These were breeding fish with the males following the hooked females. All females were heavily laden with roe and the males full of milt Unfortunately, this glut of fish that were easily caught brought out the worst in many anglers! Many sport fishermen took to loading up with these large fish to sell to friends and neighbors or hawk to area fish markets. Others secured a netting license and also got into the slaughter. This true bonanza of fishing made Delaware Bay a Mecca for weakfish anglers, and caused the town of Fortescue to adopt the motto, "The Weakfish Capital Of The World."

It also spawned a huge weakfish derby held out of the Cedar Creek in Mispillion, Delaware. The first year of the tourney was 1979, when 100 boats vied for $25,000 in prizes in the First Annual World Championship Weakfish/Sea Trout Tournament. Sponsored by the Milford Chamber of Commerce, it ran for three alternate days during the week of May 19 and saw literally hundreds of weakfish brought into the weighing table. This popular tournament lasted for many years until it became evident that the lack of numbers of bigger weakfish could not support the program.

Some large weakfish were still to be found around the lighthouses and rockpiles every spring. Then around July, a mass of fish in the 14- to 18- inch bracket would appear, first in the lower bay and eventually all the way up to above Ship John. This was excellent for the party boat and charter boat fleet out of both states, as well as the hordes of small boaters. Weakfish were available in the deeper areas along the edge of the channel and inshore just a short distance off the beaches. This excellent weakfishing lasted for years until there was a general decline about five years ago.

Unfortunately, this downward slide continued, with the 2004 season being bad, and last year's season being the worst yet.

For instance, the yearly Cumberland County Weakfish Tournament, which did survive over the years, had the first of five prizes for weakfish go to a 10.34-pounder -- and that was the only hit the lucky angler had all day. The second-place fish was 8.04 pounds, while the third spot weighed only 1.47 pounds. The fourth- and fifth-place winners weighed even less. Keep in mind that was accomplished by a field of 100 boats working throughout the entire bay!

Where do we go from here? No place but up, let's hope! Maybe this will be the year when things turn around. Anglers from both Delaware and New Jersey who work the lighthouses with bucktails can expect to see some action during July. The lighthouses all along the edge of the shipping channel, which separate the jurisdiction of both states, always remain the source of some fine weakie action throughout the year.

Bucktails and plugs or chunks of shedder crab fished right around the base of these structures are usually very effective right now. During high tide, it is possible to float bloodworms on a bobber in amongst the rocks, with the best fishing results coming in the early morning and around dusk.