Post by Gbru on Jan 16, 2019 16:45:45 GMT -5
First of all, if you are new to surf fishing, the first thing you need do is "cast easy." Don't try to cast to China; just practice on your casting technique. As your casting improves, your distance will come naturally without trying so hard. If you run towards the water, get off balance, and cast sideways all that energy will be lost. Carefully flip over the bail, get the line over the "tip" of your index finger, and walk towards the water and cast as you put your right foot forward. Like in any sport, follow through with your motion. If you are right handed, keep your right arm out there pointed towards the water until your sinker hits bottom. If you cast and do not follow through like this, you will lose distance when you pull your arm back.
Once you are ready to cast and walk towards the water, do not look at your hands, look out at the water where you want to throw. If you look back at your hands, you will wind up throwing sideways! Cast over your head or over your right shoulder. Everybody does it a little different. Some people let their rig sit on the ground before casting; others choke up and let the rig dangle only two or three inches from the tip in the air. Try different casting techniques to find the one that is comfortable for you. But no matter which one you use, follow through with your motion, and keep the line near the tip of your index finger.
When you put the line over the "tip" of your index finger, the line will naturally glide off your finger without even thinking about it when you cast. If you put the line in the crease of your index finger, cast, and forget to let go of the line, you may burn or cut your finger with the line. You could also "whip" off your rig as the tip of your surf rod tries to fling out your rig while you are still holding on with your finger. You will hear a "crack" as your line breaks and your rig will go flying. This is another reason I suggest casting "easy" when you are learning. No sense losing a handful of rigs the first day trying to cast too hard! This is especially important in the summer when vacationers are in the water. Cast off surf rigs found in the water by swimmers are bad PR for fishermen! (Always try to retrieve them whenever possible.)
If you are using a single long-leadered floater surf rig, you can leave it out there 15 to 30 minutes at a time without checking it. If you are fishing with a top and bottom type surf rig with floats that will put your hooks closer to the bottom where the crabs are, you need to check your rig every 10 to 15 minutes. And if you are using a rig with no floats, you need to continuously reel in slowly along the bottom. This also depends on the tide. On an incoming tide, the crabs are not so troublesome. On an outgoing tide, the crabs become more bothersome. Once you start fishing, you will become aware if there is a "hungry crab" problem and get an idea of how often to check your bait. One thing is for certain. You can't catch fish with no bait!
Some beginner anglers get confused about "how to tell if a fish is biting." Sometimes crabs feel like little fish bites. Gone bait makes some anglers think they are getting fish bites when in reality, the crabs are eating all the bait. (Tip- look at your floats and see if you crab claws marks in them.) The wave action moving the tip up and down can also feel like a bite. Once the beginner angler has some real "bites" it will become obvious that a fish is biting. The rod tip will go down sharply and jerk up and down wildly for a few seconds. Sometimes a shark or skate will take the bait and there will be a steady "pull." Always make sure your drag is set so a bigger fish will not break the line, pull out the hook, or drag your rod out of the sand spike and into the ocean!
Every day of fishing is different. Some days the fish will hook themselves and some days you have to grab the rod and set the hook. Sometimes when I am fishing and holding the rod and miss fish after fish, I set the rod in the rod holder and say: "Let the dummy do it!" And sometimes this works best, letting the fish hook themselves! Experiment and see what works best for you. But you must be observant. If you are fishing with the rod in the rod holder, you have to keep your eye on the tip. (You can buy "fish rod bells" that will jingle when your rod tip goes down if you want to be a "lazy" fisherman. (And there's nothing wrong with that!) You can also buy light sticks that fit on the end of your rod tip if you are fishing at night so you can see your rod tip moving in the dark. I lot of surf anglers use these.
"Patience is a virtue" when it comes to surf fishing. Surf fishing is a very pleasant and enjoyable sport but as in most all kinds of fishing, you will get skunked some of the time. The bigger the fish you target, the
larger the hooks you use, the more time you will have to spend to catch a fish. Smaller hooks and smaller baits will catch you more fish and give you more action, but not necessarily the trophy fish. A lot depends on what your expectations are and what you want to catch. It is a whole lot easier to catch six 12-inch bluefish than to catch one 30-inch striper.
Fish for what is most plentiful if your goal is to have lots of action. If your goal is to catch that one "big one" then go for it..
Once you are ready to cast and walk towards the water, do not look at your hands, look out at the water where you want to throw. If you look back at your hands, you will wind up throwing sideways! Cast over your head or over your right shoulder. Everybody does it a little different. Some people let their rig sit on the ground before casting; others choke up and let the rig dangle only two or three inches from the tip in the air. Try different casting techniques to find the one that is comfortable for you. But no matter which one you use, follow through with your motion, and keep the line near the tip of your index finger.
When you put the line over the "tip" of your index finger, the line will naturally glide off your finger without even thinking about it when you cast. If you put the line in the crease of your index finger, cast, and forget to let go of the line, you may burn or cut your finger with the line. You could also "whip" off your rig as the tip of your surf rod tries to fling out your rig while you are still holding on with your finger. You will hear a "crack" as your line breaks and your rig will go flying. This is another reason I suggest casting "easy" when you are learning. No sense losing a handful of rigs the first day trying to cast too hard! This is especially important in the summer when vacationers are in the water. Cast off surf rigs found in the water by swimmers are bad PR for fishermen! (Always try to retrieve them whenever possible.)
If you are using a single long-leadered floater surf rig, you can leave it out there 15 to 30 minutes at a time without checking it. If you are fishing with a top and bottom type surf rig with floats that will put your hooks closer to the bottom where the crabs are, you need to check your rig every 10 to 15 minutes. And if you are using a rig with no floats, you need to continuously reel in slowly along the bottom. This also depends on the tide. On an incoming tide, the crabs are not so troublesome. On an outgoing tide, the crabs become more bothersome. Once you start fishing, you will become aware if there is a "hungry crab" problem and get an idea of how often to check your bait. One thing is for certain. You can't catch fish with no bait!
Some beginner anglers get confused about "how to tell if a fish is biting." Sometimes crabs feel like little fish bites. Gone bait makes some anglers think they are getting fish bites when in reality, the crabs are eating all the bait. (Tip- look at your floats and see if you crab claws marks in them.) The wave action moving the tip up and down can also feel like a bite. Once the beginner angler has some real "bites" it will become obvious that a fish is biting. The rod tip will go down sharply and jerk up and down wildly for a few seconds. Sometimes a shark or skate will take the bait and there will be a steady "pull." Always make sure your drag is set so a bigger fish will not break the line, pull out the hook, or drag your rod out of the sand spike and into the ocean!
Every day of fishing is different. Some days the fish will hook themselves and some days you have to grab the rod and set the hook. Sometimes when I am fishing and holding the rod and miss fish after fish, I set the rod in the rod holder and say: "Let the dummy do it!" And sometimes this works best, letting the fish hook themselves! Experiment and see what works best for you. But you must be observant. If you are fishing with the rod in the rod holder, you have to keep your eye on the tip. (You can buy "fish rod bells" that will jingle when your rod tip goes down if you want to be a "lazy" fisherman. (And there's nothing wrong with that!) You can also buy light sticks that fit on the end of your rod tip if you are fishing at night so you can see your rod tip moving in the dark. I lot of surf anglers use these.
"Patience is a virtue" when it comes to surf fishing. Surf fishing is a very pleasant and enjoyable sport but as in most all kinds of fishing, you will get skunked some of the time. The bigger the fish you target, the
larger the hooks you use, the more time you will have to spend to catch a fish. Smaller hooks and smaller baits will catch you more fish and give you more action, but not necessarily the trophy fish. A lot depends on what your expectations are and what you want to catch. It is a whole lot easier to catch six 12-inch bluefish than to catch one 30-inch striper.
Fish for what is most plentiful if your goal is to have lots of action. If your goal is to catch that one "big one" then go for it..