Hot areas so far have been behind High Bar Harbor at the north end, between Markers 134-139 of the ICW down in Great Bay, and the clam stakes on the northwest side of the old fish factory, also in Great Bay. Pa. Knott's fish fell for a squid strip in Great Bay and was among the 16 his party boated. The brown slime is back on the bottom, and hooks are quickly fouled up. Savvy anglers are drifting leadheads held 10 inches off the bottom with a float. Put a squid strip on the hook, and you are in business.
Big weakfish are around with most catches early and before the crowds arrive.
This is the time to pick up some grass shrimp and catch a nice batch of weakies. The blues have thinned out a little in the bay, and this opens things up for the stripers. The experts at Barnegat Light Bait and Tackle report nice catches of stripers by drifting with live herring and also anchoring up with clam with a bit of a clam chum slick out. There are small stripers in the surf with most being caught on clams. Both were caught on clams.