As we end the year and look forward to 2022, I like to look back at what happened in ’21 and what might happen in ’22. While the events of ’21 are pretty much history, what might happen in ’22 is pretty much guesswork.
As far as fishing in saltwater was concerned, if you had a boat big enough to fish the open ocean and bay, you should have had a pretty good year. If, like me, you were restricted to fishing where you could go in a 16-foot Starcraft or drive on a beach in a four-wheel drive Chevy Avalanche, you may have had a less-than-perfect season.
Spring saw a good run of sea bass, and I went out on opening day with my friend Doug Elliott aboard the Angler out of Ocean City, Md. We managed to fill a cooler with a 30-fish limit on a beautiful weather day that got my season off to a wonderful start.
Then I moved to the northside of Indian River Inlet, where I caught a good number of big hickory shad on light tackle. I also had a few herring and menhaden hit my shad dart fished behind a Tsunami Forktail Candy jig. The herring had to be released, but the menhaden went home to become fertilizer under my tomato plants.
It was about this time that boats that could reach the Old Grounds began catching nice flounder. Some boats made a habit of catching limits of flounder while others struggled a bit. On occasion there would be keeper sea bass mixed in with the flatfish. As the summer grew and the inshore water began to warm, dolphin began to show up over the Old Grounds and the various reef sites. Most were peanuts, but there were bailers and gaffers in the mix.
Moving out a little deeper, we had a very exciting tournament season. The White Marlin Open awarded more money than ever before, $9.2 million, with the second-highest number of boats, topped only by the record number from 2005.
Then we had the Mid-Atlantic Billfish Tournament held out of Cape May, N.J., and Ocean City, Md. It was two boats from Ocean City that made the big news. The Wolverine brought in a 958-pound blue marlin Monday, and everyone thought that was the certain winner in that category. Then, Friday, the Billfisher, also out of Ocean City, topped the Blue Marlin category with a 1,135-pounder. Never before have two 1,000-pound class blue marlin been caught in the same week out of Ocean City or any other U.S. port that I am aware of.
While tournaments are nice if you can afford to play, most boats that make the run to the deep go after tuna. These boats had a good season as well. There were yellowfin, bluefin, bigeyes and even a few true albacore. Trolling or chunking worked at different times, and the Washington Canyon was a late-season hot spot.
Those of us who were restricted to Delaware Bay saw good action with bottom fish such as spot and croaker. The reef sites held all of those fish you wanted and even a few trout that were more than keeper size. I saw more trout over 3 pounds in 2021 than I have seen in 20 years.
For the most part, the surf was a disappointment. Lots of spiny dogs and skates. A few small blues, the occasional trout and short rockfish.
The big excitement from the beach was the arrival of red drum over 40 inches. Unfortunately, I had a bad fall in my garage and messed up my knees really bad, so surf fishing was off my agenda for the entire time those fish were here. I’m just happy that Fuzzy Bear caught one for himself and one for me.
As the year wraps up, the fishing remains good. Right now, there are good numbers of big rockfish cruising along the coast of New Jersey between Wildwood and Cape May. For the most part, they are being caught on Stretch 25s and 30s or MOJOs trolled as slow as the boat will go.
Sea bass season will close on Dec. 31 and reopen May 15. That is, if NOAA and the various states keep the regulations status quo. As it stands right now, NOAA has increased the recreational quota for summer flounder and sea bass, and decreased the commercial quota. At this point in time, I have no idea how this will play out in the states. I think you can count on at least one public hearing (that will be poorly attended) in Delaware before the final state regulations are made.
Happy New Year!
-
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.
