Looks like Satan’s back porch opened up this week. It is rather boiling outside and there is fog along the coast. One good way to turn yourself into an ant under a magnifying glass is to run around in fog at the beach without skin protection. You won’t go poof, but you are going to turn a color red you’ve never seen before and not even feel it until later. That burn is brutal.

The Damn Fly Meter (DFM) app has been burning up the DSF servers. Those low west winds are brutal for the flies. It is summer at the beach already and the flies are in full force.

Fishing is back to normal“ish” — put in the time and even then the catching could be slim. Weekdays are much more productive for catching. There is less activity on the water and less competition for a bite. The baits are ever changing so it’s best to have a small arsenal ready.

Bloodworms are in short supply, not due to supply chain issues but due to economics — clams are more profitable for the diggers than worms. Fishbites bloodworms, nuclear crab, shrimp, sand flea and crab are good to have in your bait arsenal. Keep them sealed and in a cool place. A bait fridge is best.

Charters are hitting up sea bass, some are starting up black drum trips. Flounder action is picking up offshore. Boats are finding more keeper flounder. The water is finally warming. It’s been a weird spring for inlet and boat anglers, but the surf anglers have been loving not only the new structure but the catches.

A lot of decent bluefish are being caught from Delaware and Maryland beaches. Mullet has been the preferred bait. DS Custom Tackle modified mullet rigs help use less bait and keep your bait in play longer. The blue fish range from the big gators to the 16-inchers and up. The action is decent and random — no idea how long they are going to stick around. It would be nice if these were the summer blues for the season. Those little babies have yet to arrive, they are late summer.

Migratory striped bass catches have been random and still happening. Hopkins, plugs or bait has been producing if you are putting in time. It doesn’t always pay off, the joy of fishing. But that is the point. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Dave Moore went through 14 pounds of bunker and I don’t know how many peelers to get three migratory bass out of over 300 skates. One reason you see some guys put out a few rods — they are rebaiting constantly for that big bite.

Some red and black drum action has been happening at Assateague the past few days. Peeler crab has been the best bait but sand fleas work well, too. The surf is still alive with large fish and the sharks are starting to show up as well.

The beauty of this time of year in Delaware, we still have the migratory fish as the summer fish arrive. Makes for an interesting day.

Croaker and spot have arrived along the beaches and the piers. They are starting up the Delaware Bay, too. Small weakfish or spike trout are around. Sand perch, puffers, kingfish and all the other summer fish are arriving in the surf. The freaky gulf fish will arrive eventually. I’m not even going to guess. I’m just going to wait and see when and what. I have a few new pompano recipes.

A few sheepshead have been caught in the area as far up as Brigantine in Jersey. No idea why they would be here this early. They were either pushed by the storm, or maybe left a warm water outlet they wintered near for the season, or aliens. The latter being more fun.

The “trash” fish as they are called — oyster crackers, sea robins, etc. — are actually good fish to eat. Skate is great tasting. I’ve seen it in stores for $12 a pound. I’ve tossed a million bucks back into the ocean on a weekend. Not burrfish, don’t eat those.

The inlets and bridges are productive for bluefish and striped bass but you need to put in some time. There are a lot of fish on that structure.
Get out and fish, again weekdays are so much better.

Support your local bait shops, they are not doing the weekend business they used to do in the past. It is difficult to fish crowds when the crowd hampers your fishing.