The score twenty minutes into the trip was "Popfleyes four, God nothing". That's a rather bizarre statement, isn't it? Strange as it may seem it begins my topic of discussion for this article, just as it did twenty minutes into our journey last season during one of my many "shrimp chumming" weakfish charters. My guests for the day were local sharpie Lance Irwin and world-renowned fly fisherman Bob Popovics. Lance began fishing Barnegat Bay almost 45 years ago and is the type of guy that could catch a fish in a parking lot as long as there was a few puddles around. Bob is hands down the best saltwater fly fisherman I know and surely needs no introduction. Needless to say I was feeling a bit pressured to perform "over and above" the normal expectations of any captain. After a short ride across the bay to obtain our shrimp for the day, we set out for one of my favorite sedges along the grassy channels of Barnegat Bay. As the tide began to drop I quickly set the anchors and began tossing the sand shrimp over the gunnel in an almost military format; eight to ten shrimp every sixty seconds. Lance set up the spinning rod with the "real thing" to try to see how far back the fish were holding in the slick. This is done in order determine weather or not the fish are within fly casting range. His rig consisted of two live sand shrimp on a number four bait hook trailed by a two split shots and a bright orange float. Bob went right to the fly. His weapon of choice - Popovics Ultra Shrimp. As I watched the current carry the live shrimp away from the boat I couldn't help but listen to Bob and Lance talk about, well….nothing. You know the way two really good friends can find conversation in just about nothing, laugh at everything, and yet still not be talking about anything? Well that pretty much describes Bob and Lance's conversations that day. Within minutes I could see that these guys simply just enjoyed being on the water with good pals, the fishing was obviously secondary. As the sun began to slide toward the horizon I reached for another handful of shrimp. Looking up I noticed that Bob's fly rod was doubled over. The reel screamed - fish on! A nice seven pound weakfish. Next cast - fish on again! A nine lber. Then another. Lance quickly pulled in his line to put on a fresh bait, however it was too late, Bob's was in again. This time a beautiful ten pound female. Tallied score after 20 minutes of chumming, "Popfleyes four, God nothing."

Finding the Shrimp
Chumming with live shrimp in the back bays of New Jersey is an extremely productive method that is used to catch weakfish throughout the spring and summer season. Before you can go out and effectively start using this method however, it is important to understand the nature of the baitfish and the tactics needed to score on the fly. New Jersey is home to two main types of Decapod Shrimps. The grass shrimp and the sand shrimp. These shrimps remain in our waters twelve months of the year, however they are usually most prevalent in the spring and summer months. Both the sand and the grass shrimps live in beds of eelgrass and submerged algae within the shallow estuary waters of our back bays. There are very few differences with regard to the habitat in which they live in, however size, color, and swimming styles help us identify one from the other. The sand shrimp is the larger of the two, and bears the nickname salt-and-pepper shrimp due to its "spotty" brownish black specs and dark tan color. Sand shrimp can grow in upwards of three inches and begin to spawn in southern New Jersey waters sometime in late February and early March. The grass shrimp is the smaller of the two and rarely get to be any longer that one inch. The Grass Shrimp's color is a light tan or tinted green, which is translucent in appearance. Spawning for the grass shrimp usually takes place just after the sand shrimp, in and around the eel grass beds of New Jersey's shallow backwaters. While grass shrimp tend to be free swimmers, moving most often in a forward direction, sand shrimp tend to be more nocturnal, and will most often remain buried in the sand during the day and ascending into deeper waters during the night to feed. Both of these baits are known for their rapid and erratic bursts, and can thrust more than six inches in any direction. The most important thing to remember about these baits is that weakfish love em, and will feed every opportunity they can when they are present. Because there is very little financial value to these little critters, they can be very difficult to obtain on a regular basis. As the popularity of "shrimp chummin" has grown over the last few years, more and more tackle shops are starting stocking live sand and grass shrimp during the season. Your best bet however is to find a shop or commercial fisherman who gets them regularly and put in a standing order for the season. One quart of shrimp usually costs around six dollars and fifty cents. To effectively fish a full six-hour tide, you should bring a minimum of five quarts. Keeping your shrimp alive is crucial to your success, so it is important to store them in a dry, cool environment. I use a two-foot by two-foot cooler that has three wood shelves stacked on top of each other. On the bottom of the wood shelves I use a small meshed steel screening to allow the secretions from the shrimp to funnel to the bottom of the cooler. Allowing the shrimp to lay in their own secretion will undoubtedly leave you will a cooler of dead baits. Underneath the bottom shelve there is a three inch spacing where plastic ice blocks are kept to keep the bait cool.
Setting up the Slick
The most important element in selecting an area to chum is to find moving water. Anywhere there is a tidal movement or current can prove to be a productive spot. What you don't want is to find yourself in a situation where the bait goes straight down underneath the boat. Depending on the time of year I prefer to set up above some type of downward bottom structure with the wind and tide moving in the same direction. Because this can be a difficult task it is important to use a dual anchoring system when setting up your position. This will allow you to position yourself correctly in wind against tide situations and give you more fishing room that allows multiple anglers to fish the entire length of the boat. Having one anchor off your stern and one off the bow will allow you to position the boat in any direction you desire. This anchoring technique is best used with two people. First decide how you would like the boat positioned in the current. Then place the boat in that position with the motor running. The first line to go will be the stern. Motor forward and let out twice the scope that you would normally need to hold anchor. Once you have enough line out put the boat into reverse and drop the front line out. As you back the boat your second man on board should be pulling in the slack on the stern line. Once the front line grabs, secure both lines. Because shrimp live in and around eelgrass beds it will always be best if you can set up in the vicinity, however it is not necessary. I will generally always start fishing on the top of the outgoing tide as water pulls from the back estuaries and tidal rivers. Start chumming heavy at first using about a half of palm full every thirty seconds. If the water is moving fast, throw more chum. If the water is moving slow, throw less. Be sure to spread your offerings out. Tossing the shrimp out in a 180-degree direction from the stern to the bow will speed up the "spike" and get the scent moving faster. Once your first fish is hooked it is time to slow down the chum considerably. At this point I will sprinkle around five to seven shrimp into the slick every sixty seconds.

Fly Tactics that Work
Early in the season when the tiderunners are in I prefer to use a nine foot, fast action nine-weight fly rod. As the season progresses and the fish get smaller a 9 foot seven-weight fly rod will work just fine. Fly reels do not need to be special at all. Choose a reel with a reliable, smooth drag system that has the capacity to hold 100 yards on backing. The most important ingredient of your tackle when shrimping for Weakies will be your fly line and your fly. In shallow, slower moving water up to 8 feet in depth I prefer to go with an intermediate sink line or a 200 grain full sinking line. These lines allow the fly to sink slowly back into the slick. Too heavy a line will put your offering on the bottom before it can get to where the fish are holding. In deeper, faster moving water 300 to 500 grain full sinking lines are a must. Your leader system should be very simple. The heavier the line, the shorter the leader. For your intermediate line a six-foot section on 20-lb. mono will suffice. If you are using a 400 of a 500-grain sinking line, your leader should be no longer than four feet. There are only two flies I use when chumming with live shrimp for weakies. The first and most widely used fly is Bob Popovics ultra shrimp. This fly look so much like the real thing it is almost not fair. Bob designed this fly specifically to be fished in this situation; drifted behind the boat in a live shrimp chum slick. I like to tie them in two different colors, tan and chartreuse. The reason why this fly is so effective is that it can be presented to the fish in the same exact way as the live baits are, and in this situation presentation is the key factor. There are two ways to fish the ultra shrimp. The first is to allow the fly to simply drift back into the slick by letting out line. Most of the time the take will be very subtle, so you will need to set the hook quickly with a series of short strip strikes. The second way to fish the ultra shrimp is to cast the fly up and across the current and allow it to drift down and across the current into the slick. When using this method I like to administer a series of "twitches" and short pulls on the fly line to show the true erratic movements of the shrimp. Both techniques have their time and place, and you will need to experiment a bit to see which one will work best. I generally find that the ultra shrimp is most effective in faster moving currents. The second fly that I use is Bob Popovics jiggy fly. I tie these about two to three inches in length and sparse. Hot colors are tan and white, pink & white, and chartreuse and white. When tying the jiggy fly to imitate grass or sand shrimp I prefer to use synthetic materials like Super Hair or the new Unique Hair. These materials offer a more translucent appearance very much like the real shrimp. Use the jiggy in slower moving water when you want to present the fly with a more traditional swimming motion. In these situations it is best to cast the fly out into the slick, allow it to settle down into the water column, and then retrieve the fly with a slow "jerk like" or erratic retrieve. If one spot does not product after 45 minutes of chumming chances it is time to move to another location. If this happens choose a spot that holds different characteristics than the first spot you tried. If you start in deep, faster moving water and get nothing, try heading to a shallower spot with slower currents. I have found that Weakfish will move from hole to hole depending on the segment of the tide, and the time of the season. In my home waters of Barnegat Bay the action always starts sometime in late April on the western shores of the bay, or shall we say, "zone one". As the season progresses through May and June the action will them move to the center of the bay, which we will call "zone two". By July and August everything is in and around the area of Barnegat Inlet, naturally "zone three". Think this same way when you are fishing the tide. Early in the outgoing tide I know the fish will be most likely holding in the back portion of the particular "zone" which is dictated by the time of year. As the tide moves out and the bait gets pushed toward the front portion of the "zone" the fish move with it. Although nothing is written in stone, it is usually a pretty simple system once you get it down.

During the spring season nothing gives me more enjoyment than shrimpin' for weakies. Bob, Lance and I still make sure we get out every so often. The fishing is usually great, but the conversations and laughter are always better. Later that afternoon Lance eventually switched over to and ultra shrimp and caught up with Bob pretty fast. A little extra chum in his direction didn't hurt either. We'll see ya this spring.