🎣 Delmarva Fishing Report

🪱 Baits & Rigs

• Kingfish: bloodworms and Fishbites on small hooks, high-low bottom rigs
• Nearshore wreck/reef trips: squid strips and Gulp for sea bass over structure
• Occasional keeper flounder mixed in on minnow/Gulp combos near any pier pilings or troughs

⏰ Best Times & Tide

• Early morning and last two hours of daylight — beat the midday heat and pressure
• Fish tight to the beach in the first sandbar trough on an incoming tide

📍 Where

Work the surf zone troughs and cuts up and down the beach; kingfish are showing along the entire stretch. Nearshore boats are working structure and wrecks a few miles off the beach for sea bass.

💧 Water

Warm summer surf temps, typical late-summer haze/algae can affect clarity after wind events — check color before committing to a spot.

🪱 Baits & Rigs

• Croaker: bloodworms, squid, or Fishbites on bottom rigs over soft-bottom holes
• Flounder: Gulp Swimming Mullet/Crawfish on jigheads, drifted along channel edges and drop-offs
• Striped bass: soft plastics and small swimbaits worked over grass flats and channel edges

⏰ Best Times & Tide

• Early morning is essential — the bay gets crowded with boat traffic after 10 a.m. in summer
• Fish the flats on high water; move to the channels as the tide drops

📍 Where

Channel edges, drop-offs near marked structure, and grass flats throughout the bay. Croaker are thick in the deeper holes off the main channel.

💧 Water

Typical late-summer bay warmth; clarity is best early before boat traffic stirs up the shallows.

🪱 Baits & Rigs

• Striped bass: bait and plugs along the beaches; artificials working well in the back bays and along Bay structure
• Black drum showing in the Delaware Bay alongside stripers — clam baits on fish-finder rigs
• Sea bass: squid strips and Gulp jigged deep over wrecks — full-day trips recommended since fish are holding deep
• Canal: bloodworms/squid for spot and croaker along the bulkheads and deeper bends

⏰ Best Times & Tide

• Moving tide (either direction) through the canal produces best current flow for bait presentation
• Outer breakwater bite improves on the last of the incoming tide

📍 Where

Delaware Bay beaches near Lewes for cruising striped bass; the canal itself for spot/croaker/flounder; offshore wrecks for the deep sea bass bite (tog season currently closed).

💧 Water

Delaware Bay running warm; the striper run has fish shallow enough to sight-cast plugs along the beach in the right light.

🪱 Baits & Rigs

• Triggerfish, sheepshead, tog: sand fleas or green crabs fished tight to the rocks on both jetties
• Flounder: Gulp on jigheads or live minnows fished tight to structure on the calm, down-current side; yellow/chartreuse Gulp is working best in the current dirty water
• Bluefish: bucktails and metal lures worked under the Route 1 bridge, early morning
• Striped bass (night): live eels and floating fleas after dark, switching to soft plastics in the early morning hours
• Small black drum ("puppy drum") appearing on crab baits near the rocks

⏰ Best Times & Tide

• Blues: daytime incoming tide, especially early under the bridge
• Striper bite is best at night due to heat and boat traffic — plan an after-dark trip
• Indian River Bay (behind inlet): fish the flats on high water, channels on low water, and be off the water before 10 a.m. boat traffic ramps up

📍 Where

North and south jetty rocks for triggerfish/sheepshead/tog; back-inlet current seams and rock edges for flounder; under the bridge for blues; the bay flats and channels behind the inlet for the early morning bite.

💧 Water

Inlet water temp running about 67°F — a touch cool for peak summer, which is helping keep bluefish pushing through on the incoming tide. Water has some color/dirt in it currently, favoring brighter Gulp colors.

🪱 Baits & Rigs

• Surf kingfish: bloodworms, small hooks, tight to the beach — best early and late to avoid the heat
• OC Inlet jetty rocks: sand fleas/green crabs for the thick trigger, tautog and sheepshead bite
• Bay/back structure and nearshore wrecks: Gulp and live minnows for flounder, mixed with sea bass over reef structure
• Talbot Street Pier: squid and Fishbites for spot and croaker, bucktails for the bluefish moving through
• Offshore: trolled ballyhoo/lures for a steady mahi bite; live-lined baits and jigs for yellowfin over 100 lbs and an active bluefin bite (Sunset Marina fleet)

⏰ Best Times & Tide

• Surf/kingfish: early morning and evening, out of peak sun and heat
• Offshore boats running roughly 60–130 miles for tuna grounds — full-day/overnight trips

📍 Where

Ocean beach troughs for kingfish; both OC Inlet jetties for triggers/tog/sheepshead; nearshore wrecks and reefs for flounder/sea bass; canyon and offshore grounds (reports of trips 60–130+ miles out) for tuna, mahi, and marlin.

💧 Water

Warm late-summer surf and bay temps; water clarity is the swing factor for surf success day to day — check conditions before heading out.