monster bluefish

Photo credit: CheckMate Fishing Charters, Capt. Nate Brady

Kicking off with the classic, ‘It’s called fishing, not catching,’ right? This past week was a tad on the slower side but didn’t skimp on the excitement with some monstrous bluefish giving anglers a run for their money. Besides these behemoths, we saw a nice mix of table-ready black drum, pompano, and whiting, not to mention a bunch of smaller catches keeping things interesting.

The surf threw us some curveballs with a few rough days and less-than-crystal waters influencing the game. Looking ahead, though, we’ve got a mixed bag of winds on the forecast. The silver lining? The surf’s expected to mellow out by Tuesday, making for some prime fishing conditions. The outgoing tide has been a friend to many, spotlighting the first troughs and washouts as hotspots.

For those on the hunt for a giant bluefish, fresh or frozen finger mullet chunks on a wire sliding sinker rig have been the ticket. As for the rest of the catch, sand fleas, clams, and frozen shrimp are the way to go. The standard pompano rigs, paired with a 2-4 oz sputnik, have been a hit, but this week you might want to lean towards standard triangle leads, 3-5 oz, to keep in stride with the conditions. Might just get a better hookup rate hint hint.

Let’s talk bait – Fishbite’s Electric Chicken shrimp bites are like gold; for reasons unknown, fish can’t resist them. If they’re sold out at your local shop, pink shrimp or chartreuse shrimp colors are solid backups.

That’s the scoop for this week. Swing by the shop if you’re in the area; we’d love to talk fishing we breathe it. And as always, tight lines!