I can’t help but to think of the old saying be careful what you wish for. In my last report I mentioned something about Northeast winds and that a good wind could actually push some Sea Bass onto the wrecks at this time….. Well when the wind stops I guess we will see!

Despite Mother Nature’s recent dose of weekend wind I have actually sailed five out of the last six days. The inshore Blackfish sure have come in handy. With waves as big as 14 feet at one point on the Ocean this past weekend, we spent our days nestled in, anchored up in the Delaware Bay with a moderate three-foot sea just doing our thing with these Tog. I’m not going to lie and say it has been easy, Togging rarely is, we have however, managed to limit just about everyone out with Tog on each and every trip with the exception of Saturday. Pool fish have been over 7 lbs on every day with the biggest fish this past week weighing in over 12 pounds. We have also seen a few Stripers landed while fishing over these Bay wrecks and a nice bonus Black Drum, as well as several Sharks, both Smooth and Spiny.

The Voo that has plagued the 12hr. trips continued this weekend with Capt. H.D. not being able to make the final call until right before departure time. It is so hard to trust these forecasts. During most of the day on Friday the wind forecast was less than 10 to 20 for the following day and the trip was a go, but it became painfully obvious that the weatherman misread his notes and in all actuality the winds were blowing 10 plus 20 and even then some! Once again the 12 hr. trip was called. Good thing too, Saturday afternoon the Northeast winds would pick up to a steady 25 knots plus and continue to blow until early Tuesday morning. At the dock yesterday, 5/1 we clearly had enough people that wanted to go out fishing but even the Bay had finally succumb to all the winds and I just couldn’t bring myself to torture those poor folks given the five foot chop with the 30 knot winds. I cancelled. We did however bounce back in style today catching Tog up to 8 pounds with all limits once again. By the way it was also a beautiful calm day and the forecast sucked.

The wind has abated now and I am looking forward to pushing off the beach a little in the immediate future. We should see some Sea Bass in these next few days and I am just about certain that we will be fishing specifically for Sea Bass this weekend. We should also be able to continue to catch Tog for a couple more weeks. The Tog are primarily a little closer to the beach than where we would generally look for the Sea Bass but I do expect a mixed bag with both Tog and Bass for a while.

In other fisheries Drum continue to be a hot ticket up in the Delaware Bay. Black Drum ranging from 15 to 60 pounds are taking baits in huge numbers in the daytime by boats that have been targeting them. Stripers are also being landed, however the number on the Stripers seems to be a little off from previous years. Capt. Bennett on the Lewestown Lady had a decent day on Drum Saturday despite the wind, landing seven big Drum along with a large Striper for his charter. Captain Benny has openings for several days and a lot of nights available this month for Drum and Striper charters if anyone is interested.

The Blues that blitzed through our area a couple of weeks ago seem to have moved on but there are still a few being caught around the inlets and in the surf. Water temps have really not climbed much in the last week and this could possibly be why the Blues as well as the Rock haven’t really turned on locally. There are still a few reports about Flounder being caught in the back Bays and in the canal but this will get much better in these next few weeks. Sadly, news on Sea Trout seems to be nonexistent at this time.

I will continue fishing over wrecks with the regular all-day trips sailing at 7:00 a.m. for several more weeks. Expect Tog and Sea Bass or both depending on the weather and the crowd. Some of our fishing will be as deep as 100 feet so rig accordingly. A minimum of 30-pound test is best although you can sometimes get away a little lighter. 3/0 hooks with lead up to 12 oz. is also normal. We have a complete tackle shop right on board with anything you might need.
If you would like more information about trips sailing out of the Wharf or you are interested in a Charter or would like to reserve a spot on a special trip please give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.

Until Next Week Happy Fishing!

Capt. Rick Yakimowicz
Thelma Dale V