Not a lot to report for the last week unless you don't mind fishing in the cold and rough weather, the Ocean certainly didn't look as nice as it did last weekend. I did however manage to get out on three of my scheduled four wreck trips this past weekend and despite some ugly conditions we actually met with some limited success. December winds came with vengeance and did all but blow us back to the dock on Saturday and even stronger winds kept us tied fast to the docks on Monday with no hopes of ever taking the ropes off that morning.

We started off Friday's trip with a light crowd staying close to home and fishing for the Tog. They were not the most cooperative fish on this day as the overcast skies, and the wind opposing the tide for the better part of the day made for some very tough fishing conditions. We did catch a few decent fish but not what I would call good by any stretch of the imagination. The catch of the day would end up being a long piece of one-inch cable that was firmly wedged right between the flukes of my anchor. This unfortunate mishap not only forced us to loose a valuable hour of fishing time, (naturally in the middle of slack tide), but also one of my favorite danforth anchors now become part of the artificial reef. This was definitely not a prosperous day for the Wharf.

Saturday's trip was not without pain either! Winds were forecasted to moderate in the afternoon but not quite soon enough to make this a pleasurable trip. I ventured off to one of the deeper wrecks that I hadn't fished in several weeks however when we arrived on the scene Northwest winds close to thirty knots and waves in the six to eight foot category once again made for some downright miserable fishing conditions. There were some nice Sea Bass caught and we actually had a few hearty anglers that landed limit or near limit catches but this was not the norm for most passengers onboard. Average catches would be close to double digits with keeper Bass or just a few more and we also tallied several Blues and Spiny Dog Sharks for our effort. Fishing at the rail was an absolute chore for anglers trying to hold on, stay on bottom, and get the rhythm of the swing of the boat down with every pass at the wreck. At least we didn't loose an anchor to a mystery piece of cable and we had somewhat of a nice ride home. Yes the winds finally did abate.

Sunday started out as a Tog trip but ended up with more Sea Bass. The way the wind had blown on the previous day it was no real surprise that the water would be dirty and the likelihood of a good Tog bite was sketchy at best. Even though I traveled several miles away from the mouth of the Bay in search of some cleaner water I ended up having to go a little further than I wanted to find the bites. It was however much more pleasant fishing on Sunday, the seas were fairly calm and once we got to that magic depth of cleaner water the fish were biting! Top hooks would wind up well into double digits with Bass and Tog but the numbers would go downhill from there. Throwbacks were numerous for everyone for most of the afternoon and we did manage to land several more Blues Tog and Sharks along with the Bass. I took advantage of the light rail and fished for a few hours myself on Sunday and winded up catching no fewer than about forty Sea Bass and a few Blackfish but keeping only sixteen Bass and one lonely Tog for my efforts. I was very pleased!

With the storm force winds in the forecast for Monday we just tied everything up nice and tight and departed the docks Sunday night knowing that Monday's trip would be a blowout. More Northwest winds have been hammering our region now for at least thirty-six hours and all fishing out of Lewes has come to a screeching halt. Hopefully by the middle to the end of the week we will be able to get out again and finish our regular 2007 season trips with a bang.

Striper fishing over the past week has actually been the best that it has been all year. Large schools of Stripers and Blues have been migrating along the coast and those targeting them have seen the best and most consistent numbers of fish so far this fall season. With water temperatures dropping these fish have been on the move chasing all available baitfish that are moving towards the more temperate waters south of here. I would expect Striper action to continue until well after Christmas without any problem this year.

As I stated earlier this coming weekend will be our last scheduled days for the regular All-Day trips. I will fish Friday through Monday fishing over wrecks for either Sea Bass or Tautog or maybe both with the full day boat. We will have two more special 12-hr. wreck trips running both this Saturday and the following Saturday for the Sea Bass. After that all wreck fishing will be exclusively done on the 18-hr. trips until the spring. Look for the posted dates for our Winter Jumbo Bass trips in the special trip section of our home page. It is also likely that I will be running some special Full-Day Tog trips after the first of the year by reservations only; look for those dates to be posted here as they become available. Weather will play a big role in these trips. As for the Striper fishing it is possible that we may have a few trips after the tenth of December, with the fish just getting here in good numbers now there will be more good opportunities to fish for them. Your best bet will be on weekends with good weather and please call before you come so we can give you an idea of the interest for any given day. Also if you can get a group together don't hesitate to call us we will try to get you out on any day as long as the weather is favorable.

If you would like any more information about trips sailing out of the Wharf or you would like to reserve a spot on one of the upcoming Special Trips please give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.

Until Next Week Happy Fishing!

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