Summer fishing: You never know who will show up

Having a heat wave, one seriously hot, melt my feet to the pavement heatwave. The water temperatures are up to bathtub levels in the inland bays. The surf is actually decent feeling at a balmy upper seventies.

The flounder fishing is still slow in the Lewes Canal and inland bays. Decent around Roosevelt Inlet and Broadkill River. The anglers at Bubble Gum Beach are catching a lot of throwbacks at the top of the incoming tide and a few keepers. Oyster crackers and small seabass are abundant along that wall.

A lot of shad action at night under the lights at Indian River Inlet. Some ten-pound plus bluefish are around the Coast Guard station at night, but tough to get from land or the boats. Unless you are fishing inside the Coast Guard compound, then you are right on top of them.

The striped bass action is decent there as well. The rockfish are hammering sand fleas, all shorts but fun to catch. Short striped bass schools at night under the lights at Massey’s Landing. Small swim shads, bucktails or plugs work well for lures. Swim shads producing the most catches with bucktails in a close second.

The flounder action in the Delaware Bay has been great at Bowers Beach near the new jetty. No one knows why but there have been a lot of decent catches from there. Jim Davis has been consistently catching keepers and a lot of throwbacks. There is decent short striped bass action up there and even some small croakers. Lot of small weakfish all over the area as well.

There have been a few weakies in the 17-inch range from the tidal creeks and rivers from Broadkill to Bowers Beach and above. One was even caught this afternoon at Conquest Beach in Delaware Seashore State Park. Weakies are around, and every day I hear a theory as to why they are in decline and have been. I’m sticking with aliens as the best explanation and most entertaining.

Lot of cusk eels in the surf, kingfish, sand or silver perch, small bluefish, pompano, spotted hake, skates, rays, dogfish and lots of sharks.

Big sand tigers being caught by the land-based shark fisherfolk. The fish are all hitting bloodworms or Fishbites on top and bottom rigs. The skates and all the scavengers are hitting bunker chunks.

Unless you are trying to catch these scavengers or sharks, you might want to skip the bunker chunks completely until fall. The big fish jumping just off the shoreline are either cobia or sturgeon. Without a picture we can’t really tell you what they are, just what they might be. The surf has been the best in the mornings and evenings.

The sand is loose and fast at the beach make sure you are airing down. The offshore action is off the hook for yellowfin and bluefin tuna chunking butterfish.

Where are the croakers? A few keepers were caught at Massey’s Landing recently. That action will pick up very soon. Lots of small ones around the wrecks and reef sites in the Delaware Bay. There also some nice triggers out there as well. Got to love summer fishing, you never know what will show up.