The weakfish, in past years took a leave of absence, and many anglers wondered what happened to our beloved "trout of the sea". But now they're back, and most anglers and captains are breathing a sigh of relief .

by Bob Misak

The "Weakies"

The New Jersey coast has always been the home of the weakfish, often called sea trout by some of the local folk. In the spring around early May and into June, "tide runners" were on the agenda of most local anglers, as this was a transition time between winter flounder season and summer flounder. Anglers would head over to the sod banks on the east or west side of the bay, and GIANT fish were caught... 10 to 15 pound weakfish were a regular thing, and guys would take advantage. Smaller fish moved into the area during summer, and chumming weakfish was something we could do anytime we felt like it. Many years ago, weakfish were considered to be a "cycle fish" and came around every few years or so. For many years until about 2004, tide runners came in every season to spawn in New Jersey's bays and its tributaries. The "Pink Finesse" was the lure of all lures. You didn't have to go get shedders or grass shrimp, and fishing was easy. There were a few old timers who would still chum with shrimp, and the weakfish limit at 14 fish was actually larger than the bluefish limit, which was "only" 10. But, one day we all woke up, and the tide runner, including smaller weakfish, were gone.

A long, painful comeback...

Well, a few years went by and none of the big old tide runner weakfish were heard of, let alone caught. Anglers moved on to other things, more "productive" fishing, and the weakfish was all but forgotten about, recreationally speaking. Then around 2006 or so, guys started to catch weakfish again. They may have been small, but they were still "weakies". The boys up top were already on it, and the limit was lowered to one fish. It didn't matter much to anglers because not too many were even catching any weakfish at all. But then a few years later, the wily "trout" had returned, and it seemed like it was almost overnight that they re-established themselves along the shores of New Jersey. Now, they're here and though those 15 pound fish are still absent, our beloved weakfish is back, and they are part of just about every angler's mixed bag of fry pan goodies.

Let's go catch a trout!

In the old days, the pink Finesse and chumming shrimp or drifting shedder crabs were the popular methods for harvesting weakfish. Things however, have changed a bit today. Shrimp numbers and eel grass depletion are a few of the reasons that someone can't just go drag up a couple thousand shrimp anymore. To buy them you literally need to "sell the farm", as they are expensive, and shedder crabs are even more expensive. So guys are beginning to improvise... and so are the weakfish.

Chunks and Bloodies

Every sharp angler out there knows the importance of bluefish schools in relation to weakfish. While the bluefish race around "tearin' up" the bait, the weakies will just lumber along under them (much like striped bass do) and forage upon the sinking scraps of chopped up mullet and bunker for an easily obtained meal. With that, guys are dropping chunks of fresh cut bait and getting a tremendous response from feeding weakies; with a one fish limit, buying shrimp for weakfish or two or three shedders doesn't cut it for most anglers. Blood worms are also an option now, especially with the huge numbers of 18 to 24 inch weakfish that have inhabited our waters to the south. Absecon to Cape May was a banner area for weak fishing in 2013, and a lot of were caught and released, with most keeping that one 14 inch or better fish for the fryer. The pink Finesse has not faltered in its ability to attract weakfish, and anglers who just want to go toss some plastics after work are having great success on trout as well.

Let us not forget!

Although the weakfish stocks have seemingly returned in some of the best numbers I've seen in my lifetime, the tide runner remains somewhat absent still. A tide runner weakfish at 10 pounds or over holds anywhere from 2000 to 3000 eggs during the spawn, and for those of you who payed attention in math class, this is obviously where we ran into trouble last time. There is a standard of ethics that are being used by head boat captains and charters, as well as personal boaters and anglers alike. Any weakfish, big or small, that is to be returned to the sea by any caring angler should really be handled like a newborn baby! Unhook it very carefully, and handle it as gingerly as possible with the hands. Ripping the hook out of weakfish or squeezing the scales off of it will certainly mean its demise, and I for one am not going to forget the days when we all stared at each other and wondered what happened to the weakfish. It's up to us if they stick around or disappear, and who knows, maybe those 15 pounders will show again! Good luck and great fishing.