Bob Jones’ fishing report Sept. 24

OCEAN

Anglers targeting white marlin had some of the best fishing of the season during the past week, with several boats out of Sunset Marina releasing more than a dozen billfish on back-to-back trips. The hot bite was centered in the Norfolk Canyon along the edge of a shot of warm water that pushed up the coast. Anglers aboard the Billfisher topped the billfish reports from the marina, returning to Ocean City with release flags flying for 31 white marlin. They returned to the canyon a couple days later, releasing a blue marlin and 20 more whites. The crew of the Reel Chaos also reported outstanding trolling action in the Norfolk, with 27 whites being released. Boaters fishing closer to home in the Poormans Canyon had better luck on mahi mahi, with some boats reporting big numbers of gaffer sized fish. Fishermen aboard the Osprey topped the dolphin reports, with 43 nice fish on ice. The crew of the Boss Hogg also had a good day of mahi fishing in the Poormans, boating a total of 40 fish. The offshore report from Indian River Marina indicated a mix of bonito, yellowfin tuna, sharks, mahi and a few bigeye tuna for boaters trolling the Washington Canyon. Boaters targeting flounder continued to score on doormat class fish at locations including the DA and DB Buoys, the Old Grounds and Artificial Reef Sites Nine, 10 and 11. The heavy structure on Site 10 produced some of the heaviest fluke during the past week, including an 8.6-pound doormat weighed in at Hook’em and Cook’em by Frank Hunter. The trophy flattie fell for a 6-inch Nuclear Chicken Gulp! bait combined with a strip of clean squid. Site 10 also produced a 7.2-pound flounder for Nicole Hendricks. While most reports listed 3- to 6-ounce Spro jigs, flounder balls or bucktails baited with Gulp! trailers or fresh strip baits as the most popular choices, there also have been plenty of nice fluke taking on Fish Finder rigs baited with live spot and finger mullet. Fishermen targeting flounder also connected with croaker and a black sea bass. A reminder that Delaware’s sea bass season closed earlier this week so the fishing is catch-and-release only until the season reopens on Oct. 18. Anglers checking in at Old Inlet Bait and Tackle reported daytime action on a mix of hardheads, snapper bluefish and small flounder along the Indian River Inlet jetties. Fishermen targeting croaker are baiting with Fishbites and bloodworms, while most of the bluefish action has coming on small spoons, jigs decorated with one-inch Twister Tail grubs and small Gotcha lures. Night fishing has been productive for jetty fishermen targeting rockfish, with a few keepers being caught on floated sandfleas, dark shad body lures, live spot and live eels. The rocks along the north and south sides of the inlet also should be a good place to connect with a few keeper tautog when the fall season opens on Sept. 29. Surf casters checking in at Old Inlet Bait and Tackle had reports of snapper bluefish, spot, kingfish and croaker being caught from the Delaware beaches on fresh mullet, bunker, bloodworms and surf clams. Surf reports from Sue Foster at Oyster Bay Tackle in Ocean City also included some early fall action on red drum in the Assateague Island surf.

DELAWARE BAY

While croaker reports are still coming in from boaters focusing on the deeper water at the mouth of the bay, the hardheads have pretty much abandoned the mid- and upper-bay regions. Fishermen also are connecting with a few nice croaker, along with spot and an occasional flounder at the Cape Henlopen State Park pier and the Port Lewes Pier. The croaker and spot are hitting bloodworms, Fishbites and clams. With tautog season set to open in a few day, boaters are gearing up for action on the rock piles off of Lewes. In the meantime, the best fishing between the Outer Wall and the Haystacks is being provided by schools of 14- to 18-inch bluefish. The blues are feeding on silverside minnows, so just about any small lure that resembles a silverside will work. The best way to find the bluefish is to look for the sea birds cleaning up the scraps of baitfish that float to the surface above the feeding predators. Scattered schools of bluefish also are reported to be located as far north in the bay as Woodland Beach. White perch, channel catfish and rockfish are being caught along the bay beaches and from the fishing piers at Port Mahon and Woodland Beach by fishermen baiting with bloodworms, peelers, bunker and night crawlers. While most of the stripers coming out of the bay are running well short of legal keeper length, there have been a few keepers caught at Woodland Beach by anglers checking in at Smith’s Bait in Leipsic.

RIVERS

The weekly river report from Captain Bones Bait and Tackle indicated good fishing for white perch and channel cats in the Delaware River and in the C&D Canal at Reedy Point. Most of the perch are being caught on bloodworms, with cut bunker and night crawlers the top choices for anglers focused on catfish. Fishermen stopping at Master Baiter’s Bait and Tackle also reported catching a few keeper rockfish from Augustine Beach on chunks of fresh bunker. Tidewater reports from the southwest corner of the state indicated good fishing in the Nanticoke River for 1- to 3-pound largemouth bass. According to reports passed along by Jerry Taylor at Taylored Tackle, most of the fish are being caught on the falling tide by anglers fishing tight to structure with Senkos. Catch reports from Brandywine Creek listed smallmouth bass as the primary target, with bronzebacks being caught on a variety of natural baits and lures. A good place to look for smallmouth are the eddies just downstream from brush piles and large rocks. Anglers fishing the area between the Brandywine Creek State Park and the Pennsylvania line also are reporting catches of rock bass on red wigglers and 1-inch pieces of night crawler.

PONDS

While access to many of the state’s millponds has been limited or completely cut off by thick mats of aquatic weeds, local tackle dealers recommended a few public impoundments with enough open water to support quality bass and crappie fishing. Jerry Taylor said most of the pond reports he’d heard from anglers stopping at Taylored Tackle indicated fishable conditions at Hearns Pond and Chipman’s Pond. Dover’s Silver Lake, Garrisons Lake and Noxontown Pond topped the list for fishermen checking in at Captain Bones Bait and Tackle. The best bets for anglers looking for open water in the Milford area are Haven Lake and Killens Pond, according to Brian at the Williamsville Country Store. Pond fishermen are using a variety of lures, including buzzbaits, Senkos, jigs, spinnerbaits and topwater frogs.