Delaware: Cold ocean temperatures in July slow flounder fishing

Flounder fishing shows signs of life | delmarvanow.com | The Daily Times

"We went from the June swoon to the July why!"

Now, that's not my quote. I wish I had thought of it, but I didn't. Nope, that observation came from the veteran skipper of the all-day headboat out of Fisherman's Wharf, Captain Rick Yakimowicz. Now, at the risk of saying we are all getting a little longer in the tooth (Capt. Rick is still older than me, no matter what he says) Capt. Rick has seen his share of Julys along this coast. Never can he remember one being this slow. Of course, fishing is a matter of pers-pective.

"I really think most folks who are showing up are having a good time, despite what I think of the fishing," explained Capt. Rick. "They certainly get a lot of bites. We just are having a hard time getting keepers due to the (regulations) and the unseasonably cold water temperatures."

Speaking of water temperatures, the ocean water temperatures have been as low as 59 degrees which is pretty much unheard of for July. When we catch a fish up in the bay they are just, well, cold when you release them.