As temps rise, so do fish in local waters

“I enjoy the spring more than the autumn now. One does, I think, as one gets older.” — 

Virginia Woolf

Hey, you're welcome! All it takes is for me to head south to Florida to have the weather seem to finally settle out. Warm days are a help in raising the water temps, but almost as important is that sunlight penetrating the water to heat things up. The fish, certainly, have responded in kind.

Last week we saw a real resurgence in white perch action, with a good number of bigger female fish arriving. The seemingly ubiquitous winds made things tougher, of course, and bait is still pretty hard to find. (Don't worry if you can't catch your own, there are plenty of folks that would love to help you out by selling you some!)

The wind not only makes strike detection more difficult, but roils the often shallow, marshy ecosystems where the critters hang out. The flood tide was actually the best this week locally, but that, of course, varies by location and day. The only real way to tell is to go!

There are plenty of choices for baits for the white perch. Grass shrimp are always a good choice, though their availability right now is a little dicey. Many anglers prefer bloodworms for the early season believing this bait emanates more scent. Small minnows also work well and can often be easier to procure.

Small striped bass have also been found by anglers working the suds. Local angler Mark Steelman and his son got in on the action on a local ocean beach. The pair landed many schoolie size stripers throwing plugs.

Land-based anglers aren't the only ones getting in on the bite.

Capt. Rick Yakimowicz aboard the all-day headboat out of Fisherman's Wharf in Lewes passed along a really good first trip for bottom bouncers on his last headboat trip. His toggers returned with almost 30 keeper togs and a load of dogfish (the other white meat!).  The savvy skipper revealed that his anglers also caught many short fish, which is certainly a good sign for this heavily targeted fishery.

This week promises to be solid on the local fishing scene as I'm going to be a long, long cast away. Enjoy it while you can — I can't stay away forever!  Good luck and good fishing.

Reports, questions or comments to captjackrodgers@comcast.net