Top water fishing picks up as June bugs arrive

June so far has been a 3-season month.  Fallish, springy-like weather and summer.  The fishing has been good because the water temperatures are holding and not bouncing around much each day.  Hot and cold days will throw the temperatures all over the place.  We have had a nice steady rise with even fluctuations between tides.  Now if we could just get away from this wind.  It has blown almost daily for months.

Offshore fishing has lit up with a lot of tuna coming to the docks.  The marinas have been busy at the cleaning stations from Lewes to Ocean City, MD.   

Sharks, tilefish, mahi - all the usual suspects are being caught offshore.  Just need a good day with no blow to get out there and fish. The inshore action for flounder has been getting better and better.  Most boats are doing well, again when they can get out there and fish.  

Now that everyone has resorted to fishing for smaller fish with top and bottom rigs and Fishbites, all kinds of little fish are being caught. A pompano of all things was caught last week just in time for Father's Day.  Not only is that really early, but they are also delicious, and this one was fifteen inches long! Use top and bottom rigs with small sharp hooks. Fishbites, bloodworm, sand flea and even shrimp formulas. Also try to find small sand fleas or cut up large fleas and use pieces. We usually don’t see pompano in the surf in Delaware until July at the earliest and the rest of the summer.

Each year they are getting bigger and numerous. Maybe this year we will see some big pompano; last year quite a few were caught. These fish travel in schools so I hope this wasn’t just one really lost fish. We did see a kingfish a month early at Assateague. 

We are into summer fishing for the most part.  The southern beaches are producing more fish than the northern beaches on the weekends.  That is probably due to the crowds.  Cape Henlopen gets a lot of the Delaware Bay water on the outgoing tide that can affect the fishing, especially if there are any swimming advisories. Funky water tends to move fish around.  Fish early mornings and late in the afternoon when the beaches are not as crowded.  After 4 p.m. on Sunday the beach looks like a weekday.

Crabbing has been great around the bays, creeks and canals.  There aren't a lot of places you can crab from land.  Rosedale Beach in Riverdale,  Lewes at Canal Park, Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier, Holts Landing State Park, just to name a few. 

Clamming has been decent! You can learn how to clam from the crew at Lighthouse View Bait and Tackle.  The pier area at a dead low tide is a good place to clam.  There are several places around the inland bays.  Check the state's clamming maps for any restricted area due to bacteria.  

Speaking of early arrival fish, New Jersey is already seeing trigger fish.  There are cobia that have been caught in the surf in Jersey as well. 

Seems some of the summer fish are much earlier this year. If you are pond hopping or fly fishing start matching the top water bugs. 

We have a lot of dragonflies, termites and the like that are emerging.  The June bugs have been out for a while now.  Once these all show up the top water action starts to pick up. 

If I want to know what bugs are around I just check the pool filter.  Always a good indicator of what is emerging and winding up in the water.