Dave Walker hooks state record sheepshead

The opening of tog season may not have provided many of the target species, but the renewed activity on Delaware Bay reef sites and other structure did produce a surprising number of sheepshead. Leading the pack was a new Delaware state record sheepshead caught by Dave Walker. The big fish tipped the scales at 17.1 pounds and fell for a green crab. Dave was fishing on a Delaware Bay rock pile that will forever remain a secret.

Dave is one of a large family of fishermen that was headed by his father, the late Joe Walker Sr. I had the pleasure of knowing Joe, and he would have been very proud of Dave’s accomplishment. Had this been a new state record flounder, his pride would have been tempered with just a bit of jealousy.

Hunting season photos

Hunting seasons are underway and have been for over a month. Archery season must have produced a few nice deer, and if you were one of the lucky ones to have harvested a big buck, how about sending me a photo? I run fishing photos every week, and to tell the truth, I am getting tired of looking at dead fish.

While I will run any tasteful photo, I am particularly interested in photos of successful ladies or young folks. Please, no beer cans, cigarettes or cigars. And gentlemen, please keep your shirts on.

Fishing report

The Lewes fishing action is in a state of transition. Summer is ending and fall is just beginning, so the fish are moving either toward their spawning grounds or south to their winter homes.

The fantastic flounder fishing we had at the Old Grounds and other near-shore structure is fading fast. Catches over the weekend were few and far between, and the boats that did have success ran 30 miles or more on a southeast heading.

In what seems like a contradiction, a few flounder were caught from the surf and inside Indian River Inlet. This pattern will hold up for quite a while, with a big flounder caught here and there all during the fall. I feel certain we will see doormats taken on live eels or spot at the Cape May Rips or Indian River Inlet before the fall run of rockfish is over.

Speaking of rockfish, we have seen a few keepers caught from the surf, the upper bay and inside Indian River Inlet. While we are still a month or more from the beginning of the fall run, having a few keepers caught this early is a good sign.

I will be anxious to see exactly what kind of fall rockfish run we have. It has been less than stellar the last two years, a fact I blame on the bait not following the coast and taking the rockfish out beyond the three-mile limit. So far this fall the wind has been steady out of the east, and this should keep the bait closer to the beach.

Surf fishing has been decent if you enjoy catching tiny little bluefish. I have seen small blues in the surf before, but most of the ones I have caught measured less than six inches. The 17-incher that won over $2,000 in the latest surf fishing tournament was a rarity.

Kings are caught by those who can make a very long cast, a club I do not find myself in. Bloodworms have been the top bait.

As mentioned before, keeper rockfish and flounder have been caught on mullet. The fact that both of these fish are in the surf makes me feel better about my fall rockfish prognostication.

Tog season is open, but the warm water temperatures have kept the number of these fish caught to a moderate level. In addition to the sheepshead mentioned above, triggerfish, blowfish and croaker have been taken on baits meant for tog. Triggers and sheepshead are warm-water fish, so they will be moving out very soon. I have caught croaker as late as December, but not in any great numbers.

Right now, Indian River Inlet is seeing a few tog, croaker and sheepshead taken from the rocks on drifted sand fleas. This is a waiting game, as the angler must be content to select a location and then await the arrival of the fish. A few younger guys will patrol the jetty, dropping a bait in every few feet, but I am not in that club either.

Once the rockfish arrive, the inlet will take on the appearance of a major traffic jam. I am constantly amazed that we don’t have more boating accidents than we do at this time of year.

Just remember, you can’t catch any of these fish unless you go fishing.