What can I say about our fishing that I havenÂ’t already said in the last few weeks? ThatÂ’s a tough one not a lot has changed. As the summer rolls on our Flounder fishing which has already been incredibly good has actually gotten even better believe it or not. Over my last week of fishing with the All-Day trips the total numbers of Flatties that have been landed (and IÂ’ve been counting) would nearly boggle the mind.

Picture perfect weather and some ideal drifting conditions dominated the week and the Flounder were absolutely taking a beating. While the vast majority of the fish we are landing are throwbacks the action has been hot and heavy at times with short and measurable fish and the amount of keepers popping up has been consistently good keeping the attention level at the rail very high. We have had multiple limits of nice fish around the boat on nearly every trip and our pool fish has been upwards of six pounds or bigger on just about every day.

We have still been enjoying some of that crystal clear warm water that lies near our coast right now; I have seen surface temperatures along with this clean water that have reached 80 degrees on several occasions. Along with this tropical like clear water, we have seen sea life that you would only expect to see in warm waters like this. We are still seeing those Mahi Mahi tormenting our baits on several occasions and we have also seen Leather Back Sea Turtles, Flying Fish, Cobia, a Mako Shark and even a large Barracuda swimming around one of the pot flags just a couple days ago! And yes seeing a Barracuda is a little odd; IÂ’ve heard of them around here but itÂ’s the first one IÂ’ve ever personally seen around this neck of the woods! I understand there was a large one landed by a private boat while fishing one of the artificial reef sites just a few miles off of Cape May last week so evidently there is a few of them around.

Other than the oddities that go along with this offshore like water we have been experiencing, the mere beauty of being able to see those fish coming up from the deep water long before they ever get close to the boat is truly a memorable sight. You just have to see it to believe it, there have been times that you can clearly see the rig and the fish you are about to catch nearly forty feet from the surface!

There is no doubt as many of you are already aware, that this years Flounder fishing has been consistently good. We have had the type of fishing that before all the regulations you see now we would have been “loading up” with fish. Now however, with all the regulations imposed upon us we are in a mostly catch and release mode. Realistically you will wind up with enough fish for supper and if your lucky you can invite some friends over for dinner or put away a little in the freezer. I also firmly believe that you may possibly catch the biggest Flounder that you have ever caught on any given day right now, but be prepared, even on some of our best of days there are folks that never get a keeper. That’s just the way it is but there has been no shortage of fun on most trips.

It seems like the Flounders are definitely beginning to make their journey out into the deeper waters. More and more Flatties seem to be working their way down the Delaware Bay and out into the Ocean. There are however lots of Flounders still in the upper reaches of the Delaware Bay as well as in the Back Bays, so there is still plenty of fish to come. While mostly all of our Full-Day trips have been in the Ocean fishing over the “old grounds” lately, I fully anticipate being able to catch Flounder for several more weeks both in the Ocean as well as up in, and around, the mouth of the Delaware Bay. With the weather that we have had and the success we have been seeing out front, only the weather or a seriously hot bite will make me turn toward the Bay for the time being. There is some great fishing up in that Bay but it has been much more consistent and there are more options when you get in a bind out front in the Ocean.

I will continue running daily with the Full Day trips departing at 7:00 a.m. and returning to the docks around 4:00 p.m. Flounder will be the main target as long as we continue to see the numbers of fish we have been seeing. There has been a little mix with some Sea Bass and I must admit the numbers of keeper sized Bass seems to be increasing just recently but the Flounder will make the catch and I wouldnÂ’t expect to see any big numbers with keeper sized Bass for a while, they are just a bonus right now. Half-Day trips will also continue running with three trips a day fishing for the Croakers until after Labor Day when we will switch to just two trips a day. Half-Day trips depart at 8:00, 12:30 p.m. and then again at 6:30 p.m. The Croaker fishing has been very good lately with mixy sized Croakers up to about fifteen inches.

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

Until Next Week Happy Fishing!

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