[614135]

I didn't catch any weakfish this year and personally didn't see any caught by any surf anglers. Additionally, I didn't notice very many posted reports mentioning them.

Where are they?


redranger

 

[spygull]

Redranger if you had been reading the posts starting last April you would have seen plenty of weakfish mentioned. It was a very good year. Most of the surf guys are targeting stripers and get the occasional weak as bycatch. I prefer weaks to bass so I direct my efforts in that direction.

 

[spygull]

Redranger if you had been reading the posts starting last April you would have seen plenty of weakfish mentioned. It was a very good year. Most of the surf guys are targeting stripers and get the occasional weak as bycatch. I prefer weaks to bass so I direct my efforts in that direction.

 

[rastamon]

I'd have to agree with Redranger, depended on where you fished. State Channel, Massapequa Cove, Fundy, Parsonage Creek didn't produce anywhere near past years. Jigging at the Lido Beach Hotel was good but smaller fish. Meadowbrook Bridge was way off too. Even the Ocean Beach fishing early in the season was good but short-lived and the bite to the west never materialized in July.

Bill Sullivan
Jones/Debs editor
Nor'east Saltwater

 

[Jaiem]

I saw a few good fish taken in the back bay early in the year but the summer bite generally was a fizzle.

Jaiem
ArtsNFlies.com

 

[spygull]

Bill you are probably right about fishing to the west. I do most of my fishing from Moriches to Fire island and we had a lot of weaks all summer. There were a lot of good fish taken on open bottom as deep into the bay as
Davis park. A lot of shore anglers had some very nice fish off of the docks at Patchogue, Bluepoint and West Sayville. Doughboy and I fished the shell beds off of Sayville and Bayport and caught fish all through the summer.

 

[Capt Neil]

Hi Spygull.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!

My home turf!!!

Fished those areas in the late 70'0 early 80's. Some weaks back then.

I hope you caught some nice kingfish in those areas, especially off West Sayville.

Capt Neil

Custom Fishing Rods by Captain Neil
(631)567-8049

 

[614642]

I know exactly what you mean. I typically make several runs into the ocean towards the end of the season jigging for bass. I have had several occasions over the past few years were we would hit a school of weakfish. This never happened this year, nor did we ever really find any schools of bass jigging.

Strange season. I think the fish stayed in their normal haunts until late in the season and now they are finally schooling up for migration and are feeding on Herring & Shad instead of rainbait. The Weaks must have slipped under the radar (or sonar for what ever it matters) at some point. The gill netters would know.

I just hope that we are not on a down cycle for the Weaks ? they are a favorite of mine.

 

[614097]

The Raritan Reach Channel was loaded with them, mostly on the small side. You are right though, there was no big push inshore by the weaks like in the last few seasons.

My son got this 6-pounder, "without any help from Dad."

Stephen Byrne
NY Bight Editor
Nor'east Saltwater

 

[Hunt n' Fish]

This year the early May run at Ocean Beach was fairly short lived but produced some very large fish. After that we found the fish farther up in the bay. Most were small, but there were enough 5+ pounders mixed in to make it interesting. We caught them with barbless hooks on our jigs. I was happy to see the younger fish, ensuring a healthy future. Real late in the summer the hole on the back side of Demo produced some large fish on live snappers. I have never seen the fish in the ocean so I don't know what I am missing out there. Here is a trio of 10 pounders caught in the first weekend in May (given to family and friends).

 

[spygull]

Hi Capt Neil
The situation this year was very similar to the time period you mention.
we didnt get any kings because as doughboy mentioned we only use artificials up in the bay, the only thing I didnt do this year was fish rubber worms behind the dredge boats.

 

[captclambelly]

Fair action this past seasson in Peconics, not many of decent size Shinne****/Quogue Canal. Nothing like May 2000, especially the 20th, when me and a friend bailed over 100 of them 10-12 pounds in four hours of nonstop action at Rogers Rock in Peconic Bay. Fish stacked 10 feet off the bottom for about a half square mile. Positively insane. Weakies are a lot of fun on light tackle, pretty to look at and excellent on the table.

 

[bucktail]

Had a really good run in the Shinne**** canal in early May, fish to 10 lbs. The last weak that I saw was on December 3. It was an absolutely FLAT day in the surf, with plenty of birds, but no fish showing, that is until the front half of a weak floated up onto the beach! The half weighed about 4 lbs., and was still twitching. Put on a tin and had one to the beach before pulling the hook, not bad for that late in the season. LATER