Spring is moving along nicely, even a bit of a slow pace. I’d like to see a slow pace continue into summer. That will not happen. But in the meantime, we have a lot of fish species here. Some will leave and some are just arriving.

The best thing about fishing in Delaware, I was told yesterday by a New Jersey shop owner, are our awesome fish limits and seasons. I took a ferry ride to Jersey yesterday to do some work. We talked to a plethora of bait shop owners along the way in many of the beach towns. It is always a good idea to pay attention to the action north and south of your area. That lets you know when fish may show up and when they may leave.

So far we are seeing black drum action that will continue, or should, into mid-June. Clam for the boats for bait, while surf anglers can use sand fleas and blue crab. Fishbites is working better as the water warms up more and more. Clam can also be used for the surf and works well for striped bass.

Black drum and even some red drum are still south of us with action at Assateague and below. There’s plenty of time to get the personal best drum. Please handle these fish with care if you plan to release. They are old fish and made it this far. Give them the respect they deserve.

Striped bass action has been hit or miss but some large migratory fish have been landed along our beaches and Assateague. The schooling bass are gathered on structure feeding and that is fun action too. The Cape May Ferry Terminal jetty was packed yesterday on our way back across the Delaware Bay. It is neat seeing the outer and inner wall at low tide from the ferry — a much different perspective on the exposed structure. I didn’t see a lot of boats out there. Many anglers are doing well with tautog at the inlets and bridges. Use sand fleas or green crabs for bait.
Sea bass starts up May 15. Get ahold of the charters, as they are already booking up for the season. Weekdays are less crowded fleet days and there’s more room on head boats.

Bluefish action has been hit or miss, too, and different size classes. Some snappers are around. North and south of us are seeing the same action and Jersey just got fired up. That action could last for a bit with the gators. You never know how long with the snapper-sized bluefish. That changes every year. Shops in Jersey mentioned they haven’t seen consistent bluefish action in the summer for a few years. We know the feeling.

Kingfish are slowly starting to show up and some puffers; northern and burrfish. You surf anglers should be throwing yellow plugs now, also called school bus. Yellow is a popular plug color for blues and striped bass when the northern pufferfish show up. They don’t puff up for the fun of anglers, that puff is protection from large predators. It doesn’t do much against bluefish and those teeth. I imagine a striped bass would get a bulged gullet from a puffed up puffer. Or it would be like trying to swallow a volleyball. Northern pufferfish make a fine meal, also known as chicken of the sea.
Summer flounder are being caught more frequently around the inland bays and the Lewes canal. Many anglers have waited all winter to get into the flat ones. Fishbites Fight Club is putting in some work with flounder as well as Gulp.

Freshwater fishing has been productive and brackish for catfish action. Bass action and the usual suspects are all hitting. I’m fly fishing for pan fish and having a blast. When you get a small window to fish, you tend to not care for what, just the fact you get time. I saw some nice places to check out yesterday across the bay. My work travels this summer will take me from Connecticut to the Outer Banks. It should be an interesting summer. The Lake, as we call it in Connecticut, will be the first trip coming up soon. I’m hoping to coordinate it with a meteor shower peak time. I already know how the fishing is because it never changes on the lake. The only difference is I get a lot more time to float and fish.

Friday’s weather is a little meh, but the weekend is looking great. I’d fish today into tomorrow in this storm front. It’s striped bass weather. Weekdays are the best days once the summer kicks in, plan accordingly now. We work weekends to avoid crowds, as well as to have off Monday and Tuesdays to fish. Somehow that never works out but it sounds nice.