Weakfish hitting on grass shrimp in Barnegat Bay
Capt. Dave DeGennaro wanted to know if the weakfish were around to bite in Barnegat Bay. The answer is yes.
DeGennaro, who runs the Hi Flier charter boat, wasn't absolutely sure he'd get any when he decided to try last Thursday for the first time this season. Only a few fishermen had even tried to target them and the results were not good. However, he said his charter was up for it and so off they went. As luck would have they got right into them chumming the bay water with grass shrimp. The fish were all right around a foot long.
August is proving to be hot, humid and difficult to predict.
Capt. Tom Buban on the Atlantic Star party boat out of Atlantic Highlands said Saturday's forecast of rain kept people away from the dock even though the showers never came. He's been all over the water trying to scare up some fluke for his fares. On Friday he went down the beach off Sandy Hook and got a 5 1/2 pounder for one his fares. That's about the biggest fluke he's had lately since his crew netted an 8 pounder at the start of summer at the Bug Light. His fares also caught a ton of colorful sea robins and either some small black tip sharks, or spinners, that were released back. The two sharks look very similar and are not always easy to tell apart.
DeGennaro also had some small sharks inshore which he called a sharpnose, another shark species that looks like a blacktip but has become less common in recent years.
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On Monday afternoon, he was up on Flynn's Knoll, dealing with wind against the current, but still managed to have a ton of short fluke action with a couple of keepers in the mix.
The bluefish were out in force Sunday along the beaches. Capt. Dave Riback on the Queen Mary said they had limits by 8:30 in the morning after about an hour of jig fishing. The fish were cocktail sizes up to 3 pounds. He wound up going for sea bass to wrap up the day.
The mackerel are biting their heads off again out by the edges of the Mud Hole. Capt. Howard Bogan Jr. on the Big Jamaica party boat said the fish were right on the surface for most of Saturday. Occasionally, a big school swam under the boat and covered the fish finder from top to bottom. His fares also landed some bluefish that were drawn into the chum slick but were not as voracious as the macks. He said anglers also dropped to the bottom for sea bass and even a fluke. In fact, a 4-pound fluke won the pool.
More:What's biting: Get the latest fishing reports here
Giglio's Tackle in Sea Bright said one of their regulars landed a keeper striped bass fishing early morning near a jetty groin with a popper. Elsewhere in the surf Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park weighed in several surf-caught fluke up to almost five pounds. Meanwhile, the kingfish, while still present, have been harder lately to catch, reports Jingle's Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ fishing in Barnegat Bay: Weakfish hitting on grass shrimp
