Great time at Cast for a Cure tourney

Over the weekend I fished the Cast for a Cure Tournament.  It was an honor to fish on team one for Lewes Harbor Marina.  We consisted of two teams, team one was Suzanne Martin (captain), Scott Jost, Rich King, and Corby Fulton.  Team two was Mike Basehore, Ed Borys, Gary Basehore, and Tyler Speraw.  The tournament was on Saturday at 8 a.m., and we all met at the beach, after getting around a VW that was buried to its front axle on the faithful steward drive-on access.  Suzanne gave us our team shirts, Amanda Morris asked us to wear Joe's old T-shirts from the shop, to start a new tradition.  Those shirts brought us luck, team one put eighty four points on the board.  I pulled in the first fish of the day, a kingfish.  I fished the entire tournament with a diamond state custom tackle rig and Fishbites. Scott Jost and Corby Fulton put kingfish on the board and I scored the last one just about the end of the day. Suzanne Martin, our team captain, landed a thirty-four-inch bluefish that won her the Calcutta and boosted our points.

Corby Fulton says,  "Today was just a great tournament. Not just because our team won, but because Cast for a Cure was a very special and personal event. Rich King, Suzanne Martin, Scott Jost, Brandy Timmons, Shaun Smith and other local fisherman lost a special person in the fishing community to this deadly and unfair disease. It was an honor to wear Joe's personal shirts that were on loan from his wife Amanda.

“The shirts start a new tradition going forward and may have had something to do with our luck today. Great day!"

 I had a blast fishing the tournament with my friends.  We helped raise money for a great organization, and had a blast doing it. Cast for a Cure is a team surf fishing tournament held annually in Delaware. Proceeds go to the Tunnel Cancer Center Special Needs Fund.  We had two teams for Lewes Harbor, if we were scoring the amount of fish caught, Gary Basehore would have killed it.  He caught a hundred sand perch. Mike Basehore, Ed Borys, and Tyler Speraw had the same action, a lot of small unscoreable fish

The food on the beach and off the beach was excellent.  We always eat well when we fish or hang out. The excitement was extended to Sunday for the awards ceremony at Delaware Distilling Company.  No one knew the winners yet, that would not be tallied until the next day.  Rumors were it was close.  We had a great buffet at Delaware Distilling Company and  the awards were announced.

The second place winner was team "3 Guys And A Girl" with 77 points. Third place was a three-way tie among teams Retired, Working, and Learning, Red Dog, and Team Lil Angler II. Congratulations to all of the teams.  Over the years since we are not washing our lucky shirts, we may not have company in a couple of years. 

 The surf has been decent some days and quiet the next.  The heat waves don't help.  The tournament had three beaches covered and the fishing was tough for sure.  Lot of people didn't land much fish at all.  Big bluefish action is about done, the water is warming up fast.  Eventually it will just be the summer snappers.   Same for the striped bass - that is pretty much over until the fall run.  

 Kingfish action is decent, with a lot of small perch and spotted hake.  I fished the entire tournament with Fishbites, they were catching fine, just small kings, they will get bigger.  There have been some citation sizes caught.  Still seeing a lot of burrfish in the mix with northern puffers.  Skates, digs, big rays, and sharks are a given this time of year.

 Flounder action at the old grounds and reef sites is picking up and will continue to do so. The inland bays are getting better and so is the Lewes Canal, and Broadkill River.  Lot of small croaker and weakfish around the Broadkill Beach are and other Delaware Bay beaches.  Hitting bloodworms and Fishbites.  They are small for keepers but several have been caught in the fifteen-inch range.  There were some in the five-pound range around the Delaware Bay and still are out there somewhere.  

 Crabbing is excellent and the pots are filling up nicely.  Those summer snapper blues, after a good meal, their carcasses make great crab bait for traps.  Add some chicken to keep the crabs’ interest for a long soak.  When your trap is out of bait, crabs will leave the trap, they have little to do all day but keep moving around until they find a way out.  They don't know they are in a crab trap, they just eventually find the way out because they lost interest in the food at the center of the trap.  They are looking for their next meal.  

 Keep an eye out for turtles they are still crossing the roads to lay eggs.

 Offshore action has been awesome for yellowfins and mahi.  Lot of wildlife being seen at sea, even a whale shark.  Marlin action is picking up and when the weather allows boats are loading the boxes.  Cobia are starting to show up in the Chesapeake bay.  

  Short striped bass action is decent at night at Massey’s Landing. Lures are the great like small poppers or small swims shads, but sand fleas will really catch em up. Get about half a bucket at the beach. Use the fleas like you are feeding pigeons. Chum up the water with a few fleas, then throw one in on a hook. No weight just let it live line so to speak. The rockfish will slam the flea in no time. This also works well at the Indian River Inlet. There have been a few large bass at the inlet but all have been in the release size for the slot limit.