Unicorn filefish caught at Assateague Island

I have been fishing in Delaware since I was a little boy and doing fishing reports for Delaware and Maryland since 1973, and in all those years, I have never heard of a unicorn filefish caught in either Delaware or Maryland, let alone from the surf at Assateague Island. That is until last weekend, when Millsboro resident Brandy Timmons caught one from the beach at Assateague. When I first saw the report, I thought she had caught it in Delaware, where she is a constant presence on the beach. I contacted Brandy and she said she was fishing in Maryland.

As you might imagine, she had no idea what she caught and had to get more information from Google or whatever search engine she uses. After checking her sources, she determined it was a unicorn filefish, also known as a leatherback.

Brandy said the filefish acted like a skate at first, hugging the bottom, but then it came into the wash where the hook pulled out, but they were still able to land the fish. Not knowing exactly what they had, the filefish was released after a few photos.

There is not a whole lot about filefish online, other than they are good to eat. It seems they are a tropical fish and not common this far north. A few years ago you could have said the same about triggerfish, spadefish and sheepshead.

Fall Surf Fishing Classic

Old Inlet Bait and Tackle held its annual Fall Surf Fishing Classic last weekend, and if you have been keeping up with recent surf reports, you won’t be surprised to learn the catch was almost entirely small blues and kings. A couple of those blues were worth more than their weight in gold.

First place in the Men’s Division was taken by Morty Morton with 119 points. I have fished with Morty on more than one occasion and he really does have a Golden Horseshoe. He took home $800 and a beautiful bronze trophy. In second was Jason Stallings with 62 points, worth $600 and another bronze trophy. Third saw Chris Barton walk away with $400 and his bronze trophy for scoring 61 points. Lance Cochran scored 58 points and won $200, plus an Okuma rod. In fifth place was Chris Fortner with 55 points. He won a Reynolds Surf Fishing Rod Rack.

The Women’s Division ended in a four-way tie. Deb Weichhardt, Melissa Aston, Tricia Wolters and Loretta Schickner all ended the tournament with 15 points. Now if this had been four macho men surfcasters, there may have been a down-and-out brawl in the sand that would have ended up on YouTube. Fortunately, the gentler sex worked it out and they will split the money, $125 each, and share the trophy with each lady having it for three months then donating back to Old Inlet, where it will go on permanent display.  A much better solution to the problem.

There were no scoring fish in the Kids Division or the Grand Slam.

The Largest Fish and the Largest Bluefish Calcuttas turned out to be the same size blue. Matt Beatty and Jason Stallings both caught blues measuring 16 inches. They split the prize money, with each walking away with $1,455. That’s $90 per inch.

DMS Surf Tournament

The next surf fishing tournament will be the weekend of Oct. 5, 6 and 7, when Delaware Mobile Surf Fishermen will hold its 12th annual event. Registrations will be accepted as late as Friday at the Officer’s Club at Cape Henlopen State Park. The cost to enter is $40 for adults and $15 for children 15 years and under.

Fishing on Saturday will take place at Delaware Seashore State Park and Cape Henlopen State Park from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Sunday, only Cape Henlopen State Park will be open for fishing from 7 a.m. to noon. While most fishermen will drive on the beach, the contest is open to walk-on anglers as well.

Based on a minimum of 200 entries, the Overall Division will award $1,000 to the highest scorer, with second worth $750, third $500 and fourth $250. The largest fish caught during the tournament, other than a bluefish, will be worth $750.

For the first time this year, ladies will be able to register in the Overall Division if they do so before noon Sunday.

The Women’s Division will pay out $300 for first, $225 for second, $150 for third and $100 for fourth. So you can see why a lady with a high score might want to declare for the Open Division.

There will be a bluefish Calcutta for a $10 entry fee with all monies paid to the winner with the largest blue.