Those of us who enjoy surf-fishing or who have boats too small to reach the sea bass grounds have been out of luck this fall. As for me, the air has not dropped in my truck’s tires since spring and my boat has been on its trailer since early summer. My only fishing has been with my son in Virginia Beach and on head boats.
When you need to fish, there is no reason to sit at home and feel sorry for yourself. We live in Sussex County and have endless opportunities to fish in freshwater.
I can almost walk to Red Mill Pond, and my development has permission to fish there. Then there is plenty of access to the head of the Broadkill River in Milton with a fishing pier just below the dam at Wagamons Pond and in the town park.
Records Pond in Laurel is my all-time favorite where I fished as a young boy and where some of my ashes will be spread when I die. There is now a pier at the bottom of the dam where you can catch just about anything that swims in Delaware waters. I have caught striped bass, big pickerel, largemouth bass, white perch, sunfish, catfish, herring and shad, both American and hickory.
The pond is getting a new boat ramp with parking for tow vehicles in two locations. The new ramp will be in deeper water, so launching will be much easier.
Something new has been added to the sort of freshwater scene since I was a youngster. We now have blue catfish in the Nanticoke River, with two state records set this year. The latest one was 50 pounds, and that is a big fish in anyone’s book.
I have caught and eaten blue cats out of Santee-Cooper in South Carolina, and while they were much smaller than 50 pounds, they were tough fighters and good table fare.
If I remember correctly, we used live minnows in South Carolina, while Nanticoke River anglers seem to like live sunfish or cut bunker. I believe the big cats were also caught at night. I don’t think you have to go to all that trouble. Just get some bunker, shrimp or any fresh-cut bait and try your luck in the river or Broad Creek from Phillips Landing or any access point.
I think if you are going to fish from now until spring, bait is going to be your buddy. The fresher the better even if you have to catch it yourself. If you use bloodworms to catch white perch and then cutup the white perch to catch catfish, that’s about as fresh a bait as you are going to get.
There may come a time when bloodworms are not available. I have not used lug worms, but others have had luck with them. Night crawlers, earthworms and minnows are usually available because they can be raised on farms.
Closer to the Cape Region, we have the Broadkill River with, as mentioned above, plenty of access. White perch and catfish are available, with the best action on high tide. From my experience there, fishing with bait under a bobber along the bank at the town park is a good technique. I have caught white and yellow perch, largemouth bass, catfish, pickerel and sunfish doing just that. The bobber will move with the current and wind presenting your bait to a large area and without getting the rig hung up on the bottom.
The pier at the bottom of Wagamons Pond fishes best on high tide. I have only fished there once for herring, and while I didn’t do well, I see people there quite often, so I expect there are fish around, as there usually are at a spillway. I might try a live minnow under my bobber there. Cast toward the dam and let the current carry the bait down stream to whatever is waiting for an easy meal.
On the pond side, there are usually folks fishing from the banks and from the parking lot and boat ramp. This would be bass and crappie territory with the chance for the occasional big catfish. Nightcrawlers, minnows and earthworms would be my baits of choice from the bank.
There are ponds and spillways all over Sussex County and all over Delaware, for that matter, so no matter where you live, you can find a place to fish even with small-craft advisories or gale warnings flying.
Correction: Believe it or not, I made an error in last week’s article. I said the bag limits for bluefish were three per day for anglers fishing from shore or their own boats, five per day when fishing from charter boats and seven per day when fishing from party boats. The bag limits are actually three per day for those fishing from shore and five per day for those fishing from party or charter boats.
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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.
