Finally a little stretch of decent weather and some very good Tautog fishing to go along with it! We actually have had more decent weather over the past seven days than we have had bad weather for a change, and we were able to take full advantage of it on a few different occasions allowing us to have seen some of the best Tog fishing so far for the fall season.

I was able to get away from the docks five out of the last seven days this past week and each trip we had somewhat fair to very good action with the Tog. It wasn't all peaches and cream our good weather is all relevant to some of the bad weather days we have had recently but with the exception of one trip that had a pretty "rocky" start, the rest of the days seemed like just a gentle walk in the park. For anyone that gets fired up catching or trying to catch the Tog I would have to say that this is the time!

Seemingly overnight the Blackfish started to bite in a lot of areas where just a week or so ago you could hardly get a bite. This is the frustrating beauty of fishing for these crafty bait stealers, they always seem to keep you guessing even when you think you have them figured out! This was never more obvious than on Sunday when after two days in a row with a very good bite, just like that, the fish turned off and became very difficult to catch. They bounced back on Monday proving not only were they still in the area, but that they will always be in charge.

I certainly can't boast limit catches for everyone, but I can say with certainty that we have had a few limit or near limit catches this past week and that the fish have been very nice in size with the pool fish every day in the 6 to 9 pound class. We have also seen a couple more nice sized Sheepshead, and a few more Triggerfish. For the most part though it has been all Blackfish and a lot of world class Oyster Crackers to further frustrate anglers trying to figure out the Tog bite!

Water temperatures continue to dip slightly hanging right in there around 61 degrees in the Bay and in the mouth of the Bay. Temps are just a little warmer a little further away from the coast. There has been just enough drop that I can officially say that there are now some Stripers on the move and some very nice fish were taken hook and line in the Delaware Bay over the weekend. It shouldn't be long at all before we will be able to catch some of these beasts in the rips around the mouth of the Bay. So far most of the Stripers have all been large and most have fallen to a chunk of fresh Bunker while anchored. There are reports of several large schools of both Blues and Stripers about fifty miles north of us along the beachfront and we should start to see this migration in our area very soon. Perhaps with the passing of the next cold front. We will start sailing for Stripers regularly starting this weekend.

Sea Bass season will reopen on November 1st and we will be ready for them. Our Sea Bassing had really just started to get good when we had the wool pulled out from under our feet with the mandatory closure by National Marine Fisheries. Once the season reopens we will continue to fish for the Bass up until the end of December. With my regular all day trips I look to fish for the Bass any decent day with enough people to make the run to the Bass grounds. In the event that we just have a few folks show up on any given day or it is too rough to make it offshore, we always have the option to fish close to home for the Tautog. Both the Tog fishing and the Sea Bass fishing should be good up until the bitter end this year.

I am planning on running seven days a week with the regular all-day trips up until December when we will drop back to just Friday through Mondays. All-Day trips will depart the docks at 7:00 a.m. and we return around 4:00 p.m. We will be wreck fishing for either Sea Bass or Tog every day and all bait is supplied. We will also have several Special Trips on the schedule running specifically for the Sea Bass and will also have a few Long-Range trips for a mix of Bass and Tilefish. These dates should be posted on our special trip link from the home page very soon. Reservations are required in advance for all special trips and space will be limited. Striper trips will start sailing this weekend and are scheduled to depart the docks at 8:00 a.m. and will also return to the docks at around 4:00 p.m.

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 for a special trip please give us a call at (302) 645-TUNA.

Until Next Week Happy Fishing!

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