It’s too hot and it has been brutal the past few days. It is better near the ocean so long as that breeze is coming off the water. The flies are biting on some annoying levels. The hotter it is and the less air, the worse they bite. The Damn Fly Meter has been working overtime.
The beaches were packed since we finally had a decent weekend.

There were lot of boats on the water — one would think summer is in full swing. It feels like August outside. The “heat dome” was supposed to end Wednesday night, with the rest of the week is in the mid-80s. It is 100 degrees right now (Wednesday) in Sussex County at the airport. I have four fans pointed at my chair and the A/C is cranking. We are telling fish stories (lies) in the warehouse today.

Despite the heat, the fish are biting. I’d avoid the daytime if you don’t do well in heat. The surf has a lot of kingfish action. Croaker are around. On these hotter days fish will be farther off the beach. Same for the crowded days. A lot of beach activity pushes fish to deeper water.

Skates and rays are abundant. Sharks are around in full force too. It’s not too hard to catch a shark — just put a dead piece of fish on a hook and send it out. I’ll never forget the guy we watched swim his baits out for shark fishing. I’m surprised he was never hit by a shark while swimming out his baits. The hard part is landing the shark and releasing fast enough to not kill the shark. Lactic acid build-up will kill the shark not long after the release. They may swim off strong but if you fight a shark for too long, especially from land, the lactic acid build-up will kill the shark. Make sure if you are shark fishing you know what you are doing or hire a guide that does. Something this state is lacking is fishing guides.

If you are looking for Fishbites catfish baits, hit up Taylored Tackle in Seaford or Captain Bones in Odessa. They are also carrying the earthworm formulas. I love using these baits — it’s so much easier than dragging around a cooler of stink bait or digging for worms. It’s too hot to dig for worms. I garden heavily, so I’d rather keep my worms in my gardens anyway.

Bluefish are still in the surf. Flounder action is typical just about everywhere. Migratory bass are pretty much gone and so are the black drum, it seems, except for some random fish still around. Trigger are showing up on the structure areas.

Michael Spencer was fishing Bowers Beach recently and he caught the flounder that took his rig the first time. He writes: “(The flounder) broke off my first jig and hit my second jig 30 minutes later! Same spot! Both were in its mouth! Crazy!” I always like a good fish story. The proof is in the picture of a flounder with identical jig heads in its mouth. It’s always good to get your gear back, it’s a bigger bonus to catch the fish that took that gear. Seeing as it was a keeper, Michael also had a nice meal.

Long-sleeved fishing shirts — the UV 50 shirts — are a must this time of year. I have a couple with hoods for the really sunny days. Despite what you would think, these shirts keep you cooler. Use sunscreen for anything you can’t keep covered. I’m wearing my Pomp’n Ain’t Easy shirt waiting for them to show up. Then I can wear my I Pomped Today shirt.

I doubt too many trout are left in the rivers if they survived this heat spike. You never know. there are always holdovers that find cooler water. I’d go wading just to cool off myself.

Crabbing has been excellent around the waterways, with big fat crabs.
The evenings and early mornings have been the best times to fish these past few days. Cooler days are coming but we are in full summer mode. It’s right hot and it is early summer. Be safe and smart, take a lot of water and get in some shade if you feel even slightly off. Indoors is better to cool down. Heat stroke can come on fast. It sounds dumb but an umbrella on a sunny day is portable shade. You might look weird but you’re cooler than anyone looking.