Welcome to the first Delaware Bay Report of 2012!

<b>Brooklawn</b>

Most of the area’s striped bass swam Delaware River, said Rick from <b>Big Timber Bait & Tackle</b>. In the bay, the bass held far up toward Ship John. But sometimes they were boated along the flats farther south, like inshore of Bug Light, staying in the shallows. Fresh bunker was the bait in the bay, and fresh clams were no longer the choice there. Even in the river, stripers pushed far upstream. Not many lingered at places like the DOD. But National Park was a good spot, and so was around the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. Toward the end of last week, Rick heard the best reports about the river’s striper catches that he ever did. Lots of bass and big ones were creamed. A 54-incher was reportedly nailed at National Park. Bloodworms were the popular bait from shore on the river. The shop sold so many bloods that packing the worms was one of crew from the shop’s sole job. Boaters dunked clams in the river for the stripers. Blackfishing was good along the ocean jetties. Many of the tog from ocean boats were small. Not a lot was heard about the ocean, but this was only mid April. Out-of-season summer flounder arrived in the back bays along the coast, and the season for them will open May 5. Bluefish arrived in the back bays. All the baits are fully stocked. Big Timber carries bait and tackle for fishing on all waters from fresh to offshore.

<b>Port Elizabeth</b>

Winds blew last week, often preventing boating, but bay anglers scooped in blackfish, good catches, during the weekend, in better weather, said Sharon from <b>The Girls Place Bait & Tackle</b>. The blackfishers usually target rock piles like at the reefs or at the bottom of 14-Foot Light and Miah Maull. “But you have to get in close,” Sharon said. Good striped bass fishing was copped from Delaware River. A few sizeable stripers and plenty of white perch were claimed from Maurice River. Bloodworms are a popular bait for striper fishing in the rivers, and some anglers use bunker. Some use clams on the Delaware, but not usually on the Maurice. Still, “stripers aren’t discerning,” Sharon said. Livelined and chunked herring used to be popular striper baits on rivers, but the river herring became prohibited to possess this year. Herring probably migrated in the rivers, but nothing was heard, because they were prohibited. Nothing was heard about drum in the bay since the season’s first few were reported caught about a month ago. Lots of boaters will probably target drum by the next full moon. Nothing was heard about bluefish since a few large ones were beached from the ocean surf a couple of weeks ago. The shop’s netter found a few weakfish, none big, but keeper-sized, in catches from the bay. Blueclaw crabs started to be caught from the creeks to open waters. Many were small, but some were keepers. All baits are fully stocked, including fresh clams, fresh bunker, bloodworms and minnows. The shop is open 5 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekdays, 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. The doors will probably be open later on Sundays for evening drum trips if drum fishing turns on.  The Girls Place is located on Route 47 just after Route 55 ends. It’s the long, one-story, yellow building on the right, with a large parking lot, and plenty of room for trailered boats.

<b>Cape May</b>

Striped bass might’ve been boated on the bay on the Delaware side, said Capt. T.J. from <b>Legal Limit Charters</b>. He’s got anglers interested in a trip for stripers later this week, so he might run a trip to the flats on the Delaware side for the fish, because some boats reported the catches there. But otherwise striper fishing was slow for the Cape May fleet, except for maybe a few that took the long trip to Delaware. But almost all the fleet switched to blackfishing on the ocean. Drum trips with Legal Limit will begin to fish the bay in May.

Fishing for striped bass on the bay got off to a good start on March 30 on the first trip of the season on the <b>Down Deep</b>, Capt. Bob said. Two of the anglers on the charter bagged two stripers apiece, and the rest bagged one. Then the fishing dropped off. The next charter aboard, on the next day, caught fewer stripers, and the next charter on deck, on the day after, bagged none. All the trips fished at the Horseshoe, catching most of the stripers on clams, but a couple on bunker. On the first day, the weather was gorgeous, and on the next two, it was cloudier and cooler.  On the next weekend aboard, striper trips got skunked on the bay. During the next week, last week, trips on the boat sailed for blackfish on the ocean on a couple of days. Many of the tog were small, but some were keepers. Lots of out-of-season sea bass bit, encouraging for the opening of sea bass season May 19. Drum trips on the bay usually begin in late April on the Down Deep. Openings are available.

Blackfish trips ran Saturday and Sunday, crushing very good catches, on the bay on the <b>Heavy Hitter</b>, Capt. George said. Saturday’s trip, with Ken Driscoll’s charter, limited out on the fish to 8 ½ pounds by 9:15 a.m. with six anglers. They probably released just as many keepers afterward. Fishing on Sunday’s trip, with John Grimmie’s charter, was a little slower. But the five anglers limited out by 10:30 a.m. on the tog to 7 or 8 pounds. Only a couple of the fish or so were throwbacks on the trips. Drum trips aboard  the bay will probably begin in May. Call if interested in any of this fishing.

Back to Top