hengstthomas
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4-6-2009 (South DE)
I had a plan but while trying to find a copilot I was talking with Steve and he asked when we were getting the big Stripers last year so I checked the archives and the first post I find is Dated 4-8-2008 where I landed a Keeper Striper at the Inlet . With the winds and rain approaching again and after sitting home all day I had to get out so the Inlet was the new plan .
I arrived at 9pm and as I walked up I saw baitfish scrambling about .. It looked real fishy
I had "Old Faithful" already rigged up so I started with that . My first cast went with the wind so I immediately reeled it back in and recasted . I was almost finished with the cast and just about to lift the lure out of the water when I see a BIG Dark figure coming stealthily right for it .. I froze and almost soiled myself .. It was around 5 feet long and pretty BIG . It slowly surfaced as it grabbed my plug .. It was too late A Seal had grabbed the lure and hooked itself .. It swam a few feet away before it realized something wasnt right then it peeled some line for about 30 yards and stopped . At first I could see it bobbing and then all the sudden it went NUTS !! It thrashed and splashed and then headed for the deep . I didnt know what to do but I was halfway to the end of the line so I cupped the spool and began to chase it on foot . I regained all but about 40 yards then started to gain line but then again she took off with short 5 foot bursts and after 75 yds or so I felt a pop and the line had parted . THAT was a first and hopefully a last !!
So I retie another "OF" and go to work but nothing .. I try to different Swimbaits with no bites so I return to "OF" . About 10 casts later I get a nice 38" Striper .
A few casts later I get another nice fish on but it pulled not only the hook and "O" ring off but the whole ring out of the lure ..
I landed 2 schoolies and missed 2 more before the rain started and the tide slacked at low tide .
I found a White/Glow Gulp 6" Twister on a brand new Jighead .. The paint was still covering the eyelet
I switched Jigheads and tossed the Gulp .. 2nd cast I get slammed but lose the fish seconds later .
I had Sandeels swimming everythwere and heard a few nice crashes in the dark .
The tide bottomed out and baitfish just vanished so I decided to take a walk with "Old Faithful" towards the Bridge . I got to the bridge with no bites but did hook a fish near the handicap pier but after a short tussle the fish escaped into the night . I worked back to the CG station and finished up in the corner .. I got another fish at 35" ..
Fished for another hour as the tide turned but it was quiet with no action . The winds continued from the South at 15 MPH and the rain was off and on . I am not quite over the last wet night so it was a good time to call it a night .
Water was clear .
I did see either a Snapper Blue or a Hickory Shad too .
4-7-2009 (South DE)
Got to the Inlet at about 10:30pm and found Paul (jarjar) looking for some Stripes .. We were joined by Judah about 40 minutes later . The water was very clear and winds were from the SW at about 15 to 20 MPH (opposite from last night) . I noticed that the tide was very high and NO baitfish present .
We tried an assortment of lures with a few bites but nothing that came tight . Paul had to head out around 1am but Judah and I stuck it out for 2 more hours .
Paul and I had seen some surface activity but very little and things got quieter by the minute .
I had a total of 4 bites and 1 follower and landed 1 fish at 29" .. I was just about to say I was done too
The full moon was causing the tide to surge and the current was swift to say the least . Temps dropped considerably after 2am .
Judah and Paul it was great to wet a line with you both !
4-9-2009 (South DE)
This report was written by Jimmy Lee
Tom and I arrived at the Inlet around 1030pm and met Bryan_VA . We talked for abit and explored the water to see what creatures were amongst us while we waited for the water to move a bit. There were many creatures around.....shrimp, little 4-5" ling, skates, a squid, a seahorse.....
We started with some 4" storms, tsunamis and panther martins. Once the water started moving a bit I got the 1st schoolie @ 26" on a pearl 4" storm. Hours later we hear some bigger fish popping the surface away from the light, I make 1 cast into the area and I land my 1st keeper striper ever @ 30" on a 5" tsunami :banana: (Bryan has the pics on his camera, so he will post the pics later).
We decided to check out front and after doing so we made the move to the south side, where Bryan landed this one
I almost fell again on the rocks helping Bryan land the fish. I just wanna say its a very very good idea to take and wear corkers at IRI, trust me I fell about 6ft and almost went into the drink. My head was inches away while my feet were suspended towards the sky, I really cut up my hand on the rocks when I fell
Tom walked the entire south side all the way to the jetty with a few bites, but no hook ups. Bryan ended up leaving a bit later, Tom and I go to the rail for longlining and around 730am we head out. After talking to the Mrs. I had a few hours to stay and fish, so we headed down to the spillway and limited out on herring in an hour or 2. Loaded up on some bait 1st time catching herring for me, I must say it is fun to catch the herring.
I might of missed a few things, but will let Tom and Bryan fill in the details that I might have missed. It was great to finally meet you Bryan and wet a line with you, will have to do it again soon. Next time we will have to catch more fish too
Here is a stomach contents shot, filled with sand eels. No kitchen shot, but here is a newspaper shot
My addition to the report
Even though I didnt catch a fish I had a great time . It was like a skit from National Geographic or something out there last night for sure .
We arrived to find high clear water and no wind .. The place was like a POND !
Not much bait but there was enough to make it interesting .
There were Isopods free swimming all over mixed with some nice Grass Shrimp and other species of shrimp as well with some up to 3+inches . We saw lots of small 3" to 4" Ling , a few Sand Eels , Hermit Crabs , White Leggers , Speckled Crabs , Silversides , Bay Anchovies , Minnows , Some type of Tropical looking fish with Greyish/Blue neon sides , 1 Squid , 1 Seahorse and quite a few Skates that came right up to us .. You could just pick them up .
Jimmy it was Great that you finally got your Delaware keeper Striped Bass ..
CONGRATS !!
By the way atleast if you did go in the water that first time you could have just stood up , it was about 1 foot deep
We stayed put until the tide slowed then headed to the South side Condo's .. I fished hard and walked just about the whole South side , I could not make the tip of the Jetty because the winds and tide were crashing over the point not to mention that is was way worse than the North side . I havent been over there is many years .. The rocks are nice and flat but they are covered in slippery green moss .. The north side has rough rock and your footing isnt great either but I have walked to the point without corkers many times and didnt have the problem like I did on the South side .. Wasnt worth being swept to sea thats for sure .
Anyhow I got 1 bite just East of the Bridge .
At around 5am or so we hit the CG station and Bryan called it a night . A guy had just landed a 34" on a swimbait right before we pulled up and a few guys were Longlining but no other fish were caught .
I talked to a few friends and I was told that yesterday they got some fish with 1 at 30" Longlining at almost high tide but the bite died when the tide stopped ..
Just an FYI : The Full moon is causing the tide to rip very bad .. Current is very strong when it does move and at dead slack its very still . The tidal surge wasnt as bad but its hard to fish when your lures keep sweeping away with the tide .. also makes it hard to keep a swimbait on the bottom .
Jimmy and Bryan it was a pleasure again to fish with you both .
Tog Bait
The Seahorse was WAY COOL ! Made my night
Here are the pics of Jimmy's fish.
26"
The keeper
4-8/4-9-2009 (North DE)
I was in the water by 9:45pm and had 4 bites and 2 fish spit the Plug . Around 10pm Tim shows up and pops around the corner just as a really nice fish pops free after about a 45 second fight . The water was clear but not crystal and the tide was 1/3 IN and coming up fast . We stayed put tossing an assortment of Bombers , Yozuri's and "OF"
All quiet until almost midnight when Tim lands this guy ..
Not long after that he lands a Twin to that one and misses a few more while I still am fishless .
We fished through the high , slack and 2/3rd's of outgoing before finally returning to the first spot ..
20 minutes later ..
Tim leaves about an hour later and I fish until about 5:30am with 1 more schoolie around 18" .
Tim it was a pleasure to finally meet you and wet a line with you .. We gotta do it again soon .
I pull out and hit Silver Lake in Dover below the spillway . I parked off Division and walked to the spillway . Saw Gizzards and quite a few Blue Herons . I was throwing plug that was about 4" long and headed back towards Division St . I crossed Division and kept going downstream . I landed a 13" Striper and 2 Hybrids that were about 15" (around 2 pounds) .
A guy walked up before the 2nd pic and asked what I was after .. He asked Bass ? I said nope .. He asked White Perch ? I said nope and he kinda shrugged away . His name is Scot and just recently moved here and has been catching some nice WP up at the spillway . Anyhow as he shrugged I hook up to the 2nd Hybrid and tell him I'm after these .. he followed up with "Holy Crap" We chit chat for a bit and I tell him of the 3 fish I caught . The tide was dead low and the sun shining bright so I start telling him about my favorite spot for WP which is about 100yds South
I take him over there and explain the layout .. He is armed with 4 dozen minnows .. Me a 2" white Riverside Twister in Pearl on a 1/32 oz jighead 15" under a casting bobber . My first cast results in a nice 10 to 11 inch WP . I tell him where to put the minnow and in 10 casts I have 4 more citation size WP and he gets nothing . I then show him the plastics I use and give him a few . He rigged up another rod and copied my setup and 2nd cast had it down .. I got to enjoy a lost fishery .. lost to me as when the WP are around I am usually after bigger fish . I am glad I met Scot and sure I will see him again .
In 1 hour we caught about 30+ NICE 10 TO 14 Inch WP with 1 bordering 15" .. I thought it was a Hybrid ..
I had to run but will be back for my next 2 Release Citations
I had a plan but while trying to find a copilot I was talking with Steve and he asked when we were getting the big Stripers last year so I checked the archives and the first post I find is Dated 4-8-2008 where I landed a Keeper Striper at the Inlet . With the winds and rain approaching again and after sitting home all day I had to get out so the Inlet was the new plan .
I arrived at 9pm and as I walked up I saw baitfish scrambling about .. It looked real fishy
I had "Old Faithful" already rigged up so I started with that . My first cast went with the wind so I immediately reeled it back in and recasted . I was almost finished with the cast and just about to lift the lure out of the water when I see a BIG Dark figure coming stealthily right for it .. I froze and almost soiled myself .. It was around 5 feet long and pretty BIG . It slowly surfaced as it grabbed my plug .. It was too late
A Seal had grabbed the lure and hooked itself .. It swam a few feet away before it realized something wasnt right then it peeled some line for about 30 yards and stopped . At first I could see it bobbing and then all the sudden it went NUTS !! It thrashed and splashed and then headed for the deep . I didnt know what to do but I was halfway to the end of the line so I cupped the spool and began to chase it on foot . I regained all but about 40 yards then started to gain line but then again she took off with short 5 foot bursts and after 75 yds or so I felt a pop and the line had parted . THAT was a first and hopefully a last !!So I retie another "OF" and go to work but nothing .. I try to different Swimbaits with no bites so I return to "OF" . About 10 casts later I get a nice 38" Striper .
A few casts later I get another nice fish on but it pulled not only the hook and "O" ring off but the whole ring out of the lure ..
I landed 2 schoolies and missed 2 more before the rain started and the tide slacked at low tide .
I found a White/Glow Gulp 6" Twister on a brand new Jighead .. The paint was still covering the eyelet
I switched Jigheads and tossed the Gulp .. 2nd cast I get slammed but lose the fish seconds later .
I had Sandeels swimming everythwere and heard a few nice crashes in the dark .
The tide bottomed out and baitfish just vanished so I decided to take a walk with "Old Faithful" towards the Bridge . I got to the bridge with no bites but did hook a fish near the handicap pier but after a short tussle the fish escaped into the night . I worked back to the CG station and finished up in the corner .. I got another fish at 35" ..
Fished for another hour as the tide turned but it was quiet with no action . The winds continued from the South at 15 MPH and the rain was off and on . I am not quite over the last wet night so it was a good time to call it a night .
Water was clear .
I did see either a Snapper Blue or a Hickory Shad too .
4-7-2009 (South DE)
Got to the Inlet at about 10:30pm and found Paul (jarjar) looking for some Stripes .. We were joined by Judah about 40 minutes later . The water was very clear and winds were from the SW at about 15 to 20 MPH (opposite from last night) . I noticed that the tide was very high and NO baitfish present .
We tried an assortment of lures with a few bites but nothing that came tight . Paul had to head out around 1am but Judah and I stuck it out for 2 more hours .
Paul and I had seen some surface activity but very little and things got quieter by the minute .
I had a total of 4 bites and 1 follower and landed 1 fish at 29" .. I was just about to say I was done too
The full moon was causing the tide to surge and the current was swift to say the least . Temps dropped considerably after 2am .
Judah and Paul it was great to wet a line with you both !
4-9-2009 (South DE)
This report was written by Jimmy Lee
Tom and I arrived at the Inlet around 1030pm and met Bryan_VA . We talked for abit and explored the water to see what creatures were amongst us while we waited for the water to move a bit. There were many creatures around.....shrimp, little 4-5" ling, skates, a squid, a seahorse.....
We started with some 4" storms, tsunamis and panther martins. Once the water started moving a bit I got the 1st schoolie @ 26" on a pearl 4" storm. Hours later we hear some bigger fish popping the surface away from the light, I make 1 cast into the area and I land my 1st keeper striper ever @ 30" on a 5" tsunami
:banana: (Bryan has the pics on his camera, so he will post the pics later).We decided to check out front and after doing so we made the move to the south side, where Bryan landed this one
I almost fell again on the rocks helping Bryan land the fish. I just wanna say its a very very good idea to take and wear corkers at IRI, trust me I fell about 6ft and almost went into the drink. My head was inches away while my feet were suspended towards the sky, I really cut up my hand on the rocks when I fell
Tom walked the entire south side all the way to the jetty with a few bites, but no hook ups. Bryan ended up leaving a bit later, Tom and I go to the rail for longlining and around 730am we head out. After talking to the Mrs. I had a few hours to stay and fish, so we headed down to the spillway and limited out on herring in an hour or 2. Loaded up on some bait
1st time catching herring for me, I must say it is fun to catch the herring. I might of missed a few things, but will let Tom and Bryan fill in the details that I might have missed. It was great to finally meet you Bryan and wet a line with you, will have to do it again soon. Next time we will have to catch more fish too
Here is a stomach contents shot, filled with sand eels. No kitchen shot, but here is a newspaper shot
My addition to the report
Even though I didnt catch a fish I had a great time . It was like a skit from National Geographic or something out there last night for sure .
We arrived to find high clear water and no wind .. The place was like a POND !
Not much bait but there was enough to make it interesting .
There were Isopods free swimming all over mixed with some nice Grass Shrimp and other species of shrimp as well with some up to 3+inches . We saw lots of small 3" to 4" Ling , a few Sand Eels , Hermit Crabs , White Leggers , Speckled Crabs , Silversides , Bay Anchovies , Minnows , Some type of Tropical looking fish with Greyish/Blue neon sides , 1 Squid , 1 Seahorse and quite a few Skates that came right up to us .. You could just pick them up .
Jimmy it was Great that you finally got your Delaware keeper Striped Bass ..
CONGRATS !!
By the way atleast if you did go in the water that first time you could have just stood up , it was about 1 foot deep
We stayed put until the tide slowed then headed to the South side Condo's .. I fished hard and walked just about the whole South side , I could not make the tip of the Jetty because the winds and tide were crashing over the point not to mention that is was way worse than the North side . I havent been over there is many years .. The rocks are nice and flat but they are covered in slippery green moss .. The north side has rough rock and your footing isnt great either but I have walked to the point without corkers many times and didnt have the problem like I did on the South side .. Wasnt worth being swept to sea thats for sure .
Anyhow I got 1 bite just East of the Bridge .
At around 5am or so we hit the CG station and Bryan called it a night . A guy had just landed a 34" on a swimbait right before we pulled up and a few guys were Longlining but no other fish were caught .
I talked to a few friends and I was told that yesterday they got some fish with 1 at 30" Longlining at almost high tide but the bite died when the tide stopped ..
Just an FYI : The Full moon is causing the tide to rip very bad .. Current is very strong when it does move and at dead slack its very still . The tidal surge wasnt as bad but its hard to fish when your lures keep sweeping away with the tide .. also makes it hard to keep a swimbait on the bottom .
Jimmy and Bryan it was a pleasure again to fish with you both .
Tog Bait
The Seahorse was WAY COOL ! Made my night
Here are the pics of Jimmy's fish.
26"
The keeper
4-8/4-9-2009 (North DE)
I was in the water by 9:45pm and had 4 bites and 2 fish spit the Plug . Around 10pm Tim shows up and pops around the corner just as a really nice fish pops free after about a 45 second fight . The water was clear but not crystal and the tide was 1/3 IN and coming up fast . We stayed put tossing an assortment of Bombers , Yozuri's and "OF"
All quiet until almost midnight when Tim lands this guy ..
Not long after that he lands a Twin to that one and misses a few more while I still am fishless .
We fished through the high , slack and 2/3rd's of outgoing before finally returning to the first spot ..
20 minutes later ..
Tim leaves about an hour later and I fish until about 5:30am with 1 more schoolie around 18" .
Tim it was a pleasure to finally meet you and wet a line with you .. We gotta do it again soon .
I pull out and hit Silver Lake in Dover below the spillway . I parked off Division and walked to the spillway . Saw Gizzards and quite a few Blue Herons . I was throwing plug that was about 4" long and headed back towards Division St . I crossed Division and kept going downstream . I landed a 13" Striper and 2 Hybrids that were about 15" (around 2 pounds) .
A guy walked up before the 2nd pic and asked what I was after .. He asked Bass ? I said nope .. He asked White Perch ? I said nope and he kinda shrugged away . His name is Scot and just recently moved here and has been catching some nice WP up at the spillway . Anyhow as he shrugged I hook up to the 2nd Hybrid and tell him I'm after these
.. he followed up with "Holy Crap" We chit chat for a bit and I tell him of the 3 fish I caught . The tide was dead low and the sun shining bright so I start telling him about my favorite spot for WP which is about 100yds South I take him over there and explain the layout .. He is armed with 4 dozen minnows .. Me a 2" white Riverside Twister in Pearl on a 1/32 oz jighead 15" under a casting bobber . My first cast results in a nice 10 to 11 inch WP . I tell him where to put the minnow and in 10 casts I have 4 more citation size WP and he gets nothing . I then show him the plastics I use and give him a few . He rigged up another rod and copied my setup and 2nd cast had it down .. I got to enjoy a lost fishery .. lost to me as when the WP are around I am usually after bigger fish . I am glad I met Scot and sure I will see him again .
In 1 hour we caught about 30+ NICE 10 TO 14 Inch WP with 1 bordering 15" .. I thought it was a Hybrid ..
I had to run but will be back for my next 2 Release Citations
