Delaware R/Estuary striper run 2014

[Mike]

Anglers in Pa are catching very limited numbers of stripers, as is the Area 6 electrofishing crew. This year's cold water apparently slowed the run. We are handling few fish, but of perhaps two dozen or so mature females that we have handled only two have been spent ( spawned out). While some anglers may think the run is over or is not going to materialize given their poor results in comparison to other yrs, I am presently betting that the bulk of the usual run and fishing opportunities have not even started. Support for this is that the Delaware fisheries personnel are seeing the same thing on their electrofishing sites. I could be wrong, but it just looks like a late run from my perspective. We could be catching fish for a week beyond Memorial Day and usually the spawning activity is completed by that holiday. So, the close to shore opportunities on the Delaware for individuals without boats are still to come. At the moment, however, you can probably already find close to shore fish at the Fairmount Dam tail race in Phila and at Trenton Falls. Also, given the height of the flood waters the other week at Fairmount, the fish ladder may have been unnecessary for a while and there may be an unusual number of stripers and shad in the Flat Rock Dam tail race near Gladwyn, Montgomery Co. If I lived near there, I would be investigating with rod and reel in hand.

 

[poopdeck]

Whew!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought it was me. I have caught two slot fish in 3 trips. One was spawned out. I agree with your assessment and I believe that I will be hammering them in the final week of may. That's my hope anyway.

 

[geebee]

based on 9 years of personal data, the main run is about 3 weeks late and counting.

if the met guys are right and the ice coverage on lake superior produces a cool wet summer, they may hang round longer too.

the last week or two has seen serious bait blitzes on the Jersey Shore, but only in the last week have mungo blues up to 20lbs & 36" been on that bait, and one or two small keepers.

on Cape Cod i would typically pick up my first Keeper on the bay side May 1-3, but the scouts are not even there yet even though the herring are running.

 

[Mike]

Despite Friday's heavy rain and high water, the river temps from central Phila to Chester continue to rise or have resumed the rising trend. They are well above spawning temp, so the fish should quickly catch up with respect to spawning behavior and with the rising temps they should be willing to hit along the shoreline. A little better water clarity and lure and fly anglers should soon be in business. Temps are falling in NE Phila, so action will be slower to start up there and farther up- river. The good news is that with the rain related turbidity, silt particles will absorb sunlight and heat the water in sunny days faster than if the water was clear.

 

[Bosshog]

I've been so busy lately, I figured the run was about over and I missed it. Looking likely I'll be swinging for them this weekend. Funny you mention that dam near Gladwyne. I drive by there almost everyday wondering if there is anything holding in there.

 

[Mike]

Stripers were present in the shallows today. I would say that the fishing should be good for the next week to ten days.

 

[Mike]

Today 's sampling revealed that the striped bass are moving to shoreline areas in spawning pods. Fishing over the next three to five days should produce very good results if you find the fish. If you find a good piece of shoreline keep moving to try to intercept the fish. Based on today's females, two thirds have spawned, but they are still near shore. The largest was 38 inches. I expect many more males in the 18 to 24 inch range to bunch up and appear close to shore as the many are attracted to the fewer and fewer females that have not spawned. These high concentrations of males can provide great sport.
the best shorelines are on the NJ side of the river, except at Morrisville, Pa. NJ is C&R only.

 

[Mike]

The fishing is great. Six of us caught a combined total of about 100 on Saturday. Most ran from 18 to 21 inches, but fish were caught up to 28 inches long.