Weakfish?

[NJMudpuppy]

Hiya folks. I've been a long time stalker of this awesome site but this is my first time posting here....I've caught 2 weakfish this spring and saw another . Last night I released a 5 pound female to spawn . The 20 Inc her I caught last week was kept but sadly was also an egg laden female...I also saw another fisherman keep a 5 plus female last week....I'm just wondering if others are seeing some of these beautiful fish this spring?? I used to love targeting them in Raritan bay and would really love to see a return anything close to the 2001 to 2005 numbers....I'm not telling anyone what to do with a legal catch but I am hoping others feel the same as I and release these gorgeous fish to spawn with hopes for a return of a once awesome fishery.....ps. How the heck do I post pics here???

[Papasown]

Thank you for that important post, Mudpuppy.
Yes, catching weakfish has always been a big part of my fishing year, but unfortunately, I don't catch or even see many caught, as it was years ago. To keep the breeding females is the same as killing 50,00 to 100,000 babies in a 12 pound fish. With so much heat on us for catching other species, it is beyond me why the fishery management people don't just say NO to taking larger weakfish at all!! These are the breeding females.
If you are blessed to catch these beautiful creatures, please take a picture for your future memories, and release it unharmed into the water again. You should feel proud of that , and rewarded with more to catch in the future. I thank you, and I'm sure the species would thank you, also. Be safe, and catch ém up.....Papa

[Gerry Zagorski]

Welcome to the site.

Last time I saw them in any numbers was 2 falls ago when we were Striper fishing. A huge and I mean huge pack of them were working over some bait by West Bank. We thought it was Blues at first since there were birds working and fish swirling on the surface the size of a football field. They were thick, so thick you could hardly drop down or cast a jig without hooking up.

Great to see and I miss that fishery. It's great fun for kids since they hit so aggressively there's no mistaking a bite.

[Gerry Zagorski]

For posting pics from a computer please see
FAQs. From a mobile phone go to the non fishing section and you'll find a post on it.

[Billfish715]

Each spring some weakfish seem to be caught and then they mysteriously disappear. What we are not seeing are the year classes of them. I've caught them every fall for any number of years along the Monmouth and Ocean County beaches but exclusively from a boat. Never have I seen any tide runners among them. They were all very small so there is reproduction taking place. When we found them, there were large schools which were widely spread up and down the beaches. Unfortunately, they become targets of gill netters and also turn up as stomach contents of bluefish and striped bass. It's encouraging to know they are reproducing large numbers of fry, but what happens next is a mystery.

[NoWorries]

Originally Posted by Billfish715

Each spring some weakfish seem to be caught and then they mysteriously disappear. What we are not seeing are the year classes of them. I've caught them every fall for any number of years along the Monmouth and Ocean County beaches but exclusively from a boat. Never have I seen any tide runners among them. They were all very small so there is reproduction taking place. When we found them, there were large schools which were widely spread up and down the beaches. Unfortunately, they become targets of gill netters and also turn up as stomach contents of bluefish and striped bass. It's encouraging to know they are reproducing large numbers of fry, but what happens next is a mystery.

Really not much mystery between the gill netters and other predators that's it . The summer time fishing we experienced in Barnegat Bay has been virtually non existant. Not enough of these weakies are spawning here so I congratulate anyone who releases them