# Shark River



## david123 (Jun 24, 2004)

Fished the Shark River on 09-25 and took one founder of keeper size for the day. (18.5 inches)
WE threw back a short and also took a sea robin.

Sea Robin by the way are good eating, conrtary to popular belief, although they don't give up a big filet,they are very mild and great to eat.

Also-am looking for tips on fishing the late season for winter flounder. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I have been doing some reading on them and most of the articles seem to concentrate on April or May fishing times. i'm interested in fishing some of the mild days we get in October and November.


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## Manayunk Jake (Oct 3, 2001)

Greetings david123!

Thanks for the Shark River Inlet report! Carol and I fish there for winter flounder in the Spring. I caught a nice one right behind Fishermen's Den (unfortunately Carol and I lost the camera later while carp fishing in Lancaster...) 

One of the reasons the articles emphasize Spring is because that is when most fishermen hunt for them. In the Fall there are plenty of more "glamorous" species to chase.

The same rigs and tactics will work, and you can even go with slightly larger baits because the fish are much more agressive. Manasquan Inlet (just south of Belmar) has a strong Fall run with a lot of nice fish hitting half a sandworm drifted with the tide and then slowly retrieved a foot at a time (sort of fluke style.) Use an egg sinker above a swivel with an 18 inch leader and a #6 long shanked hook. Just remember the winter flounder have a smaller mouth, and you should wait for the steady pull. I imagine the same tactics will work in Shark River Inlet. 

Let us know how you do....


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## david123 (Jun 24, 2004)

Thanks for the reply, Jake!

Any thoughts on when top go? On Saturday, nobody was doing much of anything. We polled the boats we encountered in the inlet and most had taken one or two Fluke, bot nothing spectacular. 
I'm thinking mid October might be a good mix of mild weather and it gives the fish some time to get to the inlet from the deeper water.

Dave


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## Manayunk Jake (Oct 3, 2001)

Greetings david123!

I'm not surprised at the lack of success - most fluke have moved outside the back bays and inlets on their way to the same deeper water the winter flounder will be leaving behind....

There's a very old saying about fishing: "The best time to go is when you can." I'm sure there will be winter flounder in the inlets by mid-October. Best fishing (from my experience) is change of tide. If the flatties aren't cooperating, you can usually save the day by fishing the Point Pleasant Canal for tog....


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