Bloodworms and Fishbites on top-and-bottom rigs for kingfish, spot and croaker. Small mullet rigs (double-hook, size 4-6) working for snapper blues, best fished on the southern stretches from Dewey Beach down to Fenwick Island.
First two hours of light and the last two before dark. Incoming tide pushing bait into the trough is producing the most consistent action; slack high tide has been slower.
Running in the mid-to-upper 70sĀ°F in the surf ā noticeably warmer than the offshore buoy reading. Water has a stained, greenish tint from a phytoplankton bloom pushing up the coast.
First and second sandbar troughs and cuts along the main beach; snapper blue schools concentrated on the southern beaches rather than directly in town.
Live minnows and Gulp! swimming mullet/shrimp on bucktail jigs; squid strip tipped jigs also producing. Structure boats drifting ocean-adjacent hard bottom are adding sea bass and croaker to flounder limits.
Work the flats on high water, then slide into the channels as the tide drops. Best bite has been before 10 a.m., tapering off through the heat of the afternoon.
Warm, shallow bay water ā expect upper 70s to near 80Ā°F in the skinny flats. Clarity fair to good outside of the canal mouths.
Channel edges and drop-offs adjacent to the flats; ocean structure just outside the bay is holding a mixed flounder/sea bass/croaker bag.
Bloodworms, squid strips and PowerBait on bottom rigs in the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. A few keeper flounder are coming on live minnows fished slow along the channel edges.
Moving water ā either tide ā is key in the canal; dead slack has been noticeably slower. Early morning remains most consistent at the Cape Henlopen fishing pier.
Canal water is warm and slightly turbid; breakwater/ocean side clearer with the same upper-70s water temps as the open coast.
Lewes-Rehoboth Canal bulkheads for spot/croaker/flounder; the Cape Henlopen State Park fishing pier (Breakwater Tackle) for pier-caught spot and croaker, with kings mixed in for surf casters on the ocean side.
Metal lures and bucktails at first light for bluefish blitzing through the inlet. Sand fleas fished tight to structure for striped bass, sheepshead and tautog; peeler crab and green crab also working for tog/sheepshead along the rocks. Live minnows or Gulp for back-bay flounder.
Early morning is prime for the bluefish run through the inlet. Sheepshead/tog bite holds up through the day on structure regardless of light, but fishes best on moving tide when current sweeps bait past the rocks.
Distinct green tint from a phytoplankton bloom, visibility running around 6 feet. Water is hot for late July ā expect fish to hold tighter to shade and current breaks during midday.
Jetty rocks, bulkheads and bridge piers on both the north and south sides for sheepshead/tog/triggerfish. Inlet mouth itself for the bluefish and striper run. Back bay (Indian River Bay side) giving up flounder, croaker and trout.
Inshore: Drift the back-bay channels with Gulp!, skirted baits or cut bait for flounder; sand fleas for sheepshead. Inlet/Bridge: Soft plastic jigs cast at dawn/dusk, or drift live-lined spot and cut bait, for stripers and blues. Surf: small baits (bloodworm/Fishbites) for kingfish, spot, puffers and flounder; larger cut bait for big bluefish, sandbar sharks and red drum. Offshore: troll ballyhoo/spreader bars in the canyons for tuna and marlin; deep-drop rigs for tilefish and grouper.
Inlet and Route 50 Bridge fish best early morning, late evening and after dark for stripers/blues. Inshore flounder drifting is best with clean, moving water. Canyon trips are running as day/overnight trips timed to weather windows.
Nearshore and back-bay water in the mid-to-upper 70sĀ°F, tracking close to the 74.1Ā°F offshore buoy reading. Bay water is clear enough for sight-drifting flounder when winds lay down.
Back-bay channels leading from the inlet for flounder/sheepshead; the inlet mouth and Route 50 Bridge pilings for stripers and blues; the surf zone troughs for the small-bait species and big bluefish/sharks/drum; offshore reefs for sea bass and triggerfish; the canyons for tuna and marlin trolling; deep-drop grounds for tilefish and snowy grouper.
Before you head out, swing by Rick's Bait & Tackle ā "The Biggest Little Tackle Shop on Delmarva" ā in Long Neck, DE.
š Long Neck Road, Long Neck / Millsboro, DE
Easy access to Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay ā fresh mullet, bunker, clams and everything you need for bay, inlet or surf trips.