A Localized Technique
One of the most interesting aspects of fishing in New Jersey is how angling preferences can vary so greatly from location to location. For instance, sandworms are one of the most popular baits for striped bass and weakfish around Raritan Bay and along the northern New Jersey coast, but one would be hard pressed to find anyone using them south of Long Beach Island. Instead, South Jersey is bloodworm country. Similarly, pulling bunker spoons on wire line is a “go-to” technique for North Jersey striper anglers, but we could count on one hand the number of times we’ve seen anglers dragging wire in South Jersey.
When it comes to “shrimpin’ weakfish”, the geographical boundaries get even smaller. This deadly method is commonly practiced throughout most of Barnegat Bay, from Tuckerton northward to Forked River, but is hardly ever employed elsewhere. This probably has more to do with the availability of live grass shrimp than with anything else. There are a limited number of tackle shops that carry live shrimp, and pretty much all of them are located within a 20-mile stretch adjacent to Barnegat Bay.
The bait
On this day, Bill and Darren followed a positive report from a good friend and headed up into a deep lagoon on the west side of Barnegat Bay. Their first stop, however, was at Bobbie’s Bait and Tackle in Barnegat light to get a day’s supply of bait. Bobbie is one of the few shrimp trawlers in the area. These guys are on the water in the wee hours of the morning in their specially-rigged flat-bottomed garveys, running small-meshed nets over the grass flats of the bay in search of the small crustaceans. The work is hard, and it may take hours to get the numbers that he needs to fulfill his customers’ orders. The workload certainly accounts for the steep price of a quart of shrimp ($7 to $12 per quart), but shrimp are as close to a guarantee as you can get in fishing, so anglers are usually willing to buck up.
Although some anglers use specially made shrimp carts to hold their bait, our hosts improvised by using a cooler lined with a layer of ice and topped with saltwater-moistened newspaper. The shrimp can live in this cool, moist environment for the better part of a day, without much problem. Just keep them on top of the newspaper, because they’ll die if they touch the ice.
Holy weak
The key to shrimping weakfish is to throw the baits where the fish live. In mid summer weakfish will congregate in any hole or depression in the bay’s bottom. A depth change of only a foot or two is often enough to hold fish. On this day, our hosts set up in a 12 foot hole in a back-bay lagoon, surrounded by 7-feet of water, and began throwing the shrimp.
The slick
A shrimp slick is really nothing more that a chum line, only the chum is still alive. Chumming is as simple as throwing a small handful of shrimp over the side at regular intervals and allowing them to work their way to the bottom and ultimately towards the waiting fish. Some top shrimpers squeeze their shrimp a little, or even throw them against the hull first, but in essence the goal is the same – to use the shrimp to bring in the fish. Like most any form of chumming, the key is to keep the slick going. This is easy when the action is slow, but when the fish are coming quick one has to make a firm commitment to keep throwing!
Once a slick is established, it is time to start fishing. Using #2 bronze baitholder hooks, thread on two or three shrimp through the carapace. Float the bait back as naturally as possible. On some days a small split shot may be required, but most of the time no weight is used. Stay in constant contact with the line, and set the hook on the slightest tap. Darren prefers to use conventional tackle, and finds it easier to let the line pay out from the spool using thumb pressure only. Bill, on the other hand, uses light spinning tackle and watches the slack line on the surface for any indication of a strike.
Variety
While weakfish were the target on this day, Bill and Darren came across a whole host of other species as well. They caught seven different species that morning, which makes for a great day. Although these fish lacked in size, they made up for it in numbers, and put up a scrappy battle on light tackle. This method of fishing is perfect for both experienced anglers and beginners, and is perfectly suited for a day out with the family. If you haven’t tried it, give it a shot this summer!
