bucktails

[Ken]

What is anyone's preferred method of fishing with these guys from the surf or back bay areas. If you've had any luck what size and how do you dress it up (twister tails, teaser etc..)

Also, what colors do you prefer and in what water conditions.

thx

[Bucketman]

Ken, White as light as you can cast & tip with pork rind usually white but also try red or yellow. I also have had luck with fin-s, sassy shads & sluggos on a white bucktail. You want to hit bottom but not so heavy that it digs in.
Good Luck, Geo.

[Eric G]

Like the jetty version, heavier head with bulging eyes. Andrus "used"/still makes 'em. White, yellow, charteuse for coffee water. Yes, dress 'em with finsfish, twister tails, purple worms w/ firetail, etc. Read the reports on what's working, then decide from there.

[DirtyBassHole]

How about staying off the rocks. If you don't know what you are doing it can be dangerous. The Ferry jetty is safe and producing.. Thats right last night went out and had six bass and 2 trout. They are finally here. Catching them on sqiud heads with top and bottom rig. go get em
dirtybasshole

[Brian E. Mullaney]

If you are hitting the rocks I HIGHLY recommend Korkers and a head lamp (not flashlight). Always fish with someone else and clear plastic glasses can save an eye.

[bunker]

Originally posted by DirtyBassHole:
How about staying off the rocks. If you don't know what you are doing it can be dangerous. The Ferry jetty is safe and producing.. Thats right last night went out and had six bass and 2 trout. They are finally here. Catching them on sqiud heads with top and bottom rig. go get em
dirtybasshole Are you serious? No jive? Not many people give a good heads-up on the spot that is producing for them. I got to travel a ways and often thought "If I only had good scoop, I might be able to get myself there and try fishing for a spell". Is anything doing during the daylight hours or twilight time? Squid heads? Thanks.

[bunker]

Originally posted by Ken:
What is anyone's preferred method of fishing with these guys from the surf or back bay areas. If you've had any luck what size and how do you dress it up (twister tails, teaser etc..)

Also, what colors do you prefer and in what water conditions.

thx Hey Ken,
The advice given to you here sounds exactly right. A short few years ago I was down at the CM Light House and pulled in the parking lot just in time to see two guys dragging a pair each of maybe ten pound weakfish off the beach. I saw their rigs. They had kind of whippy 8 or 9 foot sticks and were using real small bucktails, maybe 5/16oz. and six inch worms. Man, I thought I really want to get in on this fishery some day. They caught their fish at that bunker to the left of the lighthouse when looking to sea. I don't know if it is still productive, but I would consider that as one possible spot. Wear chest waders. Don't go too deep. Definitely fish with a friend. I think that might be a dangerous spot.

[striper2278]

Originally posted by bunker:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by DirtyBassHole:
How about staying off the rocks. If you don't know what you are doing it can be dangerous. The Ferry jetty is safe and producing.. Thats right last night went out and had six bass and 2 trout. They are finally here. Catching them on sqiud heads with top and bottom rig. go get em
dirtybasshole Are you serious? No jive? Not many people give a good heads-up on the spot that is producing for them. I got to travel a ways and often thought "If I only had good scoop, I might be able to get myself there and try fishing for a spell". Is anything doing during the daylight hours or twilight time? Squid heads? Thanks. </font>[/QUOTE]With a name like that....Do you think that he is serious? tongue.gif :D

[brelind]

Don't have any faith w/bucktails, Ithink I don't fish them right, need to try more!

[hyperstriper]

what's the best way to fish a bucktail off a jetty....i usually keep the tip relatively high and real slowly and twitch it every so often..........how do u guys usualyl fish them......

[bunker]

hyper, it's nice to see another worry wart that fishes. Man I'm just like you. I would like "The Man", when it comes to bucktailing for Weakies, to explain exactly how he does fish the bucktail, in a way that I can picture it and copy what he or she does. I don't want to hear from some flunky who caught one fish by accident last year and now decides he wants to teach others. The method someone printed, on this page, does seem about right. I would see which way the tide was running (from left to right or vice versa), then I would cast my bucktail either straight out or upstream a little and let the tide carry it in front of me, only twitching every so often because the tide will do some of the work for you. As it passes by you and is dropping in the water column, I would jig a little more energetically pausing a second or two between jigging and then slowly bring it in and cast against or in other words uptide again and just more or less pick up the slack as the tide carries it in front of you and downstream; twitching only on occasion to make it look alive and maybe scared of a weakie in the area.
Ya know what? I don't even know if that is how the others fish them. That is what I plan on doing, though; if I go down and do the rock hop. As others have said, it is safer to fish close to any jetty, say on CM point, without going on them. I still love that bunker spot at the lighthouse and the coast guard jetties but I don't know if security measures will allow for fishing on them these days. Prolly on the weakend with proper military ID, someone can fish the daylight hours. Burns me that the twilight and dark hours are usually best and I'm told not allowed. No hot spots for ya, sorry. I didn't see any response on the jetty thing so I thought, well I ain't an authority but I'll tell you what I would do in the absence of good instruction.

[clamchucker]

Ken, another .02 on bucktail operations. Like Bucketman told it "white & light" as you can go. Sometimes may add one of thoes torpedo shaped rubber core sinkers a foot or more above & in line to get down more. Dressings would include blood worm pieces/whole (depending on sizes procured), fresh salt mackerl strips etc. My experiences in these cold water conditions (spring) has showed that just about all species are after "meat". As for technique, ssslllooooww movement of presentation has worked well for me, at times...just dragging the bottom was outstanding. Then again, as others have mentioned, impart some slight irradick movement time to time. IMHO, believe the slow & the meat shall bring you fish this early. Another thought, weaks are kinda partial to yellow & tend to eat minnows & store bought shrimp (raw)suspended from bobbers as well. Hope helps someore.

[NJAngler Bill]

1/4 oz. white bucktail tipped with a 6" purple firetail worm after removing the top 1.5" leaving a 4.5" worm. Thread the worm on the hook so that it lays nice and straight and you've got a weakie killer from the jetties, sod banks, etc.

From a boat we like to go with a mackerel strip instead of the worm early in the season, but for casting/retrieving ya can't beat the bucktail/firetail. The firetail is especially important if you're gonna be down around Cape May Point. The water is almost always off-colored and the firetail makes a huge difference there.

Light action spinning rods between 7 and 7.5', 20 lb. power pro w/ a 2' leader of 20-pound mono and you're set. Keep the lure around the rocks and bring plenty of extra lures.

Go get 'em.