bizSearchOutdoors
Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for Salt Water Sportsman, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life and the Fisherman Magazine. He was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books; Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
Recent Posts by Eric Burnley
- Outdoors
Rockfish anglers yielding good results
By Eric Burnley - May 19Rockfish action along the beach has been excellent by Delaware standards. Several surfcasters have recoded limits while others have had multiple ...
Outdoors
East winds, full moon put bait inside the inlet
By Eric Burnley - May 12Indian River Inlet is seeing the same hot rockfish bite as we saw last spring. The combination of east winds and the full moon put bait inside the ...
- Outdoors
Examining the shortage of weakfish
By Eric Burnley - May 05Fishing has improved with the better weather conditions. Tog remain the best bet for boat anglers with easy three-fish limits taken from the bay ...
- Outdoors
Indian River Inlet turbines a bad idea
By Eric Burnley - Apr 28Rockfish to 40 pounds are available in the upper bay for those willing to make the trip and chunk with fresh bunker. While the high winds make any ...
- Outdoors
Striper fishing solid in upper bay
By Eric Burnley - Apr 21Striper fishing in the upper bay has been very good with fish in excess of 30 pounds caught on bunker chunks. No reports of rock at the Rips, but ...
- Outdoors
Wind makes it difficult for anglers
By Eric Burnley - Apr 14I am sure a lot of fishing plans were cancelled over the weekend as the wind howled, making any type of angling difficult. A few folks tried ...
Outdoors
Limit catches of tog reported on charter boats
By Eric Burnley - Apr 07It was a pretty good weekend for tog fishermen. At least three citations were caught on Sunday, and limit catches were reported on some charter ...
Outdoors
Georgetown man scores state’s largest bass ever
By Eric Burnley - Mar 31I hate it when a newsworthy event happens on Friday and I have to wait an entire week to write about it. Such is the case with the new Delaware ...
- Outdoors
Closings at Cape Hatteras cause great hardship
By Eric Burnley - Mar 24Spring fishing is off to a good start. Flounder have been caught out of Indian River Bay and from the surf. Rockfish were taken from the inlet and ...
- Outdoors
Warm weather will bring flounder into the canal
By Eric Burnley - Mar 17I had planned to give you a firsthand report on flounder fishing in the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, but the water pump on my outboard motor had ...
- Outdoors
First flounder have been caught in Delaware
By Eric Burnley - Mar 10Spring fishing is under way, and once the wind drops out, I expect we will see lots of activity on the water. The first flounder have been caught ...
- Outdoors
Trout season begins this Saturday
By Eric Burnley - Mar 03To the best of my knowledge, no one fished out of Lewes or Indian River last weekend. Something about gale warnings discourages even the most ...
- Outdoors
No reason to complain about bad fishing
By Eric Burnley - Feb 25The weekend weather made tog fishing difficult as most boats reported poor catches. This weekend does not look much better, but with the mild ...
- Outdoors
Fishing good at inshore wrecks and reefs
By Eric Burnley - Feb 18Fishing in the Cape area remains good. Tog were caught when the boats could get out to the inshore wrecks and reefs. Last weekend was a blowout, ...
- Outdoors
Full moon made tog fishing difficult
By Eric Burnley - Feb 11Fishing remains good for tog and rockfish. Over the weekend, strong currents caused by the full moon made tog fishing difficult, but in spite of ...
Outdoors
Finally made it out for tog fishing
By Eric Burnley - Feb 04I finally had the opportunity to get out and try some of the good tog fishing I have been reporting about. Last Saturday, Capt. Scotty Gold was ...
Outdoors
Fishermen set new records in Maryland and Virginia
By Eric Burnley - Jan 28This time last year you could not find a fish anywhere north of Oregon Inlet, and this year we have fish just off the beach. Capt. John Nedelka on ...
- Outdoors
Tog fishing good out of Indian River Inlet
By Eric Burnley - Jan 21Tog fishing remains good when the weather allows boats to reach the grounds. On Monday, good numbers of these fish were caught over inshore wrecks ...
- Outdoors
Tog fishing remains good
By Eric Burnley - Jan 14Fishing remains good for tog with limit catches made last week. Most of the action was in the ocean where inshore wrecks have produced fish to 10 ...
- Outdoors
Brave the weather and do something outside
By Eric Burnley - Jan 07The holiday season is over, and I hope everyone had a great time with family and friends. We are now experiencing the type of weather that makes ...
- Outdoors
The area loses one of the good guys
By Eric Burnley - Jan 02I must begin this report with sad news. Rick Willman, owner of Rick’s Bait and Tackle on Long Neck Road, passed away Dec. 21. Rick was a friend ...
Outdoors
Time to renew license and fisherman identification number
By Eric Burnley - Dec 26Rockfish and tog are still providing good fishing in the Delaware Bay. Monday saw excellent tog action with the rockfish a bit slow. On Tuesday ...
Outdoors
Rockfish and tog action please anglers
By Eric Burnley - Dec 17Rockfish and tog continue to please anglers fishing out of Lewes. On Tuesday, private, charter and head boats were able to cash in on the action. ...
Many fishermen coming home with empty boxes
By Eric Burnley - Dec 10Fishing for rock has slowed down at the mouth of the bay. While some boats have caught a few keepers, many have come home with empty boxes. Last ...
Outdoors
Getting on the water early may be key to success
By Eric Burnley - Dec 03Rockfish action in the Delaware Bay remains good and should get better. Big fish to over 40 pounds continue to be caught by trolling, chunking and ...
- Outdoors
Fish and Wildlife Division has long, rich history
By Eric Burnley - Nov 26Striper fishing at the mouth of the bay keeps getting better, and this weekend we are promised good weather so everyone should be able to get out. ...
- Outdoors
Rockfish fishing strong in Delaware Bay
By Eric Burnley - Nov 19Anyone who wants to catch a big rockfish, now is the time. Rock to 40 pounds are currently feeding at the mouth of Delaware Bay and while not ...
Outdoors
DNREC officers are a valuable resource for state
By Eric Burnley - Nov 12Big rockfish are currently staged at the mouth of Delaware Bay. I have not heard of any blitz situations, but a steady pick on fish over 40 pounds ...
Outdoors
Poor weather conditions could affect week's fishing
By Eric Burnley - Nov 05First the good news. Rockfish have arrived at the mouth of Delaware Bay. Garrett Shipley and Evan Falgowski caught four on Halloween weighing ...
Outdoors
Tog fishing good as rockfish and blues season is on the way
By Eric Burnley - Oct 29Tog fishing has held up well this fall, and since it's pretty much the only game in town, that's a good thing. The Outer Wall, Ice Breakers and ...
- Outdoors
Sussex County is doubly blessed
By Eric Burnley - Oct 22Outdoors folks who live in Sussex County are doubly blessed. We have some of the best deer and waterfowl hunting opportunities in the area and ...
- Outdoors
Weather not looking good for weekend
By Eric Burnley - Oct 15Tog fishing in Delaware Bay has been pretty good at the various reef sites. We had a run of good weather, but things are not looking too spiffy ...
- Outdoors
Fishing's improving; deer hunting is under way
By Eric Burnley - Oct 08Fishing in the Delaware Bay remains slow, but as the junk from the floods up north clears out I expect a dramatic improvement. The reef sites are ...
- Outdoors
Offshore fishing nets sea bass
By Eric Burnley - Oct 01On Tuesday afternoon Doug Elliott and I went to Herring Point for a little surf fishing. The fishing was less than spectacular (Doug caught two ...
- Outdoors
Lee has hampered fishing conditions
By Eric Burnley - Sep 24Fishing has been hampered by the weather both here and to our north. The heavy rain that accompanied Tropical Storm Lee created flood conditions ...
Outdoors
A good day offshore
By Eric Burnley - Sep 17As you may remember, last September saw a spectacular run of white marlin off the coast from Delaware to North Carolina. Several boats released as ...
Outdoors
Wind and rain throw off area fishing conditions
By Eric Burnley - Sep 10Fishing is far from recovered from the hurricane and with more rain, high winds, and big seas forecast for the end of the week it may be awhile ...
Outdoors
Fishing recovering from Irene
By Eric Burnley - Sep 03Fishing was very good just before the storm, and while most areas are still recovering from the heavy rains and winds that created dirty water, at ...
Outdoors
Fishing the upper Chesapeake Bay
By Eric Burnley - Aug 27When I was growing up in Claymont my family would drive to Betterton or Tolchester beaches in nearby Kent County, Maryland to swim and enjoy a day ...
Outdoors
Tales of the White Marlin Open
By Eric Burnley - Aug 20On last Thursday I was a guest of Volvo Penta on the company's 70-foot Spencer, the Penta Gone. The boat was entered in the White Marlin Open out ...
Outdoors
Croaker bite is off the charts
By Eric Burnley - Aug 12The USS Radford is currently lying on the ocean floor. It went down at approximately 4 p.m., Wednesday after months of preparation at the Philadelp...
Outdoors
Inshore anglers successful with flounder
By Eric Burnley - Aug 06Flounder remain the primary target for inshore anglers, and they are finding success at Site 10 in the ocean as well as Sites 6 and 7 on Brown ...
Outdoors
Croakers are in the Delaware Bay
By Eric Burnley - Jul 30Hurray, hurray croakers are in Delaware Bay. I stopped by Lewes Harbour Marina on Wednesday afternoon, and Joe Morris was cleaning a nice catch of ...
Outdoors
Guess how I spent my summer vacation ... fishing
By Eric Burnley - Jul 23While some people think I am always on vacation, nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, I can go fishing or hunting almost anytime I ...
Outdoors
Book charters now for great offshore fishing
By Eric Burnley - Jul 16Fishing remains in a summertime pattern and that is OK. Flounder were caught over reef sites in the bay, in the shallow water along the beach from ...
- Outdoors
When fishing for flounder, start with hard structure
By Eric Burnley - Jul 09Flounder fishing has been good over hard structure in the ocean. Reef Site 10, B Buoy, A Buoy and the Old Grounds have all seen keepers put in the ...
Outdoors
Fishing improves with weather
By Eric Burnley - Jul 02Fishing has improved along with the weather, and anglers from Lewes, Indian River and Slaughter Beach are finding success. Tuna remain the hot ...
- Outdoors
Try the Cape Henlopen pier for catching pan fish
By Eric Burnley - Jun 25Fishing has settled into a summertime pattern with the usual suspects showing up in the usual places. Flounder have been caught in the bay, the ...
- Outdoors
The Gulp serves its purpose
By Eric Burnley - Jun 18Fishing is fair in most locations and very good in the canyons. The yellowfin tuna bite has been great with boats returning with up to 10 fish per ...
.jpg)
Outdoors
Fair flounder fishing in Delaware Bay waters
By Eric Burnley - Jun 11Fishing has been fair for flounder, rockfish and blues inshore, while the offshore boats are racking up bluefin, yellowfin and dolphin. The ...
Outdoors
Perfect weather for holiday weekend fishing trips
By Eric Burnley - Jun 04No one can complain about the weather over the holiday weekend. It was fantastic and the fish cooperated. Black drum were caught at the Coral ...
Outdoors
Lewes flounder tourney a success
By Eric Burnley - May 30The social event of the spring season occurred May 20, when Joe and Amanda Morris hosted more than 300 close, personal friends at the Lewes ...
- Outdoors
New Jersey and its quirky fishing regulations
By Eric Burnley - May 23New Jersey recently implemented a registration system for anyone fishing in their salt waters. Touted by those who support the law as a free ...
- Outdoors
Fish just waiting for anglers
By Eric Burnley - May 16In spite of the wind, fishing has been pretty good. The water temperature in the bay and ocean is hovering near the 60-degree mark, and we should ...
- Outdoors
Fresh bunker serves as top bait for surf fishing
By Eric Burnley - May 09Finally, some decent fishing to report. The last week of the tog season produced limit catches in the bay and in the ocean. The season ends May ...
- Outdoors
Wind makes for choppy boat trips
By Eric Burnley - May 02Wind, wind and then more wind seems to be the weather pattern over the past few weeks. While you expect wind in the spring, it seems we have had ...
- Outdoors
Flounder traveling local waters for fishing delight
By Eric Burnley - Apr 25Fishing is just about to break wide open. The water temperature in the bay and ocean is hovering around the 50-degree mark, and once it moves past ...
- Outdoors
Enjoy the fishing weather
By Eric Burnley - Apr 18Fishing is getting better every day. Tog are now being caught in the bay and the ocean with three-fish limits common. Some boats will run tog and ...
- Outdoors
Warmer weather improves fishing in ocean, bay
By Eric Burnley - Apr 11Fishing in the ocean and the Delaware Bay improved considerably last week. Tog were caught in the bay at reef sites 6, 7, and 4 with crabs or ...
- Outdoors
Return to three-fish bag limits
Apr 04Even the return to winter weather during the first week of spring was not enough to shut off a decent tog bite. Boats running out of Indian River ...
- Outdoors
Full moon sends boats home empty over weekend
Mar 28Just when the water temperature begins to reach the mid-40s, along comes the biggest full moon in 20 years, creating a current so strong that 16 ...
- Outdoors
Warmer means better fishing
Mar 21The weather and the fishing are getting better every day. The best action has been in the tidal creeks and freshwater ponds where perch, crappie, ...
- Outdoors
Upcoming herring run - good for bait, not for the dinner table
Mar 14Finally, some good news from the ocean. The Thelma Dale V out of Fisherman’s Wharf had a successful cod trip last weekend and has more trips ...
- Outdoors
Ponds are alive with activity
Mar 10Fishing is showing signs of life as freshwater anglers lead the way. Last week I followed their lead and tried my luck at the Broadkill River next ...
-
Make your opinion known at the summer flounder hearing
Feb 25It didn’t take long for people to begin fishing once the weather showed the slightest sign of warming. We saw anglers catching sunfish, crappie ...
Both hands on the spool fighting a mighty powerful fish
Feb 18I received this story from Joe Morris, who is spending the winter in the Florida Keys. I call it, “The Old Men and the Sea” with apologies to ...
