Scott'sBait & Tackle
   Weekly Bulletin for
Thursday, July 22, 1999

A couple of very big Fluke have been weighed in the store this past week. The two largest Fluke were over 11 pounds and they were caught between Little Sheepshead Creek and Holgate. There have also been plenty of other Fluke that pushed the scale over 5 pounds. Fishing the Inland Waterway in that area is producing very few Fluke, but the Fluke that are being caught have been quality fish. The action is pretty slow, but when a Fluke comes up, it's a good one. Many anglers have had their best results using a spin & glow rig baited with a minnow and squid combo or just a lone spearing on the hook. A little around the corner into the Tuckerton Bay, almost into the Marshelder Channel, anglers are finding large Fluke in a hole right off Foxboro Point. It's a tight drifting area, so remember to be a little considerate. Opposite the Foxboro Point in the direction of Story Island(N/E), there have been quite a few Fluke caught off the ledge where the water flows out from between the islands on the beginning of the outgoing tide. This area can only drifted effectively if you have a cooperating wind that will blow you along the ledge rather then across the channel. The largest quantity of Fluke are still being caught in the Inland Waterway in the Great Bay between the 131 and 134 markers. All types of tackle are working here, especially the small bucktails and shad dart lures. There are a lot of smaller Fluke in this area, so stay alert so as not to gut hook too many of them. Fishing with children is recommended in this area due to the large numbers of Fluke, but be aware that there is a ratio of about 7 throw backs for every just barely a keeper. Ocean anglers are still catching quite a bit of Fluke when the weather is right. The Garden State South and Little Egg Reef sites are still producing a fair amount of Fluke, but there weren't any limit catches reported this week. Further off the beach in a little deeper water, 55 to 65 feet, anglers are finding better Fluke activity. Top and Bottom rigs work the best in this deeper water fishing environment. Pull out a little heavier rods and reels too, because the guys using 5, 6 and 8 ounce sinkers on nice days are catching more Fluke. The reason is that the Top and Bottom rig can be fished straight up and down off of the bottom. Put your rod in the rod holder and pull off just enough line so that the sinker tickles the bottom. The rocking action of the boat actually jigs the rig and the increased activity on the bait increases it's visibility and helps catch more fish. Bright flashy mylar rigs and a pearl tail rig we call a Weaky Wacker have been the most active rigs hoping off the wall in the store this week by anglers who are in pursuit of ocean Fluke. Try baiting one rig with spearing and another rig with the squid and minnow combo and see which works better for you.

It's still a little early in the season for Croakers. I will definitely pass on the word about these fun to catch tasty fish as soon as they show up on the lumps in front of Brigantine. Last year was the Croakers were here in abundant quantitys, so we anticipate another decent season again this year, though I don’t know if we can expect the same amount of fish two years in a row!

Still no report on the Spanish Mackerel or the Bonito in the local vicinity of the Wreck buoy or the Little Egg Bell buoy. First reported triggerfish was caught on a wreck this week, so the other fish aren't too far behind.

The Bluefish just haven't been around this past month. I think they are making a migration a little further North each year and you can probably catch them in Maine at this time of the year.

Back in the Great Bay anglers are anxious to anchor and chum for Kingfish, Blowfish, Porgies and Seabass. Well, there a billion 3" Seabass in the Great Bay, but not much in the way of 10” keeper size fish. If you want to anchor up and have a little light tackle fun, then there is plenty of action for you to do that.

Lagoon fishing is picking up a little. Snapper Blues up to 7" are being caught now on tiny minnows or cut pieces of spearing.

Rumors have been flying around about a few baitfish called a spot. I haven't seen any yet this year, but there have been plenty of little Croakers(2") and baby bunkers (1 1/2") and Mullet (2") in the creeks where I catch my Grass Shrimp. Billions of tiny minnows (1/4" to 3/4") have shown up in the creeks too, which is a great sign for the future.

I really can't say too much about Weakfish except that there are a lot of anglers who are catching them in the Great Bay and Tuckerton Bay. They just aren't talking about when, how and where. Sales for plastic worms, FinS fish lures and Shedders and Shedder oil really picked up the past few days. That is surely a sign of anglers catching Weakfish.