After nearly a solid two weeks of some of the most miserable spring weather that I can remember in recent history Mother Nature has finally allowed us to get away from the docks a few days this past week. East and Northeast winds have dominated our region as of late and kept everyone tied fast to the docks just hoping for a break in the weather and some nicer days to fish. The weather finally cooperated towards the end of last week and we were able to get away from the docks and get in on some serious fishing.

Blackfish or Tautog as they are locally referred to, have been the catch of the day this past week and catch them we did! Anglers were treated to Tog up to 12 pounds on my last few trips and limit catches were the norm around the boat. In typical Tog fashion there were several periods of time when we had to wait them out but with the exception of just one trip it was well worth this wait. Most of our fishing has been between depths of forty to sixty feet of water however a couple times we caught them as shallow as only twenty-five feet deep during the hard running currents. This is a sure sign that these fish are migrating inshore for their spring spawn. Average fish have been in the four to five pound class and in some cases we were able to weed through the females and some of the smaller males so that anglers could walk away with a limit of fish that would average close six and eight pounds for their creel while catching and releasing fish the better part of the day.

Even though the weather has been somewhat sour and we went nearly a full week without seeing the sun, water temperatures continue to creep up to a seasonable degree. I have seen the water as warm as 53 degrees along the Bay front while Ocean temps have been hovering around 48 degrees as far as twenty miles off the beach. Surf fisherman and small boaters fishing the back bays and sounds as well as the canal have all started to have decent success with both Flounder and Stripers. I have even heard several good reports of Bluefish in the Surf and along the Rips in the mouth of the Delaware Bay. The first few Drumfish have also reportedly come across the docks and I even have a confirmed report of the first Bluefin Tuna of the 08’ season landed and brought to the docks into Indian River. Things are popping on the angling scene quickly this year close to home despite some bad weather breaks.

I expect to continue taking advantage of this Tog fishery until the full closure in mid May with the regular All-Day trips. There is a strong possibility that we could also see some Stripers on some of these trips as well, but we will be concentrating on catching the Tog every trip. The way everything seems to be going this spring I am hopeful that we will start seeing some good numbers with Sea Bass close to home in a few short weeks. There have already been a handful of these fish caught within six miles of the beach in the last week or so which is a very good sign and hopefully it won’t be too long before I can give you a good report with them also.

We do have one more special 18-hour trip on the schedule for this weekend; this trip will be targeting mostly Sea Bass and possibly some more Blueline Tilefish. With any luck the weather will be in our favor and we can get this last extended long range trip in for the spring. We will also start with our 12-hour wreck trips soon, the complete list of days can be found in the special trip link from the home page. Remember these special trips require advanced reservations.

As the water warms and the spring season progresses expect to see more and more Stripers and Drumfish landed on private charters as well as some of the headboat trips. This fishery has exploded in the past few years and this year should be no exception. We are booking private charters on the Lewestown Lady for these Striper and Drumfish trips now and the next few weeks will be the perfect time to pick your date and get in on this action with a small group of friends. We should see good numbers of trophy Stripers as well as Drumfish that can exceed 80 pounds in the very near future! My son caught this fifty pound Drum nearly two years ago with Capt. Benny and can’t wait to try and catch a bigger one this year.

If you would like any more information about trips sailing out of the Wharf or you would like to book a charter or reserve a spot for a special trip please give us a call at (302) 645-Tuna.

Until Next Week Happy Fishing!

Capt. Rick Yakimowicz
Thelma Dale V
catchfish@verizon.net