Learning to Surf Fish

There are a few avid hook slingers here that can probably send you in the right direction for instructional sites. Here's a mid-atlantic forum with a lot of info about what/where everyone is catching something.

 

www.fryingpantower.com
It's an NC fishing site, lots of info there. The how-to section will provide you with some great info as far as rigging.

I don't know too much about fishing in the Northern Mid-Atlantic as far as bait and what to target at different times of the year. Two members here who know their chitt in that region that come to mind off the top of my head are LBCrew and Doug.

One necessity that seems to be pretty ubiquitous no matter what region you are in is BEER.

 

Surf fishers are up there on my crapola list with SUPs. One of my area breaks is a great spot but not very wide at all and in any good swell later in the day at the right tides there are always surf fishers from end to end. I freak out because I usually head there when the breaks real close to me are flat as heck, and I've been thinking non-stop about waves all day by then.

Makes me feel like a skimmer in a white rash guard competing with pro surfers for the choice peak in The First State. I don't care, I just jump on the board and paddle out to the peak and if I eat a hook, I eat a hook.

It's kind of like in Texas where they don't realize that a polite directional means you want and need to get in the next highway lane. They don't observe those there even though their vehicles come stock with them. So when I'm there and need to switch lanes I'll throw the blinker on for good measure while I cross the dotted line slightly. When the driver of the auto realizes that I'm willing to get in a collision more than they're unwilling to observe common traffic law and courtesy, they yield. Call me crazy, but these surf fishers seem to not want to have me eat their hook in the cheek more than they want to cast multiple lines at the same time in all different directions monopolizing the whole width of the break.

I don't want the whole break. I just want my slice. This guy ain't casting 2-3 lines and sitting there drinking beer so he can fish to survive. He's trying to get time away from his old lady and he can still do that with his lines cast a bit closer together.

 

First... you gotta do a couple things:

Register here - http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/54950.html
Become familiar with seasons, size and catch limits here - http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7894.html

After that, learn to tie a few good knots (blood knot, palomar, improved clinch...), be sure you have good line and backing, and stop into the local tackle shop, and ask what hot. Decide if you want to fish bait or artificial (gulp baits work good as a cross between the two), and guys always like to talk about their favorite plugs and rigs. There are also a number of online forums dedicated to surf fishing... bass in particular... and you can learn a lot just by reading discussions.

I like to walk the beach on a running tide, reading the rips and sand bars, and taking time to fish any structures, like jetties and storm drain pipes. I fish strictly artificials, so a few surface plugs (pencil popers, danny plugs...), bucktails, storm lures, bombers (with or without teasers) and lots of metal are always in my bag (http://www.alltackle.com/precision_pak.htm). Probably the most versatile lure is a Hopkins Shortie... you can retrieve them at a number of speeds, and even jig them. Very productive lure. And be sure you tie up a good, solid snagging rig, just in case you come up on a school of bunker.

 

Grab some high-low rigs, few surf weights (sinkers), some squid/bunker/sea clam (with rubber bands or elastic string to wrap the bait so it doesn't fall off the hook during casts), and a sand spike (to hold your rod).

This time of year (depending where you're at) the big stuff may be gone but at least some king fish and spot may be around. So just find a decent spot (location isn't as big a deal for these smaller fish), cast in and enjoy a brewski until you notice the rod tip bending more than the usual vibration from the surf.

Voila! And don't be too serious about it.

 

Emass: NOYA

If the surf fishermen were there first.... well?

Plus, your driving analogy is definitely from the perspective of a Masshole.

Why does it matter how many lines someone has out? Why does their personal motivation for fishing have any bearing on their "right" to be fishing?

Paddling out where folks are already fishing is a jerk move. If there were any fish biting before, you definitely shut it down by doing so.

 

if you're dangling your feet while surfing, then you're surf fishing.

 

+1 on the hopkins. You can drag it and catch the attention of fluke. I've nailed stripers, weakfish, and croakers on that thing. And bluefish can't resist it.

 

I don't believe in entitlement of any kind or form. I believe in community and social ecosystems where all are equal and should share and enjoy available resources. Like the road and ocean. To me, our surroundings and resources are for all to share and enjoy. The ownership of land and real estate almost seems comical and absurd to me because on a rudimentary level it's transparent and without the assigned value of written deeds and paper currency, really belongs to the public though it rightfully should be respected as one's habitat for the time being.

I'm looking to share the resource of the ocean only taking what I need which is a narrow width at that break, whereas Joe Surffisher is casting three lines in panoramic fashion claiming five times or more the area I need. My occupying that small peak and zone was in no way preventing him in casting all three of his lines elsewhere but in the general vicinity. I want those surf fishers to surf fish at that break if they enjoy it. I also want my narrow width of water where the one peak is at the time. That happens to be 1/5 to 1/10 of the stretch of water that their 2-3 lines are cast.

I won't say he's looking forward to fishing any less than I to surfing. But our environmental conditions necessary to partake in our pastime are so farther and fewer between than his, especially this time of year. I've gone out every day in the last 7, sometimes 2-3 times only to find unsurfable conditions. Can he say the same? Then, think about how hard we work physically to catch a wave during sessions where rides can be had but they are next to none. Compare that to this guy throwing three lines out there, sticking the rods in a plastic pipe, then sitting on his rear and getting fat.

If he's there to fish out of the love of fishing, by all means, fish like you mean it and catch those things. But a guy planted on a cooler for a seat with a cold one in his hand in sedentary fashion, does he really care much about what he's doing? He may have just as much fun sitting on said cooler sucking down beers and still looking at the moon coming up, which does sound pretty good. After I'm done my sesh, I may be inclined some nights to join him and offer a sixer up while I ask how the wife and kids are.

I especially take issue when, like the above poster stated, he's not even catching a cold. So why must he cast those dang lines and let them sit in those pipes (whatever they're called) while he sits on his can? I've surf fished for a total of 90 minutes and based on both intuition plus mere deductive reasoning of where to cast based on where others were scoring catches around me, I caught 3 fish in that hour and a half, two of which were call-outs that "I'm catching one on this cast." Am I saying I should now be sponsored by Bass Pro Shops? Heck no. But the shore wasn't exactly reaping Biblical (parables of mass catches by the disciples for those who don't get that one) harvests that eve and I had to be re-taught how to cast prior to that session because it had been so long since I'd fished.

As for the road, I'm talking about having my directional on for 1/4 to a 1/2 mile or more, in plain sight, and clearly because I need to change lanes to let someone riding my ass pass me as a courtesy to them or to get near the exit I need to get off of. I'm not talking about driving to endanger. But when run of the mill Texan ignores that need of mine and this, the safe and necessary ow of vehicular traffic, I'm in the wrong? No, he/she is an impediment to society and a road hazard.

This is not a blanket statement. It is 95% of all instances I've driven in TX and that amounts altogether to probably a total a 4 years of my life. That's not to say everyone in the Northeast knows how to drive (Maine...I'm talking to you and your 55mph in the left lane of a 65). I see people in MA all the time that fail to realize that a rotary/traffic circle (or roundabout for you others) is not a stop sign. It's a yield, and to maintain safe and effective traffic flow must be treated like a merge of an on-ramp while yielding right of way to vehicles already in and coming around the circle. Much like a drop-in on a wave. You don't cut them off, but you are ok taking off after them as long as you stay the heck out of their way and let them ride.

I typically give more than I take or ask for. If I happen to be asking for a lot at times, I make sure to give an equal amount in return if not more. Yes, I'm asking basic questions on here that are useful to all, not just me. I also contribute to many threads of others', whether it's parts of surfing I have experienced to date, or with life discussions, or simple comedy.

I've been treated quite well by surfing thus far, both by people I've encountered and from the activity and nature itself. My thought process is that creates a debt that must be repaid by putting whatever good I can back into the surfing community and those in it. I never littered before, but I now find myself much more green-conscious every day to the extent where I'll pick up trash if I see it. I've also filed paperwork for a vacant seat on the local conservation board because I have a valued interest in the local environment and ability for surfers, beachgoers, fishermen, hunters, orienteers and all others outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy it.

Today I sold a board to a girl who drove 2 hours each way to come get it and was very excited to do so. She was perfectly fine with paying my full asking price and because of the time and gas spent in coming all the way to me (I usually meet others halfway for a purchase or sale) I removed the wax on it then re-waxed it for her fully, put a brand-new noseguard on the whole width of the nose (not a potato chip triangle nose guard; this was a fish), and repaired a small blemish (the only one on the board) that may have at some point become a ding or crack. After all that, I told her to give me $40 less than the agreed upon price because of her time and gas expense, at which she laughed in my face and refused to pay less than the agreed price since I'd gone the extra mile for her. Do I expect recognition or a public commendation from the Mayor for this? Not at all; it was my duty because of her sheer enthusiasm for the board and efforts to come all the way and get it.

Yes, I am a kook; quite a grateful, motivated and enthusiastic kook. Just like you and all others here were a kook at some point for different lengths of time. Am I more entitled to demand entitlement to ocean area when I progress past kookdom? When do I cease being a kook and what rewards do I get on that special day? Are beginner, novice, intermediate and expert classifications of skill level or are they strata of a caste system of entitlement?

 

Jesus H. Christ.

 

Buahahahaha

 

..What is this? I don't even..

 

You read all of that???

I think he wishes he lived in one of the commie countries. Too young and green to realize all political systems look good on paper.

Thanks for reading that 1280+ word novel and highlighting one of the more absurd pieces.

 

"The Art of Surfcasting with Lures" by Zeno Hromin

short simple read loaded with information on how to approach fishing the surf the fun way; with artaficials.

 

then go ahead and google "Surf Plugology" by bassdozer and your off to the races.

 

anyways- the best way to learn is to just get out there... talk to other surf fishermen, most are friendly, some are not... just tell them your new at it...
Alot of it - in jersey anyways- has to do with being at the right place at the right time. Generally in the spring the bass chase the bait. find the bait and most likely youll find bass. althought this spring has not been very good... if you see alot of guys casting from the shore close together- there is proabably fish there too... thats usually using plugs or swimming lures or metal...
if you like to just cast out- put your rod down and wait- you may want to try clams or bunker chunks - stop by a local fish shop- they will set you up for that...
you can also try fluke fishing with some gulp or something...

 

I call that a concession. But then again, you're entitled to only read what you want to. Put some dough in that bank account for that mouth of yours so the checks it writes can be cashed, brah!