On the Water

ON THE WATER
By Jack Rodgers


Gorgeous spring weather hit the lower Delaware shore at the end of last week and the fish certainly responded with enthusiasm. Summer flounder are being reported in a number of different locations. Old Inlet reports the fish are being caught in the back bays and that fishable days see a surprising number of boats out.

Flounder are also being reported from the Cape Henlopen fishing pier in Lewes and it's only a matter of time before the fish are being reported in the canal as well.

For those anglers trying their luck in the back bays or inlet, live minnows are a good bet. I often like to just use a plain wide-gap hook this time of year, as the winter-chilled flatties may find the normal fluke killers a tad too big to tackle right now.

Tossing spec rigs or tandem twister rigs sweetened with a strip of cut bait is the ticket from the pier. Try using a strip of mackerel, herring or even bunker. Of course, fresh bait is always the best.
Surf anglers are reporting some rockfish from the suds, though most of the catches are small.

The North Pocket near Indian River Inlet is a good choice of location, as well as any of the Delaware Bay beaches. Bloodworms are the standard rockfish producer this time of year. Fresh bunker is also becoming much more readily available and can tempt a linesider prowling the waves as well. There are also plenty of those "endangered" spiny dogfish sharks to be caught from the surf. Beware of the sharp spines and teeth that these fish sport.

Stripers are also being caught in the Indian River Inlet proper. Of course, live herring is the hands-down favorite for these fish, but if you don't have any there is no reason to fret.
Soft plastics, plugs and flies are also producing fish. More and more keeper stripers are showing and things should be breaking lose this week.

Interestingly, some bluefish have been reported at the inlet as well.
This is certainly ahead of schedule and welcome news to both surf fishermen and bucktailers who are looking for some early action.

Tog fishing has been providing action for anglers working the nearshore wrecks and reefs.

Frozen sandfleas are producing some fish and, of course, live green crabs, if you can find them, are even better. Some tog are also being yanked out of the rocks at Indian River Inlet.

White perch fishing in the local brackish waters really took off during the last week with good catches being reported by virtually everyone targeting them. Grass shrimp dangled from size eight hooks with just enough weight to reach the bottom is just the ticket for a cooler full of these scrappy panfish. Try the Broadkill River and its tributaries for the perch. Finally, the first tuna of the year was brought into Indian River Inlet last week. The bluefin was caught inside of the Wilmington and is as sure a sign of spring as we can get. Good luck and good fishing.