With the summer months just around the corner a lot of us are still wondering what has happened to our spring. The month of May began this past weekend with more of that typical cold, windy and rainy weather that we have grown all too accustomed to over the last six weeks. Despite the lack of sunshine and the unseasonably cool temperatures the fishing is still turning on.

Bluefish and Stripers are moving along the coast, and some Trout are now beginning to show in good numbers up inside the Delaware Bay. Drumfish are now being landed on both sides of the Bay in the shallows and I am hearing more reports of nice Flounder being caught almost daily. Here at the Wharf the big word is big Tautog! Anglers this past week have been treated to some of the best Tog action you could ever ask for. Many limits have been landed and many roe laden females have been returned to the sea. I have seen some excellent fishing over the past several days. Jerry J. Williams from Baltimore landed our biggest Tog weighed in this past week on Friday’s trip. Jerry had a nice limit of Tog, which included this 11-pound beauty he caught on clam. We have had several other fish that would make the citation size of 7 pounds. It is nice to see fish of this size coming in. Anglers have at times been able to weed through some of the smaller fish and the roe heavy females to get that perfect limit catch. We have also been seeing a good number of throwback size u-15’s to keep anglers on their toes. One thing is for certain though; the crafty Tog is no easier to catch in the spring of the year than he is in the fall. It never ceases to amaze me at how the Tog will humble even the best of fisherman! Jamal Jones from Cambria Heights New York wasn’t to be outwitted by a fish; Jamal and his father bagged an easy limit of Tog including this seven lb. class fish to take pool fish honors earlier last week. Blackfish are definitely the catch of the day for now but this could change at any time. The past few years by this time we had been seeing good numbers of Sea Bass however as of this writing the Bass still have not shown up inshore. I have only seen two Bass over the past week. While it is true most of our fishing has been within five miles of the beach we would still see a sign of these fish by now if there was any number of them around.

Capt. H.D. finally got a 12-hour trip away from the dock this past Saturday, bad weather has plagued these special trips all spring. High hopes of Sea Bass were squashed by the scarcity of these fish however this trip did produce some nice sized Ling. Top hooks would land as many as a dozen to fifteen ling up to six pounds while some unlucky anglers would catch none. We will be running these 12-hour trips every Saturday for the next three weeks. Reservations are necessary to hold a spot for all special trips.

I will continue to fish over wrecks daily with the regular All-Day trips. Tautog will more than likely be the catch for at least another week. We may also see some Stripers and Bluefish mixed in with our catch as these fish often frequent shipwrecks at this time of year. I truly believe that within the next couple of weeks we will be able to catch good numbers of Sea Bass. It is my understanding that a few of these fish are just now starting to show up in the commercial pots offshore. With any luck these fish are right around the corner.

If you would like more information about trips sailing out of the Wharf or you would like to book a charter or make a reservation for a special trip, please check out our website or give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.


Until Next Week Happy Fishing!

Capt. Rick Yakimowicz
Keen Lady IV
catchfish@verizon.net