We have covered most of the areas that are fished from a boat. Now, we will look at the places visited by those of us who enjoy fishing with our feet on the sand.
If you have a surf-fishing permit, you know you need a reservation to fish on the weekends. Well, not exactly. You can fish your favorite beach before 8 a.m. and after 4 p.m. without a reservation. Now, if you know anything at all about surf-fishing on Delaware beaches, you are aware that most serious surf fishermen do their work before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m. To fish between those hours is to contend with hordes of family and friends that may keep one line in the water to pass the requirement of actively fishing but are on the beach to take in the sunshine and enjoy the day.
Back in the day, before the beaches became overrun with four-wheel-drive vehicles, a group of us would meet at 3R’s Road and spend most of the day fishing and watching our kids play in the surf. That is, if we were not out on a boat somewhere between B Buoy and the Baltimore Canyon. In that case, the ladies could watch the kids play along the beach at Bayshore Campground.
Broadkill Beach is the first surf-fishing area to the north, and it can be very productive, from black drum in the spring to spot, croaker and kings during the summer and fall. This was also a good location for big trout back in the day when trout ruled Delaware Bay. We are seeing the occasional 5- to 6-pound trout in recent years, so it is possible you just may find one here if you soak a nice, fresh peeler crab bait. I fished here a few falls ago and caught a good number of big croakers. Peeler crab was the bait at that time, and I was the only one on the beach.
The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park is closed during the summer months to protect nesting shorebirds. This is a good thing and keeps the federal government off Delaware beaches.
Once the Point is open, there will be a line of surf-fishing vehicles around it most of the time. I have found casting and retrieving a top-bottom rig baited with bloodworms, cut bunker, Fishbites or Gulp! will attract whatever is cruising about in the current. You must control your rig and keep it from picking up those set out and put in sand spikes. I do keep a light tackle outfit with a Stingsilver rigged and ready should a few blues decide to join the party.
Once you get away from the Point, it is just regular Delaware bait-and-wait surf-fishing. A top-bottom rig with the usual cut bait, sand fleas, bloodworms, Fishbites or Gulp! cast out and the rod placed in a sand spike.
The next access point is the Navy Crossing. I have only fished here a few times, so I don’t have much personal experience. However, last week John Bolduc was fishing there with cut mullet when 40 minutes after low water, he hooked and landed a slot striper.
I have fished the next access point quite often. I will try to get close to the jetty if possible, or if that spot is taken, I will run south along the beach looking for the area that has built out into the water like a small point. I will fish either side of this structure. I don’t expect a big fish, so I will bait my top-bottom rig with bloodworms, Fishbites, or Gulp!
There is a long stretch of open beach from south of Dewey Beach to Indian River Inlet. The only part I have fished is in front of the old Coast Guard station. Nothing to write home about. The usual kings with plenty of skates and dogs.
The next place is 3R’s Road, where I have fished more than any other location. The beach drops off here quicker and even a short cast puts your rig in deep water. I don’t recall catching any monster fish here, but I have a decent record of catching plenty of spot, croaker and kings.
Finally, we have Fenwick Island. One of the greatest days I ever spent was here with the late, great Leonard Maull. We bought three dozen spot from Mrs. Murry and took them down to the first access road to Fenwick Island. My first cast saw the line begin to settle on the water and then begin to go up again as a big trout took the spot. At the end of the day, we had caught 29 big trout. And we were the only fishermen on the beach.
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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.
