Fishing Reports by Mike B. at Eastern Marine
Great reports have come from Battery Park over the weekend and are continuing to do so. Stripped Bass have shown up in the Delaware River and anglers keeping lookout at Battery Park have had good results. Chris Vann stuck a keeper Striper right at 28″ inches. Stan the Man taped a nice linesider to 32″ inches and Bobby Wilson said there was plenty of stocky shorts to keep a fella busy.
All the fish reported were taken on Bloodworms and we have a huge supply in stock. So what are you waiting for! The rocks are here guys!
Fishing Reports by Mike B. at Eastern Marine
With ponds snowed over, the winter freeze-out in affect, and still another month of winter to endure. Anglers have experienced the worst epidemic of cabin fever in perhaps their lifetime. With that being said I have some brighter news on the immediate horizon and lot’s of information on upcoming fishing opportunities in the near future.
Monday March 1st was the kick-off to catch and release season on the Susquehanna Flats in the northern Chesapeake Bay. Water temperatures are still considered to be a little on the cool side for providing a healthy Striper bite. When water temperatures reach 50 degrees out on the flats mature female Striped Bass in the 20-45 pound range will start smacking a variety of artificial baits. Large stick baits such as Cotton Cordell Red Fins, Still Waters Smack-It top water popper, and jig heads rigged with Bass Assassins 5 and 7” inch shads just to name a few. Bloodworms and Herring will be the go-to live baits on the flats and all baits live or artificial mentioned in this report are available here at Eastern Marine. Our first delivery of Bloodworms will arrive this Friday March 5th and in addition to our usual girthy worm we will be stocking a Jumbo Spring Worm for those fellow’s who like giant bloods. Every worm is graded to 10+ plus inches in length and shipped to us the day they’re harvested. Jumbo Spring Worms will retail for $15.99 and our regular Bloodworms will be priced at $8.99 doz.
April 3rd is opening day of Trout Season for New Castle County streams. White Clay Creek is the largest and attracts the most attention from area anglers. The state will be stocking a variety of Trout species including Rainbows, Palomino (albino rainbows), Brown, Tiger, and Brook Trout. Here at Eastern Marine we already have a full stock of live and artificial baits for your trout fishing pleasure. Wordens Rooster Tail, C.P. Swinger, Berkley Power Bait, Berkley Trout Worms, and new for this year Berkley Gulp Alive in 1” inch minnow and grub replicas. As usual we will have a full selection of live trout baits: Meal worms, Wax worms, Butter worms, Fat Head minnows, and Rosie Reds for you choosing. Well I hope this opening season blog has given you some hope for warmer sunnier days in the near future and gets you geared up for the fishing season ahead. Boy do we deserve it. Until next week think of things you can do to organize your self for the season ahead.
Nice Yellow Perch
Peter Fetcher was fishing the Bohemia River with an Uncle Buck’s Minnow rigged drop-shot style in tandem (two hooks) when he hooked-up on a couple of enormous Yellow Ned’s the first week of February. The perch have started moving around but once found the fishing can still get hot-n-heavy on many of the Upper Chesapeake rivers & creeks.
-
-
Robert Keen’s Hybrid
-
-
Alex Manelski’s Yellow Perch
For the second time in as many weeks Lum’s Pond was the center of attention on the fresh water scene in New Castle County. Robert Keen of Bear Delaware spent some time over the Thanksgiving holiday at Lum’s and was glad he did. Robert managed a dandy Hybrid Striper that measured 24 inches and tipped the scales at 7 lbs. 12 oz. Keen was using jumbo pike shiners he special ordered here at Eastern Marine, and received a Delaware Sportfishing Tournament Citation for his outstanding catch after the weight-in here at the shop.
Alex Manelski, also of Bear Delaware, ventured to Lum’s and stuck an impressive Yellow Perch that weighed 2 lbs. even and taped out to 16 inches. Alex was suspending live shiners under a bobber when the big Yellow Ned hit. Manelski also received citation honors for his perch. Congrats on your fine catch Alex.
Steve Harrgin fished Lum’s On Saturday and said the pond was very active. Steve managed to boat 8 fish altogether with Large Mouth Bass to 2 lbs and White Crappies to 1-1/2 lbs.
John Shaffer traveled to Broad Creek Nov 29th and had a banner day. Shaffer caught 5 varieties of fish. Large Mouth Bass to 3 lbs, Bluegills, Yellow Perch, Chain Pickerel and a stringer of 15 Crappies that were all citation worthy up to 1-3/4 lbs. Shaffer was dialed in on the Crappies and fed them a steady diet of Grass Shrimp and Fat Head Minnows. Shaffer was also pitching artificials and said a 32nd oz white jig tipped with a 1-1/2″ Berkley Gulp Alive grub in pearl pattern was doing the trick as well. This is a new addition to the Berkley Gulp Alive product line and we have them in stock here at Eastern Marine. With the cold weather coming on we knew this would be a hit with fishermen as well as the pannies that keep us occupied during those winter months.
Bernard Kaper's nice Trout
Stripers have been caught at many locations in the Delaware Bay. Chris O’Connel anchored up at 34 buoy and had a banner day boating 14 Stripers to 35lbs. O’Connel was chunking fresh bunker and said the head and shoulder portions of the Menhaden were the most effective. This is usually the case as most of the protein and oil of the fish is located in the head.
Dave Singles, grandson Dylan and Captain Bill Sauer of the Bill Fisher were chunking fresh bunker while on the drift at the Flat Top and the Elbow of the Cross Ledge. Dave’s crew kept 3 of the 10 Stripers (33″, 34″ & 37″) they boated with grandson Dylan landing the big 37 incher. Dave said Dylan had a dandy linsider to the boat but the fish got prop wrapped and was able to break free.
Kevin Schiedley fished Delaware City from the shore and stuck short Stripers to 26 inches. Schiedley also reported jumbo White Perch to 14″ and girthy Channel Catfish to 12 lbs.
Rich Krone and family fished the same location by boat and had a similar report with big White Perch, short Stripers and monster catty’s. The pier at Woodland Beach was also productive for anglers as well. Although there were no reports of keeper size Stripers many anglers claimed enormous White Perch were to be had in the skinny water just off the pier.
On the fresh water side of things White Clay Creek has been a buzz with reports of Rainbow, Palomino, Brown and Tiger Trout. For those who are not familiar, a Tiger Trout is a cross between a Brown and a Brook Trout. These fish are aggressive and provide long extended battles testing anglers and their equipment. Water levels have maintained their depth and Trout are free to move about creek. This is a bonus for anglers, as everyone does not get congregated around the same holes. Bernard Kaper fished Paper Mill Falls and weighed a dandy Rainbow Trout that tipped the Eastern Marine scales at 2 lb 10 oz’s and taped out at 18 1/2 ” long.
Glenn Hojnowski fished Lum’s Pond and had great success on White Crappies. Glenn said he was pitching a 2″ white grub on a 1/16th oz jig head and was having some short strikes. After switching over to a white hair spinner Glenn said the bite got heavy and constant. Hojnowski released an angler’s limit (25) in the 10 to 11-1/2 inch range.
Delaware Bay Striper
With last weekend’s forecast looking as good as it could possibly get and reports of big Striped Bass abounding, the Delaware Bay and Indian River Inlet were laden with heavy boat traffic. It seemed that everyone had the same idea in mind and that was getting hooked up with big linesiders and enjoying a picture perfect day on the water. The Lewes ramp was full by 4:30a.m. and many parked their rigs along the Pilot Town roadside when all else failed.
All depending who you talked to and the locations they fished reports varied. The one thing all agreed upon was that boat traffic was heavy and paying attention to your fellow boater was at a premium. A few customers we talked to this week said they encountered sticky situations at the Indian River Inlet. Real-estate was at a minimum and getting into close quarters was not uncommon. I received a few complaints from customers here at Eastern about larger charter boats almost swamping them upon returning to the inlet. I tried to explain that the captains of these vessels have to be committed when navigating the inlet. It’s not that they are trying to purposely endanger anyone. Backing down off the throttle is just as potentially dangerous for them. Combine excessive boat traffic with the second swiftest current on the east coast and you can see the recipe for disaster. So keep your eyes open your wits and where withal about you! It’s similar to arriving at a crowded eatery; if there is an extended waiting line find another place to dine for the meantime.
As I said earlier reports were sketchy all depending who you talked to. Norman Buczik and brother Mike fished the 8’s and had good success trolling stretch 25’s. Norman had one fish that taped out to 50 inches and weighed 31 lbs. The other fish Norman and Mike boated were in the 15-20 lb range. Norman said everything was going their way until the rest of the fleet showed up and he ran out of room to troll. Norman said most who showed up at the 8’s were drifting and on the chunk, which made it impossible to troll effectively. Charles Hodgson fished the Cape May rips on Tuesday and also did well. Charles was drifting eels and managed 2 Stripers. His largest fish was 18 lbs 4 oz and 38 inches in length. Hodgson also crossed the eyes of a dandy 9lb Bluefish that was 28 inches long. Good job Charles and good luck in the future.
With the arrival of Ida fresh water information has been sparse, however there were a few highlights for the week. Shane Barrett of Newark Delaware went on a fishing excursion to Lum’s Pond with father Kenny. Shane was fishing a large shiner under a bobber when he connected with an impressive Largemouth Bass. Shane and Kenny drove over to us folks here at Eastern Marine after they finished their day of fishing to see exactly how heavy Shane’s bass was. Remember we are an official Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament weigh station here at Eastern. When I saw Shane’s bass I was positive we were going to be filling out some paper work. Shane dropped his girthy Largemouth on to our scale and she was 5 lb 8 oz and taped out at 21-1/4 inches, good enough for Shane’s first state citation, and I am sure it won’t be the last. Shane’s father Kenny Barrett has schooled Shane well and we look forward to citing more fish from Shane in the future. Oh by the way… Shane wanted everybody to know that he bought his shiners here at Eastern Marine and they are the liveliest he has ever used. Congrats again Shane and Kenny. Until next time try to stay dry and with plummeting water temps be careful out on the water.
Fishing Reports by Mike B. at Eastern Marine
Halloween has traditionally been the kick-off to fall Striper season in the Delaware Bay and surrounding area. It’s from this time forward that anglers start to gear up for the schools of Striped Bass and Bluefish returning from their summer migrations to the New England States. Both varieties of fish inhabit the Delaware Bay and seashore around this time of the year. The arrival date is determined by water temperature, water clarity, wind direction and available food sources. Whether your drifting the bay or hitting the beach for a day of surf fishing, this is a prime time of the year to get tangled up with some of those big girls we only see now and in the spring time of the year.
I myself would have thought that we had a couple of more weeks before we started to get solid reports of big Striped Bass and Slammer Bluefish with consistency. Boy, was I wrong! Here at Eastern Marine we have been receiving information on catches of Striped Bass and Bluefish since October 22nd. I know it’s hard to speculate but I would have to say that old double whammy Nor’easter put these fish here just a little bit earlier than usual. So lets take advantage of our target species early arrival and get hooked up on some quality fish.
Locations that produced Striped Bass were as far north as Ship John Light House to as far south as the Cape May Rips. The largest concentration of fish in the 40″-50″ length was reported in the 60′ slough just east of the 14 Foot Light House on the Jersey side of the channel. Anglers out of Port Norris New Jersey had a banner day at the 60′ on Thursday according to Eastern Marine patron Andrew McCoy. “Not just me, everybody that pulled up to the ramp was pulling fish out of their coolers that taped out to 48 inches. “It was unbelievable,” said McCoy! Live spot is of course the premium bait for Striped Bass, but with the limited supply of spot in the area fresh cut bunker and live eels have produced the majority of fish. Here at Eastern Marine we just received a shipment of Delaware River Eels and our tailor cut bunker chunks in an 8oz package are a perfect fix for the angler on the go!
According to George Long, Bluefish have made appearances at the Indian River Inlet and at 3R’s Road on the surf. George said they were the big Slammer Blues ranging 8-12 lbs and measuring to 30 inches. Bucktails and spoons on the retrieve worked at Indian River. Fresh frozen mullet from this fall’s run worked on the surf for those that had it. We have some of the prettiest fresh frozen fall run finger mullet here at Eastern Marine you will find, I promise you, come check us out!
The Tautog bite is also in high gear. Toggers have reported great trips to inshore wrecks, reef sites in the bay and the Outer Wall especially. Customers here at Eastern said they were able to cull through with the bite being so intense and average weights of keeper tog were in the 5-7 lb range. Many patrons I talked to say they were being conscious to target white chins (male tautog) as opposed to females due to the concerns about the stability of our tog fishery. Green Crabs and Sand Fleas as usual were the bait among toggers. Well the big linsided lady’s are here fellas, with some toothy Slammers and a pounding Tog bite thrown into the mix. Until next time tight lines and stay safe!
Chris Brown with nice catch-n-release Striper
The leaves are nearing their peak color for the season, the nights are getting cooler and the fish are schooling up. Fishing in the fall can be one of the most productive and rewarding times to spend the day on the water. With most anglers sitting comfortable at home, take advantage and spend some time fishing.
In the Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass are schooling up in anticipation of the cold winter months ahead. They try to fatten up as much as possible in a short period of time. For the last couple of weeks the Sassafras River has been producing some really nice fish. Most anglers have been targeting them later in the afternoon and just after dark. The fish are being caught on a number of different artificial lures. Rattletraps, Storm Lures, and Bass Assassins are just some of hot choices.
Another favorite target of Chesapeake Bay anglers in the fall are White Perch. These tasty pan fish can be found around structure, drop offs and channel edges. They seem to school up and can be an easy target with a good fish finder. Small jigs and jigging spoons seem to be the best method to target them.
In the Delaware Bay fall fishing is usually done to target Striped Bass and Tog. As the Stripers make their way down the coast some spend time in the Delaware Bay before moving to their wintering grounds in Virginia and North Carolina. Targeting fall Stripers on the Delaware Bay is usually done using two methods. Right now chunking seems to be the hot ticket. Bunker is in short supply in the bay and anglers are traveling to Maryland to find fresh bait. Those who do are being rewarded with some of the biggest fish of the season. In the next few weeks these fish will also start to become more prevalent in the rips at the mouth of the bay. This scenario usually has anglers drifting eels and chunks of bunker to entice the big ocean run fish into biting.
Fishing for Tog takes place around structure and over inshore wrecks. With the addition of the artificial reef sites, Delaware anglers have many places to target them. The most popular baits are Green Crabs and Sand Fleas. Remember to take plenty of rigs and sinkers as you may lose quite a few.
Safety is a particularly big issue for anglers fishing this time of year. With fewer boats on the water, help may be much further away if needed. Take extra time to make sure all of your safety equipment is up to date and working properly. Let your family or friends know exactly where you are going and an estimated time you plan to return. Make sure to dress for the occasion also. If you get a chance to get out and fish this fall you may experience some of the best fishing of the season. Stop by Eastern Marine in Newark Delaware for all of your fall fishing needs.
Fishing Reports by Mike B. at Eastern Marine
The annual Fall stocking of trout commenced Wednesday October 14th, 2009. As information is only available on the states website (www.Dnrec.Delaware.gov), Eastern Marine patrons were full of questions about the where, when and how many trout were actually being released. The fall stocking is a one-day stock and White Clay Creek is the only stream that will receive trout. The state has introduced four varieties of fish to White Clay Creek including Rainbows, Palominos (albino rainbows), Tigers and Brookies. With the count being somewhere around 2,200 fish it appeared to be a fairly substantial delivery. Prime locations included Thompson’s and Hopkin’s Bridges specifically. Now that’s information you can only get here at Eastern Marine. Anglers reporting back to Eastern said the stocked trout were 14″ plus and had nice girth to them. The Tiger Trout (a cross between a Brown Trout and a Brookie) were of special interest to most anglers with their unusual vertical stripes and reputation for extended hard fought battles, putting pressure on the angler and his tackle. I myself was a little concerned with the Nor’easter following on the heels of the stocking. The last thing we want to happen is for the creek to swell and have all of the trout end up in the Christina River, effectively putting an end to our fall trout fishery.
Just a reminder we are still issuing Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament Citations for trout 2 lbs and over. So if you think your catch is close to the 2 lb mark come over to Eastern Marine and if so we will draw up your citation papers on the spot. Our bait & tackle department is fully stocked with everything for the trout fishing enthusiast. Berkley 3″ trout worms, Berkley Power Bait, Rooster Tails Spinners and Joe’s Flies just to name a few. Those who ventured out over the weekend said that although the water was stained it was still fairly clear and was not running to hard to fish. Limits of mixed bags were not uncommon and I was informed that Fish and Game officials were issuing tickets to those over the 6 fish limit. So, if it’s not a fishable day in the bay or the ocean there is always your local trout stream to take the edge off and what better than a fresh trout dinner to wrap up a nice day out. Until next time tight lines and don’t cheap date the bait.
Fishing Reports by Mike B. at Eastern Marine
With a weekend weather report forecasting howling winds and high seas, most anglers’ hopes were squashed on getting one last trip in before the closure of our Black Sea Bass fishery. For those unaware of what has developed in the last 2 weeks, NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has put a 180-day closure on fishing for Black Sea Bass in all federal waters north of Cape Hatters North Carolina starting Monday Oct 5th 2009. Even with 25 mph gusts and seas projected at 4-6 feet a few brave souls ventured out to off-shore wrecks for one last stab at some Black Wills. Anglers reported a mixed bag of Trigger Fish, chunky Sea Bass to 12 plus inches, and limits of keeper Flounder to 24”. The most productive baits were strips of squid and sand fleas fished on top-n-bottom rigs. Some boaters decided to stay inside the bay and anchored up over site 6 with good results. Keeper Sea Bass and an impressive Croaker bite were to be had according to Gill Kirk and Matty Long. Kirk said that his Sea Bass catch to throw back ratio was about 4/1 and Croakers were eclipsing the 15 inch mark. Kirk and Long also boated quite a few throw back Flounder in the process. The duo was using a variety of offerings that included squid, Bullhead Minnows, Berkley Gulp, Fish Bites and frozen sand fleas.
Even with the inclement weather some still made the trip out to the canyons. The Washington Canyon is still giving up a mixed bag of White Marlin, Dolphin and Wahoo. Trolled Ballyhoo dressed and naked teamed with Boone Bird daisy chains teased up multiple Whites according to Joe Parker, who said it was well worth the trip considering the conditions. Parker said the Dolphin bite has slowed considerably and the stature of the fish has gone from gaffer to peanut. Joe said the Wahoo bite was a little slower than last week but the two he had hooked-up were enormous. Joe said “those critters never seem to hit my wire rigged baits, it’s always the mono they pick on”. Parker says Wahoo can deplete your offshore bag with a quickness and that gets a little expensive.
While most of us are waiting for the Stripers to show themselves, some decided to travel and try their luck with Striper season opening in Virginia on Sunday Oct 4th. Johnny Lenenbecker, native of Richmond V.A. and resident of Bear Delaware, had good results. Lenenbecker fished the James River and reported a mixed bag of Stripers to 26 inches, Flounder to 24 and some 23″ Red Puppy’s to cap off the day. A little closer to home the Sassafras River has given up some 20-24 inch Stripers but the bite has been passive and the window of opportunity is short. Many fishermen said their fish finders were lit-up with Stripers but they were unable to coax the finicky bass to commit to anything. Anglers tried everything from jigging Stingsilvers and Crippled Herrings to casting Rat-L-Traps and Bass Assassins, usually sure fire baits at this time of the year. The only thing I can think of is that the Stripers are keying in on Gizzard Shad and it’s hard to divert their attention too much else. Good info is still coming from Rock Hall where residents are saying a consistent Rockfish bite has been in effect for about 10 days now. Rock are being caught from shore in the mornings and evenings on top-water plugs and poppers at Huntington, Swan and Love Points. Catches are being tapped to 30 inches and with a slot limit fish filling your daily quota has been a walk in the park. Further up in the bay an excellent Largemouth bite is in high gear. Anglers fishing the grass beds on the Susquehanna Flats have had great success. Dave McCarter said Booyah Spinner Baits and Buzz Baits in white and chartreuse color schemes have produced consistently. With cooling water temperatures and an abundant presence of baitfish, Largemouth are holding the beds for a combination of cover and food.
Delaware ponds provided good fishing action throughout the week despite the blustery blow. Al DelPizzo did well at Beck’s Pond with 3 Largemouth to 12″, 1 Bass to 13″ and another stocky 14 incher. Al also had 3 yellow neds that measured 12″ each. Al said all his fish came on live shiners fished under a bobber right in the heart of lily pads. Noxingtown Pond is still giving up good Largemouth and Crappie action according to Pete Fechter. Small shiners, Fathead Minnows and small jigs tipped with soft plastic grubs were all effective. Garrisons Lake was a hot spot for Crappie and Largemouth as well. Small Fathead minnows, Grass Shrimp and small jigs floated under a bobber were all a play.
The Delaware Surf is still a little slow but most surfcasters are reporting plenty of tailor blues to be had. The Point at Cape Henlopen, Three R’s Road and Haven Road were locations all mentioned by customers here at Eastern Marine. Whole or fillets of fresh Finger Mullet have been the most productive baits. The occasional small Striper is also to be had in the wash with Bloodworms. In just a couple of weeks things will start to improve on the surf as Stripers and big Slammer Blues return from their summer vacations in New England. At this time of the year all of us surf bums are on edge with anticipation of the Fall run of lengthy Linsiders and bodacious Bluefish.
For those that are still in the crabbing mode, good reports are to be had from a few different locations. Reggie May crabbed the Elk River and had two of the most impressive bushels I have seen all year. Reggie’s crabs pointed out to 8-1/4″ and the majority of the crabs were over 7 inches. Rock Hall and the Chester River are still giving up big black back Jimmies in the Shipyard, Langford Creek and above Chestertown in Morgan Creek and Peachtree Point. Reports of enormous Sooks to over 7 inches have also been common in these areas as well. Although Sooks are off limits its a good sign with the slower than usual start of the season. So, don’t put your trotlines and baskets away just yet, the big boys are still on the prowl and there is still plenty of good crabbing still to come.
