Delaware coast

pcray1231

pcray1231

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Lebanon, PA
Alright, just planned a week's vacation. September 9 to 15, Delaware coast, within walking distance of Indian River Inlet. I know it's supposed to be a good surf fishing spot, as well as the inlet is well known.

Anyway, it's a family trip, but I'm sure I'll do some surf fishing and probably get an hour or two here and there to cast around the inlet as well.

Anyone know what to expect? Snapper blues, flounder, and maybe some smallish stripers was what I was gathered in a very short time of searching. Probably too early for bigger blues and stripers, but you never know.

I have a surf spinning rod, which will get some work, typical 2 hook rig with pyramid sinkers. I never FF'd the salt, and probably won't buy a dedicated outfit, but I'll have the 7 wt (my largest) along if it's worhtwhile to toss around while the surf rod sits in a sand spike. And I'll probably take a more trout sized (medium) spinning rod along, maybe string it with some 10-12 lb test. The inlet is supposed to be pretty rocky, so I don't know if the bottom rig is a good idea there, and that rod seems a bit unwieldy to toss and reel.

Any thoughts/advice? Not a real experienced salter.
 
I've fished Indian River Inlet pretty extensively but it has been over a decade since I've been down there. It is indeed a good fishing spot. You can get just about anything in Sept but mainly expect flounder, small bluefish, and probably some weakies. There are lots of stripers too but they will probably be mostly smaller. Low light conditions will be best fishing. Have an array of basic lures: metal, some swimming plugs, bucktail jigs etc. Wire leaders for bluefish. If you want to fish bait, I'd recommend fresh mullet which you can fish from the beach pretty much anywhere. A cork float system will keep the crabs and skates off. Local folks down there fish mole crabs for stripers but this is something of a local oddity. Bring your 7WT. You never know what will chomp a Clouser fished close to the rocks. Small blues are a blast on the long rod and like any flashy streamer about an inch or two in length. If you can fish at night, a large black eel type fly (anything long and black, I like a rabbit strip) fished slow might get a beast. Try the "North Pocket" (the section where the sand meets the jetty on the north side of the inlet) with one of these flies at night. For spin fishing, try a bucktail jig about 1-2 ounces and maybe 4-6" in length. About 2' above that, tie a small Clouser as a dropper. Cast up-current (IRI has very strong tides - looks like a river) and retrieve the jig back in hops just off the bottom. The fish are right against the rocks when the tide is pushing. Stay off wet rocks unless you've got cleats(!).
Have fun Pat - let us know how you made out.
 
Cool, thanks. I'm actually staying at the state owned cottages there, located between the coast guard station and the marina on the north side. They look pretty nice. Looks like there's a place where sand meets rock, on the bay side, pretty much out the door.

I suppose cleated Simms shoes wouldn't cut it for the rock, you need true spikes? And, for that matter, is salt a good idea on wading boots?

As I said, it's mostly a family trip. For the beach trips, I'll probably throw the surf rod out with a mullet rig, set it in the sand spike, and play in the sand with Andrew. He usually takes a 2 hr afternoon nap, perhaps longer with the beach wearing him out. That's probably my inlet fishing time. Maybe can sneak out for an evening after dark if he goes to bed early and the wife is worn out too.

I wouldn't mind getting a keeper flounder or two.
 
Just spent the weekend in OC myself. I only fished the surf in the mornings, but I wound up without any luck. There were definitely fish (i'm guessing snappers) working between the breakers around first light. I fished small epoxies and clousers, and felt a couple bumps...just never connected.

Never fished the inlet, but I always hear good things. Good luck on the trip.
 
If you want fluke then you are gonna need a sinking line. Any fly will work but the key is to be on the bottom or as close as possible. If you going for them with your spinning the best way is a bucktail teaser combo. Get a bag of gulf and you catch all the flatties you want. The rig is basically a dropper loop with a foot gap to the bucktail. Get the gulp 4 inch swimming mullet it white or green and go to work.

I don't really know de but right around that time is when the mullet start to show in jersey and all hell breaks out.
 
pcray1231 wrote:
I suppose cleated Simms shoes wouldn't cut it for the rock, you need true spikes? And, for that matter, is salt a good idea on wading boots?

Your Simms will be fine. I've walked jetties with regular wading boots with small studs and did okay. I've found that cleats (of whatever size and shape) actually work better on wet rocks than dry where they sometimes skid. Where you want to be careful is getting down on the lower rocks below the tide line. These tend to be covered with weeds and, if you can't see solid rock through those weeds, you should probably avoid using them as a step. However, for the upper rocks that are just wet and slimy, you should be fine. I also use my same wading boots. The conventional wisdom is to use boot foot waders in the sand however I just use my regular wading boots. They'll get some sand in 'em but it has never bothered me much. Rinse 'em off with some fresh water at the end of the day. When the trip is done, I'd dunk 'em in a bucket of warm soapy water (this goes for all my gear) and give 'em a good scrubbing and rinse out all the sand.
I'm not sure what the regs are on fluke in DE. They're some good eating but sometimes keeper sizes fish are tough to come by. Ditto on the Gulp.
With respect to fish movements, most of the time, when the tide is pulling at an inlet like IRI, the bait and game fish move with the tides. On an outgoing tide, they tend to be further out near the end of the inlet or beyond the jetties in the ocean. On an incoming tide, they tend to be further back in the inlet. I'd say between about where the bridge pilings and the Coast Guard station are. This isn't a hard and fast rule but often is the case.
 
Thanks again. In the surf I'll probably be barefoot, in swimming gear. But for the inlet I'll probably wear shorts and the Simms shoes.

As far as the fly rod, I was planning on going with the floating line that's on it, unless strongly encouraged to buy a sinking or intermediate line. I'll probably stick to spinning gear in the ocean itself, but I do anticipate breaking out the fly rod and tossing some bucktails or clousers around the inlet walls. My impression was that it's mostly fishing the rock wall structures (i.e. not that deep), and a lot was pretty much surface or near surface fishing anyway. Make a new leader or two and I thought I'd be fine. If I need to get deeper I always have the spin outfits too.
 
Watch those rocks, slickest breakwater I've ever ran across.
 
Was wondering if anyone was going to mention the mullet; markq is right on. Be on the look out for them. They should begin to pour out of the bays about that time. Also, that time of year you can find some more southern friendly fish - - ie., spanish macs. They can definitely be caught there.

And there is no doubt the rocks are slick. I'm not sure I'd venture out on that north jetty without anything but korkers, but to each there own.

That said, you can find some good fishing, if the fish are there....
 
walk 200 yds north of the inlet, set up there (there is a slough that runs from sea to shore near a pole in sand) end of beach buggy area. great spot for fishing. always had fish. drag a clouser along bottom for fluke, or a small popper for the little blues. also some rain fish and silver sides imitations will work. hit the inlet at night with black flies for weaks and blues. maybe a small shark too. you'll need a sinking line to fish the inlet fish will be deep and you need to get DOWN ! when are you leaving i have a sinking head I can send you if you need...pm addy and I'll send one to ya..
 
you can fish the side channels back behind the coast guard station too. used to be a few sand roads back to the flats area. can catch mullet (corncob)(big) or croakers and white perch using worm imitations. good for live bait in the inlet and surf !!!
 
I will be located behind the coast guard station, but according to reports, that area is probably a lot different than you remember it, sandfly. The channel was dredged and the holes along the sides were filled in. The rock walls go the whole way to the marina.

New bridge now, suspension, no supports in the water.
 
Dear pcray,

Just fish the pothole behind the rental cottage closest to the Coast Guard Station.

Buy a dozen of the biggest killies they got at the bait shop in the marina. Pick up a pack of snelled 1/0 or 2/0 Kahle hooks with green spinner blades on them, some findfinder rigs, a pack of snap swivels and some one ounce bank sinkers.

Stand at the waters edge in the NW corner corner of that pothole and toss your rigged minnow into the whirlpool created by the current. Let it sink to the bottom and then slowly reel it back to you. You will catch flounder and if you get bigger killies you will catch legal ones too. You can also try working a rigged bait right alongside the bulkhead at the CG Station on the other side of the little pothole.

If you can toss a cast net you don't need to buy killies just catch some of the spot that swim in circles around that hole. If you are quick with a dipnet you can catch that way too. Don't be afraid to toss a 5 or 6 inch spot. Big flounder have mouths the size of a LM bass of similar size and a 5 pounder can easily eat a 6 inch baitfish. If any stripers are in there the bigger baits will work for them too.

At night walk down the bank on the north shore until you get directly across from marina where the charter boats are docked and toss bucktails and swim shad for stripers. There is a little hole almost directly across from the middle of the marina where the fish will be hanging after dark. Pay attention to the flow of the tide and cast upcurrent and allow your jig to sink down into the hole before you start your retrieve. try to keep in contact with the bottom as much as possible but be prepared to lose some rigs.

Bomber plugs and good sized, like 1-1/2 to 2 oz, topwater plugs will work too if the fish are in there.

If you decide to go out on the jetty walk it a time or two in the daylight to familiarize yourself with the lay of the rocks and any gaps or cracks. In the dark you want to know where your feet will land before you pick 'em up and put 'em down.

Good Luck,

Tim Murphy :)
 
pcray1231,

I fish that salt surf all the time, my highly educated friend. Plenty of flounder (mostly shorts, but still fun with a light outfit) and snapper blues, herring, and the weaks are starting to come back! Thank God! Maybe too early for the stripers?

I would forget the big surf pole ........ you will only catch skates and small sand sharks with the bait rig and sinker! It's not worth the trouble to cast out and put in a sand spike.

Your med spin rod with 10lb Power Pro and a 1/8 oz jig head with a Gulp Alive 2 1/2" minnow will catch anything that swims, but I have also had great success with a 7wt and small white Clousers.

High tide and outgoing seem to be the best. Remember the fish will hug the shore at the first wave dropoff.

Lots of action with a small white Clouser twenty feet from shore when the tide and light are right.

If you catch anything, please post pix with a report. Very strange how nobody posts fish pix anymore? I'll start posting again if others do?

 
Just fish the pothole behind the rental cottage closest to the Coast Guard Station.

That's, umm, MY rental cottage. That very one. lol. Will be there Monday-Friday. I liked the location because I thought maybe I could fish during baby naps, and be in shouting distance for when I'm needed.

Tim, how recently have you been there? I've NEVER been there, but have been researching fishing reports and pictures and so forth.

As I told Sandfly, a pothole similar to what you're describing is gone. Used to be called bubble gum beach, a little sandy cove with swirling deep waters against the coast guard bulkhead wall, right behind the cottages. The Army Corps made a rock wall straight up to the coast guard bulkhead, cutting off that little cove in the process. They also dredged the channel out in the middle and dumped the material behind and in front of the new wall, trying to eliminate that hole and stabilize the bank. The coast guard wall there had apparantly collapsed, and they rebuilt it and were trying to "remedy" the swirling waters which caused it.

But there's still a rock wall to fish off of right out the door.

 
I'm down all the time...Your in prime position with those cottages. The new rock wall behind the coast guard station will allow you to walk with tennis shoes on to the water and make easy casts the coast guard wall. I would recommend a sinking line, since you'll need to get down. If you run into some blues, no problem you can use a clouser to get to them usually. If you get time, venture out (with family) to Roosevelt inlet or Cape Henelopen. Easy wading and good FF opportunities. The sea wall at the ferry dock can offer some decent fishing that time of year.

 
Dear pcray,

I'm sorry to hear about he pothole. It was there last August, I guess it was filled as part of the bridge project. That's a shame too because it always held flounder over the years I fished it.

I tried to see if I could view any satellite views of the Inlet but everything I saw still looked like they were old views. If the new rock wall does not extend to the end of the Coast Guard bulkhead then you may still be able to fish off the new rock wall in a smaller pocket.

Flounder in the bay are all about depth and current breaks. If you find a hole you will find flounder. You can be on a 50 acre flat that is 3 feet deep but if you can find a deeper section you will find fish. Unfortunately, that pothole was the only consistently good hole I found that was easily accessible to shore fishing.

One other thing you may want to consider is renting a kayak for a couple of hours to poke around the back parts of the bay off of the main inlet channel. There is a place in Bethany Beach about one mile out Rte 26 that rents kayaks, at least they did last year. It's about a block past the Wawa on the same side of the road.

Just north of the entrance to Indian River Inlet there is a beach landing where you can launch a kayak. Immediately across from the launch area is a channel of deeper water through which schoolie stripers pass on the tide changes. You can pick up fish just before dark on a rising tide if you fish the area where channel feeds into the larger section by the ramp. They will hit a bass popper if that is all you have but you might want to pick up a couple of flies with stainless or plated hooks so your freshwater flies don't get trashed. Old Inlet Bait and Tackle has a modest selection of flies that wil work for your prospecting needs.

Good luck,

Tim Murphy :)
 
Dear pcray,

Sorry for the double post!

Good luck,

Tim Murphy :)
 
I was thinking about salt and gear. My wading shoes, rod, reel, etc., and keeping them clean. But I didn't even think about the flies in the salt. This coming from a metallurgist, lol. Here I was just taking stock of clousers, I only have a couple, and contemplating an order to replenish my stock.

But yeah, aside from perhaps waiting till I'm there so I can get stainless hooks, I probably don't even wanna take my chest box along with it's small fortune of trout flies inside. I'll dig up an old fly box or something.
 
Regarding the redone wall, it doesn't go to the "end" of the bulkhead, there's still a wall perpendicular to shore. But the rock wall does go straight to the bulkhead, in a straight line, cutting off the little circular cove and there's nowhere where sand goes straight to water. I don't know how recently it was done so it's possible if you were there last year it hasn't changed. Here's a picture I found on a blog. I know it shows the wrong side of the wall, but maybe you can tell if it has changed since you were there. My impression was that there was a sandy beach there in the relatively recent past.


 

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