Before setting foot on a beach this season, you should have your surf bag stocked with the lures that you think will perform best in the conditions and circumstances of that moment. Just as importantly, you should mentally have it worked out in your head which lures will have a priority, and in what order.
Surf fishing is all about mastering physical and mental challenges. Fishing through the many stages of the long season – as well as being on a beach at all hours of the day and night – presents anglers with endless intangibles and infinite variables that must be managed properly. One of the most critical decisions that surfcasters have to make involves which lures should be used, when, and in what sequence.
The Batting Order
Prior to walking on a beach that you intend to work with lures, you need to invest some time mapping out in your head a strategy for success. You need to be sure that your surf bag is stocked with enough of an assortment of lures – a variety of types, colors, shapes, actions and weights – so you will be able to not only match-the-hatch but also be able to reach wherever the fish are feeding. Just as important as having a surf bag well stocked is the need to have pre-determined line-ups for those lures.
Line-ups refer to lures that you intend to use, and in which order you intend to work them. Your line-ups should change often, reflecting the current baitfish in the wash and the gamefish targeted. My starter lures include those that I intend to work first and foremost. If those lures do not produce, I have relievers that I have considerable confidence in. These alternates still match-the-hatch but are in different sizes, colors, actions and weights.
As you arrive at your shoreline destination to work it with lures, have three choices – whether plugs, metal jigs, soft plastics, bucktails, or a combination of these – that you think will perform best under the resident baitfish and surf circumstances, and at least three back-up lures. Have some pre-determined presentation techniques already factored into your head. Surf conditions and baitfish considerations may necessitate some improvisation in certain situations but have a basic game plan prepared nonetheless. Surfcasters who have a plan to succeed always seem to outperform those who leave things to chance.
Always travel as light as possible while working along a shoreline but with a surf bag stocked with whatever you may need to catch fish. You can maintain this delicate balance if you periodically adjust your lure arsenal and do not overload the bag. No matter how many lures you have in your personal collection, only a select few should accompany you whenever you hit a beach.
My surf bag is always full to capacity but not so cramped as to hinder my access to lures when the pressure is on. Whatever lures I carry, I use; whatever lures included in my rather selective surf bag collection are proven performers. From season to season, what works best for me may also work for you, but consider your own style of fishing, your own “go to” lures, and especially your particular stretch of beach and corresponding conditions.
Spring & Summer Games
Once the first wave of spring bluefish floods into our area, I stock my surf bag with a good supply of metals, poppers and even soft plastics. Those that can be worked slower in the cool spring water are those that I work first. However, even voracious bluefish can be fussy so your assortment of jigs should include a variety of baitfish profiles. Always stock your surf bag with some expendable metal jigs and plugs: lures that are pretty banged-up and almost beyond repair. If you should hit a bluefish blitz, use these lures rather than exposing newer ones to sharp bluefish teeth and possible loss.
Things change somewhat over the hot summer months. Metal jigs occupy much of the space in my surf bag. The mixture includes a variety of profiles: slender and fat, long and short, as well as big and small. Tiny, slender baitfish profiles (such as spearing) dominate the summer surf so lures that look similar are candidates to be starters. There is always a slot or two for proven popping plugs, and they are my first-out-of-the-bag lures at this time of the year.
Late summer fishing, August into September, is often energized when Spanish mackerel and false albacore move into the surf. These exciting speedsters hit metal lures that closely resemble the small baitfish that they like to feed on. Early September is a great time to restock your surf bag with direct-tie metal lures that have extremely realistic finishes and that create lifelike illusions on the retrieve. Direct-tie lures are capable of extremely long casts, and can be retrieved very fast back to the beach.
Boys of October
Bluefish and striped bass dominate the fall run. Metal lures and popping plugs work wonders on the bluefish, but swimming plugs are the best way to hook up with hungry stripers. Once bluefish have finally departed the area and stripers take center stage, I remove all metal lures from my bag and devote all available space to swimming plugs, soft plastics and poppers.
Whenever you work swimming plugs late in the season, always use a teaser rig. Doing so enables you to present two profiles – a larger one in the shape of your plug and teaser that resembles many of the small baitfish running along the shoreline – on each cast, thus doubling your odds of hooking up. The teaser often outperforms the primary lure.
There are only rare days when fish will attack any lure thrown at them; there are many days when they will strike only certain colors and distinct profiles. Some days the fish are feeding right near the wash; other days you need hefty lures in order to make long-distance casts to reach them. Color, profile and weight are important lure equation variables that have to be factored into how you stock your surf bag throughout the long fishing season.
Fish eyesight – like all the senses that they rely on in order to survive – is very well-developed. Certain colors appeal to them more on some days than on others. Black, white, red, blue and yellow are the universal favorites but knowing which color to use and when is critical. Here’s the general consensus on color preferences. Black plugs work best at night; black/chrome perform great in the low-light conditions of dawn and dusk; yellow/white, red/white, blue/white and white lures are most attractive in full sunlight. Fluorescent colors work best in rough, dirty water in enabling fish to see and zero in on their prey.
When predators scan potential targets with their keen vision, lure profiles that “match-the-hatch” are critical to triggering a strike. Baitfish come in a plethora of shapes: fat, skinny; long, short; big, small. Select the plugs, bucktails, metal lures, jigs and soft plastics that create the most convincing illusions of real forage fish that predators are currently feeding on.
Is there anything more frustrating than not being able to reach gamefish feeding far off the beach? So always include some lures in your bag that cast extremely well and very far. Remember that lure color and profile are still important no matter where the fish are feeding. Be sure your surf bag includes an assortment of lures in a rainbow of colors, with a variety of shapes, and a precious few that can cast a country mile.
A well-stocked surf bag should always be evolving, depending on the stage of the fishing season and the current bait in the wash. Your line-ups also need to be adjusted accordingly. Be proactive in revising and fine-tuning your starters and relievers often. Your pre-fishing efforts will be richly rewarded with huge dividends on the beach.
| THE BULLPEN SCOUTING SUCCESS |
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When the run explodes along the Jersey Coast later in September and into October and November, you’ll want to be well prepared to stick and move. Now’s the time to go through and tune up plugs, check hooks and terminal tackle, while tying up leaders to place into plastic bags inside your bag or spray top for the upcoming blitzes. In early September, I also swap out the fluke stuff from my hatch and replace with sweatshirts and wool socks, as well as a primary plug box to carry through until November at least. I like to keep two plug bags there at any time, and mix and match from that primary “box” to apply the basics Allen spells out here (Look for the plug feature in the glossy edition too.). Those with buggy permits of course don’t have to consider as much when planning the ideal bag on any given occasion; but those hoofing it to the beach and jetties should consider planning for the migration now; peanuts are already on the move, and the finger mullet should make their cameo by the middle of September. – Jim Hutchinson |
