Hi Folks,

I know I must sound like a broken record but; the weather just

will not get rite. On days when the water clears a bit, the fishing improves

also. The back bays are still producing flounder and blues. A few stripers are

scattered throughout. Spot have started to show in Indian River and in Massey’s Ditch. Indian River Inlet is giving up stripers to those using live spot, live eel, or bucktail and white worm. The bluefish in the Inlet have been really thick on in-coming tide and will hit just about anything you throw at them. Weather is also hampering the offshore fishing. The Hambone seems to be giving up a few bluefin tuna to those trolling. Jeff and Will Courtney had a 41-inch bluefin take a ballyhoo capped with a Zuker. They also had a break-off.

Bob Smallwood on the “Dana Lynn” had Erin Hurd, Scott Rinicker, Doug Rinicker, Jay Little, Jon Bixler, and Rob Haas to the Poorman’s. They scored on tuna and dolphin with Doug Rinicker tying into a 102-pound Bigeye and Rob Haas battled an 84-pound Bigeye. Captain mike Rivera on the “ON Delivery” had a trip to the Lightship to tangle with a 350-pound Thresher and went to the Fingers for an 89-pound Mako. The Back Bay fishing was good for Bill Logan who weighed in a 4 pound 7 ounce flattie, which put him in 3^rd place in the Pot-Nets Tournament. Ron Soltes the weighed in a 6 pound 2 ounce flattie that put him in the lead in the same tournament. Don’t forget to sign up for Annual Flounder Tournament. There is no charge but you must sign up by 7 AM Saturday June 27^th. Final weigh-in is Sunday June 28^th at # PM. July 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th, is the Annual Rick’s Bat & Tackle / SeaSide Gas & Grill Fishing Tounament. Fee is $25.00 and includes a T-Shirt. Payout categories are; Flounder, Bluefish, Sea Bass, and Tog. Don’t miss out on the fun.

At Bill’s Sport Shop on Rt #1 in Lewes tells us they had a great

Flounder Tournament. Randy Jensen took 1^st Place with a 7.87 pounder, Ton Bailor took 2^nd with a 7.34 pounder, 3^rd was Dillon Mitchell with a 6.1 pounder,

4^th place went to Bill Ziskay with a 6.09-pound flattie, and Michael Bott took 5^th

with a 6 pounder. Sixth place was taken by Billy Rawlings at 5.99 pounds. John Rupp took 7^th with a 5.93 pounds, and Robert Scharmer took 8^th at 5.91 pounds, Sharlene Flipping took 9^th place with a 5.81 flattie and Bob Watson rounded out the top 10 at 5.45 pounds. In other action from Bill’s we received reports of the following successes. Price Lindsay boated a keeper flounder weighing 5lbsdrifting out of Lewes on a Finesse rig. Lanson Cochran was fishing the surf and beached a keeper trout and some nice kingfish. Barry Keller caught two stripers at IRI weighing in at 13.75lbs and 13lbs. on live spot.  John Kitchen went to the Hambone with Jason and Jen Raup and boated a 42.12lb. Bluefin tuna and released another around the same size.  Colleen caught flounder and stripers at the Navy Crossing on fresh bunker. Vahn Moua caught a 12.21lb. 32" striper off the rocks at IRI on an eel.  Heather Rice, age 8, from Lincoln, DE. caught her first keeper flounder that measured 18.5" while fishing aboard the charter boat Blue Collar Man on a minnow at B Buoy. Bobby from the Pier in CHSP said the spot bite is steadily improving. Captain Les Clemmer of the Martha Marie charter boat called to say he’s scoring flounder out of Lewes with about a 30% keeper rate.  Blue Collar Man charters has had some very successful sea bass trips with keeper flounder also hitting the deck around B Buoy. The charter boat Reliable II out of Bowers Beach, has been having great luck catching very nice flatties and the action hasn't slowed down.  Captain Ed Meeds reports his anglers have even boated some keeper size tautog that had to be released. 

At Rattle & Reel Sporting Center on Long Neck Road, Ron tells us that there are plenty of flounder being caught in the back bays. The problem is you have a tough time finding keepers. A few trout have been taken in Indian River Inlet using live spot. Thresher sharks are being chummed to the boats from DB Buoy to the Delaware Light.

John at Henelopen Bait & Tackle on Savannah Road in Lewes reports flounder in the Lewes Canal and the Broadkill. John says the weather has been a major factor in keeping folks from fishing the Delaware Bay.

At Hookem’ and Cookem’ Bait & Tackle at North Shore Marina in Delaware State Park Burt reports lots of small flounder in the back bays with a few keepers taken now and then. This past week has provided good flounder action in the Indian River Inlet. Butch Brooks Sr. used a bucktail to trick a 10.8 pounder. Live spot and GULP! have been the hot baits. Incoming tides have been in the bluefish. Stripers have also been plentiful but again most are shorts.

Ocean bottom fishing is consistently providing small seabass. The flounder fishing is slowly improving and hopefully will continue to improve as the water warms. Offshore action has yellowfin tuna and dolphin in the Washington and Poorman’s Canyons. At the Hambone, the “Stress Relief” boated their limit of bluefins with the big one weighing in at 128 pounds. Threshers and Makos are also being caught.
Joe Morris at Lewes Harbour Marina said Delaware Bay structure yielded some decent flounder. Gary Welsh was drifting the Star Reef Site on the Forever Young III when he connected with a 7.65-pound doormat. Dr. Mike Junck decked a 6.01 pounder at the Brown Shoal Reef Sites. The big flattie was part of a catch of 8 quality keepers taken by Dr. Mike, Bob Witte and Allen Quillen aboard Top Fin. Other reports of flatfish action came from the channel edges between #14 and #19 Buoys. Fluke also continued to come from the Lewes Canal, Broadkill River and Roosevelt Inlet. Shallow water along Broadkill Beach and the Cape Henlopen, Cape Shores and Port Lewes piers produced fish as well. John Northeimer checked in a 5.42 flounder that ate a chartreuse Gulp! in the Lewes Canal. Bill Rybinski used a chunk of soft crab to tempt a 4.9 pounder from Roosevelt Inlet. Stripers and a few trout were taken from Roosevelt Inlet as well. “Barracuda Bob “ McNamee and Frank Gaworski had a pair of 3 pound trout and several stripers in the 20 to 26 inch range while casting Bass Assassin Sea Shads to the inlet jetty during flood tide. Boats working the Reef Site #11 and the Old Grounds surrounding DB Buoy in the ocean found sea bass and flounder. The majority of bass were below the 12-½ inch minimum, but some nice knotheads ended up in coolers. Dave Gallen got a 3.07 pounder on the Skipjack, and Lucas May boated a 3.63 pounder aboard Jam-Man. Sharkers tangled with threshers and makos on structure between twenty and thirty fathoms. The Fingers, Sausages and Hambone gave up sharks. Michael Fritz bested a 168-pound thresher while drifting near the Triple Wrecks aboard Snow Goose with Ed Sigda and Bill Fintel. The crew also released a mako that grabbed a trolled tuna lure. Bluefin tuna action was good at the Hambone early in the week but slowed toward the weekend. Trollers had success pulling Green Machines, cedar plugs and spreader bars. The largest tuna responded to ballyhoo/Iland Lure combinations towed way, way back.

Yellowfins came from the deep of Poor Man’s, the 461 Lump, and the 800 Square of Washington Canyon. ‘Til next week, Have Fun and Be Safe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!