Surf Fishing is picking up.
June 17, 2023
Stone Harbor
Bluefish
Shark (Tiger)
Whiting
Weakfish
Trip Summary
Trip Summary
Fished the surf this morning with Christopher and his crew. Early 6am start allowed for viewing the sunrise, always a nice bonus. The surf wasn't bad, but a steady two feet pounding the shore. That'll come into play later.
I set up six rods to start. Two with bloodworms and Brown Dog Bomb kingfish rigs, two with cut bait (bluefish, kingfish), and two shark rods with chunks of bluefish and kingfish. It didn't take very long for one of the kingfish rigs to attract a hungry fish.
Our first victim was a little kingfish, which we released. I figured out the fish were in fairly tight to the beach, so I kept the casts short. The cut baits and shark baits were eaten by pesky fish and crabs. We picked at kingfish while the tide slowly began to ebb. I was hoping the turn out would spark the bite a bit. The only thing it did was bring in some weakfish and skates.
We ended up with six kingfish, three skates, and two weakies. Not stellar by any means, but a nice day. Things got a bit slow as the tide slowly ran out. Then suddenly one of the shark rods started to get pecked. Seemed like a skate or doggie bite, but when dude grabbed it, it took of screaming. He held on tight and reeled when he could. The beast dragged him down the beach a good way. I followed and coached him as he battled the heretofore unseen assailant. Finally, a good two hundred yards from where we started he began to gain line and draw the beast in toward shore. Suddenly the surface erupted and the head and pectoral fin of a sizeable sand tiger emerged and thrashed. I told him to expect heavy resistance when it hit the sand. Sure enough it was a brutal give and take in the wash zone.
Finally with the shark very near I helped by pulling in the line and resisting the pull of the waves. Gloves would have been really smart here. Soon it was close enough I could grab the leader. The sandy did not want to come peacefully. Once secured I tried to remove the circle hook lodged in the corner of it's meaty, and very toothy mouth. The hook would not budge. I ended up cutting g the leader, which I absolutely hate doing, but didn't want to stress the fish any further. The shark was between 6 and 7 feet in length and at least 250-300 pounds. Thankfully a gentleman was watching the show and offered assistance in pushing the thankfully placid beast back into the deeper water. It swam off back into the depths.
We put out a few rods to see if we could end with a few more little fish, but that was it for the morning.
Christopher and crew were a lot of fun! And I think that shark made their day. Kicked my ass pushing it back out. All in a day's work...
Tight Lines!
Frank Breakell
Stone-harbor, New Jersey, United States
Whether you’re a novice or seasoned angler, Brynnie-B Inshore Fishing has a trip just right for you! Captain Frank Breakell offers something for every level of angler – every trip is fully customizable to suit your needs and desires. Everyone ...
