Shark River Reef

[Togfather2530]

Any advice on getting through the freaking bergalls. It seems like every time I run out there to sea bass fish spring or fall the reef is loaded with them. After fishing for an hour and a half and wasting outrageous priced clam feeding bergalls I got irritated and left. Maybe I should have stayed. Just curious what others do to get through them. I tried jigging only to jig tons of bergalls. I got one barely legal Seabass out of there in an hour and a half. I had salted clam which stays on the hook great. I can’t even imagine if you had fresh clam that wasn’t salted how fast you would be cleaned off. U

[reason162]

were you jigging plain metal or were you tipping with bait

[Duffman]

Keep your bait 8-10 feet off the bottom.

[Gerry Zagorski]

You can use crabs instead of clams, the Seabass with hit them too. Now you just have to wait out the bergal taps for a heavier seabass bite.

[bulletbob]

Any large area of broken bottom is subject to the hordes of bergalls.. Then the next week, the same spot can be loaded with sea bass, porgies etc..

You see it every day with head boats.. They will fish a nice piece of bottom, and have good fishing... Head back next day, and its all bergalls, and they move off quickly. I have never found a really good way around them when they are that fierce ... I have fished where you just had to fish though them to get to the "target species", usually tog... They are a pain, but they live in the same places, and eat a lot of the same stuff as game species. Trick is to find the spots where the game fish are thick and the bergalls aren't... Thats why the party boat capts are always mugged by guys in small boats.. They make a living knowing where the "good" fish are schooled up thicker than the bergalls... Yet even they can't shake them some days...

[Pauls1976]

On Saturday, was using a jig and a glow teaser. The only Bergals I got were jigged through the side. My buddies were tipping hooks with bait and seemed to get more than me

[Togfather2530]

Thanks for the replies. I was using a plain jig, no bait tipped at all. And yeah, the bergalls I caught were definitely snagged in the side. They were just down there that thick. I did try to move my bait up off the bottom, but I guess I probably should’ve gave that more of a chance. I may have got a little impatient.🤦*♂️ I dropped on spots that I found a lot of readings lifted off the bottom, but once I started fishing, it appeared to be mostly readings of bergalls. I would’ve certainly stayed longer if I was getting some decent sized sea bass here and there. Plus from what I saw and who I talked to it didn’t seem like anyone around me was doing anything great as far as Seabass. I’m sure I could’ve put a small catch together if I would’ve stuck it out all day, but I guess I felt like there was something better out there than fighting through those bergalls.

[bulletbob]

isn't the Shark River Reef like 14-15 miles offshore?.. Is it really necessary to go that far off to catch a few sea bass this time of year??..I have fished on head boats at SRR and personally never liked it.. Its deep, a pretty good ride out and back, and personally I never had any really good fishing there. i might have just fished there on the wrong days of course.. Were there a lot of party boats out there??.. They don't usually stick around where there are hordes of bergalls.

[Jigman13]

Any size to the cunner? They're delicious if large enough. Better than tog.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Jigman13

Any size to the cunner? They're delicious if large enough. Better than tog.

agreed.. I always took them if they were big enough to fillet, and I always thought they were better than blackfish as well. Too bad most of the time they are so small...