The weather continues to hamper our efforts here at the Wharf but fortunately we have had a few breaks in the forecast and a few calm days and we have been able to see some of our best Tautog fishing of the season thus far over the past couple of weeks!

Even though we tried to resume our daily schedule Mother Nature has had better plans and fishing for me so far this year seems to be more like a part time job than a career.   I did manage to get away from the docks another small handful of days since my last report and fortunately we were blessed with some very good fishing at times.  The Tog have started to become much more active lately even though the weather has been anything but favorable to us and the water is still fairly cold.  Each and every trip we have made now for the last couple of weeks we have had a decent bite with these fish at least during some part of our day.  Typical Tog fishing really,  they always seem to be a very frustrating fish to catch even when they are biting at their best and they usually uphold their reputation.

Right now in Delaware our minimum sized fish required has to be 15 inches long and our creel limit is only three.  Sounds easy right?  Well not necessarily so much!  Even though each and every trip most of our anglers have had little or no problem achieving this goal these fish are not committing suicide and an attentive stick and a good bit of patience will be required to consistently excel in catching these crafty feeding structure fish. Even the best of sticks are prone to a shut out on any given day.  I have also noticed that luck seems to trump impatience pretty much always!  With the water temperature as cool as it has been so far this year the bites we are getting have often been very light or sometimes just maybe what felt like a little scratch on your once baited hook.  They have certainly been feeding but not nearly as aggressive as they sometimes are known to do.   It hasn't been until just recently that we have had any good number of bites on the hard bait,  the softer baits have prevailed for the better part of the spring with these lethargic fish.

Our water temperatures have not changed a whole lot over the past week.  Surface temperatures around the mouth of the Delaware Bay have been anywhere from about 49 degrees on the low end and as high as 53 or a touch more on the few sunny days we have seen without wind.  Out front the surface temps are similar to that of the Bay however they chill considerably every time the wind kicks up, and that unfortunately has been pretty often.  Surface temperatures reported at the Delaware Lightship Buoy have been stuck at around 47 to 48 degrees right now.  As I type this report winds are pumping at close to 25 knots again, this time out of the east with yet another low pressure system effecting our weather and keeping my part time job safe with a couple more days tied to the dock.  We will however be back hard at it by Thursday or Friday for sure the way the forecast looks.

The outlook for the Tog I would have to say is very promising until the season closes on May 12th.  There seems to be a few more fish biting now in several different locations and different depths as well as all along the breakwaters both inner and outer when the weather allows.   As long as Mother Nature cooperates with us we should continue to have more decent action and landings with these fish.  There have been a few times recently that the action was pretty fast paced between the short fish and the nice keepers in the mix keeping everyone attentive at the rail and it may even get better as the water temps creep up and they become even more active.

We are still scheduled to try and sail daily with the All-Day trips. As long as we have a pretty day I do anticipate making these trips. Watch the weather closely and give us a call before you come if there is a question so we can give you any updates as to what you might expect before you travel any distance. Fortunately we have been fishing fairly close to home right here in the mouth of the Delaware Bay so we are able to go with a bare minimum of sponsors. We also will have lots of fishing time with a fairly short ride to the grounds. Tautog will be at the top of the menu, we have not seen much of any other species of fish. We have seen a few Spiny Dogfish Sharks, and we actually landed our first keeper Flounder of the year but the Tog is what we are rigging up for and baiting for. We depart the dock at 7:00 a.m. and we generally return around 4:00 p.m. All bait is supplied we will provide both live Crabs and fresh Clams. Remember this spring Tog season closes on Monday May 12th as the last day we can fish for them until the season will reopen later in the year.

If you would like any more information about trips sailing out of the Wharf or you would like to book a private charter or reserve space on an upcoming special trip please give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.

Until Next Time Happy Fishing!

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