One of the reasons 10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish is because those 10% work for their catch. They have the freshest bait, their hooks are not rusty and their tackle is in perfect shape. They have studied the species they are after, listened to the latest reports from other successful anglers, and watched the weather, tides and moon phase so they have a good idea where to start the day.
So, what happens if the first choice turns out to be a water haul? After giving that location a good shot, they move. If there are no fish on the sonar, no fish on the line and no one around you is catching fish, it’s time to go look for fish somewhere else.
The next spot is not just some randomly selected location. The same factors that caused the angler to select the first place will be used to select other locations. He will have those already entered into his GPS before leaving the dock.
Back in the day when we were catching big trout out of Delaware Bay, I had a DuPont executive on my 20-foot Bertram during the World Championship Weakfish Tournament held out of Slaughter Beach. We were about five miles from the inlet heading toward Brandywine Light when we came upon a dozen boats fishing close together. I figured they were on a school of trout, so I joined the pack.
When I got there, I didn’t mark any fish, but I figured they had to be there or else why would all those boats be there? After 10 minutes of not catching, not marking and not seeing anyone else catching, I left. The other dozen or so boats were still there and still fishing.
When we arrived at Brandywine Light, it was still early, so the tournament fleet had not left the inlet. That gave us an hour or so of excellent fishing, which was more than enough time to put plenty of big trout in the cooler.
Then you can go too far the other way. I have a friend in Virginia Beach who has absolutely no patience. He will pull his boat up to a spot, have his people make a cast or two and if no one hooks up, he is off to another spot. Picture all the pilings along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and you can get whiplash as he jumps from one to another.
When I ran charters down there, I let my people make several casts to the pilings to make sure they fished the water column from the surface to the bottom. You never knew for sure where the rockfish were holding.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when flounder fishing is not going back to the same area after they catch a flounder. These fish set up shop in the same type of structure where they can catch bait as it passes by. If there is one flounder there, chances are good another flounder is in the same general area.
As soon as you catch a flounder, hit the MOB button on your GPS. That stands for “man overboard.” Now you have the spot marked and you can go back and drift over it until you don’t get any more flounder.
When you’re trolling for tuna at the Tea Cup and the bite starts up at Massey’s Canyon, don’t just troll over; pick up your rigs and run over as fast as you can. We all know bites turn on and off rather quickly, so don’t waste time trolling over barren water. Get to the fish while they are still feeding.
Finally, fish for what’s there. A few years ago, I was on a flounder trip out of Lewes. We had fished for hours with one flounder in the box. Then we came across a school of big croakers close to B Buoy. Four of the party were first-time ocean fishermen, and they lit up like a Christmas tree. Cranking those big croakers up was exciting and they were having a ball. The captain wanted to keep on looking for flounder, but I convinced him to stay on the croakers. Everybody went home with a bag of filets, and the mate got a big tip.
Fishing report
Two young men caught impressive fish last week. Capt. Aaron Herd’s grandson, Noah Hill, caught a 2.14-pound white perch from the Gale Force on a bloodworm out of the Broadkill River. Alex Osborne fished the Outer Wall on the family boat Tog Gypsea with his dad, who is a member of the Lewes Tog Club, to catch a 5.25-pound tog on a green crab.
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
