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Although season closures for two different species of fish have cut the options for the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association, some other fish are around in good numbers to pick up the slack.
Both the Little Egg and Garden State South Reefs are holding good populations of porgies, blackfish, and triggerfish for the boats fishing the bottom. Although the daily limit on the blackfish remains at one, the size of the fish makes them an attractive target.
Closer to shore, the captains have been able to locate some large schools of weakfish. Most of these fish can be found looking for marks on the bottom, while some larger weakies can be found feeding on schools of bunker. Most of the weakfish are small, but 13-15 inch fish can be caught with some patience. Metal jigs with teasers seem to be working the best on these weaks.
Early this week the weakfish were located from Ship Bottom to Holgate with some especially big concentrations off the red water tower in Beach Haven.
Not all of those marks are weakfish, however, as there are still some scattered schools of croakers. When these fish are located, hooks baited with clam and fished right on the bottom are the most effective.
There are schools of birds around close to the beach also, usually feeding on the scraps of bait schools after encounters with small bluefish.
The cooler temperatures have many anglers thinking striped bass, but they have not yet arrived in force. Some boats have been trolling bunker spoons off the beach with only a couple of hook-ups to show for the work.
Additional information on the association can be found at www.BHCFA.com
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