June-July 2023 Delaware Fishing Report

My fishing adventures took me from the Mid Atlantic to the midwest this summer.  I caught some fish to write home about and some that would be more worthy as live bait.  All the while, enjoying the scenery immensely.  Here's the scoop!  

Saltwater:

I was able to get out and fish the Delaware bay near Dover this June.  Fortunately for me, the green flies were not biting.  For bait, I used some bloodworms that had been left over from another recent fishing excursion to Delaware's Indian River Inlet, where my son caught a beautiful little sea trout (pictured)

In the upper Bay, I had good luck that day catching a big ugly American Eel, which I actually love to eat.  I released him, however, and continued fishing where I caught a small Striped Bass and a Spot (croaker).   I then tried a nearby brackish river that looked pretty spooky as if a bull shark 🦈 could be lurking, but caught nothing and got bit up by gnats.  The Delaware Bay and its tidal tributaries have an abundantly diverse bounty of fish, including many saltwater species.  The salt line for the Delaware bay starts somewhere up around the C&D Canal and sometimes further north near New Castle.  

Freshwater:  

One of the highlights of my summer will be wading out into Lake Michigan with an ultra light rod, rigged with a 1/2 ounce sinker and hook and hooking a Smelt!  I had always enjoyed eating smelt as part of Christmas Eve dinner, a tradition from my Italian grandfather, but this is the first time I caught one.  Smelt are usually caught in nets by the hundreds in Lake Michigan and it's a fishery that has been around for generations in the midwest.  They are so small swimming in Lake Michigan that its almost hard to detect when they hit.

On another day, I took my son fishing in Delaware's beautiful piedmont hill country at two sparkling creeks that also gave up a variety of fish.  Another fisherman caught a monster snakehead and later cooked it up.  This thing peaked its head up out of the water and its gnarly teeth glistened in the sunlight before diving deep under a rock.    

Two of the highlights of the trip were cleaning up trash near our favorite fishing hole and finding a silver fork in the creek --that was neat.  Also we used crayfish and found nightcrawlers to catch a nice smallmouth bass and rainbow trout.  My son had a blast and it was so peaceful being in the middle of a creek on a nice summer day.  Here's a youtube short of the outing -don't forget to like and subscribe to the youtube channel!  #DelawareFishing https://youtube.com/shorts/77tmedDSFr4?feature=share

It can be really hard to break away from the rat race, but if you can, I recommend making time to get away and go fishing.  It can be both rejuvenating and rewarding.   Beneficial for your physical/mental health and a great way to spend time with your loved ones.  

If you are unsure where to start, follow this twitter account for Delaware fishing updates, fishing tips and all-around great angling content. @BIGBASSINTHESM1

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Big Bass in the Small Wonder

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Tight lines!