USWW Delmarva FishCast — Late-August Delmarva mixes surf spot and croaker, Bay perch and catfish, and Inland Bays stripers with flounder in the ocean

Overview

As of 2026-08-28, the weekly pattern across Delmarva is a late-summer mix of warm estuary water, steady tidal movement and a species spread that favors both shore and nearshore anglers. This is the Friday main report; treat it as the primary weekly snapshot, with mid-week changes only when agencies publish new data. DE DNREC had the strongest actionable bite report this cycle, while MD DNR was unavailable, so the Chesapeake Bay section is necessarily thinner than usual.

🌊 Atlantic & Surf

Confidence: good. DE DNREC reported a mixed surf bite with spot, croaker, small blues and sharks caught at different times during the week from the beach. One day saw 4- to 5-foot sharks breaking water as they chased bait on the surface, which is a good reminder that the beach fishery is not just a panfish and bottom-bait game in late August.

On the ocean side, flounder action was described as decent, and head boats along with some charter and private boats reported sea bass and flounder over reef sites 10 and 11 and out at the Old Grounds. Offshore boats also returned with tilefish and tuna, and the structure at Fenwick Shoal produced Spanish mackerel and small blues for anglers trolling Drone or Clark spoons. For this zone, the report supports a broader mixed-water approach: surf bait for spot and croaker, and moving gear over structure for the nearshore and offshore catches.

🟦 Delaware Bay

Confidence: good. DE DNREC's Delaware Bay notes were strongest around the upper and central Bay. Patty at Captain Bones said it was the same old song with white perch caught from the tidal creeks and rivers on bloodworms and grass shrimp. Those are the cleanest bait notes in the report and still define the dependable tidal-creek bite.

Catfish were active in the Upper Bay from Augustine Beach down to Dobbinsville and in the C&D Canal, with cut bait the best bait. Steve at Smith Bait in Leipsic added reports from boats leaving Port Mahon and working the closer reef sites, where anglers picked up flounder and a few trout on peeler crab, minnows, squid and shrimp. The Jetty at Bowers Beach also saw flounder, croaker and spot on minnows. The Bay water temperatures at Delaware Bay buoy 44009 and Cape May buoy CMAN4 remain in the mid-70s, which fits the late-summer mix of perch, catfish, croaker and flounder now showing in the report.

🟩 Chesapeake Bay (MD)

Confidence: limited reports this week. MD DNR was unavailable this cycle, so there are no verified state-report species callouts to anchor a stronger Chesapeake Bay bite summary. The only hard data in hand here are the tide windows from Cambridge and Annapolis, which can still help plan a trip, but anglers should treat this zone as a snapshot rather than a full bite report. For current fishing conditions and marine weather, NOAA remains the better source this week.

🟨 Inland Bays

Confidence: good. DE DNREC's inland report centered on Indian River Inlet, Indian River Bay and Rehoboth-area waters. Old Inlet Bait and Tackle said live eels have been the secret bait for success when fishing for larger striped bass at night from the jetties. Blues were active around the bridge early in the morning and may be caught on bucktails or metal lures. During the day, small tog, sheepshead and triggerfish were taking sand fleas, peeler crab and green crabs.

Rick's Bait and Tackle reported a few keeper flounder in Indian River Bay, with a better chance of catching a keeper out at the Old Grounds. Massey's Landing also saw a few spot and croaker. This is a good example of the summer inland-bay split: the night striper bite is bait-driven, the early bridge bite leans on moving metal, and the daytime bottom bite is built around crab and sand-flea presentations.

🟫 Rivers & Freshwater

Confidence: thin. Patty at Captain Bones said Lum's Pond and Garrison's Lake had bass on minnows and soft plastics. Steve at Smith Bait in Leipsic added that snakeheads have been caught out of Garrison's Lake on surface frogs. These are straightforward freshwater tactics and remain the best verified inland option this week when tidal saltwater conditions are less predictable.

Water Temperatures (NOAA NDBC)

• Delaware Bay (44009): 75.9°F (24.4°C) at 2026-08-28 08:50Z
• Long Island offshore (44025): 72.9°F (22.7°C) at 2026-08-28 08:40Z
• Cape May, NJ (CMAN4): 77.7°F (25.4°C) at 2026-08-28 08:30Z

Tides (NOAA CO-OPS)

• Lewes, DE: Low Fri 03:17 (0.5 ft); High Fri 09:28 (4.3 ft); Low Fri 15:20 (0.4 ft); High Fri 21:46 (4.9 ft)
• Ocean City Inlet, MD: Low Fri 02:29 (0.4 ft); High Fri 08:37 (2.3 ft); Low Fri 14:30 (0.2 ft); High Fri 21:05 (2.6 ft)
• Reedy Point, DE: Low Fri 06:41 (0.5 ft); High Fri 12:11 (5.7 ft); Low Fri 18:47 (0.6 ft)
• Cambridge, MD: High Fri 04:41 (2.3 ft); Low Fri 11:23 (0.6 ft); High Fri 16:56 (2.0 ft); Low Fri 23:20 (0.5 ft)
• Annapolis, MD: High Fri 06:00 (1.7 ft); Low Fri 12:28 (0.6 ft); High Fri 18:19 (1.4 ft)
• Cape May, NJ: Low Fri 03:10 (0.4 ft); High Fri 09:22 (5.0 ft); Low Fri 15:15 (0.3 ft); High Fri 21:40 (5.7 ft)

Rivers (USGS)

• BRANDYWINE CREEK AT WILMINGTON, DE (01481500): discharge 306 cfs; water 77.4°F (25.2°C); gauge 8.54 ft at 2026-08-28 05:30-0400
• MURDERKILL RIVER AT FREDERICA, DE (01484080): discharge 2620 cfs; water 79.9°F (26.6°C); gauge 4.81 ft at 2026-08-28 05:06-0400
• POCOMOKE RIVER NEAR WILLARDS, MD (01485000): discharge 4 cfs; gauge 4.42 ft at 2026-08-28 04:45-0400
• NANTICOKE RIVER NEAR BRIDGEVILLE, DE (01487000): discharge 30 cfs; gauge 4.19 ft at 2026-08-28 05:15-0400
• CHOPTANK RIVER NEAR GREENSBORO, MD (01491000): discharge 23 cfs; water 76.3°F (24.6°C); gauge 2.41 ft at 2026-08-28 05:30-0400
• TUCKAHOE CREEK NEAR RUTHSBURG, MD (01491500): discharge 26 cfs; gauge 0.61 ft at 2026-08-28 04:45-0400

Regulation Notes

• DE DNREC says croaker have a 9-inch minimum size limit.
• ASMFC posted an August 21 meeting summary and motions for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass and bluefish.
• Verify current size, creel and season rules with MD DNR and DE DNREC before you keep fish, especially for the ocean and nearshore mixed-bag bite.

Closing

Conditions can change quickly with tide stage, wind and afternoon weather, so use this report as a snapshot rather than a guarantee. Wear a life jacket, check the marine forecast before launching, and confirm current regulations with MD DNR, DE DNREC, NOAA and USGS sources before you keep fish. — US Weather Warriors 🌪️