surfers who fish.

Thanks,
Now's the time for sure.
Had a skunk day the other day while a dude down the beach found a bunch. Just couldn't get to the other side of the bar with the wind blowing in my face.

Went before dawn thos morning and casted a heavy diamond jig with a teaser. Wind was lighter but the inside was weeded out. Every cast brought back salad. Walked till I found a spot that was deep inside and the bar was a little closer. Couple casts in I really launched one over the breakers. Let it soak for a bit then reeled very slow and bang, ones on. Had to fight it very carefully. It was trouble pulling it over the outside bar into the trough. Incremental rod lifts and like a half turn on the reel for a good minute. I think a wave helped push it in but that gave some slack and it booked. The rod tipped bounced and I thought it might spit the hook but I got steady pressure again and landed it with help fron the inside lip crash. It's 29" little over 8lbs. Decided to leave happy and didn't make another cast.

Hey it hit the teaser by the way. Recommend using one.

 

Thanks Man!
This might be blasphemy on a surfing forum. But I blew off riding waves all week to fish them.

Kind of a little nor-easter blew through here. I haven't talked to any body and haven't been to any surf spots but the swell was there. I just couldn't serve two masters.

Been at the same open beach that I got the other two fish every day since Sunday morning. Took a long walk looking for structure, found the making of a point that had the making of a hole along side it and threw a bucktail along it's edge and found a fish. It was a shorty but just so and I found a good edge. Marked the line up and left it alone. Too many poachers on a Sunday.

Not sure why I didn't get going early on Monday. Just ended up lolly gagging over for a nooner. Would have to be a quick hit. Overcast and rainy with an east wind and sweep. Walked over to the mark. The tide was lower so I could walk out a bit and tossed a bucktail into the mush and let it sweep across the shallow and into the pit. Then a slow retrieve along that edge. 1st fish was a fluke right at my feet! Was thinking of switching to the other side of the hole and retrieve with the sweep rather than against it. Took two steps with the lure in the water at my feet and got hit while walking. Short fight but landed one just in the slot. I had to go and there was a few guys eyeing me so I went home. Can only keep one anyway

Got there the next morning to stand at the spot way before sun up but there was dude and his dog sitting on my mark! Threw some casts at a plan b and saw he'd moved off! The tide was new moonish high but I knew where to stand and throw. Lost one in the wash right away. Just couldn't see that it was right at the shore line, couldnt move it and it spit the hook. A shorty came a little bit later and with more light I could work with a wave to beach it. Two casts later a good one got on and a fighter too. Had a good run and landed a middle of the slot fish before the sun showed. Two older gents saw me connecting and started to crowd in so I split before they got to close happy to have another fish in the box. So was my wife.


So of course I go back early the next morning. Roll up to my spot. It's dark and foggy with little wind. I'm throwing a big eel. Just a couple of casts in and I get into it again with a nice one. She took it right on the edge of the shore line. Fish to your feet! I almost flipped it in without a reel crank but it figured out it was hooked and ran for it. Had a good hook set so after some drag pulls I had another for the fridge before 1st light. Look over and the same two gents are eye balling me, switching lures and sidling toward me. Like seagulls. Walked out and put the fish and gear into the rig and took a long walk up the beach looking for structure and picking up garbage. Left very happy as those dudes took a few swipes around but came up empty and walked off. Now my wife is like whadawe gonna do with all this fish!


Could I be so lucky to strike gold again! Well I was going to try. Same spot same time a clear sky today and a westish wind. Hike in to find them two dudes right where I don't want them. I walked past over to a plan b but couldn't find the hole in the dark. My gear was just going sideways fast. Look over towards them two and see a silhouette coming towards me. Tells me there is nothing doing. I start sliding over hoping his buddy moved off but no dice. No fish either. Walk past him a ways to the other side of this hole and 1st cast pull one out! 2nd cast pull another(both short) and that draws this guy's buddy back and others. I'm surrounded. And the sun comes up. The day is clear and no more fish. I leave this oasis of a honey hole and walk further on. A little ways over but maybe a point and maybe a rip along it's side is showing. One cast in and fish on!. Another short but again it's a new hole. I leave it be. Find a marker and head out. No fish in the box today but maybe a new secret. With the new moon and another stormy beginning of next week I'm hoping for another run.

So yeah this is a surfing forum. I got to say it's the surfing knowledge that's helping me out. Just watching waves break and peel until they don't. That's where the fish are!

 

Whoa that is a big post. Sorry but I'm giddy.

 

Ain't that the truth?

Got another on Saturday. Got on it early to post at the old hole. Lost one and my lure! It was dark and it hit in the wash almost behind me! I think it surged towards the shore and my line snapped pulling dead weight. Had a spare leader pre tied so got it on frantically as1st light approached. This one hit just as the sun started to show. Pretty decent fight. It was just in the slot and I took it home.

Tried to take a day off yesterday but when a surf bud bailed decided I'd fish until it warmed up a bit. My honey hole was mobbed. Went to the new plan b but couldn't get anything going. Missed a hit cause my anti reverse lever was not on and it made birds nest. Just wasn't feeling it and the waves looked good. I had boards in rig and I cannot serve two masters! So I went surfing.

Slept in this morning. Thought it would be cloudy all day but I rolled up to sunny skies and a dude bait fishing my spot. He was camped out. Took a walk and cast a few but just wasn't feeling it. Bait fishing! Plus looked like the waves were perfect. I made the wrong choice today.

 

that's a big momma. 40 inch club?

 

I skunked all week. Just on the wrong side of the tide in the mornings. Monday I had 2 fluke at dawn then went back around noon to the same hole for the higher tide and pulled a shorty out of the lip on a diamond jig. Rest of the week was zilch. The tide was so low. Also got a hole in my boot, the knob busted off my reel handle and I got the mother of all bird nests.

Fixes have been made. Took the day off to regroup and will be right back out there tomorrow before the dawn.

Sometimes you eat the bear and well
Sometimes he eats you. Things will turn around. Those are some good looking fish guys.

 

Fairly quiet on the beaches here. Got fish each day this week in a newly discovered hole. Short fish. I'm speculating here but it's like another run is just about to go. Last run started spotty with a fish here and there and then got consistent. They stuck around the hole because there were sand eels got thick. Then split. Rather than go looking and changing tactics, like eels at night on a jetty or something, I'm going to stick to the area I've been working and wait. My gear is right for it and I'm hoping they come to me.

I'm guessing this school will be more shorts then slot sized. The fact that I'm getting one fish and that's it makes me think it's small schools coming close to shore exploring and moving out fast. If more bait fills in, maybe white bait, more fish will come in and they'll stick around as one big school. It might be catching more to sort through and maybe a big one will mix in. Not a bad way to spend some time.

 

yeah, night fishing on the rocks sketches me out. Plus I like sleep.

Lots of whitewater and tide came with that big moon this morning. Got a couple of shorts dragging a tin over the bar and letting it sweep through the trough. One was a peewee, less than 24". It hit the teaser close to the bar. The other was 26" on the tin and it hit right at the lip but about 20 yards down from my feet. Had to fight that one through the shore break for a bit. Both fish were pretty frisky jumps and all.

Going to give it the rest of this week and see if any slot fish show. If not then I might hit the other coast of my island to recon and maybe fish out the storm there. Word is bunker are present with blues/ stripers and even albies. Access isn't too easy.

 

Been sticking to the same stretch a beach. Catching a good number of fish but nothing for the table. I'll keep at it till the season closes hoping for a repeat of last year. I just got a feeling a few big ones are still around.

Anybody fishing Jersey? Word is the bulk of the migration moved down there and are just hanging.

 

Hope you get some.
Not much in the way of surfing around here. Been at the beach a lot though morning, noon, and evening depending on tide and other conditions. Switch from jig to a slim profile plug and on the 1st cast I'm hooked up. as I get it closer I see a flash and think it's friends are following but turns out i got a double hook up!. Had to wade back to shore to get the hooks out. Turn around and the dudes hooked up. then me again. We found a little blitz and fished it out. Next day we are both back on the beach for a repeat and the sand is packed up. Both of us laughing and swearing we didn't tell a soul. I went back that night and found another blitz with similar results and nobody around. Just never know when the fish show.

This morning there was a bunch of dudes and no one is catching at 1st light. All but one old timer split early. Birds are working so I stayed and caught nothing while that dude is slaying them. Finally I look at him and he says "something shiny something small". Then shows me a Hopkins shorty with a feathered hook. I got the same one in my bag and switch up. Hooked up 1st cast and a few more times after. Finally christened a new reel. We both fished that mini blitz out and walked out. Talking story the whole way.

Happy Thanksgiving Dudes. Hope you and yours enjoy this great time of year.