Rockfish have finally arrived

Rockfish have finally arrived at the mouth of the bay. The first large school showed up Sunday near Cape May and then moved to Overfalls Shoal. On Tuesday, there were several areas producing good action, and once you found the birds and whales, the bite was hot. Some private boats had their limit and were back at the dock in Lewes by late morning.

So far the best results have been on Stretch or Bomber plugs, MOJOs or bucktails. The plugs and MOJOs are trolled while the bucktails are cast to areas of feeding fish.

If you plan to fish the mouth of the bay, I strongly urge you to get a New Jersey FIN. These are available online. Also, the regulations are different in New Jersey and Delaware. In New Jersey, you may retain one striped bass from 28 inches to less than 43 inches and one fish larger than 43 inches. Delaware’s regulations are two fish from 28 to 37 inches and/or two fish 44 inches or larger. You wouldn’t want to be caught in New Jersey with two fish between 28 and 43 inches or in Delaware with any fish between 37 and 44 inches.

It can be difficult to determine exactly where Delaware stops and New Jersey starts, but if I planned to fish Overfalls Shoal or anywhere on the New Jersey side of the Eights I would be sure to have the Jersey FIN and obey Jersey regulations. The line of demarcation runs from Cape May to Cape Henlopen and you cannot fish for or possess striped bass beyond three miles seaward from that line. Even if you catch a striped bass inside the Three-Mile-Limit then stray over the line, you are subject to arrest. According to a recent press release, the Coast Guard and local law enforcement will be stepping up efforts to enforce this law.

The mouth of the Delaware Bay can get pretty sporty in late fall and early winter. When the wind is blowing against the current, the standing waves can achieve significant height. Of course, this is when the fishing is best. Larger trailer boats can handle the situation, but the captain must keep a sharp lookout and not let one of those waves overtake the boat. Any wind over 15 knots and I would give serious consideration to waiting for better weather. And of course, always wear your PFD.

Other fishing reports

Tog fishing was pretty good over the weekend with limit catches made in the bay and ocean. Reef sites saw most of the action, and green crabs were the best bait.

Sea bass were also caught in good numbers. The Del-Jersey-Land Reef gave up limits of bass plus some big blues and porgies.

Unfortunately, the surf and Indian River Inlet did not produce much. A few short rockfish plus skates and dog sharks were the only reward for anglers who soaked bunker. I hope some of those rockfish now at the mouth of the bay will move on down the beach and give surf casters a decent shot.

Trolling tips

Unless you have a large boat with a wide beam, don’t try to pull more than two lines. You will be using deep-diving plugs, and if one of them gets fouled it will begin to spin and mate with anything close by. You can purchase outrodders, like those made by Tony Maja, and then it would be possible to run three lines.

The KISS method is always a good idea. Start with a pair of Stretch 25 or 30 plugs. If they don’t catch, you are fishing in the wrong place. Use a red and white plug and a green one. I understand the Bomber copies of the Stretch plugs are also good.

I recommend using conventional rods and reels for trolling. You don’t need expensive lever drag models, just solid reels like Penn Senators or Jigmasters. I use 30-pound mono, but you can also use 50-pound braid. The plugs will run deeper with braid, but you must be very careful and make sure the drag is set correctly or the no-stretch quality of the braid can cause a catastrophic failure to the rod.

You cannot troll too slow for rockfish. Remember, the plug will react to the speed of the water past the lure, which will be higher when running into the current and slower when running with the current. Keep a close eye on the rod tip. It should have an even vibration. Any change and the plug has fouled.

The easiest trolling pattern is to run parallel to the standing waves so the current carries the lure to the fish on the down-current side.

It will be crowded out there, so please be careful.