With poor weather conditions over much of the past week, offshore reports were on the slow side. Captains who did make the long and bumpy run out to the canyons were rewarded with plenty of action on a variety of big game species. The Deanna at Hook'em and Cook'em reported a mix of wahoo, yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, mako sharks, marlin and swordfish for boaters running out of the Indian River Inlet Marina. The offshore fleet out of Sunset Marina in Ocean City also had good luck while trolling and chunking along the 100-fathom line. Anglers aboard the Predator had a good day in the Baltimore Canyon, with yellowfin tuna and a gaffer dolphin on ice and release flags flying for a blue marlin and a pair of whites. The Baltimore also produced tuna, mahi mahi and white marlin for the crew of the Osprey. Anglers aboard the Marli had a good day at the Poormans Canyon, releasing a white marlin and boating eight yellowfins and a blackfin tuna. Boaters working the deeper wrecks and snag outside the 20-fathom line are catching some real nice sea bass, according to reports passed along by Joe Morris at Lewes Harbour Marina, with limits of knot heads reported by some captains. Morris said most of the big bass are hitting on fresh clams or squid. Sea bass also are being caught by bottom bouncers fishing Artificial Reef Sites 10 and 11 and the inshore wrecks, but the ratio of keepers to shorts has been a lot lower. The inshore structure is also producing a fair number of ling, but the flounder seem to have moved out to deeper waters. Anglers are reminded that the season on black sea bass will be closed Oct. 12-31. Anglers targeting tautog are reporting good fishing on the inshore wrecks and the structure piled up on Reef Sites Nine, 10 and 11. Jimmy and Johnny Coffiey targeted tog on inshore structure, returning to Indian River Inlet Marina with 50 pounds of blackfish in their cooler. The anglers were baiting with green crabs. Reports from local surf fishermen showed snapper bluefish to be the most common catch, with some anglers also reporting sharks, ling, kings and small trout along the Delaware beaches. Surf casters checking in with Sue Foster at Oyster Bay Tackle also reported a few red drum in the surf at Assateague Island. Surf reports from the Jersey beaches included action on bigger bluefish and keeper stripers, so it shouldn't be long before the fall season heats up on the local beaches. Reports from both boaters and jetty fishermen showed good fishing for a variety of species in the Indian River Inlet, with cooler water responsible for a big increase in big flounder action. Scott Black topped the weekly report from Old Inlet Bait and Tackle with a 35-inch, 9-pound, 7-ounce flattie caught in the inlet on a jig tipped with a Gulp! bait. Inlet fishermen also are scoring on keeper tog, bluefish and striped bass. Most of the stripers have been too short to keep, but there have been a few over the 28-inch mark reported. Rick Willman at Rick's Bait and Tackle reported live eels and bucktails to be the top choices for the inlet rockfish. Anglers fishing the fast moving water of Massey's Ditch are reporting action on a mix of species, including flounder, puppy drum, tog, croaker and bluefish.

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