This Saturday will be a busy day for many anglers.
First up is Bill’s Flea Market beginning at 5 a.m. This is the time when folks can set up their booths, most of which are the back end of a pickup truck or the trunk of a car. The year I tried to sell some of my old tackle, I arrived around 6 a.m. and got one of the last spaces. This year, I am just going to check out any bargains so I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night.
Next, it is off to Lurefest at the Bowers Beach Fire Hall. I have attended this event for several years, and it is always a good time.
Lurefest is sponsored by Saltfish, an online fishing site that has fishing reports and news about fishing-related subjects. I have checked out a few other fishing sites and, to my way of thinking, Saltfish is the best of the bunch. They don’t allow too much bragging, and they keep the name-calling out altogether.
Lurefest will open at 10 a.m., and they will have speakers from the Fish & Wildlife Division of DNREC. They will be open for questions and discussions on many fishing-related subjects.
The Delaware Saltwater Fly Fishermen will be there if you want to learn how to tie your own flies. I have used a spearing pattern as a teaser when flounder fishing with good results, so you don’t have to fly fish to use flies.
The highlight of the day will be the kids’ raffle. In the past, every kid who shows up wins a prize, and, boy, do they get excited. There are also kids’ functions to keep them entertained until the raffle.
While I am sure most folks go to Lurefest for the educational opportunities, I go for the food. Everything is donated, and that includes the BBQ chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs and lots of wonderful side dishes. Never sure what type of sides there will be, because everything comes in from volunteers. I do know my lovely wife will be making 5 pounds of potato salad.
The event winds up with the adult raffle. I have not won anything in the past five years, so I believe the thing is rigged. Nevertheless, I will once again buy my raffle ticket and just consider it a donation to a good cause.
The other really big thing on Saturday is the opening of trout season on the stocked streams of New Castle County. In my opinion, Wilson Run on Brandywine Creek State Park is the best location for opening day, especially if you will be fishing with your kids. There is plenty of parking at the park, and access to the stream is much easier than at some of the other locations. Wilson Run will be stocked on opening day and again April 9 and 19. Then on April 26, the stream will be stocked with rainbow trout between 12 and 13 inches in preparation for the special needs and senior fishermen derby April 28.
Red Clay Creek will be stocked for the first time since the 1980s. The fish won’t go in there until April 9. All of the other streams will be ready for opening day. White Clay Creek will get more fish than any of the other creeks, but parking can be a problem there. The town cops in Newark are aware of this and will give you a ticket should you get creative with your parking choice.
Finally, fly fishermen can have the northern part of White Clay all to themselves. The part of the creek that runs from Thompsons Bridge to the Pennsylvania State Line is fly fishing only.
Please don’t go by the stocking schedule in your Delaware Fishing Guide. Go online at Delaware Trout Season 2018 for the latest schedule.
Fishing report
Still very slow on all fishing fronts. At least one charter boat planned to fish last Monday, but it had to cancel due to the weather. The rest of the week was not much better.
The best fishing right now is in the ponds, spillways and upper reaches of the tidal rivers and creeks. Bass, pickerel, crappie and perch have all been caught from these locations. Minnows have been the best bait along with bloodworms and earthworms.
April 1 begun the striped bass spawning season, and certain Delaware waters are now closed to keeping any rockfish. The Delaware River is closed to rock fishing from the South Jetty at the C&D Canal to the Pennsylvania state line. The Nanticoke River and Broad Creek are also closed. In addition, you must use circle hooks when fishing with any type of natural bait in any of these locations.
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
