A few tips, tricks & tactics heading into the fall run.
Being a fisherman is a lot more than just catching fish. It takes timing, preparation, preparedness, a little bit of madness, and a whole lot of the time lending helping hands along the way. Whether you’re just starting out or consider yourself at the top of your game, those helping hands lend us tips, tricks and tactics that stay with us for a lifetime and are often passed down for generations to come.
There are a number of things a surfcaster can do to enjoy more success in the season ahead. First and foremost is gear organization, something a lot of us could probably use some work on. Many fishermen might be considered somewhat sloppy by nature; if you’ve ever seen a truly salty fella’s garage or truck, it speaks for itself, especially as the season kicks into high gear. Personally, I take my off-season prep very seriously; what else is there to do when it’s 30 degrees out? I run through all my terminal tackles, build new leaders, check the hooks, split rings, and barrel swivels on all my plugs, and swap any that show signs of rust.
Next, I’ll check all my rod tips, re-spool some fresh braid, and break down, clean, and regrease my Van Staals. I check my waders for any tears or rips, swap out the spikes on my Korkers, and check the Velcro on my Z Belt and Dark Star Surfcasting bag. Lastly, I head down to the Tackle Box in Hazlet to replenish any tackle that may have been lost during the season; it’s always nice to stop in during the off-season chat with the Sciortino family and support their small business. Once that’s all said and done, the real organization begins, organizing the garage.
I always find that this off-season organization helps me stay ready to head out at a moment’s notice when I get word of a bite. And it helps me maintain that organization throughout the season, to some degree.
Let The Games Begin
Now for some in-season preparedness tips; first, let’s talk vehicle outfitting. I’m always ready for at the drop of a dime with my truck, but if you ask any of my friends they’ll laugh and tell you about the days when I was riding around in my Mercedes with the sunroof open and rods sticking out of it. Now, in my Silverado, I have a rod holder that holds five rods, perfect for bringing out multiple rods for a chunk session, or enough room for myself and a few buddies to have our rods together in one vehicle.
I also have a tool chest where I keep gear at the ready; organized in boxes so they’re organized and not a clustered mess. Lastly, I keep my backpack with all my go-to necessities while out on the surf as well as some clear bins with extra plugs, some hardware, fish tags from the American Littoral Society, extra batteries and headlamp, and a spare pair of crocs.
I also keep an extra set of clothing in the truck including a windbreaker, hoodie, t-shirt, shorts, sweatpants, hat, beanie, and sunglasses. You never know how Mother Nature will switch on you regardless of what the weather calls for and it’s always best to be prepared, better to have and not need than to need and not have.
If you have an SUV, you can still manage just the same to be just as prepared as those in a pickup truck. My good buddy Luke Chesniak @luke_fishingnj drives over an hour and a half to come fish with me multiple times a week, he has no choice but to be prepared for anything. Aside from him doing a majority of the stuff I mentioned I do, he takes it a step further; if you ever catch him out on the surf ask to take a look at his trunk set up. He has heavy-duty milk crates filled with PVC pipes cut to size where he stores all the plugs he wants to bring out with him. Not only does this keep his plugs organized and at the ready, but it also makes for easy storing, cleaning, and transport in and out of his SUV.
Tips & Tactics
Now let’s talk some tricks; I won’t give up too many secrets, just some unorthodox things I’ve done or seen other buddies do. First, something I’d love to take credit for but unfortunately, the credit goes to local Belford legend Rappin’ Ron. If you know you know; Ron is a mad genius who you’ve probably seen out on the surf from Clifwood to Port Monmouth and beyond. Ron has dialed in livelining bunker for striped bass like no other; upon snagging a live bunker and transferring it to his line with a circle hook, rather than just tossing it back out on a whim, he’s come up with some ingenious ideas. Imagine a bobber, but instead a small white balloon, easy to see at night while livelining right? Wrong, it’s still tough to see, so what Ron does is not only add reflective 3M tape to the exterior of the balloon to see the reflection of the moonlight or ambient surrounding light bounce off the balloon. He also breaks open a glow stick and drops the liquid inside the balloon before blowing it up.
Another trick I’ve only seen guys who truly know what they’re doing is messing with the integrity of a metal lip. Now that might sound odd, but when you understand how a plug works, and understand that sometimes you need to hit certain spots of the water column, this will make a lot of sense. If you take the through-wire of a metal lip and bend it upwards, you’ll be able to finesse the plug to dive deeper into the water column – if you do the inverse and bend it downwards you’ll be able to keep the plug higher in the water column. Be careful though – many metal-lips are finely tuned as is, and if you’re not careful with the bending you may actually break your pricey plug.
Another golden rule with regard to plugs, unless you’re buying from a reputable plug builder you know, you’ll likely want to swap out the split rings and the treble hooks. Some get fancy and remove the front or middle treble making for an easy release and less stress on the fish, as some also do with the rear treble and swap to a single J hook or some teaser feathers. If you’re new to plug fishing or learning to use a specific plug, test it in freshwater like a lake or pool. This makes it easier to see and understand the plug’s movement. Experiment with different retrieval speeds and rod tip heights to master its true action and maximize its potential.
One last trick I find particularly useful because I’m constantly losing tape measures is marking size limits on my rod. This could get particularly messy if you don’t switch up your colors; that is if you’re targeting multiple species. For me, I like to have different setups for different species I target, so I don’t have this problem. But depending on your rod color you can utilize different colored paint markers to leave your sizing lines, like gold for stripers, blue for fluke, or red for weakfish.
Strategically Speaking
When it comes to pure tactics, this can go on and on depending on the species, the time of year, the bait they’re feeding on, and most importantly, where you’re fishing. But I’d like to focus on striped bass, as it’s my favorite species to catch. One spot in particular my buddy Luke and I refer to as the Bone Yard; tactically speaking you’ll never know where we’re referring to but it’s one of the various river and bridge locations here in New Jersey. We set out to challenge ourselves last fall run to nail stripers in this particular location primarily with bucktails, The current is awfully strong here to utilize any sort of plug, and we didn’t want to toss swim shads even though the bite in the area was definitely calling for them. When talking tactics with a buddy, it’s best you both try out different things at the same time to see what works best.
So, while in two different spots in this location, Luke and I set out to give it the old college try. He casted straight across to the bridge, with a rather reserved distance, and tried to keep his 3/4-ounce bucktail as high up in the column as he could. I had a 1-1/2-ounce bucktail which I tossed further and directly under the bridge. We both found out quickly how strong this current was when we ended up reeling in from behind us shortly after the bucktails hit the water. That night, we ended up snagging countless bucktails and walked away skunked.
Upon returning the next night, we figured we would try shads, since seemingly everyone was hitting on them. Needless to say, we lost a lot of money that night again and continued the skunk. The next night, determined to hit on bucktails again, we returned with a new strategy. Knowing the rocky bottom was filled with debris and we couldn’t necessarily hit bottom and jig up and down like we wanted, so we decided to work the water column with various sized bucktails. I went back to my trusty 1-1/2-ounce white bucktail with a pink Otter Tail and before casting out I watched the current and how it was moving. I realized that with the force of the current, if there were any stripers here they would be hiding right behind that pile, waiting for a disoriented bait fish to come waltzing by and strike.
In this scenario, I thought if I tossed directly next to the pile and immediately closed my bail, giving the reel a crank or two, the current would likely position my bucktail in the perfect spot. Bingo. Working through the spot, trying out various tactics and methods, watching and learning what was right in front of me provided fruitful for us. I let Luke know and it was lights out the rest of the night for us, one fish after the other.
As you grow as a surfcaster it’s important to remember to continue trying outside-the-box things. I always say it, fishermen are the most prepared and the most unhinged of individuals. It’s insane the things you see us come up with or try out because of some mad idea. Much of the time, it works. Take those ideas, and build on them; take those tricks someone once told you and put them to the test. Most importantly those all lead up to your tactics, and your tactics will make or break you as a surfcaster.
You’ll often hear people say fish are dumb, until it’s your seventh outing and you start to question if it’s them, or you.
