USWW Delmarva FishCast — Red drum, perch, and blue catfish lead a mixed Delmarva week as offshore tuna and inlet blues stay active.

Overview As of 2026-10-16, this week’s picture is a mixed coastal fall bite: surf red drum, inlet bluefish, Delaware Bay perch and catfish, and strong freshwater blue catfish in the Nanticoke. The cadence is Friday-main, and the Delaware report came in fresh on 2026-10-15 20:21 UTC, while MD DNR was unavailable this cycle, so Maryland bay coverage is lighter than usual.

🌊 Atlantic & Surf The surf bite was led by red drum. Old Inlet Bait and Tackle reported fish as large as 45 inches caught and released at Fenwick Island, while 3Rs Road produced smaller reds in the 24 to 26-inch class; cut chunks of spot were the prime bait. Kings also showed on bloodworms and blues came on cut bunker, which is a useful spread for anglers fishing the beach front when bait is moving.

The offshore story was also active. Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em reported one boat returning from the deep with two swordfish weighing well over 100 pounds, another with tilefish, and a 22-foot center console that brought back an 87-pound bluefin tuna; other boats had yellowfin tuna. Inshore, Jayde Tyson’s big Atlantic bonito came on a metal jig while she was working for sea bass at the Old Grounds, and Burt at Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em said inshore boats encountered lots of undersized black sea bass with very few keepers. Confidence: good.

🟦 Delaware Bay The Delaware Bay report was steady rather than flashy, which is common for late-season mixed water. Patty’s stand-in at Captain Bones said the same-old white perch and catfish were caught from Augustine Beach down to Woodland Beach, with bloodworms producing perch and cut bunker producing catfish. Catfish were also caught along the banks of the C&D Canal.

Steve at Smith Bait in Leipsic added that Woodland Beach fishing pier anglers were seeing mostly small stripers with the occasional keeper, and the better baits were bloodworms, peeler crab, and shrimp. This is a practical tide-and-bait report more than a numbers report, and it suggests anglers should stay flexible and fish the moving water. Confidence: good.

🟩 Chesapeake Bay (MD) No MD DNR report surfaced this cycle, so there were no regulator-sourced Maryland bay species callouts to carry forward. Because of that gap, this section stays limited to conditions rather than fish-specific advice. The best approach is to work the tide, check NOAA before traveling, and treat this as a thin-report week rather than a blank one. Confidence: limited reports this week.

🟨 Inland Bays The Indian River Inlet and nearby surf continues to give up a mixed tide-run bite. Old Inlet Bait and Tackle reported blues of varying size, from snappers to over 10 pounds, caught on metal lures during incoming water. Tog, sheepshead, and triggerfish were also taken from the inlet on sand fleas and crab baits, which tells you the bottom bite is still worth probing around structure and current edges.

Rick’s Bait and Tackle added that the fishing pier at Massey’s Landing produced tog at different times and different tides, again on sand fleas and crab baits. For anglers who like a methodical approach, this is a good reminder that the inlet fish were tied to moving water and bottom offerings rather than a single magic lure. Confidence: good.

🟫 Rivers & Freshwater Freshwater reports were strongest around blue catfish. Carol at Taylored Tackle in Seaford said the blue catfish in the Nanticoke River are big and getting hungry, and will take cut chunks of bunker or just about any cut bait; one angler caught a blue catfish so large it could not be weighed on the shop’s scale. That is the clearest river target in the bundle this week.

Elsewhere, Patty at Captain Bones said bass have been caught out of local ponds on live minnows, swim shads, and chatterbaits, while Steve at Smith Bait in Leipsic said white and yellow perch were caught on small minnows out of Garrisons Lake and Silver Lake in Dover. Confidence: thin to good depending on the waterbody, with the Nanticoke being the most consistent freshwater target.

Water Temperatures (NOAA NDBC)

• Delaware Bay (44009): 65.8°F (18.8°C) at 2026-10-13 00:00Z
• Long Island offshore (44025): 63.5°F (17.5°C) at 2026-10-16 09:10Z
• Cape May, NJ (CMAN4): 67.1°F (19.5°C) at 2026-10-16 09:18Z

Tides (NOAA CO-OPS)

• Lewes, DE: H Fri 00:46 (3.5 ft); L Fri 06:32 (1.1 ft); H Fri 13:08 (4.5 ft); L Fri 19:39 (1.2 ft)
• Ocean City Inlet, MD: L Fri 05:39 (0.7 ft); H Fri 12:27 (2.5 ft); L Fri 19:10 (0.9 ft)
• Reedy Point, DE: H Fri 03:41 (5.0 ft); L Fri 09:55 (1.0 ft); H Fri 15:51 (5.9 ft); L Fri 22:56 (1.0 ft)
• Cambridge, MD: L Fri 03:03 (0.8 ft); H Fri 08:19 (1.8 ft); L Fri 14:40 (0.5 ft); H Fri 20:57 (2.1 ft)
• Cape May, NJ: H Fri 00:40 (4.2 ft); L Fri 06:29 (1.1 ft); H Fri 13:00 (5.2 ft); L Fri 19:24 (1.1 ft)
• Annapolis, MD: L Fri 04:12 (0.8 ft); H Fri 09:11 (1.1 ft); L Fri 15:23 (0.4 ft); H Fri 22:24 (1.5 ft)

Rivers (USGS)

• BRANDYWINE CREEK AT WILMINGTON, DE (01481500): discharge 336 cfs at 2026-10-16 05:30-0400
• MURDERKILL RIVER AT FREDERICA, DE (01484080): discharge 1560 cfs; water 68.7°F (20.4°C); gauge 4.81 ft at 2026-10-16 05:06-0400
• POCOMOKE RIVER NEAR WILLARDS, MD (01485000): discharge 20 cfs; gauge 5.11 ft at 2026-10-16 04:45-0400
• NANTICOKE RIVER NEAR BRIDGEVILLE, DE (01487000): discharge 32 cfs; gauge 4.40 ft at 2026-10-16 05:15-0400
• CHOPTANK RIVER NEAR GREENSBORO, MD (01491000): discharge 27 cfs; water 66.0°F (18.9°C); gauge 2.48 ft at 2026-10-16 05:30-0400
• TUCKAHOE CREEK NEAR RUTHSBURG, MD (01491500): discharge 27 cfs; gauge 0.64 ft at 2026-10-16 04:45-0400

Closing Conditions can change quickly with wind, tide, and rainfall, so treat this as a snapshot as of 2026-10-16. Wear a life jacket, check the weather, and review the NOAA marine forecast before you go. Sources: MD DNR, DE DNREC, NOAA, USGS. — US Weather Warriors 🌪️