Huge red drum caught at Cape Henlopen

On Tuesday, I received an email from Andrew Stuchlik along with a photo of a 50-inch red drum he caught at Cape Henlopen. He and his family were up on the beach enjoying their wedding anniversary when the big fish hit a spot head. After a few photos, the fish was released.

I have been covering fishing in Delaware since 1973, and have been fishing in Delaware for many years before that. This is by far the largest red drum I have ever seen caught in the state. While certainly surprising, it is not completely unexpected. The red drum population has been expanding for several years, and I have seen big schools of fish this size in Virginia. Perhaps the population will continue to move north and channel bass of this size will soon be common in the Delaware surf.

Like rockfish, channel bass are completely protected in the EEZ, but unlike rockfish, red drum have a very small slot limit that can be retained. This varies somewhat from state to state, but runs somewhere between 20 and 28 inches. Bag limits are from two to five fish.

It is my personal opinion, which along with $2.45 will get you a cup of Starbucks coffee, these state and federal restrictions are the reason so many big drum are available for catch and release. I would love to see the same sort of thing tried with striped bass. Try to imagine schools of 40- to 60-pound rockfish moving along the beach. It boggles the mind.

Fishing report

Not much has changed since last week. Flounder are still at the Old Grounds and reef sites 10 and 11. The problem has been the weather, with nasty seas most of the past week that have prevented anyone from venturing out to the fishing grounds. If and when the weather changes, I do believe the fish will still be there. At least I hope they will.

Surf fishing was not too bad, with plenty of small bluefish along with a few kings and croaker caught from the beach. The top baits have been bloodworms and cut mullet.

Canyon trips have been few and far between, but when the weather allows the boats to clear the inlet they find plenty of marlin plus some dolphin and tuna in the deep.

Closer to home, the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal has seen a very few flounder along with spot and croaker. The Broadkill River holds the same fish along with white perch above Oyster Rocks.

Indian River Inlet and the Back Bays have been very disappointing this year, and the situation has not improved. I still hold out hope that we may see some bluefish and rock there before winter, but I wouldn’t put any money on it.

Old Inlet Fall Surf-Fishing Classic

Last weekend was the Old Inlet Fall Surf-Fishing Classic, and while the weather was very good, the surf was pretty rough. Nevertheless, fish were caught, and money, trophies and fishing tackle were won.

Surf-fishing tournaments are won by the person or team that scores the most points. This contest was an individual tournament, no teams, and every angler was on their own. Points are awarded by measuring each fish caught and giving the angler one point for every inch above a minimum size. As an example, a flounder would have a 16-inch minimum size, so one that measures 18 inches would be worth two points for the angler. Most of the fish caught during the tournament are released.

The top prize of a bronze trophy and $800 went to Justin Lynch, who scored 76 points. Darren Purcell came in second with 68 points, winning $600 and a bronze trophy. Third place went to Scott Aiken with 62 points. He won $400 plus a bronze trophy. In fourth place we had a tie between Brad Wolters and Will Shahan who both had 60 points. They split $200 and a Star rod and a Reynolds rack. 

First place in the Women’s Division was also a tie. Loretta Schickner and Katelyn Gore both scored 15 points. They split $200 and a rod and reel. Second place was a four-way tie.  Deb Palm, Joan Fortner, Anita Chandler and Kelsey Cycyk all scored 12 points. The second-place award was $100 and a rod and reel plus a trophy.

The best of the Kids Division was Jason Cain, who took home a surf rod and reel and a trophy for his 30 points. Coming in second was Joey Griffith with 12 points. He won a jetty rod and reel plus a trophy.

The big money in any tournament is the Calcutta. This year Ryan Lewis picked up $2,500 for his 17-inch bluefish. Gary Wilson had the largest fish of the tournament with his 21-inch flounder.