Delaware fishing reports
167 reports for Delaware — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Red drum make a run in Delaware surf as fall patterns shift
Delaware Bay sits at 65.7°F per NOAA's Lewes tide station, holding the fall transition in a slow, steady gear. The standout report this week comes from Eric Burnley: big red drum have arrived in the surf, with fish to 40 inches caught and released before weekend rain and wind shut most anglers out. Inside the bay, Big Dave's Tackle logged a mixed bag — striped bass, tautog off the Cape May jetties on green crabs and sand fleas, and scattered weakfish farther from structure. Offshore, Hook 'em and Cook 'em noted black sea bass coming off ocean structure, while Old Inlet Bait and Tackle's single bluefish report came out of 40- to 50-knot winds that kept nearly everyone else at the dock.
Tog and stripers keep the Delaware Bay fall run building
Water is 67°F at NOAA station 8557380, and the fall run is building. Big Dave's Tackle reports tautog from the Cape May Jetties on green crabs and sand fleas, stripers mixed into bay catches, and only scattered weakfish in the greater bay. Pier 47 Marina says stripers fed most nights in the back bays, even in creeks with 3 feet of water, on minnows, mullet and peanut bunker.
Fall striper run window opens on Delaware Bay
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8557380 read 68°F at 7:18 PM ET. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) reports fish are back on the feed after a hardy nor'easter, with striped bass blowing up as you'd expect for the fall run. The same shop says the water may need a few more days to clean up in most spots, so clarity is likely to lag the bite for a short stretch.
Fall turnover reshuffles bass and crappie in Delaware ponds
Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic reports that the lakes and ponds had just turned over and were starting to give up good numbers of fish before last week's nor'easter shut the bite down, per The Fisherman's NJ/DE freshwater roundup. Fall turnover mixes the water column, so fish that were holding on predictable structure typically spread out and take a few days to resettle after a blow like this.
Blues and early fall stripers turn up as the storm clears
Blues and early fall stripers are turning up as the storm clears. The Fisherman (Northeast) reports the first fall-run striped bass of 50 inches and over on the north coast and says the fall striper is starting to show. Off Delaware, The Fisherman's DE/MD/Chesapeake column logged 11 blues boxed near Indian River Inlet on the few days boats could clear it, and Old Inlet Bait and Tackle caught blues on metal lures during the incoming tide. Water at the NOAA tide station reads 67°F.
Delaware Bay blues and stripers wait on storm water to settle
NOAA CO-OPS station 8557380 reads 68°F as the fall run gets going behind last week's nor'easter. Per Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May, stripers and blues kept surf anglers busy on most tides before the storm. Old Inlet Bait and Tackle had blues on metal lures during incoming water, and Hook 'em and Cook 'em reports the kids boxed 11 blues at Indian River Inlet.
Delaware Bay bite rebounds as nor'easter winds finally ease
Delaware Bay water held at 66.7 degrees this week as a punishing nor'easter finally eased, with wind gusts Eric Burnley clocked above 50 knots and more than three inches of rain keeping nearly every boat tied to the dock. Old Inlet Bait and Tackle reported blues taken on metal lures during incoming water, about the only action anyone managed through the blow. At Smith's Bait Shop in Port Mahon, the bite held up through late September and is expected to build into October, with weakfish coming on yellow bucktails and yellow worms over the bay's reef sites. Further south at Indian River Inlet, Hook 'em and Cook 'em logged fluke and sea bass catches on the days the Judy V could clear the inlet, including a 7.4-pound fluke aboard the Gale Force and a boxed run of 11 bluefish for a group of kids fishing the inlet itself.
Early fall transition settles over DE's Christina and Nanticoke
Early October marks the turn into fall on the Christina and Nanticoke, as cooling water starts pushing fish out of their summer haunts and into transitional holding areas along current breaks and deeper bends. Low, clear flow is typical of both systems this time of year, favoring quieter approaches and more subtle presentations over the noise and speed that worked through the warmer months. Anglers working either river should expect fish to be more structure-oriented and less willing to chase than they were even a few weeks ago.
Tautog bite holds in Delaware Bay as blues linger post-storm
Delaware Bay is sitting at 64.9°F this week as anglers work through the tail end of a nor'easter that shut most fishing down. Old Inlet Bait and Tackle reported blues taken on metal lures during incoming water, about the only action anyone managed in winds that reportedly hit 40 to 50 knots, per The Fisherman — DE/MD/Chesapeake. Tautog fishing held up better inside the bay: Big Dave's Tackle noted a good bite on bridge and lighthouse structure for anglers working sandfleas and green crabs on tog jigs. Smith's Bait Shop said boats couldn't clear the bay in the rough seas, and Eric Burnley logged over 3 inches of rain with winds upward of 50 knots that kept fishing off the table entirely for the week.
Striped bass, bluefish rebound as nor'easter clears Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay water sits at 65°F this morning per NOAA's CO-OPS station 8557380, holding in the typical range for late September as the nor'easter that pounded the coast all last week finally clears. The Fisherman's DE/MD/Chesapeake desk reported bluefish still willing to eat metal lures on the incoming tide even through 40-to-50-knot winds at Old Inlet Bait and Tackle, and boats that managed to clear the inlet once the blow passed, per Hook 'em and Cook 'em, put a dozen or so blues in the box. Ahead of the storm, Hands Too Bait and Tackle (New Jersey & Delaware Bay Surf) had striped bass, bluefish and weakfish keeping anglers busy on most tides, and The Fisherman (Northeast)'s regional forecast confirmed New Jersey's fluke season closed September 25 after what it called 'the year of the short fish.'
Nanticoke crappie bite shifts into fall gear
The Nanticoke River's crappie bite is shifting into fall gear, per Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic via The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater: anglers are stringing nice-size crappie on twisters fished under floats as the water cools. For the Christina and Nanticoke systems, that's the seasonal cue worth watching: panfish key in on bunching baitfish as summer's wide-open pattern gives way to more concentrated, structure-oriented feeding.
Weakfish and tog stack up in Delaware Bay ahead of nor'easter
Delaware Bay water held at 64°F this afternoon per NOAA station 8557380. Higbee's Bait and Tackle reports a mixed bag of spot, croakers, kingfish, bluefish and weakfish for anglers drifting smaller baits, with tautog now stacked on the bay's structure, taking sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers, fish to 4 pounds. Big Dave's Tackle adds that weakfish are showing more consistently, with a targeted bite building on soft plastics near the lighthouses. At the bay's mouth, Pier 47 Marina says striped bass to 31 inches are feeding hard after dark on peanut bunker and mullet pushed from the back bays, working paddletails, rubber shads and Mag Darters around lighted docks and sod banks, with higher tides outproducing the daytime bite. Port Mahon is also giving up bluefish on cut bait and metal, per Smith's Bait Shop.
Fishing in Delaware
Delaware punches far above its size. Delaware Bay is one of the East Coast's classic fisheries for striped bass, weakfish, and summer flounder, Indian River Inlet is a legendary piece of moving water, and the Atlantic beaches give surf casters miles of open sand. Inland, tidal rivers and mill ponds keep the largemouth, crappie, and white perch anglers busy year-round.
When to fish Delaware
Migrating striped bass push through Delaware Bay and the tidal rivers, and the spring surf and inlet fishing comes alive with them. Black drum show up on the bay's shoals, and inland ponds warm up for pre-spawn largemouth.
Summer flounder take over the bay, the inlet, and the back bays behind the beaches, with croaker and kingfish filling out the bottom-fishing action. Indian River Inlet produces stripers and blues on the tide changes for anglers willing to work for them.
The fall run funnels stripers and bluefish along the beaches and back through the bay, and the surf fishing peaks with them. Tautog move onto the rocks and reef sites as the water cools, and the freshwater bite gets a second wind.
Hardy anglers keep after tautog on the offshore wrecks and reef sites when the weather allows. Inland, the mill ponds and tidal creeks give up crappie, white perch, and the occasional bass on slow presentations.
Waters to know
Wayfinder builds a plan for your exact water and day from live buoys, gauges, tides, and recent reports. Free, about 30 seconds.
Common questions
Do I need a license to fish in Delaware?
Yes, a fishing license is required for most anglers, and saltwater anglers also need to be registered in the state's angler registry. Delaware Fish & Wildlife handles both online, and the details change, so check the current requirements before you go.
What fish can I catch in Delaware?
Saltwater brings striped bass, summer flounder, bluefish, weakfish, black drum, tautog, and croaker across the bay, inlet, and surf. Fresh and tidal waters hold largemouth bass, crappie, white perch, and catfish.
When is the best time to fish Delaware?
Spring and fall are the prime windows, when the striped bass migration passes through the bay and along the beaches. Summer is flounder season in the inlet and back bays, and there's respectable fishing in every month if you match the species to the water.
Where can I check current Delaware fishing conditions?
This page carries our current Delaware fishing reports, built daily from NOAA buoys, USGS river gauges, tides, and local sources. For a plan built around your exact water and day, try the free Wayfinder trip planner.
Seasons and limits change: verify current regulations with Delaware Fish & Wildlife before keeping fish.
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