded. Offshore, trollers boated as many as eight big wahoo on a single outing, and most of these streamlined fish were big enough for citation awards.

In Chincoteague Captain Bob cashed in on big dolphin to over 20 pounds that were stacked up on a grass line at the tip of the Washington Canyon on Friday. A return trip on Saturday produced fewer dolphin but several yellowfin tuna.

Donna said flounder are abundant inside the inlet, but the throwback to keeper ration is about 10 to 1. Keeper-sized stripers (28 inches on the seaside and coastal waters) are available inside the inlet around structure. One of the biggest landed recently was caught by a lady angler fishing for flounder at the Queen’s Sound Bridge. The fish measured 36 inches and was caught on a minnow. The Assateague Island surf is alive with migrating fish. Bottom fishermen can expect strikes from bluefish, small black drum, spot, sea mullet, striped bass, shark and the occasional red drum.

Leslie was very pleased to report that trout made a good showing in area waters last week. He described the speckled trout bite as “strong” for anglers casting artificials in the skinny water around Parkers and Watts islands. As for grey trout, “there’s tons of them” in the area of buoys 2, 5 and 6 and most run 10 to 20 inches. Locating the thick schools on the depth recorder and then vertical jigging proved to be the most productive last week. Taylor bluefish are abundant in area waters, but the big open water schools of striped bass have yet to amass. “There are plenty of schoolies up to 5 pounds along the shorelines,” assured Leslie. On the seaside, the yellowfin tuna bite was “awesome” with many of the better hauls coming from the Norfolk Canyon “and south.” Schools of beefy 100-pound plus bluefin tuna arrived off the coast and seem to be holding along the 40-fathom line, according to Lee. Schools of 8 to 12-pound bluefish are also off the coast, and wreck fishermen were already complaining of bringing up “nothing but the head” of a large sea bass. Still, good hauls of large black sea bass were recorded at the Monroe, the Atwater and Marine Electric last week.

Captain Ralph reported inshore ocean wrecks hold good numbers of large black sea bass and hefty tautog, while offshore waters continue to produce good catches of yellowfin tuna, dolphin and wahoo. Some of the season’s biggest black sea bass and tautog are often caught in November and December, and Captain Bowen expects the tuna bite to last into November.

Matt told of excellent flounder action off Cape Charles. “I’ve weighed 16 citations just since Friday.” Even strong north winds on Sunday did not stop some anglers. “We had guys go this morning and come in before noon with their limit.” Buoy 18 was one hot spot, and the CBBT complex was the other. Diane  had the weekend’s biggest flatfish at 9-1/2 pounds and it was caught at the CBBT. Kennth Stoney Jr. nailed an 8-pound, 13-ounce flounder at the High Rise while both Julie West (8 pounds, 9 ounces) and Billy Carter (7 pounds, 5 ounces) caught award winning flounder at buoy 18 in 60 feet of water.  Speckled trout made a strong weekend showing. Kieth Kirby, Jr. (5-3/4 pounds and 5 pounds, 2 ounces) and fishing partner Chad Smith (5-1/4 pounds) each scored citations and a limit of the spotted fish. The pair were fishing out of the seaside port of Oyster, casting grub tails at the mouth of a drain on outgoing tide. Over on the bayside, Wade nailed a 5-pound, 3-ounce speckled trout at Hungars Creek. Waters just off the Cement Ships saw a good run of large spot, where Larry (17 ounces) and James (17 ounces) each had citation spot.

Captain Jim Jenrette aboard the Buccaneer worked the mussel beds past several days. They enjoyed good mixed catches of tautog, blowfish, pigfish, porgy and flounder.

In Virginia Beach, Captain David had excellent catches of yellowfin tuna, big wahoo and false albacore long enough to qualify for release awards early in the week. The hot spot was along the 115-line in 35 to 45 fathoms. False albacore were more plentiful in the shallow end, while wahoo were most abundant in the deeper. Later in the week, wire lining the tube between the Third and Fourth island produced limits of striped bass.
Big spot were still running strong over the weekend and David provided some of the best evidence. “I’ve already weighed 15 citation spot today (Sunday) and gone through 10 cases of bloodworms.” Flounder fishing quickly reached peak levels, as lower bay waters have finally cleared from all the rainfall. The shop weighed numerous citation flounder the past several days; many topped 8 pounds, and the heaviest went 9 pounds and Jerry caught it. David said the best of the flounder bite was east of the CBBT. Danny was even more impressed with the huge tautog brought in by Ralph. The monster fish weighed 13 pounds, 13 ounces and was caught at the Second Island on cut crab.

As the weather cools, fishing along the Outer Banks is heating up. Anglers can enjoy great weather, uncrowded conditions, and awesome catching. The spot are all along the coast from Corrolla to Atlantic Beach. With the spot, big drum were caught from Avalon Pier to the south end of Ocracoke Island. Speckled trout fishermen reported that no speckled trout were caught, which means that the speckled trout fishing is great. Look for trout on the beach in Nags Head and Kitty Hawk or from a skiff in the sound. Offshore, the first giant bluefin tuna was caught out of Hatteras Inlet, while yellowfin and blackfin were thick all through the bluewater. A few billfish remain, and the wahoo and dolphin are still strong.

In Corolla, the puppy drum bite is going off on the 4×4 beach. Anglers are using cut finger mullet on a Carolina rig to target keeper-sized drum in the shore break. A chunk of mullet on a bottom rig, cast out beyond the bar, will find the fish when the tide is low.

In Kitty Hawk, there are some nice speckled trout caught from the beach on the north side of Avalon and Nags Head piers by anglers using MirrOlures or green-tailed grubs on 1/2-ounce head. Several citation spot were caught on chunks of bloodworms while trophy pompano were taken on shrimp.

Those fishing for wahoo this week did quite well, with several boats bringing in multiple wahoo. The tuna bite is still getting underway, while the marlin action continues to be exciting. Inshore boats have found the king mackerel in close on live bait, while albacore were caught on small Clark or Drone spoons trolled fast behind an 8-ounce inline sinker or a Number 1 planer. Inshore, they had flounder, trout, stripers, and blues.

In Oregon Inlet, there is great tuna fishing and solid bites of dolphin. The wahoo are mixed in, and the billfish keep biting. Inshore, the king mackerel fishing has been firing up, while anglers entertain themselves with catch-and-release stripers. Ocean boats have started to find some keepers just off the beach. Up in the sound, the open boats are finding flounder and speckled trout. The headboat picked up croakers and a few speckled trout.

We finally had a week of decent weather, with plenty of sunshine, low humidity and at times unseasonably cool temperatures. Water conditions in our streams, creeks, lakes and rivers are returning to normal following recent flooding, and fishing has been improving in many areas. Smallmouth bass fishing in the Susquehanna River, particularly in the Harrisburg area, has been good with fish taken on green pumpkin plastic tubes and suspending jerkbaits. Smallmouth bass and stripers have been reported just below Conowingo Dam, while nice largemouth bass have been caught on Susquehanna Flats by anglers working the grass clumps with spinnerbaits and jigs. Hearns Pond and Broad Creek in southern Delaware have featured bass action on crankbaits and soft plastics. In northern Delaware, trout have been pulled from White Clay Creek. Action with smallmouth bass on the upper Potomac River and largemouth bass on the tidal Potomac has been improving.

Trout have been caught in White Clay Creek. He said they’re big leftover brown trout from last season, and they’ve been taken on black and white Roostertail spinners, trout worms, meal worms, and Power Baits. Mike said recent high and fast water washed the fish as far down as to where the tidal water starts, and trout have been caught from there up as far as Newark. In Maryland, the fall stocking of trout in Big Elk Creek began last week. Tom Taylor stopped by Eastern to report catching bass Friday morning in Lums Pond on a crawdad colored Bomber Fat A, and also a Bandit crankbait in black and red.

Charlie has been catching big fish on bullhead minnows fished on a jighead. Rob weighed in an impressive 12-pound, 8-ounce catfish he had caught on shrimp in the C & D Canal during the early morning hours.

Anglers soaking night crawlers and bloodworm in the Christiana have hooked up with white perch, catfish and small rockfish. Some smallmouth have come from the Brandywine on night crawlers and minnows.

Hearns Pond has been a southern Delaware hot spot, according to Jerry. He said shallow-running crankbaits and soft plastics have triggered the majority of strikes. In Broad Creek, bass have been holding tight to structure, and they’ve whacked soft plastics and crankbaits that run about 5 or 6 feet below the surface.

In Maryland, Crappie in Liberty Reservoir continue to eat fathead minnows and Mini Mites fished from the Nicodemus Bridge.  The water in Liberty is clearing up, and the action to only get better in the days and weeks ahead. Piney Run anglers have reported good crappie fishing on minnows and small shad darts. Smallmouth bass in Prettyboy Reservoir can be caught on live crayfish, “if you can get them.” If not, try medium shiners and crankbaits.

Guides reported excellent Susquehanna River smallmouth bass action at Duncannon. Bass have blasted spinnerbaits and Mizmo plastic tubes at the mouth of the Juniata, along the shoreline south of Riverfront Campground, and at islands upriver toward Montgomery Ferry.

Catfish in Octoraro Reservoir remain willing and ready to jump on pike shiners and Nitro worms. Jim at Neary’s Live Bait & Tackle said fishing those baits on the bottom on a fish-finder rig is a great way to catch the catties. Crappie have been caught on fathead minnows hooked through the lips on a ballhead jig and fished under a bobber. Some of the more productive locations have included wood in 6 feet of water or less. Some anglers have been searching out bigger crappie by trolling small crankbaits, including a 1/8-ounce Rat-L-Trap. Plastic worms have been the best bait for bass, and Jim said blue has been the hot color in recent weeks.