No lack of blue crabs

Flounder action has finally picked up everywhere.  Offshore action is good at B buoy and A buoy.  Sharks are slamming some of the flounder on the retrieve.  They will go after a fish in distress.  Not much you can do to avoid that situation.  Drifting minnows or using the big four-inch Gulp has been the best baits for the offshore, inshore and inland bay action.  Lot of decent flounder finally showing up in the Lewes Canal.  The Henlopen fishing pier has been hot to not for flounder.  

There is a lot of bait swimming around the inland bays, not just mummichogs or killifish. There are also a lot of peanut bunker, spot, and pin fish. All of these are great baits for flounder. It could explain why the flounder action has not been so hot around the inland bays. The flatties have a lot of food to choose from, competing with a preferred meal is not easy. Using a cast net to catch these other baits is the only way and then you have to keep them alive. Large live wells and aerators are a must. Gulp on a drift rig or jig head is working but minnows have been producing the most catches. Lot of throwbacks and that is true for all of the bays.

You can also hook up flounder in the surf jigging the cuts with bucktails and Gulp or squid strips.  It takes some time but you will produce a few catches.  The flounder come right up to that small dropoff you notice when you walk into the surf.  That area is where all of the sand fleas get pulled in and out of the sand.  Lots of baitfish are in these areas feeding as well. Both make great food for a flounder.

You can also try putting a large sand flea on a flounder hook and just casting it into the wash behind the breaking wave. If there are flounder there they will hit that sand flea.  

There certainly isn't a lack of blue crabs. Trotlining is starting to produce, making it worth the time to set one up and run it for a few hours. Pots and hand lines are producing just fine for the pier crabbers. Running rings is also working and is about as close to Deadliest Catch as you will get in these parts. Clamming has been excellent to the point people are getting picky with the ones they want to keep.  Good to eat and great to use for bait.  

I had a blast setting up Delaware’s first annual Jet-Ski Fishing tournament. Look for more to come, possibly in the next couple of months. We will have a few next year for sure. First and foremost I want to thank Michael Duncan at Helly Hansen for the killer prizes. Reelsnot, Maverick Fish Hunter, and Diamond State Custom Tackle’s donations for prizes. Big thanks to Midway Fitness & Racquetball, Techno Goober, and Delaware Surf Fishing for sponsoring the event. We raised over $800 for Children’s Beach House through tournament entries and sponsor donations.

The day started out beautifully. The weatherman was off and we had clear skies and mild breezes. The anglers set up at Holts Landing State Park or they came across from other boat ramps. We got everyone squared away on the rules and away they went.

The takeoff looked like “Hell’s Anglers on a mission to go fishin’” It was a while but the first fish was scored by Jim Toogood. A seventeen-inch flounder that he opted to keep and skip the extra point. Unfortunately that was the only fish scored, but the anglers had a blast. Rob Jones even tried to pull off that boat everyone saw stuck on the sandbar. Not much doing on a Sea Doo but he gave it a shot in the middle of a tournament. Jim “Too damn good at Fishin’” from New Jersey took first place today.

 We drew coins to see who would win the other places. Tom Soska from Virginia came in second. Cody Meade from Pennsylvania came in third. We didn’t have a smallest fish caught so we gave that prize to Jacob Stier since he was our only teenage angler today. If I say kid he will let me know about it, so call him a teenager! He had a blast fishing today with his dad Brian.

Cool little dude. Rob Jones drew for the bluefish Calcutta. We went down the line and everyone went home with something. It was a great day!  I want to thank everyone again for making this happen. We are going to have some more fun next time. In two weeks you will be able to see some footage about the tournament on Outdoors Delmarva. The offshore action has been hot for yellowfin tuna and mahi mahi action.  Lots of white and blue marlin releases.  It is that time of year when we transition from spring fishing to summer.  The charters are doing well. Book a trip today before it’s too late.