Roosevelt Inlet - Flounder 5/24/12, Thurs

[tufnik]

Was on the water at RI, DE before 0830 hrs. The morning was mostly cloudy, but the afternoon was mostly sunny. Wind was light. The water was nearly flat, but later had less than a foot chops. I caught slack tide and a very slow outgoing tide. The day was nice, better than the forecast.

I jigged a white bucktail w/ squid and a jighead with a white grub worm/twister along the west jetty. Caught a 20" keeper, three short flounder, a toad and a speck.

Turned out to be a fairly good flounder bite day. I saw shore fisherman catch and throw back a flattie. One boater said he caught three shorts and a couple specks. Another boater told me he caught many specks and many short flatties. I saw a boat with five fisherwoman catch several flatties (I'm not sure how many catches were keepers). There were other fisherman in jon boats and a canoe.

My catch:
3 short flounder (14, 16, and 17; minimum is 18")
1 keeper flounder (20")
1 toadfish
1 speck (threw the hook at yak side)

[AnimalPA]

Nice

I just started saltwater, definitely want to catch a flounder. Nice fish.

[chex]

Nice... not bad for a day's work. I bet that net comes in handy for flatties... been thinking about getting one.

[Grady-Black]

Very Nice Tufnik!
Thanks for the report..
GB

[tufnik]

Nice... not bad for a day's work. I bet that net comes in handy for flatties... been thinking about getting one.

I think you should use a net. Their mouths/lips are not really that tough. I lost a few at yak side. Now, I don't crank it up too fast. I carefully pull the fish up to yak side and keep it submerged in the water so as to not put excessive stress on the mouth. One quick glance at the mouth will tell me if I have a good hook set, but I use a net anyway because keepers aren't easy to get.

[chex]

I think you should use a net. Their lips are not really that tough. I lost a few at yak side. Now, I don't crank it up too fast. I carefully pull the fish up to yak side and keep it submerged in the water so as to not put excessive stress on the mouth. One quick glance at the mouth will tell me if I have a good hook set, but I use a net anyway because keepers aren't easy to get.

Good advice. Thanks.

That 20"er looks appetizing

[tufnik]

Gonna eat'um tonight

I got my net from Wal-Mart. It's a collapsible-handle folding net for less than $15.

[DEkayakstriper]

Nice job. Make sure that those trout arent weakfish, the creel limit is only one fish at 13". They are having a great run this spring of these fish, the best in quite a long time.

[keithr627]

Thanks for the post. Where did you launch from? I have heard about launching from the beach at the inlet but I do not have beach tires so I'm a bit concerned about that. What about launching from Lewis boat ramp? It looks like that is not far from inlet.

I'm heading to DE. tonight. I will mostly be fishing IRI but your post has convinced me to fish RI at least once this weekend.

[Southerly]

good work and good timing. i had chance to fish there the other day but more or less blew my chance.

can you believe it's Memorial Day weekend? here on out = weekend beach traffic. *note to self - get orange flag for yak,..

[DEkayakstriper]

There is a ramp right were the Broadkill river meets the inlet. Or there is a kayak only ramp across from Irish Eyes on the canal, its in a park next to the ball fields.

[tufnik]

Nice job. Make sure that those trout arent weakfish, the creel limit is only one fish at 13". They are having a great run this spring of these fish, the best in quite a long time.

Yeah, while on the water, I overhead oldtimer boaters say they caught their limit so they gave some fish to another boater. On land while I was loading up, he came by and told me the limit was one. I didn't know that. I later learned he was talking about weakfish. There's no limit to spotted seatrout (specks) though. That's what I thought he was talking about (and I thought the limit was 10). I think I caught (it came off the hook) a speck because the spots were obviously distinct.

Hard to believe the creel limit is only one.

[tufnik]

Thanks for the post. Where did you launch from? I have heard about launching from the beach at the inlet but I do not have beach tires so I'm a bit concerned about that. What about launching from Lewis boat ramp? It looks like that is not far from inlet.

I'm heading to DE. tonight. I will mostly be fishing IRI but your post has convinced me to fish RI at least once this weekend.

I forget the name of the boat launch. As you head north on US 9 toward Lewes, turn left on Front St just before the bridge. Front St becomes Pilottown Rd. Drive to the end of the winding road, about a mile or so. Nice big parking lot. Park in the non-trailer lots. No launch fee.

[keithr627]

Thanks for the advice on launches.

If anyone is interested in going after some De. flounder/weakfish this weekend let me know.

[tufnik]

Another tip: Many boats fished the bottom using lead and squid (or minnows?) by drifting the inlet current. They would drift in the middle of the waterway from one end to the other, maybe three hundred or more yards. They had good hook ups. Of course, you have to watch for the larger boats coming through.

I may go again tomorrow morning.