Those of us who fish know the siren call of the water. That call is even stronger on the ocean's edge. At the start of our family's annual migration to Bethany Beach, Delaware; I woke Sunday morning, July 1, to find the Atlantic as calm as a lake. It was perfect for a morning of paddle boarding enhanced with a fishing rod at the ready.
Right after I put in I was surrounded by sea life. No sooner had I stood on the board and crossed the surf zone, a pod of dolphins swam toward and under me. Calm winds enhanced the visibility down to 10 feet or so. Perfect for sight casting. There were several groups of dolphins within a mile or two of the shore and ospreys, terns, gulls, and pelicans patrolled overhead.
It wasn't long before I was able to ease up on a school of alewife and swap the paddle for a jigging rod tipped with a 1/2 oz jig head and a chartreuse paddletail. Jigging for alewife is nothing to brag about, but feeling the tug of a snagged 10" forage fish is not a bad way to start the day. I lost interest after a few fish were caught and released and began to scan the horizon more intently. About 1/2 mile off of the beach I noticed all manner of sea birds diving on another school of baitfish.
As I paddled closer to the dark mass of fish being worked by fowl above, I saw the distinct flashes of snapper bluefish slicing through the school. Even more interesting was that the school of baitfish was composed of thousands of silversides 1 - 3" in length. As it goes in the Chesapeake in the fall, so it goes in the ocean in the summer. Following the birds pays off. Predator and gamefish prefer the smaller silversides this time of year and my first cast into the frenzy confirmed it as I was rewarded with a bluefish. As I removed the hook, the snapper blue regurgitated a half dozen silversides. Without missing a beat, the bluefish chased more bait as soon as it was released to the water. I caught two more before the blues tore up my paddletail, then attacked my jig head, before cutting my line.
Adding to the excitement, a 4' shark (probably a blacktip or a smooth dogfish) cruised through the bait in search of a quick and easy snack. Given that I was occupied with paddling, fishing, and generally trying to stay afloat, my pictures are limited to a quick shot of the shore and a pic of the nervous waters generated by one of the massive baitfish schools. I am determined to bring the GoPro next time to provide a better photographic perspective of the bounty just beyond the surf!
Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing
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