I just got the current issue of The Fisherman.

My first reaction when I saw the cover was: WOW!

19 lb 12 oz Weakfish.

Weakfish is a species I read little about or hear about...and then to see such a awesome specimen...it makes me re-think my surf strategy.

Just curious, do any of you target weakfish or are they more of a "by catch"?


http://njsaltwaterfisherman.com/forums/index.php?topic=6081.msg59442

PS

I searched, but this not find a tread on this topic. If this thread is a duplicate, my apologies.

Damn - nice fish. Don't get enough around here to target

John we get a run on the beaches in the New Haven area in mid to late May. They show on the evening tides and are caught on Krockadiles and soft plastics and also have been taken on Mag Darters as well. The run only lasts a few weeks on the beaches after that most are caught as by catch when fishing reefs for Porgies.
This is the only time we / I target them. We have had a few nice fish caught 2 by a club member in the 30" class. Thats about as big as I've seen. Some years the numbers are good some not.
They are a beautiful fish and good eatin if prepared the same day.
The meat turns to mush if frozen or refrig.

yeah it seems like a kind of by-catch thing. the way it was described in the article is that the guide knew of some nice weakfish caught in the area, but for the most part they were fishing/targeting bass.

As andy said in Conn. they are targeted at a certain beach for a short period of time. Even then, most people are unlikely to catch one.

In NJ, its a whole different game and when they are in people take as many as they can. I never understood why there wasn't a limit -like 1.

Actually if I remember correctly Crazy Al was going light tackle to try to set a record for Weaks and ended up with a large (like 45 or so) striped one. Now that's what I call by-catch. Weaks seem to be targets at all points south of RI by some and depending on the time of year.

I don't know if they're up here in numbers big enough to target, but Mike weighs in a few every year at M&Ds.

Look for the pogie schools. ;)

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that the same fish as a squeteague? If so, I knew folks in RI who used to fish for them every spring back in the 70s. I never caught one or saw one that wasn't already cooked.

As andy said in Conn. they are targeted at a certain beach for a short period of time. Even then, most people are unlikely to catch one.

In NJ, its a whole different game and when they are in people take as many as they can. I never understood why there wasn't a limit -like 1.

my largest to date 12# from said spot . a few 9#ers too .

That's a nice fish. I'd like to read about it, but I'm still waiting for my issue of The Fisherman with Luds on the cover to arrive.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that the same fish as a squeteague? If so, I knew folks in RI who used to fish for them every spring back in the 70s. I never caught one or saw one that wasn't already cooked.

Squeteague, weakfish, grey seatrout---all the same fish. Great fighters on light tackle.

Thanks for the great posts.

Sounds like NJ/NY is the place to go to target Weekfish. From my reading, once upon a time, Weekfish was prevalent on the Vineyard.
It appears the populations of species is cyclical in nature. Some have commented that the populations of Stripped bass, bluefish and Week fish are some what inversely proportional. But, I have not read any scientific papers to support this. Food for thought, I guess.

Tight lines.

-Fish360

We get them as by catch in the net once in a while !

Tasty fish to eat !

Bob Moeller of RISAA set a RI record last year with a (I think) either 14 or 16# Weakfish.

Sandy Hook is a great place to get 'em. I've been out a few times there for weakies and done pretty well there. I think they tend to get a lot sparser north of New York City.

I target weakfish a bunch where i fish. I find that they always set up a nice pattern and are tricky to catch at times. Most of the ones i get when targeting are on the smaller side. They are certainly aggressive and a blast to catch. Small bucktails, Shads, tins, jelly worms and small swimming plugs all do well with the weakies.

Growing up in NJ, we used to regularly target "weakies". The hottest spot was in the Delaware bay, and since I've been fishing in RI. occasionally, you'll hear a few going after them in the bay during early spring before the fluke run. Nice fight and tasty too!

As a kid, I remember routinely pulling a dozen or so 15#'ers, but like stripers in the 80's, almost disappeared. White bucktails.....

As said up top, I do try and target here in the New Haven area this time of year but they are not here for long. They are one beautiful fish. Soft plastics or white bucktail with chartruese curly tail works well.

chip
krocodiles work awesome too in that spot . One of my favorites is point jude tins . it doesnt seem to matter which ones . I use the butterfish and sandeel so far with success .