Across all five stops from Rehoboth to Ocean City, these are the fish putting the most bend in rods this week.
Bloodworms, Fishbites and lugworms on standard hi-lo bottom rigs are cleaning up on spot and croaker. Cut mullet and squid strips draw the occasional small shark after dark.
Early morning and dusk incoming tides are producing the most consistent action; midday can be slow in the warm, bright water.
The trough just behind the first breaker is holding most of the panfish. Cape Henlopen State Park's surf reopened to fishing September 1 after the shorebird nesting closure — expect fresh pressure there this week.
Notable: Ocean-run flounder, sea bass and even tilefish/tuna are being reported by boats working just offshore of the Rehoboth beaches (Old Grounds, reef sites 10/11), a sign bait is stacking up close to the beach.
Gulp on lead heads and minnow/squid combos drifted slowly along channel edges for flounder. Chicken necks tied off docks are pulling in a strong crab run.
Drift the deeper channels on the outgoing tide; slack water is best for anchoring up and soaking bait for spot and croaker.
Massey's Landing is producing spot, croaker and the occasional small bluefish. Better keeper-flounder odds are out toward the Old Grounds, where the bay water meets the inlet influence.
Notable: Rent a boat and go for crabs — Rehoboth Bay Marina reports very good crabbing this week with chicken necks as the top bait.
Live sand fleas, peeler and green crabs fished tight to structure are the ticket for tog, sheepshead and triggerfish. Minnow/Gulp teaser combos are drawing an occasional keeper flounder from the pier pilings.
Moving water — either tide — around the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers is key; slack tide shuts the structure bite down fast.
Boats working the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers in Delaware Bay are stacking tog, sheepshead and triggerfish. Offshore, ocean-structure trips are finding sea bass and flounder. On the Cape Henlopen State Park pier, the abandoned pilings at the pier's end are producing flounder and sheepshead up to 10 pounds for kayak anglers — plus some 4-to-5-foot sharks in the mix.
Notable: Lewes Harbour Marina reports the split bite continuing — ocean-structure trips lean flounder/sea bass, bay-structure trips lean tog/sheepshead/trigger.
Live eels and floating sand fleas after dark for striped bass off the jetties. Bucktails and spoons on the first/last hour of the daytime incoming tide for snapper blues. Live green crabs and sand fleas for tog/sheepshead/trigger. Gulp on lead heads fished tight to the rocks for flounder.
Night and early-morning incoming tide is prime for stripers; daytime incoming tide is best for blues and the rock-pile species.
Both jetties are holding striped bass at night. Blues are stacking near the bridge pilings early. Flounder and sea bass are decent out on the Old Grounds and B Buoy. On the surf side, spot, croaker, small blues and cruising sharks (4–5 footers chasing bait) round out the beach action. The fresh mullet run is just getting started — expect the surf bite to turn on hard once it's in full swing.
Tournament: The 29th Annual Delaware Seashore Fall Surf Fishing Classic is set for Saturday, September 26 — sign-ups open now. (Note: the DMS Surf Fishing tournament originally scheduled for October 10 has been cancelled.)
Live sand fleas near jetty rocks and bridge piers for sheepshead/tautog. Bucktails, soft plastic jigs and drifted cut bait for striped bass and bluefish at the Inlet. Squid strips on jigs for back-bay flounder; bloodworms for surf kingfish and spot.
Inlet stripers and blues bite best early morning and evening. Back-bay flounder channels are best on a clean-water drift, any tide with decent current. Beach fishing is banned 10am–5:30pm through September 30, so mornings and evenings are your only surf window.
OC Inlet jetty rocks, bulkheads and the Verrazano/Route 50 bridge piers for sheepshead and tautog. Back-bay channels leading from the inlet and off the airport are producing good flounder in clearer water, with croaker mixed in on squid. Assateague Island surf continues its summer mix of kingfish and spot, plus inshore sharks and rays on bigger baits. Offshore, the inshore lumps, shoals and wreck sites are loaded with flounder and black sea bass, while the canyons (Washington, Baltimore) are giving up white and blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, mahi, wahoo and deep-drop tilefish.
Charter/Headboat fleet: Sunset Marina boats are lighting up the Washington Canyon — multiple white marlin releases per boat, mahi and tilefish rounding out coolers (8/31 report). This follows a big August: the White Marlin Open wrapped with a 607.5‑lb blue marlin taking top honors, and the MidAtlantic Tournament paid out over $6.6 million with "Boss Hogg" topping $1.3 million. Fin Chaser and Restless Lady charters are also reporting steady sea bass/flounder trips over reef sites.
Chesapeake note: For anglers ranging inland, the 2026 striped bass season has reopened bay-wide (19–24" slot, 1 fish/day) with a hot red drum bite and Spanish mackerel run in the lower Bay.