The Council on Recreational Fishing Funding met Nov. 14 in Dover to review current projects and suggest new ones using funds generated by the general fishing license. The council was created by the same legislation that created the general fishing license to make transparent exactly how fishermen’s license funds were spent.
Most of the money goes toward building and maintaining access points, such as boat ramps, fishing piers and parking lots. One project that has been a long time in the planning stage is the new boat ramp at Millsboro Pond. It looks like everything is set to begin construction, and when completed, there will be a new ramp and parking for seven cars/trucks and boat trailers. A permanent pier will also be built. Everything will be handicap accessible.
The new ramps at Phillips Landing are already under construction. There will be three boat ramps with floating docks and one kayak/canoe ramp with a rubber mat for ease of launching. A paved parking lot will also be built. Right now Phillips Landing is closed to boats, but shore access fishing is still possible.
The boat ramp at Little Creek is also under construction and should be open this spring. The facility will also house a fire boat and a research boat for DNREC.
Several smaller ramps will be getting new parking lots. We were told one lot had a rather large tree root growing up in the middle. Others have large holes. All will be repaired.
Every project approved by federal Fish and Wildlife Service will receive 75 percent of the funding from the federal excise tax levied on fishing tackle. In other words, for every $25 in Delaware license money, we get back $75 in federal money. Of course, it all comes from fishermen, so there is no free lunch.
One project that is not paid for by fishermen is the new ramp at the end of 7th Street in Wilmington. I used this ramp years ago and it was in pretty rough shape then, and I suspect it hasn’t gotten any better. The rebuilding will be paid for from money collected in fines levied on an oil company involved in a spill on the Delaware River.
I don’t think most people realize how long it takes for projects to go from idea to completion. The Millsboro Pond ramp was one of the first projects suggested by a member of the public, and it is just now getting underway. First, the design had to accommodate handicapped folks in order to qualify for federal money. Then the town of Millsboro had to sign off on the design because it allows the state to use some of the town’s land. Then the design had to go through the state’s permitting process. You would think since DNREC was applying to DNREC for a DNREC permit, DNREC would expedite the process. You would be wrong.
The ramp work at Phillips Landing ran into a different problem. Indian artifacts were found, so archeologists had to examine the site to see if it was a significant location. I figured any place where Indian artifacts were found would be significant, but thankfully, I was wrong and finally the work has begun.
Fishing report
The sea bass fishing has been very good since the water settled down after the last gales. Boats have been catching 15-fish-per-person limits on most trips, and this should continue until sea bass season closes Dec. 31. The Captain Ike had an eight-person limit of sea bass Sunday. The Katydid also limited out on Sunday and Monday. Capt. John Nedelka had tough fishing Sunday morning due to dirty water, but he managed to end the day with a nice catch of tog to 9 pounds. He said the water temperature is in the 50s and the tog bite should start to improve.
In Delaware Bay, Dan’s Tackle told me one of their customers has been trolling near the Crossledge and catching some keeper rock in the 28- to 30-inch class. Another customer trolling around Brandywine Light had rock to almost 28 inches.
On Sunday, Capt. Matt Baker had Kyle Falgowski, Chip Graves and Billy Low out for swordfish and managed to bring in two to 167 pounds plus one 124-pound bigeye while deep dropping in the canyons.
Speaking of swordfish, my son Ric was part of the crew on a private boat out of Oregon Inlet on Saturday that caught a 425-pound swordfish. He has been trying to accomplish this for quite awhile and has finally mastered the feat. It took over one hour to bring that fish in using an electric reel.
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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.
