Surfcasting is one of the most difficult parts of the sportfishing world to master. It takes time, perseverance, and a willingness to learn from others. Dave Alu and his friend Doug took the opportunity to learn from Captain Rich Swisstack of the Shore Catch Guide Service one night last week. It turned to be one of the most memorable nights in any of their fishing careers.
Fishing along the south shore of Raritan Bay, the group was targeting stripers, and a bite which has been good to great in the past few weeks. The action started just after midnight as Swistack showed how it's done by scoring a nice bass. Dave took his lesson well and soon was hooked into a nice fish.
In the words of Captain Swisstack, "I hung the first Bass of the night around 1:00 a.m. and it was a decent fish about 41 inches and 21 pounds. About 15 minutes later Dave was hooked up, whoopin' and hollerin' as he danced down the beach being towed by what looked to be a good fish."
"The St. Croix 10-foot Avid spinning rod with a Daiwa Emblem Pro was put to the test for about 10 minutes or so as Dave began to work the fish into the suds. I grabbed the fish as soon as I could as I was right in the wash waiting to help Dave land his first surf-caught bass. He didn't do too badly for the first one, as the bass I grabbed for him weighed in at 20 pounds. I got him all set up and ready to go and it didn't take for him long to be in again. Same situation, Dave began to totally enjoy his battle and headed down the beach in tow."
Rich continued, "I followed, offering advice on fighting and landing techniques. About 10 minutes later the fish was at my feet and I could not believe my eyes. As I first saw the head of this fish, it reminded me of the red drum we catch down in Hatteras." It wasn't a stray redfish that had been landed on the beach though, but instead what looks to be the largest weakfish ever caught on rod and reel.
While bass were the targeted species on the night's venture, Swisstack had also been on the trail of a steady weakfish bite in the area- and with good success. He had pulled 10 weakfish from the same area over the previous three weeks of hard fishing and all had broken the 12-pound mark, with a half dozen that were over 15 pounds in weight. Still the immense size came as little bit of a shock to the professional guide.
Captain Swisstack brought the fish up to where his Evolution Lip Gripper was stashed. Dave looked at the fish, remarking "Hey that's not a bad sized one." Swisstack's response was that it was a weakfish, "A 20-pound weakfish!" as he lit up the fish with his neck light. The fish was soon hanging from the Lip Gripper, which bottomed out past the 19-pound mark. While Dave's first instinct was to ask if they should release the large breeder, Rich responded emphatically, "Not this one!"
"We laid her on the beach and continued to fish until around 4:30 a.m. By the end of the night we had six bass- three of which were over 40 inches- a few big bluefish, and one monster goldie!" reported Captain Swisstack. Around 5:00 a.m. they had made it back to the Tackle Box, a local Bait and Tackle with a certified scale that soon weighed the huge weakfish at 19 pounds, 12 ounces.
Rich's partner in TNT Sportfishing's 25-foot Cape Horn, Dave Torrick, which they run with the Shore Catch Guide Service had been with them earlier but had left to look for a more productive area to fish. The bite had turned on however and so he was home to verify that this fish was 10 ounces larger than the 19-pound, 2-ounce state record.
What neither realized was that the current record holder also held the International Game Fish Association's All Tackle Record for the species. It wasn't until a conversation with his father later that afternoon that Swisstack found that the fish was worthy of World Record consideration.
The rest is now in the hands of the IGFA to certify the catch. According to them it may take as long as six months to clear the process and make Dave Alu's 19-pound, 12-ounce weakfish the All Tackle World Record holder. The fish is also up for certification as the New York State Record.
The equipment used was a 10-foot St. Croix Avid rod, matched with a Diawa Emblem reel. The line was 30-pound test Stren Super Braid with a 50-pound shock leader and 80-pound Sufix running to the hook. The bait du jour was a classic bunker head.
Captain Rich Swisstack and the rest of the Captains and Guides of Shore Catch Guide Service can be found at www.shorecatch.com.
