Delmarva Fishing Report — July 24, 2026

⚡ Quick Summary — Top 3 Bites Right Now

🐟

Flounder

Keepers on both sides of Indian River Inlet, Rehoboth Bay's muddy structure, and the Lewes Canal on minnows & squid strips

🦷

Sheepshead

Bite is "on fire" at the OC Inlet rock jetties — citation-size fish this week on sand fleas

🪨

Tautog & Triggerfish

Summer tog season reopened July 17 — over 50 tog boated in a 4-hour trip; triggerfish thick on OC wrecks

73.6°F

Water temp — NOAA Buoy 44009
(Delaware Bay, 26 NM SE of Cape May, NJ)
Air temp 73.8°F, light 9–12 kt winds

📍 Rehoboth Beach, DE — Surf, Pier & Nearshore

🌊 Surf Zone

Kingfish and croaker keeping the sand steady; blues moving through in pulses.

🎯 Species

Kingfish (kings) Croaker Spot Bluefish (snapper size) Striped bass (slot only)

🪝 Baits & Rigs

Bloodworm or Fishbites on a high-low bottom rig, size 4-2 hooks
Cut bunker/mullet on a fish-finder rig for bigger blues and stray stripers
Small strips of squid tipped on the same rig for kingfish

🕐 Time / Tide

First two hours of incoming tide, early morning and last light
Avoid dead low — bar exposes and bite shuts down

📌 Where

Tower Road and 3R's Road cuts
Just north of Indian River Inlet
Cape Henlopen Point, Haven Road, Navy Jetty (Cape Henlopen State Park)

📋 Notes

Walk-on requires only a fishing license; drive-on the beach requires a DNREC surf permit from a state park office.
Water reasonably clear, light green-blue — typical mid-summer chop from onshore breeze.

📍 Rehoboth Bay, DE

🛶 Bay Fishing

Flounder over mud structure, with crabbing lit up on the flats.

🎯 Species

Flounder Blue crabs Croaker Spot Sea bass (occasional)

🪝 Baits & Rigs

Live mummichog minnow or squid strip on a bucktail/jig head, drifted along channel edges
Gulp swimming mullet as a minnow substitute when bait is scarce
Chicken necks or razor clam in a crab trap or on a hand line for crabbing

🕐 Time / Tide

Last two hours of outgoing tide — drift bait off channel drop-offs as water pulls out
Crabbing best on a rising tide, mid-morning through afternoon

📌 Where

Muddy bottom flats and channel edges throughout the bay
Down-current side of any dock, bulkhead, or grass-bed structure

📋 Notes

Rental skiffs available at Rehoboth Bay Marina for do-it-yourself flounder and crab trips.
Water is a bit stained/tannic after recent rain but workable; clarity improving on the calmer days.

📍 Lewes, DE — Canal & Outer Breakers

⛴️ Lewes & Rehoboth Canal / Breakwaters

Croaker are thick in the canal; tog exploded on the outer breakwater since the July 17 reopener.

🎯 Species

Croaker Tautog (outer breakwater) Spot Flounder Striped bass (slot 20-24")

🪝 Baits & Rigs

Bloodworms, squid, or Powerbait on bottom rigs for canal croaker/spot
Live minnow on a jig head worked slow for canal flounder
Green crab or sand fleas fished tight to the rocks for tog on the breakwater

🕐 Time / Tide

Canal: any tide stage, though moving water beats slack
Breakwater tog: fish the slack around high tide to keep gear out of the rocks

📌 Where

Lewes & Rehoboth Canal bulkheads near Lewes Harbour Marina
Outer breakwater/Delaware Breakwater rock piles at the mouth of Lewes Harbor

🏆 Notable / Fleet

Summer tog season runs July 17 – Aug 31 (5-fish limit, 15" minimum) — one charter reported over 50 tog boated in a 4-hour trip right after the July 1 early reopener.
Fisherman's Wharf (fishlewes.com) running half- and full-day trips out of the historic Lewes Canal, with sea bass trips also on the board.

📍 Indian River Inlet, DE — Both Sides & Back Bay

🌉 Inlet & Back Bay

Rock-pile bite loaded with triggerfish, tog, and sheepshead; flounder stacking in the back.

🎯 Species

Triggerfish Sheepshead Tautog Flounder (back bay) Striped bass (slot only)

🪝 Baits & Rigs

Sand fleas fished tight against the rocks for triggerfish, tog, and sheepshead
Live minnow or squid strip on a jig head, worked the down-current side of structure, for flounder
Gulp on lead-head jigs tight to the rocks in the back part of the inlet

🕐 Time / Tide

Bigger fish reported showing up around 11 a.m. as the sun warms the water
Fish the last of the incoming into the top of high tide along the rocks
Cooler mornings, hot midday — plan for a shift in the bite as the day heats up

📌 Where

Both rock jetties at the inlet mouth (north and south sides)
Back-bay side of the inlet toward Indian River Bay for flounder

📋 Notes

Only striped bass 20"–24" may be kept in Delaware River/Bay waters July 1 – Aug 31.
Indian River Marina reports steady small-boat traffic working the inlet structure and back bay flounder grounds.

📍 Ocean City, MD — Surf, OC Inlet & Nearshore/Offshore

🚤 Inshore & Inlet

Sheepshead bite on fire at the Inlet; night-time striper bite under the bridge lights.

🎯 Species

Sheepshead (citation-size) Striped bass (night bite) Bluefish (surf) Slot stripers (few keepers)

🪝 Baits & Rigs

Sand fleas / fiddler crabs tight to the Inlet rock jetties for sheepshead
Bucktails and swimming plugs cast to bridge pilings at night for stripers
Cut bunker/finger mullet in the surf for bluefish

🕐 Time / Tide

Striper bite is best after dark when baitfish stack up in bridge light lines
Sheepshead best fished on moving water, either tide, tight to structure

📌 Where

OC Inlet rock jetties, Route 50 Bridge, and Route 90 Bridge pilings
Assateague surf zone for bluefish, mid-20" class fish reported this week

📋 Notes

Most bridge stripers are running short of the 28"–31" slot — expect a lot of catch-and-release.

🐠 Nearshore Wrecks

Wreck fishing waking up — triggerfish and flounder both producing.

🎯 Species

Triggerfish Flounder

🪝 Baits & Rigs

Squid strips and clam on a wreck rig for triggerfish
Squid/minnow combo on a bucktail for wreck-adjacent flounder

🐟 Offshore / Canyons

Blue water turning on ahead of tournament season — yellowfin and white marlin both in play.

🎯 Species

Yellowfin tuna White marlin Mahi (dolphin)

📌 Where

Offshore canyons roughly 100–130 miles out of the Inlet

🏆 Notable Catches & Tournament Activity

Charter boat Christine Marie boated 18 yellowfin on a long-range trip roughly 130 miles out.
Shotski and Boss Hogg each released a white marlin this past week.
The 53rd Annual White Marlin Open runs Aug 3–8, 2026 — the world's largest billfish tournament, weigh-ins free and open to the public at Harbour Island (14th St. & the Bay), roughly 4–9:15 p.m. daily. Boats are already gearing up.
Bahia Marina and Sunset Marina both report a full, active offshore charter fleet heading out daily.

🎣 Gear Up Before You Go

Stock up on bloodworms, Fishbites, sand fleas, and fresh mullet at Rick's Tackle in Long Neck, DE — "The Biggest Little Tackle Shop on Delmarva," with easy access to Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and the ocean. A solid last stop before hitting the inlet or the surf.