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Updated: July 16, 2010 DELAWARE BAY Flounder are the primary target of Delaware Bay anglers and most are finding some success. Shorts still outnumber keepers, but a concentrated effort over reef sites and other hard structure should put meat in the cooler. On Monday I fished out of Cedar Creek with Mike Pizzolato on his boat and we managed to catch three keepers on minnows with either a strip of squid or bluefish. Mike had a 5.7 pounder at Reef Site 7, I had a 3.3 pounder at Reef Site 6 and we teamed up to catch a 19-incher at G Buoy. While drifting for the flounder I had something that kept pecking away at my squid or bluefish strips. We planned to go back out on Friday so I could try smaller bait and hooks to see what else may be down there. Perhaps some croaker. The charter and head boat fleet would love to see those fish show up in large numbers. The upper bay around the Cross Ledge and Ship John has seen some excellent flounder fishing with limits reported by several anglers. Boats are launching at Woodland Beach and Port Mahon to reach these locations. Further up the bay and in the lower Delaware River there are some slot rockfish being caught on bloodworms and cut bunker. The tidal creeks are also seeing rockfish action with the best of it at the mouths where the creeks empty into the bay or river. White perch remain numerous in the tidal creeks with excellent catches made on bloodworms and grass shrimp. The always popular catfish is also available in the same locations. The Outer Wall and the Ice Breakers have given up some tog and the occasional sheepshead. Sand fleas and green crabs are the bait of choice for these fish. We have had reports of increasing numbers of triggerfish at the walls and on the reef sites. They will take the same baits. Rockfish are here as well, but feed primarily at dawn, dusk and after dark. Eels, spot, plugs and bucktails have accounted for slot size and larger rock. The Cape Henlopen Pier is seeing croaker and spot caught on bloodworms and FishBites. A few flounder were taken on live minnows. The shallow water along Broadkill and Lewes beaches holds a few keeper flounder. Reports of croaker come from the same locations. Bluefish are where ever you find them or they find you. Should you happen upon a flock of birds working over a school of blues, try tossing small metal lures to the fish. INSHORE OCEAN Flounder have been caught at reef sites 10 and 11, the Old Grounds and along the channel edge between B and A buoys. Several large flounder were reported on 3 to 5-ounce bucktails tipped with squid or fish strips. Sea bass were also caught at the reef sites and over inshore wrecks, but keepers were difficult to come by. Tog have been mixed in with the flounder and sea bass. Trollers along the buoy line are beginning to find dolphin and bluefish. For the most part the fish are small, but should the water continue to warm, larger dolphin could make an appearance. Bluefin tuna were reported at the inshore lumps where dolphin have also been caught. With a daily limit of one tuna per private boat, most anglers are catching their one fish and moving further offshore in pursuit of billfish and yellowfin. The warm clear water currently at the lumps could attract the occasional white marlin. Back in the 1980s I had a white at the Tea Cup so seeing them now would not be that surprising. OFFSHORE OCEAN Apparently there are more marlin in the canyons than tuna. This is somewhat unusual, but should be good news for the contestants in the White Marlin Open scheduled for the first week in August. The best yellowfin bite has been north of the Wilmington Canyon where the water is a bit cooler. Dolphin are available with some over 20 pounds taken over the weekend. INDIAN RIVER INLET Nighttime rockfish action has been good for those soaking eels. Reports indicate the rock are hitting best on the incoming and during the first hour of the ebb. Black plugs and bucktails will also attract attention from the rockfish. One rock over 30 pounds was taken during the daytime on a live spot. Spot are still not readily available and when a tackle shop gets some they are quickly gone. Spot not only work in rockfish, they also attract impressive size flounder. More conventional flounder baits such as squid, minnows, shiner and Gulp! are catching good numbers of flounder from Indian River and Rehoboth bays, Massey’s Ditch and at the inlet. On the downside, most of these fish are too short to keep. Blues and shad come through the inlet during incoming water. This doesn’t happen on every tide and is more likely when the flood tide coincides with dawn or dusk. Fishing with crab or sand fleas from the rocks has been fair for tog and the occasional sheepshead. Crabbing has been good in Indian River near the Power Plant. SURF We keep getting reports of kingfish and croaker in the surf at Conquest and 3Rs Road, but cannot get up the willpower to arise before dawn to catch them. Bloodworms will always be the best bait for these fish and going surf fishing without some would be a serious error. There have been a few blues along the beach along with skates and dog sharks. Flounder are possible if you work a bucktail tipped with squid or cut fish strips right in the wash. FRESHWATER Bass fishing is defiantly a dawn or dusk operation on Delaware ponds. The weather and the water are too hot for man or fish to be out during the daytime. Scum Frogs and other top water lures have been effective. The Nanticoke River is producing bass on a falling tide. Worms, crankbaits and spinner baits will find the fish. The Brandywine Creek holds cool water and smallmouth bass. The recent heavy rains have made the creek a bit too dangerous for drifting and waders need to exercise extreme caution. CATCHING TRIGGERFISH My first experience with triggerfish came while on a long-range head boat trip out of Morehead City, North Carolina. We were in deep water and something kept pecking at my bait that I could not catch. Changing to a smaller hook provided the answer; the bait stealers were triggerfish. Triggers have become common in Delaware over the past few years and can be caught over hard structure from the Delaware Bay to the inshore ocean reefs and wrecks. They are hard fighters and great eating so rigging up for them is a good idea. I use a two-hook bottom rig tied from 50-pound leader material. A perfection loop is on top with a large double surgeon’s loop on the bottom. Two double surgeon’s loops are tied between the top and bottom loops. As I tie each of these loops I incorporate a small circle hook so when the knot is complete the hook dangles from the loop. This results in a very short leader to the hook that will transmit the lite bite of a trigger up the line to the angler. With a sinker on the bottom loop and the perfection loop secured to the running line I am ready to fish. Clam or crab is excellent bait for triggerfish, but Gulp! or FishBites will stay on the hook much longer. Triggers have very strong teeth and will bite through your hook before the day is over. I always tie two or three rigs to compensate for that and the fact that I am fishing over hard structure. Triggers hit with a series of quick bites and will strip the bait before you can set the hook. A fast response to any tap is required unless you want to spend the day feeding triggerfish without putting any in the cooler.. http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Fisheries...ingReport.aspx

Updated: July 16, 2010 DELAWARE BAY Flounder are the primary target of Delaware Bay anglers and most are finding some success. Shorts still outnumber keepers, but a concentrated effort over reef sites and other hard structure should put meat in the cooler. On Monday I fished out of Cedar Creek with Mike Pizzolato on his boat and we managed to catch three keepers on minnows with either a strip of squid or bluefish. Mike had a 5.7 pounder at Reef Site 7, I had a 3.3 pounder at Reef Site 6 and we teamed up to catch a 19-incher at G Buoy. While drifting for the flounder I had something that kept pecking away at my squid or bluefish strips. We planned to go back out on Friday so I could try smaller bait and hooks to see what else may be down there. Perhaps some croaker. The charter and head boat fleet would love to see those fish show up in large numbers. The upper bay around the Cross Ledge and Ship John has seen some excellent flounder fishing with limits reported by several anglers. Boats are launching at Woodland Beach and Port Mahon to reach these locations. Further up the bay and in the lower Delaware River there are some slot rockfish being caught on bloodworms and cut bunker. The tidal creeks are also seeing rockfish action with the best of it at the mouths where the creeks empty into the bay or river. White perch remain numerous in the tidal creeks with excellent catches made on bloodworms and grass shrimp. The always popular catfish is also available in the same locations. The Outer Wall and the Ice Breakers have given up some tog and the occasional sheepshead. Sand fleas and green crabs are the bait of choice for these fish. We have had reports of increasing numbers of triggerfish at the walls and on the reef sites. They will take the same baits. Rockfish are here as well, but feed primarily at dawn, dusk and after dark. Eels, spot, plugs and bucktails have accounted for slot size and larger rock. The Cape Henlopen Pier is seeing croaker and spot caught on bloodworms and FishBites. A few flounder were taken on live minnows. The shallow water along Broadkill and Lewes beaches holds a few keeper flounder. Reports of croaker come from the same locations. Bluefish are where ever you find them or they find you. Should you happen upon a flock of birds working over a school of blues, try tossing small metal lures to the fish. INSHORE OCEAN Flounder have been caught at reef sites 10 and 11, the Old Grounds and along the channel edge between B and A buoys. Several large flounder were reported on 3 to 5-ounce bucktails tipped with squid or fish strips. Sea bass were also caught at the reef sites and over inshore wrecks, but keepers were difficult to come by. Tog have been mixed in with the flounder and sea bass. Trollers along the buoy line are beginning to find dolphin and bluefish. For the most part the fish are small, but should the water continue to warm, larger dolphin could make an appearance. Bluefin tuna were reported at the inshore lumps where dolphin have also been caught. With a daily limit of one tuna per private boat, most anglers are catching their one fish and moving further offshore in pursuit of billfish and yellowfin. The warm clear water currently at the lumps could attract the occasional white marlin. Back in the 1980s I had a white at the Tea Cup so seeing them now would not be that surprising. OFFSHORE OCEAN Apparently there are more marlin in the canyons than tuna. This is somewhat unusual, but should be good news for the contestants in the White Marlin Open scheduled for the first week in August. The best yellowfin bite has been north of the Wilmington Canyon where the water is a bit cooler. Dolphin are available with some over 20 pounds taken over the weekend. INDIAN RIVER INLET Nighttime rockfish action has been good for those soaking eels. Reports indicate the rock are hitting best on the incoming and during the first hour of the ebb. Black plugs and bucktails will also attract attention from the rockfish. One rock over 30 pounds was taken during the daytime on a live spot. Spot are still not readily available and when a tackle shop gets some they are quickly gone. Spot not only work in rockfish, they also attract impressive size flounder. More conventional flounder baits such as squid, minnows, shiner and Gulp! are catching good numbers of flounder from Indian River and Rehoboth bays, Massey’s Ditch and at the inlet. On the downside, most of these fish are too short to keep. Blues and shad come through the inlet during incoming water. This doesn’t happen on every tide and is more likely when the flood tide coincides with dawn or dusk. Fishing with crab or sand fleas from the rocks has been fair for tog and the occasional sheepshead. Crabbing has been good in Indian River near the Power Plant. SURF We keep getting reports of kingfish and croaker in the surf at Conquest and 3Rs Road, but cannot get up the willpower to arise before dawn to catch them. Bloodworms will always be the best bait for these fish and going surf fishing without some would be a serious error. There have been a few blues along the beach along with skates and dog sharks. Flounder are possible if you work a bucktail tipped with squid or cut fish strips right in the wash. FRESHWATER Bass fishing is defiantly a dawn or dusk operation on Delaware ponds. The weather and the water are too hot for man or fish to be out during the daytime. Scum Frogs and other top water lures have been effective. The Nanticoke River is producing bass on a falling tide. Worms, crankbaits and spinner baits will find the fish. The Brandywine Creek holds cool water and smallmouth bass. The recent heavy rains have made the creek a bit too dangerous for drifting and waders need to exercise extreme caution. CATCHING TRIGGERFISH My first experience with triggerfish came while on a long-range head boat trip out of Morehead City, North Carolina. We were in deep water and something kept pecking at my bait that I could not catch. Changing to a smaller hook provided the answer; the bait stealers were triggerfish. Triggers have become common in Delaware over the past few years and can be caught over hard structure from the Delaware Bay to the inshore ocean reefs and wrecks. They are hard fighters and great eating so rigging up for them is a good idea. I use a two-hook bottom rig tied from 50-pound leader material. A perfection loop is on top with a large double surgeon’s loop on the bottom. Two double surgeon’s loops are tied between the top and bottom loops. As I tie each of these loops I incorporate a small circle hook so when the knot is complete the hook dangles from the loop. This results in a very short leader to the hook that will transmit the lite bite of a trigger up the line to the angler. With a sinker on the bottom loop and the perfection loop secured to the running line I am ready to fish. Clam or crab is excellent bait for triggerfish, but Gulp! or FishBites will stay on the hook much longer. Triggers have very strong teeth and will bite through your hook before the day is over. I always tie two or three rigs to compensate for that and the fact that I am fishing over hard structure. Triggers hit with a series of quick bites and will strip the bait before you can set the hook. A fast response to any tap is required unless you want to spend the day feeding triggerfish without putting any in the cooler.. http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Fisheries...ingReport.aspx

Updated: July 16, 2010 DELAWARE BAY Flounder are the primary target of Delaware Bay anglers and most are finding some success. Shorts still outnumber keepers, but a concentrated effort over reef sites and other hard structure should put meat in the cooler. On Monday I fished out of Cedar Creek with Mike Pizzolato on his boat and we managed to catch three keepers on minnows with either a strip of squid or bluefish. Mike had a 5.7 pounder at Reef Site 7, I had a 3.3 pounder at Reef Site 6 and we teamed up to catch a 19-incher at G Buoy. While drifting for the flounder I had something that kept pecking away at my squid or bluefish strips. We planned to go back out on Friday so I could try smaller bait and hooks to see what else may be down there. Perhaps some croaker. The charter and head boat fleet would love to see those fish show up in large numbers. The upper bay around the Cross Ledge and Ship John has seen some excellent flounder fishing with limits reported by several anglers. Boats are launching at Woodland Beach and Port Mahon to reach these locations. Further up the bay and in the lower Delaware River there are some slot rockfish being caught on bloodworms and cut bunker. The tidal creeks are also seeing rockfish action with the best of it at the mouths where the creeks empty into the bay or river. White perch remain numerous in the tidal creeks with excellent catches made on bloodworms and grass shrimp. The always popular catfish is also available in the same locations. The Outer Wall and the Ice Breakers have given up some tog and the occasional sheepshead. Sand fleas and green crabs are the bait of choice for these fish. We have had reports of increasing numbers of triggerfish at the walls and on the reef sites. They will take the same baits. Rockfish are here as well, but feed primarily at dawn, dusk and after dark. Eels, spot, plugs and bucktails have accounted for slot size and larger rock. The Cape Henlopen Pier is seeing croaker and spot caught on bloodworms and FishBites. A few flounder were taken on live minnows. The shallow water along Broadkill and Lewes beaches holds a few keeper flounder. Reports of croaker come from the same locations. Bluefish are where ever you find them or they find you. Should you happen upon a flock of birds working over a school of blues, try tossing small metal lures to the fish. INSHORE OCEAN Flounder have been caught at reef sites 10 and 11, the Old Grounds and along the channel edge between B and A buoys. Several large flounder were reported on 3 to 5-ounce bucktails tipped with squid or fish strips. Sea bass were also caught at the reef sites and over inshore wrecks, but keepers were difficult to come by. Tog have been mixed in with the flounder and sea bass. Trollers along the buoy line are beginning to find dolphin and bluefish. For the most part the fish are small, but should the water continue to warm, larger dolphin could make an appearance. Bluefin tuna were reported at the inshore lumps where dolphin have also been caught. With a daily limit of one tuna per private boat, most anglers are catching their one fish and moving further offshore in pursuit of billfish and yellowfin. The warm clear water currently at the lumps could attract the occasional white marlin. Back in the 1980s I had a white at the Tea Cup so seeing them now would not be that surprising. OFFSHORE OCEAN Apparently there are more marlin in the canyons than tuna. This is somewhat unusual, but should be good news for the contestants in the White Marlin Open scheduled for the first week in August. The best yellowfin bite has been north of the Wilmington Canyon where the water is a bit cooler. Dolphin are available with some over 20 pounds taken over the weekend. INDIAN RIVER INLET Nighttime rockfish action has been good for those soaking eels. Reports indicate the rock are hitting best on the incoming and during the first hour of the ebb. Black plugs and bucktails will also attract attention from the rockfish. One rock over 30 pounds was taken during the daytime on a live spot. Spot are still not readily available and when a tackle shop gets some they are quickly gone. Spot not only work in rockfish, they also attract impressive size flounder. More conventional flounder baits such as squid, minnows, shiner and Gulp! are catching good numbers of flounder from Indian River and Rehoboth bays, Massey’s Ditch and at the inlet. On the downside, most of these fish are too short to keep. Blues and shad come through the inlet during incoming water. This doesn’t happen on every tide and is more likely when the flood tide coincides with dawn or dusk. Fishing with crab or sand fleas from the rocks has been fair for tog and the occasional sheepshead. Crabbing has been good in Indian River near the Power Plant. SURF We keep getting reports of kingfish and croaker in the surf at Conquest and 3Rs Road, but cannot get up the willpower to arise before dawn to catch them. Bloodworms will always be the best bait for these fish and going surf fishing without some would be a serious error. There have been a few blues along the beach along with skates and dog sharks. Flounder are possible if you work a bucktail tipped with squid or cut fish strips right in the wash. FRESHWATER Bass fishing is defiantly a dawn or dusk operation on Delaware ponds. The weather and the water are too hot for man or fish to be out during the daytime. Scum Frogs and other top water lures have been effective. The Nanticoke River is producing bass on a falling tide. Worms, crankbaits and spinner baits will find the fish. The Brandywine Creek holds cool water and smallmouth bass. The recent heavy rains have made the creek a bit too dangerous for drifting and waders need to exercise extreme caution. CATCHING TRIGGERFISH My first experience with triggerfish came while on a long-range head boat trip out of Morehead City, North Carolina. We were in deep water and something kept pecking at my bait that I could not catch. Changing to a smaller hook provided the answer; the bait stealers were triggerfish. Triggers have become common in Delaware over the past few years and can be caught over hard structure from the Delaware Bay to the inshore ocean reefs and wrecks. They are hard fighters and great eating so rigging up for them is a good idea. I use a two-hook bottom rig tied from 50-pound leader material. A perfection loop is on top with a large double surgeon’s loop on the bottom. Two double surgeon’s loops are tied between the top and bottom loops. As I tie each of these loops I incorporate a small circle hook so when the knot is complete the hook dangles from the loop. This results in a very short leader to the hook that will transmit the lite bite of a trigger up the line to the angler. With a sinker on the bottom loop and the perfection loop secured to the running line I am ready to fish. Clam or crab is excellent bait for triggerfish, but Gulp! or FishBites will stay on the hook much longer. Triggers have very strong teeth and will bite through your hook before the day is over. I always tie two or three rigs to compensate for that and the fact that I am fishing over hard structure. Triggers hit with a series of quick bites and will strip the bait before you can set the hook. A fast response to any tap is required unless you want to spend the day feeding triggerfish without putting any in the cooler.. http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Fisheries...ingReport.aspx

Updated: July 16, 2010 DELAWARE BAY Flounder are the primary target of Delaware Bay anglers and most are finding some success. Shorts still outnumber keepers, but a concentrated effort over reef sites and other hard structure should put meat in the cooler. On Monday I fished out of Cedar Creek with Mike Pizzolato on his boat and we managed to catch three keepers on minnows with either a strip of squid or bluefish. Mike had a 5.7 pounder at Reef Site 7, I had a 3.3 pounder at Reef Site 6 and we teamed up to catch a 19-incher at G Buoy. While drifting for the flounder I had something that kept pecking away at my squid or bluefish strips. We planned to go back out on Friday so I could try smaller bait and hooks to see what else may be down there. Perhaps some croaker. The charter and head boat fleet would love to see those fish show up in large numbers. The upper bay around the Cross Ledge and Ship John has seen some excellent flounder fishing with limits reported by several anglers. Boats are launching at Woodland Beach and Port Mahon to reach these locations. Further up the bay and in the lower Delaware River there are some slot rockfish being caught on bloodworms and cut bunker. The tidal creeks are also seeing rockfish action with the best of it at the mouths where the creeks empty into the bay or river. White perch remain numerous in the tidal creeks with excellent catches made on bloodworms and grass shrimp. The always popular catfish is also available in the same locations. The Outer Wall and the Ice Breakers have given up some tog and the occasional sheepshead. Sand fleas and green crabs are the bait of choice for these fish. We have had reports of increasing numbers of triggerfish at the walls and on the reef sites. They will take the same baits. Rockfish are here as well, but feed primarily at dawn, dusk and after dark. Eels, spot, plugs and bucktails have accounted for slot size and larger rock. The Cape Henlopen Pier is seeing croaker and spot caught on bloodworms and FishBites. A few flounder were taken on live minnows. The shallow water along Broadkill and Lewes beaches holds a few keeper flounder. Reports of croaker come from the same locations. Bluefish are where ever you find them or they find you. Should you happen upon a flock of birds working over a school of blues, try tossing small metal lures to the fish. INSHORE OCEAN Flounder have been caught at reef sites 10 and 11, the Old Grounds and along the channel edge between B and A buoys. Several large flounder were reported on 3 to 5-ounce bucktails tipped with squid or fish strips. Sea bass were also caught at the reef sites and over inshore wrecks, but keepers were difficult to come by. Tog have been mixed in with the flounder and sea bass. Trollers along the buoy line are beginning to find dolphin and bluefish. For the most part the fish are small, but should the water continue to warm, larger dolphin could make an appearance. Bluefin tuna were reported at the inshore lumps where dolphin have also been caught. With a daily limit of one tuna per private boat, most anglers are catching their one fish and moving further offshore in pursuit of billfish and yellowfin. The warm clear water currently at the lumps could attract the occasional white marlin. Back in the 1980s I had a white at the Tea Cup so seeing them now would not be that surprising. OFFSHORE OCEAN Apparently there are more marlin in the canyons than tuna. This is somewhat unusual, but should be good news for the contestants in the White Marlin Open scheduled for the first week in August. The best yellowfin bite has been north of the Wilmington Canyon where the water is a bit cooler. Dolphin are available with some over 20 pounds taken over the weekend. INDIAN RIVER INLET Nighttime rockfish action has been good for those soaking eels. Reports indicate the rock are hitting best on the incoming and during the first hour of the ebb. Black plugs and bucktails will also attract attention from the rockfish. One rock over 30 pounds was taken during the daytime on a live spot. Spot are still not readily available and when a tackle shop gets some they are quickly gone. Spot not only work in rockfish, they also attract impressive size flounder. More conventional flounder baits such as squid, minnows, shiner and Gulp! are catching good numbers of flounder from Indian River and Rehoboth bays, Massey’s Ditch and at the inlet. On the downside, most of these fish are too short to keep. Blues and shad come through the inlet during incoming water. This doesn’t happen on every tide and is more likely when the flood tide coincides with dawn or dusk. Fishing with crab or sand fleas from the rocks has been fair for tog and the occasional sheepshead. Crabbing has been good in Indian River near the Power Plant. SURF We keep getting reports of kingfish and croaker in the surf at Conquest and 3Rs Road, but cannot get up the willpower to arise before dawn to catch them. Bloodworms will always be the best bait for these fish and going surf fishing without some would be a serious error. There have been a few blues along the beach along with skates and dog sharks. Flounder are possible if you work a bucktail tipped with squid or cut fish strips right in the wash. FRESHWATER Bass fishing is defiantly a dawn or dusk operation on Delaware ponds. The weather and the water are too hot for man or fish to be out during the daytime. Scum Frogs and other top water lures have been effective. The Nanticoke River is producing bass on a falling tide. Worms, crankbaits and spinner baits will find the fish. The Brandywine Creek holds cool water and smallmouth bass. The recent heavy rains have made the creek a bit too dangerous for drifting and waders need to exercise extreme caution. CATCHING TRIGGERFISH My first experience with triggerfish came while on a long-range head boat trip out of Morehead City, North Carolina. We were in deep water and something kept pecking at my bait that I could not catch. Changing to a smaller hook provided the answer; the bait stealers were triggerfish. Triggers have become common in Delaware over the past few years and can be caught over hard structure from the Delaware Bay to the inshore ocean reefs and wrecks. They are hard fighters and great eating so rigging up for them is a good idea. I use a two-hook bottom rig tied from 50-pound leader material. A perfection loop is on top with a large double surgeon’s loop on the bottom. Two double surgeon’s loops are tied between the top and bottom loops. As I tie each of these loops I incorporate a small circle hook so when the knot is complete the hook dangles from the loop. This results in a very short leader to the hook that will transmit the lite bite of a trigger up the line to the angler. With a sinker on the bottom loop and the perfection loop secured to the running line I am ready to fish. Clam or crab is excellent bait for triggerfish, but Gulp! or FishBites will stay on the hook much longer. Triggers have very strong teeth and will bite through your hook before the day is over. I always tie two or three rigs to compensate for that and the fact that I am fishing over hard structure. Triggers hit with a series of quick bites and will strip the bait before you can set the hook. A fast response to any tap is required unless you want to spend the day feeding triggerfish without putting any in the cooler.. http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Fisheries...ingReport.aspx

Updated: July 16, 2010

DELAWARE BAY Flounder are the primary target of Delaware Bay anglers and most are finding some success. Shorts still outnumber keepers, but a concentrated effort over reef sites and other hard structure should put meat in the cooler.

On Monday I fished out of Cedar Creek with Mike Pizzolato on his boat and we managed to catch three keepers on minnows with either a strip of squid or bluefish. Mike had a 5.7 pounder at Reef Site 7, I had a 3.3 pounder at Reef Site 6 and we teamed up to catch a 19-incher at G Buoy.

While drifting for the flounder I had something that kept pecking away at my squid or bluefish strips. We planned to go back out on Friday so I could try smaller bait and hooks to see what else may be down there. Perhaps some croaker. The charter and head boat fleet would love to see those fish show up in large numbers.

The upper bay around the Cross Ledge and Ship John has seen some excellent flounder fishing with limits reported by several anglers. Boats are launching at Woodland Beach and Port Mahon to reach these locations.

Further up the bay and in the lower Delaware River there are some slot rockfish being caught on bloodworms and cut bunker. The tidal creeks are also seeing rockfish action with the best of it at the mouths where the creeks empty into the bay or river.

White perch remain numerous in the tidal creeks with excellent catches made on bloodworms and grass shrimp. The always popular catfish is also available in the same locations.

The Outer Wall and the Ice Breakers have given up some tog and the occasional sheepshead. Sand fleas and green crabs are the bait of choice for these fish. We have had reports of increasing numbers of triggerfish at the walls and on the reef sites. They will take the same baits. Rockfish are here as well, but feed primarily at dawn, dusk and after dark. Eels, spot, plugs and bucktails have accounted for slot size and larger rock.

The Cape Henlopen Pier is seeing croaker and spot caught on bloodworms and FishBites. A few flounder were taken on live minnows. The shallow water along Broadkill and Lewes beaches holds a few keeper flounder. Reports of croaker come from the same locations.
Bluefish are where ever you find them or they find you. Should you happen upon a flock of birds working over a school of blues, try tossing small metal lures to the fish.

INSHORE OCEAN Flounder have been caught at reef sites 10 and 11, the Old Grounds and along the channel edge between B and A buoys. Several large flounder were reported on 3 to 5-ounce bucktails tipped with squid or fish strips.

Sea bass were also caught at the reef sites and over inshore wrecks, but keepers were difficult to come by. Tog have been mixed in with the flounder and sea bass.

Trollers along the buoy line are beginning to find dolphin and bluefish. For the most part the fish are small, but should the water continue to warm, larger dolphin could make an appearance.

Bluefin tuna were reported at the inshore lumps where dolphin have also been caught. With a daily limit of one tuna per private boat, most anglers are catching their one fish and moving further offshore in pursuit of billfish and yellowfin.

The warm clear water currently at the lumps could attract the occasional white marlin. Back in the 1980s I had a white at the Tea Cup so seeing them now would not be that surprising.

OFFSHORE OCEAN Apparently there are more marlin in the canyons than tuna. This is somewhat unusual, but should be good news for the contestants in the White Marlin Open scheduled for the first week in August.

The best yellowfin bite has been north of the Wilmington Canyon where the water is a bit cooler. Dolphin are available with some over 20 pounds taken over the weekend.

INDIAN RIVER INLET Nighttime rockfish action has been good for those soaking eels. Reports indicate the rock are hitting best on the incoming and during the first hour of the ebb. Black plugs and bucktails will also attract attention from the rockfish.

One rock over 30 pounds was taken during the daytime on a live spot. Spot are still not readily available and when a tackle shop gets some they are quickly gone. Spot not only work in rockfish, they also attract impressive size flounder.

More conventional flounder baits such as squid, minnows, shiner and Gulp! are catching good numbers of flounder from Indian River and Rehoboth bays, Massey’s Ditch and at the inlet. On the downside, most of these fish are too short to keep.

Blues and shad come through the inlet during incoming water. This doesn’t happen on every tide and is more likely when the flood tide coincides with dawn or dusk.

Fishing with crab or sand fleas from the rocks has been fair for tog and the occasional sheepshead. Crabbing has been good in Indian River near the Power Plant.

SURF We keep getting reports of kingfish and croaker in the surf at Conquest and 3Rs Road, but cannot get up the willpower to arise before dawn to catch them. Bloodworms will always be the best bait for these fish and going surf fishing without some would be a serious error.

There have been a few blues along the beach along with skates and dog sharks. Flounder are possible if you work a bucktail tipped with squid or cut fish strips right in the wash.

FRESHWATER Bass fishing is defiantly a dawn or dusk operation on Delaware ponds. The weather and the water are too hot for man or fish to be out during the daytime. Scum Frogs and other top water lures have been effective.

The Nanticoke River is producing bass on a falling tide. Worms, crankbaits and spinner baits will find the fish.

The Brandywine Creek holds cool water and smallmouth bass. The recent heavy rains have made the creek a bit too dangerous for drifting and waders need to exercise extreme caution.

CATCHING TRIGGERFISH My first experience with triggerfish came while on a long-range head boat trip out of Morehead City, North Carolina. We were in deep water and something kept pecking at my bait that I could not catch. Changing to a smaller hook provided the answer; the bait stealers were triggerfish.

Triggers have become common in Delaware over the past few years and can be caught over hard structure from the Delaware Bay to the inshore ocean reefs and wrecks. They are hard fighters and great eating so rigging up for them is a good idea.

I use a two-hook bottom rig tied from 50-pound leader material. A perfection loop is on top with a large double surgeon’s loop on the bottom. Two double surgeon’s loops are tied between the top and bottom loops. As I tie each of these loops I incorporate a small circle hook so when the knot is complete the hook dangles from the loop. This results in a very short leader to the hook that will transmit the lite bite of a trigger up the line to the angler.

With a sinker on the bottom loop and the perfection loop secured to the running line I am ready to fish. Clam or crab is excellent bait for triggerfish, but Gulp! or FishBites will stay on the hook much longer.

Triggers have very strong teeth and will bite through your hook before the day is over. I always tie two or three rigs to compensate for that and the fact that I am fishing over hard structure.

Triggers hit with a series of quick bites and will strip the bait before you can set the hook. A fast response to any tap is required unless you want to spend the day feeding triggerfish without putting any in the cooler..