USWW Delmarva FishCast — Spot, croaker, kingfish, flounder, and white perch lead the Delmarva read as of 2026-08-07

Overview This Friday main FishCast is built from a fresh DE DNREC report, NOAA buoy and tide products, and USGS gauges. Water temperatures are still warm enough to keep a mixed bite moving through the surf, bays, and freshwater spillways, while the Maryland side is a lighter read this week because MD DNR was unavailable; a Tuesday mid-week update often helps separate the better bite windows from the filler hours.

🌊 Atlantic & Surf

Confidence: good. DE DNREC's surf read said anglers between the skates and the dog sharks could still pick at spot, croaker, and a few kingfish, which is a very typical late-summer mixed bag for the beaches. The same report also noted that bluefish were still available under the bridge at Indian River Inlet early in the morning on bucktails or metal lures, while striped bass were being caught and released at night on bucktails, plugs, and live eels. Close to the rocks, triggerfish, sheepshead, and tog were taking sand fleas or green crabs when those baits were placed tight to structure. DE DNREC's current-conditions summary also said bluefin tuna were available at the Hambone, with bigeyes and yellowfins in the canyons and sea bass over most ocean structure, though early-week 10-foot seas kept canyon traffic down.

🟦 Delaware Bay

Confidence: good. At Augustine Beach, Patty at Captain Bones reported catfish and white perch, with the catfish taking cut bait and the perch preferring bloodworms or grass shrimp. Steve at Smith Bait in Leipsic said the Woodland Beach fishing pier saw good numbers of croaker on bloodworms or Fishbites, and 20- to 24-inch striped bass were also in the mix. Down at Bowers Beach, croaker and flounder were caught on live minnows or jigs tipped with minnows or Gulp! crawfish, and DE DNREC noted that tidal creeks were holding croaker as well. This is the kind of bay report that rewards a simple bait rotation and a patient tide window.

🟩 Chesapeake Bay (MD)

Confidence: limited reports this week. MD DNR was unavailable this cycle, so there is no fresh Maryland fishing report to anchor species, bait, or location calls. For the Maryland side, this week is mostly a conditions read: use NOAA CO-OPS for the tide windows below and check the marine forecast before committing to a run.

🟨 Inland Bays

Confidence: good. DE DNREC said flounder are available in the calm down-current side of structure when presented with live minnows or Gulp! crawfish. At Indian River Inlet, bluefish were still showing early in the morning on bucktails or metal lures, and striped bass were being caught and released at night on bucktails, plugs, and live eels. Triggerfish, sheepshead, and tog were also close to the rocks for sand fleas or green crabs, which keeps the inlet bite spread across the tide and the light level rather than one single window.

🟫 Rivers & Freshwater

Confidence: thin. The freshwater report leaned on crappie and bass, with a couple of citations anchoring the week. Lucas Brookings weighed a Delaware Citation Crappie of 1.01 pounds from Lum’s Pond on a swimbait, and Colleen Driscoll posted a 1.20-pound Citation Crappie from the Nanticoke River on a chatterbait. Garrisons Lake produced bass on swim and chatterbaits, Silver Lake in Dover gave up bass on minnows or swimbaits, and the Nanticoke also produced catfish on cut bait. That is enough to suggest a steady shallow-water pattern, but the overall volume of reports remains modest.

Water Temperatures (NOAA NDBC)

• Delaware Bay (44009): 77.7°F (25.4°C) @ 2026-08-07 09:30Z
• Long Island offshore (44025): 75.4°F (24.1°C) @ 2026-08-07 09:10Z
• Cape May, NJ (CMAN4): 77.7°F (25.4°C) @ 2026-08-07 09:18Z

Tides (NOAA CO-OPS)

• Lewes, DE: H Fri 03:33 (3.6 ft); L Fri 09:34 (0.4 ft); H Fri 16:18 (4.8 ft); L Fri 22:45 (0.7 ft)
• Ocean City Inlet, MD: H Fri 02:40 (2.0 ft); L Fri 08:45 (0.2 ft); H Fri 15:48 (2.6 ft); L Fri 22:05 (0.6 ft)
• Cambridge, MD: L Fri 05:56 (0.9 ft); H Fri 10:58 (1.8 ft); L Fri 17:29 (0.2 ft)
• Annapolis, MD: H Fri 00:45 (1.7 ft); L Fri 07:23 (0.9 ft); H Fri 11:44 (1.2 ft); L Fri 18:23 (0.2 ft)
• Reedy Point, DE: L Fri 01:09 (1.1 ft); H Fri 06:22 (5.0 ft); L Fri 12:58 (0.7 ft); H Fri 18:54 (6.2 ft)
• Cape May, NJ: H Fri 03:34 (4.3 ft); L Fri 09:31 (0.4 ft); H Fri 16:13 (5.5 ft); L Fri 22:36 (0.8 ft)

Rivers (USGS)

• BRANDYWINE CREEK AT WILMINGTON, DE (01481500): discharge 306 cfs; gauge 8.59 ft @ 2026-08-07 05:30-0400
• MURDERKILL RIVER AT FREDERICA, DE (01484080): discharge -2070 cfs; water 84.2°F (29.0°C); gauge 4.81 ft @ 2026-08-07 05:06-0400
• POCOMOKE RIVER NEAR WILLARDS, MD (01485000): discharge 8 cfs; gauge 4.65 ft @ 2026-08-07 04:45-0400
• NANTICOKE RIVER NEAR BRIDGEVILLE, DE (01487000): discharge 36 cfs; gauge 4.37 ft @ 2026-08-07 05:15-0400
• CHOPTANK RIVER NEAR GREENSBORO, MD (01491000): discharge 15 cfs; water 81.3°F (27.4°C); gauge 2.19 ft @ 2026-08-07 05:30-0400
• TUCKAHOE CREEK NEAR RUTHSBURG, MD (01491500): discharge 29 cfs; gauge 0.64 ft @ 2026-08-07 04:45-0400

Closing Conditions can change quickly from one tide to the next, especially with warm water, summer boat traffic, and a weather-dependent offshore bite. Wear a life jacket, check the NOAA marine forecast before you launch or beach-walk, and keep an eye on the latest DE DNREC, NOAA, and USGS updates; MD DNR was unavailable this cycle. — US Weather Warriors 🌪️