Black drum came to Delaware for Memorial Day weekend

It was a pretty good Memorial Day weekend for most fishermen. The weather was about as good as it gets, and most of the target species were willing to bite.

Black drum provided a big fish experience for many anglers fishing from Lewes. The action moved from the New Jersey side to the Coral Beds off Slaughter Beach, making for a much shorter run for local boats.  Anglers from private to head to charter boats were able to join in the good bite.

The top bait for black drum is a fresh clam. A live blue crab will also produce, but they can be expensive. Impale the clam on an 8/0 circle hook snelled or tied to three feet of 80-pound test mono leader. I use a fish-finder rig that allows the drum to move off with the bait without feeling the weight of the sinker. Once the fish has the bait, all the angler has to do is crank out the slack, and when the line comes tight, the fish will be hooked.

Big drum can pull pretty hard, so sturdy tackle is the norm. The smallest I would use would be 30-pound gear with 50-pound more common. Light tackle can be employed if you are willing to pull on a fish for an extended length of time and there is no chance that the drum will run over lines from other boats.

Evening into dark is the prime time for black drum. Look for a dropoff and anchor so your baits and chum flow down current from shallow to deep. If the current changes while you are out there, you will have to reposition the boat.

I have been pleased to see several captains limit the number of drum they allow the party to kill. Taking one or two of these fish will give all onboard more than enough meat to eat.

Cleaning a black drum is quite a chore. Even professional fish cleaners like my son Roger and Joe Morris find the task onerous. Should you decide to tackle the job yourself, good luck!

Big bluefish are still around and have provided action for anglers from the Broadkill River to Indian River Inlet. The numbers in the river and lower bay have decreased, while runs through Indian River Inlet remain pretty good. Last Sunday, the big blues staged a blitz at the mouth of the inlet, making navigating through that always-treacherous body of water even more exciting than normal due to the multitude of boats chasing blues with no regard for anyone else.

Jetty jockeys are catching blues and rockfish. A white bucktail and a white worm remains the top producer for both species. The rockfish action is best early, late and after dark. The big blues come and go.

In the surf, the good news has been the appearance of kings and croaker. Bloodworms will be the best bait for both fish, and they usually hang out right in the wash or just behind the first wave.

Big blues and rockfish were also caught from the beach. The most productive time for rockfish has been just before dawn or after dark. Clams work best for the rock, but they will also hit cut bunker. The big blues move in and out with no particular time schedule. If you are there when they move in, cut bunker will be the top bait with a metal lure the top artificial.

Flounder fishermen are having limited success in several locations including the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, the Cape Henlopen Flats, the reef sites in the bay and ocean, the Indian River Bay and at the Old Grounds. A live minnow on any number of secret rigs, a strip of squid or fresh fish and Gulp! have all accounted for flounder catches. The largest out of the canal so far this year has been an 8-pounder.

Sea bass anglers are having to sort through quite a few shorts to find enough keepers to fill their limit. Early in the season, Reef Site 11 was the hot spot, but now the best action is over structure beyond the 20-Fathom Line. Cod have added to the catch in the deeper water, but here too shorts outnumber keepers.

The canyon season started off a bit early this year as boats running to the Spencer had yellowfins three weeks ago. The warm-water eddy then moved to the Wilmington, and last weekend it was at the Baltimore. While limits were rare and some boats struck out, there were enough tuna to make most anglers glad they made the offshore run. The occasional dolphin was caught, but to date, the first billfish of the season remains out there.

It looks like we will have more good weather this weekend, so get out there and catch some fish.