camping on the Deleware and fishing..

[Scrubby]

Originally Posted by AVA67

You will still get stripers up to the Gap and beyond, but that is mostly a night bite this time of year. I would concentrate on Small Mouth during the day with jigs, tube baits, and cranks.

If your camp site is right on the water I would recommend bringing some chicken liver or raw shrimp to bottom fish at night with. There are plenty of big. Channel cats, bull heads, and eels to keep the rods bending.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info AVA what about April and May for stripers? I will probally mostly be fishing from land I know the shad run is good that time of year too..What baits are used? Ive been Saltwater fishing so much and like I said I havent fished the delaware since i was a kid with my dad..

[gwl2oneida]

I've seen stripers as far north as port jervis

[bigboy5522]

I have caught one in that area at night in July using live bait

[Wilson]

While this was a few years ago I hooked and landed a 5 -6 lb Striper on a Panther Martin just above Barryville NY on my trout rod with 4 lb. test.

Where ever you camp hit the water early, as the jet skis, tubers and what have you will probably be out in force The night bite can also be nice...sans bugs

[njflyfisher]

just go to deleware river family campground and ask for the spot in the back which i like right on the river. i would fish there at night and get huge cats and eels. you can throw a few rods out put bells on them and just chill at you camprground if you hear the bell it a 25 foot run. well goodluck

[Eskimo]

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I have seen people catch enormous Stripers in that 'Gap area, but I don't know how they did it.

I've been having trouble catching sizeable Smallmouth in that area, but other people seem to do okay. Don't be surprised to catch some big Walleye in the evening.

In the evening, massive numbers of Rock Bass come out and kind of become a nuisance when you're trying to catch something bigger.

Oh, and watch out for bears. All my close bear encounters have been when I was fishing that area of the river. It's not as bad now that they imposed a hunting season, but there are still a surprising number of bears in those woods.


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[Dave B.]

I've caught stripers as far upstream as 1/3 mile up the West Branch above Hancock. There is a small resident population but for the migratory fish they generally don't reach the gap area until around late May to early June. They will then hang around all summer. The shad don't usually reach the gap area until late April.

As others have said your best bets for action would be smallies and panfish during the day, although if it's overcast you may find some active walleye and stripers. For the night bite follow the advice already given and target cats, 'eyes and stripers with either bait or plugs.

The water along the Delaware River campground is slow,flat and deep and harbors a good deal of very nice sized fish. The downside is the daytime boat traffic oftens keeps them hunkered down until after nightfall. If you head up to the rapids at the upper end of the flat water you can have some pretty good and mostly un-molested smallie action all day long.

Good luck if/when you go!