By Eric Burnley Sr.*
Updated: Feb. 17, 2011
DELAWARE BAY I don’t think many folks are fishing out of Lewes. The head boats are running from Fisherman’s Wharf, but the boat ramp parking lot has been empty when I drive over. I did have an unconfirmed report of tog at the Outer Wall, but most of the confirmed tog reports I have come from the reefs and wrecks in the ocean.
The upper bay and lower river were seeing some perch and catfish activity before the cold spell over the weekend. I would expect this action to return with milder weather.
INDIAN RIVER INLET The weather over the weekend made fishing difficult, but we did have reports of a few keeper rockfish caught during the week. The usual suspects, bucktails, flies and shads did the damage with the best bite on low water. Bubblegum Beach was mentioned as a good location.
INSHORE OCEAN No one fished out of Indian River Inlet last weekend due to the rain, wind and cold. During the week at least one charter boat had a few good days on the tog.
Rockfish have been caught along the oceanfront on trolled plugs, umbrella rigs and spoons. The reports indicate scattered schools of fish from the inlet south to Fenwick Shoal.
FRESHWATER With all the good reports from the freshwater ponds and rivers I decided to try Wagamon Pond in Milton and the headwater of the Broadkill River. I spent about an hour casting a crappie jig and all I got was cold. The other foolish anglers that were doing the same had the same success. I will try again, but after the weather warms a bit.
In spite of my lack of success, I have seen photos of crappie, pickerel and bass caught from ponds and creeks. I do believe most of these fish fell for live bait.
The yellow perch run in the Nanticoke River and Broad Creek is underway. Minnows, jigs and earthworms have all produced action. The top locations have been the Bethel Hole, the spillway in Seaford and the spillway in Laurel.
I expect trout stocking in the two downstate ponds to occur in the next two weeks with the opening day in early March. I am always happy to see so many parents who bring their kids to these ponds for the trout season. What a great way to introduce young people to fishing.
HOOKS One of the smallest items in our fishing arsenal, hooks, like fishing line, must be of the highest quality and proper design. Back in the day, hook choices were limited, but now the choices are almost endless.
In today’s world of high size and low bag limits, even saltwater fisherman have become catch and release anglers. The introduction of circle hooks has increased the survival rate of released fish, a fact that has been proven over and over again in numerous studies. In addition, when used correctly circle hooks will increase the hook to strike ratio for most species.
Circle hooks work by going inside the mouth of the fish when he eats the bait. As the fish turns away from the angler the hook rides along the inside of the mouth until it lodges in the corner. Once set, the chance of becoming unhooked is slim.
Setting a circle hook in the same manner used to set a J-hook is not productive. Let the fish do the work and you will catch almost everything that takes the bait.
With the fish hooked in the corner of the mouth it is easy to release. Circle hooks seldom lodge in the gills or gut, allowing the fish a much better chance of survival.
Make sure you only use inline circle hooks. The offset circle hooks have a much greater chance of injuring the fish.
I use circle hooks for almost every fish I try to catch. The exception is tog. If you watch a tog eat you will notice he crushes the bait, spits out the shell and swallows the meat. During this procedure the hook never enters the mouth so a circle hook cannot do its job. J-hooks, like the Virginia style, work well on tog.
There is no excuse for using cheap, poorly-made hooks. Mustad and Eagle Claw are just two of the better hook manufactures and you can purchase all the hooks you will need for the season for less than twenty bucks.
I purchase hooks without leaders because I prefer to tie my own. That way I can vary the length and weight of the leader to suit various fishing situations.
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