For a change of pace we finally had a decent weather weekend in the forecast and were able to get away from the docks with all but one of our scheduled trips as last week came to and end. We missed Friday with just too much wind but have been out every day since and have been enjoying some outstanding fish catching action. Tautog and Stripers are the catch of the day depending on your pleasure and both fisheries have had their moments with anglers catching some trophy size fish over the last seven days with several citations being weighed in for either species on nearly a daily basis.

Picture perfect weather was in the forecast for the weekend and for the first time in a long time not only did the weatherman get it right but anglers took advantage of the great weather and went fishing. The Mouth of the Delaware Bay was littered with just about anything that floated; small and large private boats, charter boats, and head boats alike were all targeting the Trophy Stripers that have been congregating around the rips between Cape Henlopen and Cape May. As one fellow operator described it, "you could nearly walk from boat at boat at times, it reminded me of the old days fishing for the big Trout." As seasoned Striper fisherman would expect all this boat traffic concentrated in these certain areas most definitely made for some less than ideal conditions to catch these fish. Boat traffic can often be the ruin of even the best of Striper bites in some of the shallow water locations where these fish are found and this proved to be the case over the weekend. There were plenty of fish caught and some really nice ones too but it was hit and miss as to who got on the fish before the traffic ruined the bite. It's a shame that a common sense manual doesn't come standard with all those fancy high priced private boats you see zipping around as fast as they can from boat to boat, it would make for much better fishing opportunities for everyone.

In a way I was lucky I didn't have to put up with the hundreds of boats Striper fishing while wreck fishing for the Tog. I couldn't help but to notice however that not only both Breakwaters and the Ice Breakers, but every artificial reef site that I passed this weekend in my travels all had an abundance of boats either toggled, grappled or anchored to the site all targeting the Tautog. It was similar to a chess match with boats jumping from one location to the other trying to outsmart the fish or the other fisherman also trying to set up on the same location. Believe me I was content fishing for the Tog! Along with the nice weather we also saw the biggest crowd of fisherman this weekend since the closure of the Sea Bass. While I still only had a couple of dozen anglers on Saturday, Sunday the gates were open and I had the biggest crowd onboard that I have seen since we were Flounder and Sea Bass fishing in September with forty plus well tuned anglers anxious to catch a fish. A little good weather went a long way for a struggling business this past weekend. We were quickly back to reality though on Monday with just a couple of handfuls of participants for the trip.

Both Saturday and Sunday and then again on Monday we saw decent numbers with the Tog. I can't boast that we had limit catches or anything like that but what we lacked for in sheer numbers of fish we made up for in quality. Pool fish each of my last three days would weigh in over nine pounds with the biggest just shy of eleven pounds. We had some very nice fish. Each trip a few anglers were able to excel and naturally with Tog fishing there is always a few frustrated fishermen that were just providing an all you can eat crab buffet just to fatten up the fish for others!

Water temperatures still have not made a significant drop. Surface temps in and around the mouth of the Delaware Bay are still holding around 55 to 57 degrees while Ocean temps out to about fifteen miles off the beach are still showing nearly 60 degrees at times. Fish are nevertheless on the move, we are seeing both Tog and Stripers now in places where just a week ago there was not a bite to be had. There are also some Slammer Blues and even a few more Fluke migrating along the coast. Water clarity and current movement continue to be our biggest deterrent for the best bites on any given day. Most of the weekend we were plagued with some very strong running tides making it difficult to stay in touch with the bottom even in the shallow water. Fortunately when everything fell into place the Tog did cooperate on the flops of the tide proving that a little patience is all that is needed when targeting such a crafty temperamental feeder as the Tautog. The strong running tide that deterred the Blackfish from biting during it's strength made for some good Striper fishing on the other hand. Stripers seem to love a hard running current.

The outlook is good to have continued success with both the Tog and the Stripers in the upcoming days and weeks. Word has it that there is an abundance of Stripers and Slammer Blues up the Coast and these fish will be migrating into our area over the next several weeks. Tog fishing is better now than I have seen all fall and should continue to improve as the water temperatures continue to drop. We will have some good fishing as long as we have the weather to make it happen.

Our schedule goes like this; we are fishing daily for Stripers departing the docks at 8:00 a.m. this is an all day trip and will generally return to the docks around 4:00. We are using live bait for the most part however there are quite a few fish now being landed on jigs. Wreck fishing for the Tog will be Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Wreck trips depart the docks at 7:00 a.m. and return to the docks around 4:00. Crabs are furnished for the Tog trips. No reservations are necessary for either boat.

 

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

Until Next Week Happy Fishing!

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