Over the weekend I received a great fishing report from New Castle County where several keeper rockfish were caught before the storm. Most of the rock were under the 28-inch minimum size, but at least two were keepers. Bloodworms were the only bait. The fish were caught out of the Delaware River from New Castle to Green’s Beach. Some big white perch were caught along with the rockfish.
After the long, cold, snowy winter we had it was good to hear the rockfish are on schedule for the spring. The fish being caught now are males just coming out of their winter doldrums and beginning to feed in preparation for the arrival of the females who have wintered in the deep water off the mouth of the Delaware Bay. As a general rule, males do not join the coastal migration and remain in the bay all year.
Closer to home, the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean are getting warmer as water temperatures reach the low 40s, but the nasty weather over the weekend kept everyone in port. The weather forecast for this weekend looks very good and I expect both head and charter boats to sail for tog. I am sure the surf and the inlet will see considerable fishing activity, but I doubt many anglers will be rewarded for their efforts.
My guess is the tidal creeks and rivers will hold good numbers of white perch and these locations will be the best choice for early-season action. Any of the creeks feeding the Broadkill River as well as the river itself should hold plenty of perch. On the western side of the county, Phillips Landing at the junction of the Nanticoke River and Broad Creek is a great place to fish from shore or launch a boat.
The freshwater ponds should begin producing bass, crappie and pickerel. The first run of herring is possible in the local spillways.
NEW REGULATIONS - The Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife has issued two new regulations for saltwater fish and one for freshwater bass.
The new weakfish regulations call for a bag limit of one fish per day for recreational anglers and a 100-pound by-catch limit for commercial fishermen. The original proposal before the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission was for a complete moratorium on weakfish, but those strong conservationists in New Jersey wanted a little something for their hard-pressed anglers and so they fought for and won a one-fish bag limit.
For the first time in the history of fishery management in the Delaware Bay, both states that border the estuary have agreed to the same regulations for a single species. New Jersey and Delaware will have a recreational limit of three fish and a 16-inch minimum size for black drum. Commercial fishermen will be allowed to catch a total of 65,000 pounds of drum with a 10,000-pound daily limit.
While three 16-inch black drum are reasonable, three big drum are way too many for one person. I would hope individual anglers along with party and charter boat captains will impose a more reasonable limit on themselves and their customers.
The specialized size limits for largemouth bass in Andrews Lake, Derby Pond and Hearns Pond have been lifted and the minimum size limit is now 12 inches. The only exception now is Becks Pond where the minimum size is 15 inches and the bag limit is two fish.
FLOUNDER HEARING - Tuesday, March 23, is the public hearing for summer flounder regulations in Delaware. The hearing will be held in Dover at the DNREC Auditorium at 7 p.m. If you do not attend and make your preference known, do not complain when the regulations are not to your liking.
The current proposals are an 18.5-inch minimum size, four-fish bag limit and a closed season from Oct. 13 to Dec. 31. The second option would drop the bag limit to three fish and close the season from Oct. 26 to Dec. 31. Option three reduces the bag limit to two fish and retains the 18.5-inch minimum size with no closed season. The final choice would increase the size limit to 19 inches, restore the four-fish bag limit and keep the season open all year.
Please remember the only subject up for comment is the summer flounder options. It does no good and wastes everyone’s time if you decide to comment on anything else or suggest an option other than the four offered.
Once the hearing is over and written comments are received, the hearing officer will prepare a report for the secretary of DNREC. He will consider the comments in the report and choose the option that will become law. The new regulations will become law on or around May 11.
SURF FISHING CLASS - If you’ve been waiting for the chance to learn how to surf fish, but aren’t sure just where to begin, Delaware Seashore State Park has a program planned for you. Join parks staff from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 27, for an introductory class in surf fishing.
This class will provide beginning surf anglers with a foundation in the art and practice of the sport. This program will cover what equipment to use, current rules and regulations, and fish identification, as well as the opportunity to practice techniques. Participants must be at least 10 years old and those under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. This class costs $25 per person and includes use of rod, reel, tackle and bait. Space is limited so please preregister for this program which will meet at the Indian River Life-Saving Station on Route 1 south of Dewey Beach.
To pre-register, or to get more information on this or other programs, call 227-6991.
LOW-NUMBER HUNTING LICENSES - The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife is now accepting applications for its annual low-number hunting license lottery. At 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 1, at the Richardson & Robbins Building in Dover, the division will conduct the lottery drawing to issue 20 available low-number Delaware hunting licenses with numbers less than 1,000.
Licenses will be awarded to the selected applicants starting with the lowest and ending with the highest number via a live drawing. The lottery is open to the public, but successful applicants do not need to be present as they will be notified by mail.
The following information applies to the low-numbered licenses:
• The license will be assigned permanently to the successful applicant
• An applicant must be at least 15 years of age, and not older than 64 years of age on July 1, 2010
• The license holder will be notified annually by mail for renewal
• The license is not transferable by the selected applicant to any individual
• Individuals who currently hold a low numbered license are not eligible
• To be considered, an applicant must submit one and only one postcard either by mail or hand delivered to the Richardson & Robbins building in Dover. Postcards must be addressed to: Amanda Belford, Low Number Hunting License Lottery, Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901.
Also, the following information must be included on the reverse side of the postcard: applicant name, street address, city, state, ZIP code and phone number.
Applications must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, May 25, or hand delivered to the Richardson & Robbins Building by close of business (4:30 p.m.) Friday, May 28. For more information, call Amanda Belford at 302-739-9911.
