Delaware Oct. 15: an 87-pound bluefin, two swordfish, and a 45-inch drum released at Fenwick

Delaware’s Oct. 15, 2026, fishing report puts the better fish offshore and in the surf. Eric Burnley Sr.’s weekly for the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control says Hook ’em and Cook ’em had one boat back from the deep with two swordfish weighing well over 100 pounds, and another boat with tilefish. A 22-foot center console brought in an 87-pound bluefin tuna. Other boats had yellowfin. Inshore the same week, boats saw lots of undersized black sea bass and very few keepers. At the Old Grounds, Jayde Tyson caught a very big Atlantic bonito on a metal jig while she was fishing for sea bass.

At Indian River Inlet, Old Inlet Bait and Tackle reported blues from snapper size to over 10 pounds on metal lures during the incoming. Tautog, sheepshead, and triggerfish came from the inlet on sand fleas and crab. Rick’s Bait and Tackle said the Massey’s Landing pier produced tautog on those same baits, at different tides. In the surf, red drum led again: fish as large as 45 inches were caught and released at Fenwick Island, and smaller reds of 24 to 26 inches came off 3Rs Road on cut spot. Kings from the beach were on bloodworms. Blues wanted cut bunker.

The bay was the familiar mix. From Augustine Beach down to Woodland Beach, white perch and catfish were on bloodworms and cut bunker, and catfish were also along the C&D Canal. The Woodland Beach pier had mostly small stripers and an occasional keeper on bloodworms, peeler crab, and shrimp. A few people crabbed the Broadkill River and did very well. At Lewes, some boats limited on black sea bass and others had mostly shorts. The report says the boats in deeper water had more keepers. Inland, Taylored Tackle in Seaford said Nanticoke River blue catfish are taking cut bunker, and one fish was too heavy for the shop scale. Local ponds produced bass on live minnows, swim shads, and chatterbaits. White and yellow perch came on small minnows at Garrisons Lake and Silver Lake in Dover.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: DNREC — Delaware Fishing Report (Eric Burnley Sr., Oct. 15, 2026).