In order to be successful, anglers need more than just the proper equipment. Most important, they must understand the waters they’re fishing and all the variables that dictate where fish may be and when they’ll be feeding. This is no easy read, and for every serious angler it’s a lifetime endeavor that will never be completed. Conditions change so rapidly that we’re forever trying to keep up, and the only certainty is that those unwilling to change will sooner or later be left behind.
Skipjack tuna are oceanic fish, but when blue water moved right into the beach during August 1999, Kevin Noonan’s cast to breaking fish just 200 yards off Sea Bright, New Jersey, produced this 10-pounder.
The freshwater fisherman usually deals with a relatively static situation in his favorite pond. The same fish and their offspring are always there, and the relatively few variables such as water levels rarely change greatly. On the other hand, the saltwater inshore fishermen must deal with an ever-changing environment. If all else is the same, there will still be a big difference as the tide and current increase or decrease. Muddy flats at low tide may become productive feeding areas a few hours later, while the slough in the surf providing hot action at low tide could become unproductive as the incoming tide pro vides more feeding areas for predators.
Fishermen regularly confuse tide and current. Tide is the vertical movement of water—in other words, up and down. Current is the horizontal movement. Thus, it’s not a “strong tide,” but rather a strong current. Of course, it’s those tidal changes that are primarily the reason for currents—and the range between tide levels greatly influences the strength of currents. Tides are the rhythmic rise and fall of sea level. They’re rather like the effect you get from tipping a bowl of water back and forth. Tides are basically oriented to the gravitational effect between earth and the moon. Since it takes the earth 24 hours and 50 minutes to complete one rotation relative to the moon, high tides will occur 12 hours and 25 minutes apart. Since we operate on the solar 24-hour period, that means the times of high and low tides vary 50 minutes each day. That’s why tide tables for any given area can be created years in advance. The height of those tides varies throughout the month, but is also predictable for any given area with the highest and lowest tides (about a 20 percent difference from the norm and referred to as “spring tides”) occurring around the full and new moons—while the range will be least two weeks later with a quarter moon and “neap” tides. Further complications result when the moon is closest to earth (lunar perigee), which creates greater tide height variations (especially in conjunction with spring tides) and when the moon is farthest from earth (lunar apogee), which creates lesser variations in tidal height. Finally, there can be extreme tides when the sun and moon are aligned and closest to earth.
Naturally, with more water rushing back and forth in the same time period, there will be stronger currents at the new and full moons. While all of that is predictable, there can be variables introduced by such factors as strong coastal storms that push additional water into bays and rivers, while strong winds off the land in conjunction with a new or full moon can create a “blowout” tide that leaves boats grounded where they would normally be floating at low tide. While most of the Atlantic coast has a semidiurnal tide with two tide changes per day, the Gulf of Mexico is mostly diurnal with only one—and the west coast tends to have mixed tides. The height of the tide varies along coasts and is a predictable factor based on natural formations. Tides range to more than 50 feet in Canada’s Bay of Fundy, but are only around two feet in the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the United States Atlantic coast averages five to six feet.
The tide increases on an incoming or food tide until high tide, and then turns to outgoing or ebb tide until it reaches low tide. Anglers often call high or low tide “slack tide,” but in fact that’s a function of current that may not coincide precisely with the stage of the tide. Indeed, in some areas it’s not even close. The Rhode Island breachways are an extreme case because there’s hours of difference between high tide and the beginning of the outgoing current. I realized that when I started fishing at Charlestown Breachway back in the 1960s, but got lucky when I forgot about that gap one bitter cold Halloween night. In those days we didn’t have all the sophisticated clothing for cold weather, so after dinner I struggled into three sets of heavy clothes in order to catch the high tide and get a good position at the end of the jetty to cast my plug into the outgoing water, where striped bass often waited for bait to be swept out of the pond—just as is the case with predators seeking prey at every inlet and river-mouth. I was amazed to find hardly any cars at the lot, and it wasn’t until I waddled to the jetty and saw the current roaring in even as rocks were becoming exposed by the falling tide that it dawned upon me I had almost three hours to wait for the proper conditions!
Low tides often work in surfcasters’ favor as predators such as bluefish can trap prey species in a confined area inside the outer bar.
However, since I was there, with rod in hand and already burdened with clothing, I decided to make a few casts from the jetty to behind the surf line anyway. With the northwest wind behind me, my Junior Atom sailed far from the jetty under the brilliant full moon, and I was shocked when the water exploded under it. Within a half-hour I had landed stripers of 38 and 32 pounds with no competition at all, and was able to sleep in instead of fighting the outgoing current mob.
That was a most fortunate occurrence, and certainly not what the angler will normally encounter if he doesn’t take tides and currents into consideration when fishing inshore. As a general rule, those factors are critical. Most fishing is poor around slack water, but some fisheries are better then. As a general rule, predators feed when currents present smaller fish to them in orderly fashion rather than having to expend extra energy to track down an elusive baitfish at slack water. The key is to determine just what the species you seek desires in a particular area. For instance, for many years I enjoyed trolling big plugs on wire line at night at Shagwong Reef, only a couple of miles east of Montauk, Long Island. During the fall, I trolled there only on the outgoing tide when the current would bring young-of-the-year weakfish, searobins, snapper bluefish, blowfish and other fish to the bass as they hung around underwater rocks in 16- to 20-foot depths. My best action occurred during the week leading up to the full moon and the week after, though the few days right around the full moon were tougher. Off the moon, whatever bass bite there was might start slowly but would last through most of the tide before it died as the current slacked. However, on the full moon, hits would come during the first hour of the ebb, and then I’d often go three to four hours without a hit before getting another furry as the current started slacking.
Those stripers wanted a moderate current, but not too much—and the key to catching them was being there at the correct stage of the tide in relation to the moon. That is exactly what local pros learn by experience in their areas. Just as I did there, you can make such determinations by putting in a great deal of time under all circumstances. Or you can watch and listen to what the pros say and do in order to attain the ultimate secret of catching fish—being in the right place at the right time! You’ll still have to utilize the proper bait or lure and a technique that works, but until you’re able to find feeding fish, those other skills are of little use.
Tide stages are particularly important in shore fishing, as some areas may be perfect at a given tide and useless at others. Anglers usually associate high tides with the best opportunities, but quite the opposite is often true, as low tides concentrate both bait and fish. Shallow, fat surf is poor on low tides unless the sea is calm enough for surfcasters to wade to the outer bar and cast into deeper water. That can work out well on a dropping tide, but the angler must be alert to the change in tide as water will start filling in behind him and getting back to shore could be dangerous if he hesitates too long. The ideal low tide situation is to have cuts in bars that form sloughs of deeper water with access to the ocean. If there’s bait and predators around, that’s where they should be, and your effort can be concentrated in the sloughs instead of along the entire beach.
Even well inside bays, there are times when low tide can pay off. I learned that lesson back in the early 1960s with the great wooden plugmaker Stan Gibbs, who took me into Barnstable Harbor on Cape Cod one afternoon. He ran his small boat well up the harbor where the big range of tide had left little but mud flats toward the end of the ebb. Then we got out and walked along the flats to cast his small pencil poppers into the remaining narrow channel that was no more than 50 feet across and usually less. It all looked very peaceful and unproductive, but school striped bass exploded on our plugs almost every cast until the tide started flooding and the action stopped as those fish apparently moved out into the bay where they’d be much more difficult to locate.
Current (note rippled water) is usually necessary even for catching bottomfish such as summer flounder, which these anglers are seeking from shore inside Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.
The key is to take advantage of the tidal situation, whatever it may be. Even though you come to know that a certain tidal or current situation will be ideal, that doesn’t mean you can’t do even better under other tidal circumstances somewhere else within reach if you just experiment enough and keep your ears open for information.
One of the likeliest places to find predators is in a rip created when current from deeper water hits a shallow area before dropping back into deeper water on the other side. Rips may be formed both in sandy areas (such as Sandy Hook, New Jersey, at the mouth of Delaware Bay, and Nantucket Shoals) or on rough bottoms such as the Montauk rips. These are the most natural feeding grounds of all for predators who can line up at the lip of the high spot and pick off prey swept to them. Once again, current is the key, as there will rarely be any action unless a fairly strong current sets the feeding process in motion. Once the current starts moving there will often be a surface indication (especially when the wind is against the current) of rippled water or breaking waves—and that will become more intense as the tide drops. By trolling just ahead of the rip, or powering to stay in place ahead of it while dropping jigs back, or by drifting through with jigs, you should be able to attract any predators in the area.
By considering the effect of wind and current, anglers can have good fishing despite what initially may seem to be negative conditions. For instance, a strong northwest breeze combined with an outgoing tide at Montauk Harbor creates a fishable situation since the wind is behind the current. Therefore, it’s possible to run a few miles east and duck in under the point or the cliffs along the south shore to fish in good conditions—as long as the return is made before the current swings in—and against the wind. Not only was I able to fish Shagwong Reef with the northwest wind on ebb tide (wind and current together), but the rip formed there also permitted trolling in a stiff east wind on the ebb since the current up against the wind created steep waves at the high spots, which left a smooth area in front of the rip—which is right where I wanted to be! Under those circumstances it was impossible for me to drop back through the rip whenever I hooked a big striper, having to fight it to boatside into the current instead. However, knowing the area and local conditions enabled me to fish effectively.
Author unhooking a 50-pound striper which hit a Danny plug trolled at night on a fall ebb tide over underwater rocks at Montauk, where those predators lay in wait for young-of-the-year fish migrating south.
Offishore currents are more unpredictable than those along the shore. Though there is a rise and fall even out there, you’ll probably never notice it, and I doubt that tide per se is of much consequence in the depths. What is important, once again, is current, and that’s something which can be affected by many conditions. You may note a strong current from a particular direction in the morning and expect it will change within a few hours, but instead find it running just as hard from the same direction all day. When fishing offshore, look for edges that indicate a meeting of currents or a significant change in water temperature. Sargassum weed and flotsam often gather along those edges, and that makes them extremely attractive to some fish—particularly dolphin and wahoo. Dolphin often gather under even small objects floating in the ocean, but weedlines and large objects such as planks and logs are a sure thing if they’re in the area— unless another skipper has been there first! In some cases good bottom structure may be indicated even offishore by rips or upwellings. That’s a frequent occurrence as you approach the 100-fathom drop-offs at the edges of canyons, and on humps off the Florida Keys.
Wind against current creates rips and breaking waves over high spots where gamefish such as stripers and blues off Montauk Point gather to feed on disoriented prey fish.
Author fights a dolphin hooked along the edge of a sargassum weedline in the Gulf Stream off North Carolina.
Any object floating in warm waters can serve as an attraction for dolphin. This bull was trolled from the author’s boat in the Mud Hole off northern New Jersey from under the dead sea turtle in the background. There were many more there also, but they wised up after this one was hooked.
Water temperatures were something most of us paid little attention to decades ago. It’s a good thing there were lots of fish in those days because other-wise we’d have been out of luck. Water temperature is critical in many instances, and particularly important offishore where there may be few other indications of fish concentrations in vast areas of deep water. The temperature itself can be a good indicator, but even more important are temperature breaks from warmer to colder or vice-versa. Both predators and prey tend to favor those areas, though in some cases the desired species may be located only on one side. Many predators exhibit definite temperature preferences. For instance, after many years of checking shark tournament results, biologist Jack Casey determined that June tournaments in the New York Bight would result in many blue sharks but few of the desired makos if the surface temperature was under 64°F—but that makos would be much more abundant and blues less bothersome over that mark.
When surface water temperatures reach 64°F it’s prime time for migratory mako sharks, such as this one caught from the author’s boat by N.J. Devils defenseman Ken Danyko, along the Mid-Atlantic coast.
These days, no canyon fisherman along the Mid-Atlantic coast goes to sea without checking the latest satellite temperature chart, and that knowledge has lengthened the season when a warm eddy moves into the canyons in June or pockets of water over 60°F persist into December. Yellowfin and albacore tuna are now being caught much later in the year than ever imagined so far north, and even blue marlin are a possibility off New York in May or June if one of those eddies moves within range.
Though we pay attention primarily to surface water temperatures, there’s also much to be learned by looking below us. Thermoclines are formed where much cooler water meets the surface layers, and the contrast is often so strong that it shows up on depth recorders as a thin line. Early in the year that colder water may act as a barrier to some fish, so it may be wise to keep baits intended for pelagic sharks above the thermocline. Later in the summer the effect may be quite the opposite as predators seek more comfort-able temperatures below the thermocline and baits set deeper tend to produce.
Continuing to troll in a Hudson Canyon area where whales were surfacing produced this nearly 200-pound yellowfin tuna. Large yellowfins with extended fins are the same species but are usually called Allisons on the East Coast. Mike Ristori points out that while this one had the extended dorsal, the anal fin was only a stub.
The rivers that drain into the ocean, the bays that receive them, and the great seas beyond can be heaven for anglers. However, their sheer size makes them a formidable challenge for anglers whose only experience has been in fresh water. When my father, brother, and I began fishing the Chesapeake Bay in the mid-1950s, we had a 19-foot Whirlwind boat, but virtually no knowledge of exactly how and where to use it from its dock in Annapolis. Thus began a learning process that took some years. Talking with other anglers, tackle and boat shop keepers, taking charter trips—all these activities were necessary parts of the famous School of Hard Knocks. I would not trade the experience for anything, and would do it all over again. But, unless you come from a family of saltwater anglers—or have been under the wing of a friendly neighbor who fishes the salt (and perhaps has a boat!)—be prepared to ask questions, read a lot, check the Inter-net a lot, take charter trips whenever you can, and experiment on your own to learn your way in fishing the big waters at the edge of the sea.
Those fishing boats where you pay your way onto a boat right at the dock—they’re called head boats— can be great fun, especially if it’s your only way to get saltwater action or you’re new and learning. Anywhere within a couple of hours driving distance to the salt, the Thursday and Friday newspapers will have ads and fishing reports for the popular boats leaving for blues, stripers, founder, blackfish, porgies—whatever’s running. Some trips are for the day, some half-days. Take your lunch and snacks in a small cooler. The boats have the gear and the mates to show you how to use it. There are big-fish pools for fun and winning a few bucks if you’re lucky. You can have a great day out there, and it’s a great place to take kids.
Be advised: People can and do get seasick on any size boat in salt water, particularly out of sight of land. If you’re likely to get seasick, there’s nothing you can do about it except take a dose of drugs recommended by your pharmacist or experienced friends. The prevention drug may make you feel a bit sleepy, but that’s better than being seasick.
Their pictures should be in the dictionary beside the words “power” and “speed.” Among fish, they are strong, far-ranging wanderers, along our coasts for weeks and months, then gone. When attacking schools of baitfish, they are so vicious they inspire prose like Ted Janes’ great description from his article “Blue Lightning” in the December 1950 issue of Field & Stream: “They [bluefish] have an unlovely habit of slashing left and right through a school of fish nearly as large as themselves, biting their victims in two and passing on to a fresh kill.”
Janes reported that “Blood dyed the water over a wide area … and even the gulls took great care to swoop and dive above the water and not plummet into it.” Bluefish have even been known to bite swimmers.
Whether you are out for the pan-sized blues called “snappers” in bays and coves, or the 15- to 20-plus pounders called “slammers” just offishore, you’re in for rod-bending, tackle-busting action like few fishing trips can provide. And despite the complaints of those who don’t like to eat them, many of us bluefish addicts think they’re great on the table, especially when freshly caught. Even if you live in Kansas or Iowa, put bluefishing on your list of Things To Do Before You Die. By the way, if you’re a trout fisherman and thinking of taking that small reel along, forget about it! A bluefish will blow it to pieces in one run.
When you experience chumming for saltwater gamefish on charter trips or with friends who are showing you the way, you’ll quickly learn to appreciate this fun and deadly way of fishing. Anchored in a likely spot for waves of moving fish or over a mother lode of suspended fish which are happy to not be going anywhere, you’ll be grinding and chopping small baitfish, clams, and other delicacies and feeding the gunk into the tides. Once a long “slick” is established, work your jigs or baited hooks into the “hot zone” and hang onto your hat. Chumming is saltwater’s light-tackle heaven.
As related by distinguished writer John Hersey in his classic bluefishing book Blues, Knopf (1987), we have no less a sage than Aristotle to remind us that noise frightens fish. He related, “… for they are observed to run away from any loud noises like the rowing of a galley.” They will also “run away” from a variety of intrusions committed by anglers, such as banging tackleboxes and gear in the bottom of the boat and slapping the sides of a craft with oars or paddles.
You know the fishing’s really lousy when the kids you’ve brought out start saying, “Can we go back and catch more bait? That was really fun.”
In a Sport Fishing magazine poll of charter skippers by Doug Olander to find their favorite lure colors, in the all-important inshore fishing group, chartreuse was the strong winner—once again proving, “If it ain’t chartreuse, it ain’t no use!”
You can do a lot worse things with your time and money than spending them on Sport Fishing magazine and its Web site, www.sportfishingmag.com. The magazine is packed with articles on all types of saltwater fishing, from going for founder in bays to taking on giant marlin offishore. There’s information galore here, on techniques, gear, and destinations. The magazine can literally be the ticket to some of the greatest fishing of your life.
Competition among magazines is good for readers. In the saltwater realm, Sport Fishing magazine is rivaled by SaltWater Sportsman, which has everything about fishing the briny one could possibly ask for. The magazine’s Web site is www.saltwatersportsman.com and you will be rewarded by visiting it. You’ll find how-to on everything, along with tons of videos and destination ideas. I’ve noticed that SaltWater Sportsman sometimes gets letters from readers in places like Kansas, who are fascinated by their magazine links to the strange and amazing world of fishing the salt. The pulling power of the oceans is strong.
The magazine Fly Fishing in Salt Waters, with its Web site at www.flyfishinsalt.com, is one of my favorite sources for good ideas and information on fly fishing in the briny, from inshore tidewaters and flats, out to the deep waters where the big ones roam. The magazine will not only make you a better angler, it will send you to places where you’ll find fly-fishing action to dream about.
In a technique tip from Sport Fishing magazine’s Web site, reader Bill Hallman explained his idea of storing leaders on plastic tubes wrapped on a plastic coat hanger, two tubes on the top arms, one on the long bottom. Secure the leaders to the plastic with toothpicks. Fly-fishing rigs with dropper nymphs tied to a dry fly can be kept this way as well.
Back in 1972, when I was editor of Sports Afield, Stephen Ferber, a friend in the process of building his own publishing company, wrote a tremendously informative article on bluefishing for the Fishing Annual. His top tip was one worth remembering today: “The color that takes the most spring blues is red…. I won’t come right out and say that Gene Hendrickson was the first to use the red plugs for bluefish, but it is possible…. He had rigged red plugs to each of the outriggers, a blue one to one stern rod and a yellow feather to the other. After two hours of trolling, he caught twenty-one blues—eighteen on the red lures. Now he carries a can of fluorescent-red spray paint on board for use when his plugs get too chewed up, or for changing, say, a silver non-producer into a bluefish killer.”
“A school of blues can send panic hundreds of yards forward of their path as they wheel and turn en masse on feeding forays, making terror-stricken baitfish jump through the water’s surface like a volley of arrows … He is a fierce predator, savagely running down and chewing up anything in his path—including other blues.”
—Stephen Ferber, Sports Afield Fishing Annual, 1972
When landing bluefish, “The one constant danger lies in the lure itself. Remember, there are nine hooks in each plug. The chopper jumps, twists, shakes, and thrashes after he’s brought over the side. In many occasions, you’ll have more than one hooked blue in the boat at the same time—so getting one of those barbs through the finger is a real possibility even for the most experienced of men.”
—Stephen Ferber, Sports Afield Fishing Annual, 1972
In October and November along the Atlantic coast, reports J.B. Kasper in his Trenton Times outdoor column, storms push a lot of clams into the wash along the beaches, making them the bait of choice the first few days after a big blow. Kasper says to look for some of the best movements of stripers and blues “ … just after the new and full moon, especially when the top of the tide occurs around sundown and sunset.”
When the mackerel tide flows north along the Atlantic coastline every spring, and anglers enjoy the year’s first big run of fish, many of the mackerel-fishing faithful do not realize that these little torpedo-like speedsters are part of a great tribe of saltwater battlers, including tuna, marlin, and sailfish. The mackerel is also related to the albacores, bonitos, giant kingfish, wahoo, and the Spanish and cerro mackerels. The mackerel is the smallest of all his relatives, but anglers don’t mind a bit when the action begins.
Next to seeing fish breaking and knowing exactly where the action is (instead of guessing where it might eventually happen), try to get a look at your stretch of beach at extreme low tides. Study where even the smallest cuts and channels show on the bottom. That’s where you’re likely to get strikes when the waves move in, bringing the fish with them on a rising tide.
“By and large, we found the early ebb the most fruitful time to fish … Many fishermen forget that bass are night feeders … If you wish to catch bass by daylight, fish when high water comes at morning and evening.”
—Wyman Richardson, The House on Nauset
Marsh, W.W. Norton, 1947
“He used to catch a lot of bass, and may well have taken more fish off that beach than anyone else. However, we chose to attribute this rather more to his observance of … Rule 1: Be there when the fish are biting. Rule 2: He catches the most fish who does the most fishing.”
—Wyman Richardson, The House on Nauset
Marsh, W.W. Norton, 1947
When you’re on the beach for stripers and blues when the moon is full, or nearly full, and the skies are reasonably clear of clouds, you’ll enjoy night fishing with almost-daylight visibility.
If the call of the surf—the breaking waves, the flowing tides, the onshore and offshore birds with their flights and cries, the great vastness of sky and saltscented air—means anything at all to you, I’d like to give you a shove, not a nudge, toward getting into surf fishing. In autumn, in particular, when the crowds have mostly gone and the fish are at their best, on the move, the great surf-fishing beaches like those in New Jersey can provide magical angling days. With your daypack— food and beverage, even something to read if you like— and your tackle, you’re all set. The very best way to get into it is to hire a guide a couple of times, let him show you the gear, the techniques that work best—before you blow a lot of money on the wrong stuff. There are also many clubs and associations, or perhaps you have a friend who can show you the ropes and tools. Most of the people who are really crazy about surf fishing have found they don’t have to catch a lot of fish to have a good day on the beach. Of course, catching fish is what really makes surf fishing exciting. Just beachcombing won’t cut it. Two of the best books to get you into the mood of surf-fishing are David DiBenedetto’s On the Run, Morrow (2003), and Roy Rowan’s Surfcaster’s Quest, The Lyons Press (1999).
“Lefty’s Deceiver is now used around the world in salt water (although it is a popular fresh water pattern as well). Without being boastful, I think it’s accurate to say that the Deceiver and the old Clouser Minnow are two of the most imitated saltwater flies in the sport.” [Editor’s Note: Lefty Kreh’s Deceiver was honored by the United States Postal Service in 1991 by being chosen to illustrate a 29-cent postage stamp. Lefty says he is very proud that the caption doesn’t read, “Deceiver,” but instead reads, “Lefty’s Deceiver.”]
—Lefty Kreh, with Chris Millard, My Life Was
THIS BIG and Other True Fishing Tales,
Skyhorse Publishing, 2008
“In the standard method the angler basically brings the rod from 10 o’clock back to about 2 o’clock and then back to 10 o’clock. After trying the technique for a while I began to realize that it was not the best, most efficient way to cast a fly line.”
—Lefty Kreh, with Chris Millard, My Life Was
THIS BIG and Other True Fishing Tales,
Skyhorse Publishing, 2008
“Through trial and error I gradually learned to take the rod way back behind me and make longer backcasts and longer forward casts. I also abandoned the high-hand vertical style of the standard method and adopted a much lower position, a more horizontal profile for my arm. As I began to refine my technique I found that I was not only making longer, more accurate casts with tighter loops, but I was doing it with far less effort than the old 10 to 2 method demanded.”
—Lefty Kreh, with Chris Millard, My Life Was
THIS BIG and Other True Fishing Tales,
Skyhorse Publishing, 2008
“In March 1965, I wrote an article detailing my new technique in Outdoor Life. Many people view that article as a landmark in the evolution of the fly cast. To this day, however, many critics see it as outright heresy, an affront to the traditions of the sport. And therein lies one of the great blessings and burdens of the sport: Tradition.”
—Lefty Kreh, with Chris Millard, My Life Was
THIS BIG and Other True Fishing Tales,
Skyhorse Publishing, 2008
“The old-fashioned 10 to 2 technique is adequate for that limited type of fishing [small-stream trout fishing]…. That technique does not work well when you are fishing for larger fish with larger flies on heavier lines over larger, windier bodies of water. As a result, most people who learn traditional casting technique while fishing for freshwater trout can’t perform in other conditions.”
—Lefty Kreh, with Chris Millard, My Life Was
THIS BIG and Other True Fishing Tales,
Skyhorse Publishing, 2008
“Not infrequently a school of bass will harry bait without actually feeding. On such occasions they will often roll almost clear of the water or flip their tails way out. We call this galloping—’A galloping bass never bites’—and very disappointing it is, too.”
—Wyman Richardson, The House on Nauset Marsh, W. W. Norton, 1947
As are all the Orvis Pocket Fishing Guides, the hand-sized Pocket Guide to Flyfishing for Striped Bass and Bluefish, by Lou Tabory, is a quick-read, superbly illustrated guide to the skills you need to master to fly fish the briny. Available at www.amazon.com.
“I’d rather have two mad bluefish on the same line in a cold ocean than catch all the sailfish and marlin ever made. The only thing I know of that’s better is a frisky Atlantic salmon in a cold Canadian stream, on about six ounces of fly rod.”
—The Old Man in Robert Ruark’s The Old Man
and the Boy, September Song, 1953
Of all the great fish to have on your plate—particularly fried, yes deep-fried—the snook ranks near the top of my list, with some others, of course, including crappies, bluegills, catfish, wall eyes, and red snapper.
“The snook, or robalo, is closely related to the basses, although this silvery fish with a greenish or brownish back is more streamlined than any bass and has a distinctive coal-black lateral line and a long pointed head with protruding lower jaw…. The snook averages about 4 pounds but the world’s record weighed over 50 pounds … a real demon on the end of a light fishing stick.”
—Col Dave Harbour, Sports Afield
Fishing Annual, 1972
“As an old snook expert who should know, Tom Bonsall described this challenging fish as ‘shy as a brown trout and as powerful as a tarpon.’ The snook is one fish that will find the weakness of any man or his tackle in 10 seconds.”
—Col Dave Harbour, Sports Afield Fishing
Annual, 1972
When you’re new to saltwater fishing and going on a friend’s boat for the first time, it’s standard courtesy to check in advance on your footwear. You don’t necessarily have to have the most popular, expensive kind, but you want to make sure yours aren’t going to put skid marks all over the place.
One thing you definitely do not want to do when fishing salt water is to join the long, long list of anglers whose fingers and hands have been slashed open by bluefish teeth. When landing and unhooking bluefish, beware those teeth! The “handle with care” sign is definitely in play.
“Points that protrude at an angle to the beach can be ideal fishing locations. Fish the flowing water along the bar’s inside edge.”
—Lou Tabory, The Orvis Pocket Guide to Fly Fishing for Striped Bass and Bluefish, The Lyons Press, 2001
“Conditions are ideal for fly fishing when the surf along the steep ocean beaches is less than 3 feet. An increase of 1 foot in wave size increases the fishing difficulty by three times.”
—Lou Tabory, The Orvis Pocket Guide to Fly Fishing for Striped Bass and Bluefish, The Lyons Press, 2001
“If I could fish only one water type, it would be a creek or small river flowing into deeper water. I like places that you can cast across when the flow spills into 6- to 10-foot drop-offs.”
—Lou Tabory, The Orvis Pocket Guide to Fly Fishing for Striped Bass and Bluefish, The Lyons Press, 2001
“Fishing a good spot under the wrong conditions is like lacing up your ice skates in July.”
—David DiBenedetto, On the Run: An Angler’s
Journey Down the Striper Coast,
William Morrow, 2005
If you love striped bass fishing, or even have a notion that makes you want to try it, an absolute must-have book is David DiBenedetto’s On the Run: An Angler’s Journey Down the Striper Coast, published by William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins) in 2005. The book is so well-written that reading it seems to transport one to DiBenedetto’s side as he fishes for stripers on the great fall migration run, from Maine to North Carolina.
“The stripers had yet to show their fall colors, so I concentrated my efforts at peak feeding times, the happy hours of dawn and dusk and throughout the night. At these times, stripers rely on their excellent night vision to ambush unsuspecting prey.”
—David DiBenedetto, On the Run: An Angler’s
Journey Down the Striper Coast,
William Morrow, 2005
“To catch a striper at night, you need to reel agonizingly slowly. Old-timers like to say, ‘Reel as slow as possible, then reel twice that slow.’”
—David DiBenedetto, On the Run: An Angler’s
Journey Down the Striper Coast,
William Morrow, 2005
Striped bass basically migrate north along the Atlantic coast in the spring, then south in the fall. Bluefish migrate from Atlantic depths offshore to preferred inshore areas in the spring, then fade back into the depths in the fall and early winter.
The great fall striper migration run, a virtual living river of fish along the Atlantic coast, from Maine to North Carolina, takes place within a mile or so of shore. It varies with the run of the baitfish. Where the baitfish go, the stripers follow—from areas well offshore right up to the beach.
As a landlubber sensitive to temperature changes and the advent of winter, you might feel that those cold late-fall, early winter days have shut down the fishing. Perhaps it has, in fresh water, but the sea temperatures take time to drop, and fishing along the coast can be red-hot just when you’re thinking the weather has turned too cold.
“ … Dad and I also chummed grass shrimp along the coast for striped bass and tide-running weakfish … The trick was to drift a pair of tiny shrimp back in the chum slick at the same rate as the tide was flowing.”
—Mark Sosin, The Complete Book of Light-Tackle
Fishing, The Lyons Press, 1979
“A longer gaff is important when fishing jetties, as it’s often dangerous to scramble down to the water in order to land a big fish. Jetty regulars carry longer gaffs strapped to their backs so they’re not impeded when walking.”
—Al Ristori, The Complete Book of Surf Fishing,
Skyhorse Publishing, 2008
When you hear saltwater vets refer to sand fleas, they’re not talking about insects that swarm and bite like regular “fleas.” As Al Ristori tells us in his excellent The Complete Book of Surf Fishing, Skyhorse Publishing (2008), sand fleas are tiny crabs that scurry back and forth along the surfline and can be caught by hand. They make good bait for all kinds of saltwater denizens, particularly for that gourmet’s delight, pompano.
Al Ristori’s The Complete Book of Surf Fishing, Skyhorse Publishing (2008), is the perfect starting point for getting into this rewarding and challenging fishing experience. From tackle to techniques, Ristori gives aspiring surf anglers all the solid, no-nonsense information they need to catch the fish that roam along the beaches. A legendary angler and writer from New Jersey, Ristori has fished many of the world’s greatest beaches, and knows firsthand everything he writes about. When I look at his pictures of tarpon and snook in the surf beside the Parismina River in Costa Rica, I have to smile. It was there a leaping 90-pound tarpon knocked me overboard and broke my foot back in the 1970s. Al was there when it happened.
“The best all-purpose rig is what I call the basic bottom rig. The sinker comes off one arm of a three-way swivel on a short length of leader and the hook is attached to the other arm via a leader. The leader varies in length, but for many situations, I like at least 3 feet. You can make it shorter when necessary.”
—Mark Sosin, The Complete Book of Light-Tackle
Fishing, The Lyons Press, 1979
They’re sometimes called “little warriors,” and the fishing fleets all along the Atlantic coast will be rigged and on the move for mackerel in March and early April. New Jersey, Long Island (especially Montauk), and points north usually get fantastic runs of little warriors that bring the first taste of spring to winter-weary anglers. Check your coastal listings and climb aboard. The action is fast, friendly, and rewarding.
In his Fishing Column in Field & Stream, May 2008, John Merwin named his six top lure choices for stripers in the surf: 1) Bucktail Jigs, ¼ to ½ ounce, white tipped with red pork-rind strip, black after dark: www.basspro.com; 2) Slug-Go soft-plastic jerkbait. Available at www.lunkercity.com; 3) Kastmaster wobblers: www.acmetackle.com; 4) Bomber Magnum Long A plug: www.bomberlures.com; 5) Super Strike Super “N” Fish Needlefish Plug: www.superstrikelures.com; 6) Pencil Popper (Stan Gibbs): www.gibbslures.com.
Sea trout answer to many names, including spotted sea trout, speckled trout, and specks. In the mid-Atlantic saltwater regions, sea trout never achieve the box-office status of striped bass and bluefish, even though they are eagerly sought and caught at times. Head on down through the Carolinas and on around the coasts to the Gulf states and Texas, and you’ll find where the sea trout really come into their own. Sea trout are outstanding on the table, one of the best. Best baits and lures include live shrimp worked over grassy flats in water 6 feet deep, over oyster bars, and at the mouths of tidal creeks.
“In salt water, the fish are on the prowl much more than they are in lakes or streams. Tides play a vital role in their existence and their body rhythms are tuned to this cycle. Saltwater angling looks much easier than freshwater sport to those who have never tried it, but figuring out where fish might be on a stage of the tide isn’t always the easiest thing to do.”
—Mark Sosin, The Complete Book of
Light-Tackle Fishing, The Lyons Press, 1979
Okay, you were expecting a blitz, gulls screaming and diving, showing you stripers and blues tearing the water and baitfish to pieces. Instead, all is quiet, and the only gulls you see are sitting on the water, resting. Before you head for another spot—or go home—consider that the birds may just be taking it easy for a spell while the baitfish have gone back deep, taking the blues and stripers with them. The area is definitely worth checking out on sonar or just by watching or trying some casts for a while.
This is another subject that could fill up a book all by itself. It’s also necessary to detail it to specific areas and fisheries. Here, I’ll review the techniques which I feel are particularly important and of fairly universal importance.
Surface trolling is relatively basic and easy to learn. However, the volume of fish feeding at the surface is rarely more than a fraction of what may be available lower in the water column. Getting down to those fish while trolling can be accomplished in a number of ways, though all require quite a bit of time, expense, and effort, plus a commitment to master the technique.
Wire line and Luhr Jensen planers are two means of getting down to where fish feed most of the time.
Wire-line rigs are often trolled from outrodders in order to spread the lines and prevent tangles that can be a disaster with wire. Bunker spoons also work better in that fashion.
The easiest and most direct is trolling with wire line or leadcore. It must be noted that wire line trolling is not legal under IGFA rules, but leadcore is approved. Wire is far more efficient than leadcore in cutting through the water to achieve depth without weight and is the better bet in strong currents. Leadcore is easier to use but, due to its bulk, works best in shallow waters and where there isn’t much current. The general rule with single-strand wire at the relatively slow trolling speeds used for striped bass and bluefish is to let out 100 feet of wire to attain 10 feet of depth. Thus, if you’re trolling in 22 feet, 200 feet of wire should put your lure right where you’d normally want it—two feet over bottom where any feeding fish can see it but you won’t be hanging up or catching weed. Of course, all this isn’t quite as simple as it sounds, since the skipper must be alert to adjust for a variety of conditions. For instance, a larger wave, a boat wake, or a sudden increase in current at a rip can momentarily “stop” a boat trolling at slow speed—which is all that’s required for the wire to drop to bottom. Getting hung up with wire means you’ll have to bring in any other lines that are out and run back uptide ahead of the hang to pull in the opposite direction. Lures will usually pull free in that fashion. If not, run the boat over the spot and maintain headway while pulling on the leader by hand. That’s why I use long leaders attached to the wire with an Albright knot so they can be reeled onto the spool.
Wire can be marked to determine depth by wrapping material such as vinyl tape at 50-foot intervals.
Handling wire is a big problem for beginners. Both the more flexible monel and the less costly stainless steel have virtually no stretch and tend to jump off the spool rather than lay on it like other lines. The trick to streaming wire is tension. First, clamp your finger on the spool before taking the reel out of gear. Then strip the leader out past the knot or swivel so nothing will catch in the guides. Wire can now be streamed slowly under thumb pressure, which is reduced as more is out and tension increases. If there are no other lines in the water, all of this can be accomplished in a flash by speeding up the boat. If wire has to be paid out at slow speed, the angler must also stop it with his thumb several times in order to prevent weighted lures from falling to bottom.
Live sardine hooked through the nose so it can swim and attract predators.
Stan Blum with kingfish trolled with a downrigger off Fort Pierce, Florida.
How do you know how much wire you have out? Unless you buy a wire marked by the manufacturer (Malin was trying to perfect that product as this book was written), it’s necessary to mark the wire by hand. By far the best bet for beginners is to buy the wire at a tackleshop and have them mark it. In areas where wire is commonly used, marinas with lots of sportfishing docks will have a dock with marks at 100, 150, 200, and 250 feet. Unless you’re fishing very shallow waters, there’s no need to place a mark before 100 feet. However, should you be regularly working a spot that only requires 75 or 125 feet, make a mark at that spot. Indeed, if that’s the only place you’ll be using wire line, forget the marking entirely and attach to your backing at that point. If there’s no dock marked out for you, the alternative is to lay the line out on your lawn after putting it on the reel and measure the spots to be marked. Remember that the long length of leader doesn’t count for depth.
Many materials can be utilized for marking wire. Coated colored wires within phones are very good, but I usually employ vinyl tape, which can be purchased on a card at about $1 for five rolls in different colors. The rolls are too wide, so I pull off some tape and strip them in half before wrapping the pieces on my wire. Be sure there aren’t any edges exposed, as these will catch in the guides and slide. Tape rarely lasts more than half a season, but is easy to replace once you get used to it. Any system of marking will work as long as you remember the code. I generally use the same color for a single mark at 100 feet and a double mark at 150 feet. I use another color with a single mark at 200 feet and a double at 250. Using the double marks rather than another color is important at night, as then you’ll have to feel the marks when setting your line. Though some trollers use only 150 feet and add drails to get deeper, I always employ the entire 100 yards and avoid drails, which sink like a rock if you make a mistake while trolling and require handlining of the leader. In order to get down farther, I slow down or make wide turns. All of this can be avoided with leadcore, which comes with the braid pre-colored with a different color every 10 yards.
Planers may be used in conjunction with mono or braided lines to attain depth without getting involved in wire or adding equipment to the boat. In many cases planers are so efficient that commercial fishermen use them while trolling with handlines. The main draw back from a sporting viewpoint is that long leaders must be used, which require lots of handlining in order to get the fish to boatside. In addition, the heavy tension involved makes it mandatory to place the rod in a holder rather than holding it if you care to do so with wire or lead core. There are many sizes and types of planers, and the angler must find one suited for his form of fishing, as each is limited to reaching certain depths and many can’t be trolled at higher speeds without tripping. Rather than rigging them directly onto the line, they can also be rigged separately on a heavy line attached to the boat with the line then set in a snap on the planer. Of course, that doubles the work involved as the planer must be brought in after every hit.
Downriggers are very efficient at bringing regular mono or braided lines into the depths, and provide a big advantage in depths greater than those which can be attained by wire line or planers. On the other hand, downriggers also require a substantial investment and lots of effort on the part of the skipper and crew. Basic downriggers consist of a reel filled with cable, clutched cranking handle, boom, and pulley. The lure or bait to be run from any sort of conventional or spinning tackle is run out the desired distance from the ball and then attached to a release clip on the cable. The ball is then lowered to the desired depth, and when a hit occurs the line will pop out of the pin so the angler can fight the fish unimpeded and on tackle as light as he cares to use. Adjusting the tension on the release clip is critical with light tackle so the line will pull free on the strike rather than breaking.
Getting that tension correct can be a problem as speed increases in order to avoid having to constantly reset lines that pop free without a strike. Though the amount of cable streamed is displayed on the downrigger, determining just where your lure is requires some guesswork as the forward movement of the boat raises the standard 10-pound ball considerably. The net result is that, depending on speed and current, you may be trolling at only half the depth indicated on the downrigger. This problem can be overcome by experience, but it will take experimentation. You can also try a Z-Wing, which is a combination of planer and weight that can be used to hold lures at greater depths with an outrigger or by itself on a length of rope to facilitate relatively fast trolling. Many skippers at Zihuantenejo, Mexico, use Z-wings and often bail out with a bait trolled about 20 feet below the surface on slow days when billfish aren’t showing.
Dead baits must lay out properly in order to look natural and not spin. When a second hook is called for with large baits, the first must still be placed in front with the second less than a length away as not to create a bend, which will cause spinning. These fluke baits are a smelt and squid strip combo and a whole squid (which swims backwards).
Downriggers should be retrieved whenever a substantial fish is hooked, as there’s a good chance of losing a battle should the mono touch or get tangled in the downrigger cable. If backing down becomes necessary, the cable must also be kept away from the props. Expensive electric downriggers simplify the problem of having to hand crank downriggers every time a fish is hooked or missed, or a pin opens up. However, they also require more complicated boat rigging.
Placing bait on a hook may seem too simple a matter to be discussed here, but it’s probably the most frequent error committed by the casual angler—and I often see the same errors made by those who should know better. The general rule is simple:
“Doormat” fluke like long fillet baits from other fluke, sea robins, and so on, but the first hook must be at the head with a stinger set so it won’t cause the bait to spin.
Secure the bait so it flows out naturally rather than spinning in the water. That applies whether you’re drifting, casting, trolling, or even just bottom fishing. Thus, if you’re utilizing a baitfish with a single hook or a treble, that bait must be hooked in the head. If the bait has a mouth that opens easily, such as an anchovy, it should be hooked through the jaws. Using a strip bait, the hook must be placed as close to the leading edge as possible while still providing a firm grip—and the end is best trimmed. All of this is intended to prevent the bait from spinning and looking unnatural. Even in bottom fishing, a poorly hooked bait will spin in the current. A bait that flows off instead of being bunched is more attractive and leaves more of the hook available to penetrate. Not only do bunched-up baits tend to turn off all but the hungriest of predators, but they result in twisted leaders which further compound your problems. Fortunately, most predators hit at the head of a bait, and no matter how long your bait is they should be hooked with the single hook. Those toothy fish noted for cutting off baits (especially king mackerel, wahoo, and barracuda) may require a second hook, but the connection at the head is still required. One way to get around adding a second hook is to rig with a long-shank hook inserted far back in the bait while securing the eye inside the head so it will trail out properly.
Plug-cut herring are standard among Pacific Northwest anglers who mooch for salmon. These baits are rigged to provide a slow, controlled spin.
An exception to the rule about baits not spinning is provided in the Pacific Northwest, where salmon fishermen do exactly the opposite by making their herring baits spin. The plug-cut herring involves cutting the head of a small herring off at an angle and then rigging a two-hook rig around it so it will spin when slowly retrieved or mooched (trolled very slowly). That controlled spin has proven very effective over the years. Another exception involves hooking live baits in areas other than the head for drifting or casting. Inserting the hook in the back or tail creates a different swimming action and often triggers strikes when baits hooked in the head are ignored or just played with. I learned that lesson while giant tuna fishing out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, during the 1970s, when a single giant swimming through our slick refused not only our dead baits but also live mackerel and harbor pollock that we had jigged before leaving the harbor. After much frustration, and having tried everything else, I changed the hook in a harbor pollock from the head into the tail area, and that foot-long fish barely got below the surface before the 800-pound giant engulfed him.
Circle hooks are hard to bait, but their efficiency and the lack of harm to fish being released makes them ideal for most bait fishing.
Another important point about baiting involves not burying the hook. Very few gamefish see enough hooks to become “hook wary,” as anglers often say. On the other hand, many fish are able to discern unnatural presentations. The weight of the hook plus the leader and any swivel will cause a hooked bait to sink faster and look different. Getting around that problem is often vital to success, but it’s rarely the sight of the hook that is the vital factor. However rigged, the hook must either be exposed or unencumbered for the strike. Tuna fishermen can get away with hiding hooks in butterfish by rigging them so the hook is in the soft belly with the point just coming through the thin belly skin so it will pull through immediately. With other baits it may be possible to run the hook just under the skin, but in every case the object should be to present a natural-looking bait with the hook positioned to set immediately in the fish rather than getting caught back in the bait. Not only are hook-ups with ordinary fish missed due to hooks buried in baits, but several times I’ve seen anglers lose mako sharks after battling them for 20 minutes or more before finding that the hook was caught back inside the bait all the while—and the mako just didn’t want to give it up!
Capt. Ron Hamlin developed techniques for rigging billfish trolling baits that ensure live releases. This is a mullet rigged with the circle hook on top of the head to allow penetration.
The use of circle hooks is becoming more common, as they are more efficient for hooking most fish when using bait, and are far superior in preventing gut-and-gill-hooking, which results in heavy mortality among released fish. The problem with circle hooks is baiting them. Some manufacturers have tried to get around this by angling the circle slightly, but that also results in more swallowed hooks catching in the stomach. The concept involves letting the fish turn away with the bait before coming tight. Captain Ron Hamlin started the use of circle hooks in Guatemala in order to cut down on the mortality of Pacific sailfish, which are all released. Not only was that accomplished, with bleeders now being rare, but the catch rate actually went up. During one three-day trip there I was able to hook and eventually release 24 out of 25 sailfish strikes by simply lowering the rod tip to the fish and reeling tight before lifting (not striking) the rod. It isn’t always that efficient, but circle hooks can make you a more successful as well as a more responsible angler in many fisheries. I’ve already found that to be the case in chunking and clam chumming for striped bass, and while using both worms and grass shrimp for weakfish. Though the toothy bluefish almost always cuts off hooks tied to mono leaders, I had about a 50 percent success ratio with even them while using bunker chunks intended for stripers. Since the hook pulls toward the jaw, blues have a hard time getting to the leader if they don’t cut it off on the initial hit.
Chumming may well be the most effective and universal technique for catching a wide variety of species ranging from bottomfish to tunas. Billfish are among the few that don’t seem particularly attracted to chum, but even they are caught occasionally in slicks. Chunking is a form of chumming in that chunks of bait are used rather than ground chum, and the two methods are frequently combined.
Just about anything can be used for chum, but oily fish make the best ground chum. Nothing can beat the menhaden for that, as they are the most abundant and oiliest fish along the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico, where millions of pounds are taken each year by purse seiners for reduction into fish oils and meal. Menhaden (also known as mossbunker, bunker, porgy, and fatback) are also netted in vast quantities for bait and chum. Party boats in the Metropolitan New York/New Jersey area have heavy-duty meat grinders aboard with which to create their own fresh chum. Most anglers are able to buy frozen ground chum (generally in five-gallon buckets or smaller cans) or even in dried form. Where menhaden aren’t available, mackerel, bluefish, herring, and other oily species will do. Most Florida anglers obtain chum in the form of frozen logs, which are created from a variety of ground-up fish and scraps. Chum logs can also be created from other baits more suitable for various species. For instance, winter founder aren’t fish eaters, so chum is formed from ground clams to which corn kernels and/or rice are often added for additional attraction.
Ground chum brings a blue shark to boatside, and is also standard for other sharks, school bluefin tuna, little tunny, bonito, and reef fishing.
A quicker means of rigging balao with circle hooks under the jaw, as developed by Mike Murray.
Ground chum can be used in either fresh or frozen form. Fresh chum is ladled over the side either full strength or mixed with water to make the supply last longer. Frozen chum is hung in the water by some means (the simplest is to overturn the can into a mesh bag and tie it overboard) and slowly dissipates. In either case, the idea is to create a slick on the water and a scent trail that will lure fish to your boat. That slick will usually be obvious, especially on a rough day, but can’t be seen when frozen chum is dropped to bottom in a chum pot to attract bottom feeders such as flounder. Chumming with ground bait is probably the most common means of fishing for sharks, and the primary weapon for party boats in the New York/New Jersey Bight area seeking bluefish.
Menhaden are chunked for striped bass, bluefish, red drum, and other bottomfeeding game fish.
Chunking is very similar except the chum is presented in the form of chunks of baitfish rather than ground bait. Menhaden, herring, mackerel, butterfish, and many other small, abundant, and inexpensive fish are used in that fashion for species that don’t rely on scent very much. It’s generally best to cut chunks smaller than those used for bait, but also to adjust according to the size of fish. For instance, bluefin tuna anglers seeking schoolies use small chunks of butterfish while those trying for giants prefer large chunks of menhaden, which are not only more attractive but also discourage the schoolies. Whereas even very large sharks will swim around in slicks looking for something to eat, tunas generally zip right through a slick and will only stick around if chunks are being swept back to them. Key West guides are able to chunk such glamour species as tarpon, permit, and cobia as well as snappers by obtaining shrimp boat “trash,” the by-catch of shrimp trawling, and dribbling small cut or whole fish and shellfish astern. For tarpon, use trash consisting mostly of small fish, while for permit try to find “crabby” trash. Another unusual but very effective chunking material is the waste product of clam processing plants—the bellies. Striped bass, especially schoolies, would rather eat the bellies in any case, and that bait is especially effective when squeezed to release the juices when being used as chum on top—as well as when used in a chum pot.
The basic method of chunking involves throwing a good quantity when first arriving at a fishing spot, and then settling down to a slow, but steady dribble so as to attract without filling the quarry. This can be done at anchor or on the drift, depending on the situation. Chunks may also be mixed with ground chum, especially if there’s no worry about attracting sharks or bluefish, and a chum pot is often dropped to bottom with chunks when chunking in relatively shallow waters for stripers with bottom rigs. Whereas a strong current is an aid in spreading a chum slick, it can be a problem for chunking as the chunks move away too quickly or don’t sink to bottom near the boat when you’re seeking bottom species. In such areas it’s best to get started at the beginning of a tide and “salt” the area astern with chunks. Cut back on chunking as the current increases and throw them forward so as not to be chunking for any boats anchored downtide of you. A means of getting chunks where you want them involves placing them in a weighted paper bag and lowering it to the bottom on a line before a snap of the line breaks the wet bag and deposits the chunks where they’ll do some good.
Author fought this giant tuna on Stellwagen Bank off Gloucester, Massachusetts, while Larry Cronin ran the Boston Whaler and wired the fish before the author placed the straight gaff.
Butterfish serve as both bait and chunking material for tunas and bluefish.
Once fish come into a chum slick or chunk line they’ll frequently stay there and refuse to spread to others even yards away. Therefore, it’s important to be the first on a spot. Alternately, you can try the same area late in the day or at night when there may be little or no competition. Fresh chunks with slime intact are always better than frozen ones, though there’s rarely any big difference when fish are really turned on. Indeed, I’ve had some of my hottest striped bass chunking while using solidly frozen menhaden chunks, which actually act like individual chum pots as they thaw.
Chumming can also be done with live baits, and that’s the norm on the west coast where live anchovies and sardines can be bought in quantity. Live baits are flipped around the boat and will usually stay there in order to seek protection from tunas, wahoo, barracuda, yellowtails, and other large gamefish. Some fishermen pinch baits in order to have them swim erratically and create more attraction. Chunks can be used in combination with live baits as long-range skippers out of San Diego discovered when they tried the time-honored east coast chunking technique and found that large yellow-fin tuna often preferred chunks to live bait.
That’s hardly surprising since tunas are conditioned to feed on just about anything dead falling through trawler nets or being thrown over by draggers and shrimp boats.
The use of tiny live grass shrimp as chum for weakfish goes back many decades in bays along the Mid-Atlantic coast. They are dribbled astern a few at a time and lines can be baited with several of the shrimp or with other baits such as seaworms. Once established, grass shrimp chum lines usually produce so many weakfish that tiny lures such as shad darts and small bucktail jigs are just as effective. Stripers and tautog are among other species attracted by grass shrimp chumming.
Wiring an 800-pound class tiger shark from the Reelistic offshore of Indian River, Delaware.
Capt. Bob Montgomery leaders a cobia over a wreck in the Gulf of Mexico out of Key West as another follows.
Leader men must be alert with fish that may jump at boatside, as this tarpon is doing to Capt. Robert trosset at Key West.
The one constant involved in chumming is the need for water movement. There normally must be some flow, though in areas of strong currents fishing is often best at the beginning or end of the tide when the current isn’t too swift. Slack water is occasionally productive when the fish have been turned on before the current slacked. Movement is particularly critical in sharking, as those fish are spread over large areas rather than concentrated on a particular piece of bottom or dropoff. When there’s no movement the chum falls straight down and anglers have to hope that a shark will be swimming their way. On the other hand, with good wind and current the slick will spread over miles and bring curious sharks within range of baits near the boat.
While fighting fish is the most important aspect of the sport, the fish of a lifetime could be lost if the angler isn’t prepared for the end game. There are a few general rules to keep in mind while preparing to boat a fish. Most important is getting a good shot the first time. All too often there’s panic at the wrong moment as gaffs or nets are being swung wildly and to no good effect—frequently resulting in the loss of the fish. There’s rarely any reason to make a desperation stab. Anglers who overpower large fish and then attempt to boat a “green” fish are asking for trouble and frequently get it. Mako sharks are particularly dangerous and have wiped out many a cockpit while sending anglers scrambling for safety. Fish should be fought to the point where they can be led alongside for an attempt at boating that leaves little to chance. Wherever possible get the angler forward of the gaffer. If leader must be handled in order to bring the fish within reach, the leader man should be in between. Either the angler or leader man should literally present the fish, broadside if possible, to the gaffer so he has a clear shot at the head or shoulders. Do this as smoothly as possible in order not to panic the fish. A key factor in not losing fish at boatside is keeping their head in the water. It often takes only a little shake on some slack to dislodge a hook from the hole it’s worn during a fight.
Author leaders a black marlin off Panama before release. Billfish often spit out their stomach during a fight, but swallow them back.
In big-game fishing the boat is usually kept in gear at very slow speed in order to maintain tension and plane large fish along the surface. Anglers on drifting or anchored boats must be alert to any movement by the fish and be prepared to dip the rod tip in order to clear props and rudders. In open boats it’s best to work larger fish off the bow where a sudden move under the boat will rub the line only over bottom paint instead of line-cutting metal. Try to bring the fish alongside upcurrent or uptide so there will be less chance of it diving under the boat. Wherever possible, move with the fish so as not to end up with an angle forward or aft and a consequent lack of control.
Gaffing a giant tuna at Prince Edward Island. The wire man should bring the fish within reach of the gaffer so he can get a good shot in the head.
One of the most common mistakes by small-game anglers is reeling a fish almost to the tip of the rod. That leaves the fish far from the person trying to boat it, and can lead to rod breakage. Bring the fish only to about a rod length and then lift the rod to slide it toward the mate. Try to avoid gaffing fish farther back than the shoulder, as you won’t have as much control and will be ruining meat. Especially avoid gaffing toward the tail, as large fish are extremely difficult to control in that fashion. The gaff should be placed over the fish and brought back in one motion, which will also swing smaller fish into the boat in a single sweep. In the case of large fish which are notoriously wild when gaffed (especially dolphin and cobia), there must be a clear area behind the gaffer to an uncovered fish box so the fish can be deposited and the top replaced in an instant while everyone available sits on the cover to make sure it doesn’t get knocked off.
Special care must be taken with billfish and sharks, which can do a lot of damage as they surge forward or jump. The head should be slightly forward of the gaffer when it’s hit and pinned quickly against the boat if possible. I prefer to hit sharks in the gills, as gaffs often bounce off their tough skins. Small billfish and all those to be released are billed (be sure to use gloves to avoid tearing your hands up) rather than gaffed. This is another tricky proposition since everyone must be alert to a last second jump that could drive that bill through flesh. Never get directly in front of a bill when preparing to grab it, but rather slide it slightly past you and reach down to grab sideways with both hands. Though long leaders permit the capture of large fish long before they can be fought close to the boat, they represent a great danger both to the person leadering and anyone else who may get caught in the slack leader should the fish take off again. Wherever possible, I prefer using short, or wind-on, leaders and having the fish reeled to the boat where leader handling is either not necessary or only requires a pull in order to present the fish for gaffing.
Billing a black marlin in Panama.
Netting of striped bass is becoming more popular now that 90 percent are released by anglers. Lou Truppi will find that can be a problem with treble-hook plugs.
Mike Ristori demonstrates there’s no problem netting big stripers such as this one caught by Pete O’Connor on a bunker chunk at Shrewbury Rocks, New Jersey.
Jay Cassell’s blue marlin is lifted alongside Hawaiian Tropic off Key West for removal of hook. This position is dangerous, as the marlin could push forward and do damage with its bill.
Standard straight gaffs with shafts four to eight feet are used in most cases, but in big-game fishing it’s often best to utilize flying gaffs in which the head detaches under pressure when the fish is struck. The detached head is secured by a heavy line to a cleat and, hopefully, any jumping that the fish might do will be 20 feet away instead of in the boat. A maximum of 30 feet of gaff rope is permitted by IGFA rules, which also limit the overall length of gaffs and nets to eight feet and prohibit the use of harpoons. Flying gaffs are used primarily for large billfish and especially for sharks, which tend to roll when hit and will tear a straight gaff out your hands if they do so. Tuna, even giants, only move forward and don’t jump, so they can be handled with a heavy straight gaff.
Gaffs heads come in a variety of gaps, varying from two to 16 inches, between shaft and point. While large gaps are best for big fish, it’s very difficult to gaff smaller fish (especially those with roundish bodies such as wahoo) with such gaffs. Much smaller sizes are far more effective with such fish, and gaffs can even be fashioned out of large fish hooks with the barbs fled or bent down and then wrapped on a fiberglass shaft. There are also smaller hand gaffs with very short shafts that are used in small boat situations for lip gaffing large fish and pinning them to the side of the boat while a hook or lure is removed prior to release. Those gaffs may also be carried by surfcasters to aid in beaching fish. Bridge and pier fishermen seeking large fish utilize a bridge gaff that consists of a very large treble attached to heavy cord that’s lowered to a fought-out fish laying on top by running it through a shower curtain clip over the fishing line. A quick snatch once the bridge gaff is alongside the fish allows the fisherman to handline the catch up to his platform rather than taking a chance on breaking off by trying to lift with the fishing line. Naturally, bridge gaffs should never be used on fish that are to be released.
The most important point to remember in netting fish is only netting from the head. Trying to push a net through the water at the tail of a fish is a recipe for disaster as the fish will sense the net and dart away— frequently breaking taut lines or pulling hooks.
Even more so than with gaffs, it’s vital that the angler bring his fish to the netter on the surface for a very measured lifting with a slightly forward motion. Wild stabs or digging underwater with nets almost never works. Nets come in many sizes, and the angler should obtain one or more suited to his style of fishing. Small nets are easiest to use when boating small fish, while the largest hoop sizes are best for salmon, halibut, large fluke, and striped bass. Avoid using nets for sharp-toothed fish as they not only ruin nets but might even cut through before you get them aboard. Also don’t use nets when fish are hooked on plugs bristling with treble hooks. You may well end up with a treble in the net while the fish hangs outside the mesh ready to shake off—and then you’ll still have to spend time trying to get those hooks out of the mesh before resuming fishing. Few anglers use rubber nets, but they do eliminate problems with toothy fish such as bluefish.
Fish without significant teeth can be lifted aboard with a lip-lock, as demonstrated by Al Malanga.
The best bet in a release situation from small boats is using a long enough length of heavy mono or fluorocarbon leader so most fish can be lifted aboard without worrying about gaffs or nets. Even when keeping fish, that method avoids most of the mess as there are no gaff holes to create bleeding. Smaller fish can be swung aboard with heavy enough tackle, but once again the angler must not reel almost to the tip as that will result in a fish hanging in the air and, quite possibly, a broken rod. Reel the fish to within a rod length and lift your rod to swing the fish toward your waist in one smooth motion.
Many fish can be handled from small boats by simply grasping them with a lip lock, just as freshwater bass fishermen do with their favorite quarry. I use that method with striped bass that are too large to swing aboard. Their jaws result in rough fingers, but rarely any cuts. Fish with teeth or those so heavy that they require more than a lip lock can be handled with a gill-cover grip when subdued at boatside. Be sure you place your hand under the gill cover and not into the gill rakers, which will shred your skin and also possibly kill a fish intended for release. Fish with narrow and rigid tail sections can be grasped from that end. That works well with tunas if you can get at the tail; because the tuna lacks an air bladder and therefore has to keep swimming in order to live, grabbing the tail section can be a challenge. Jacks are easy to handle by the tail, but it’s best to wear gloves to avoid being cut by their scutes.
Tagging adds excitement to release fishing. In the case of smaller fish, they can be handled on deck as a tag is inserted by hand. Putting a cloth over their eyes tends to calm them down just as is the case with birds that get hooked. Tagging sticks are used on large fish that must be left in the water. AFTCO makes a nice commercial stick, or anglers can create their own with a broomstick and a hose clamp to hold the pin provided by National Marine Fisheries Service tagging programs. Most tagging is done by scientists, but volunteer anglers are the prime source of tagging in several programs. Jack Casey started tagging sharks during the 1960s at the old U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lab at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, but after the creation of the National Marine Fisheries Service that program was shifted to Rhode Island. Sportsmen not only do most of the shark tagging, but even support the newsletter sent out to participants. Those who are active in sharking can obtain free tagging kits from NMFS Cooperative Shark Tagging Program, NOAA/NMFS Lab, 28 Tarzwell Dr., Narragansett, RI 02882. Billfish and tuna anglers are urged to get involved with the Cooperative Game Fish Tagging Program, NOAA/NMFS Lab, 75 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami, FL 33149 in the Atlantic—and the same program at NOAA/NMFS Southwest Fisheries Center, P.O. Box 271, La Jolla, CA 92038. Anglers joining the American Littoral Society enjoy the unique opportunity to tag any saltwater fish of their choice by buying ALS tagging kits. Those tags are applied by hand with a needle. Contact American Littoral Society Fish Tagging Program, Sandy Hook Highlands, NJ 07732, phone 732291-0055.
Capt. Harlan Franklin lifts a permit from the flats at the Marquesas out of Key West by grabbing the tail.
With its bill pointed away, this hook can be removed from the marlin, but if it doesn’t come out easily, the fish will be better off if the hook is clipped for a quick release.
Capt. Al Anderson of Point Judith, Rhode island, has the tagging of school stripers with American littoral Society tags down to a science.
All the information provided in this book won’t do any good unless you actually get down to the surf and start putting that knowledge to use. It’s fine to understand the theory, but that’s no substitute for time on the beach. While most of that time probably won’t be productive in terms of fish caught, it could be invaluable in learning what must be done in order to be a successful surfcaster.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to make friends in the area you’ll be fishing. Most surfcasters are friendly, and quite willing to help those politely asking for information. It’s not just what is, or isn’t happening now that’s important, but also whatever pearls of wisdom can be garnered about what’s occurred recently or usually happens at this time of year or under various conditions, plus the techniques involved. Years of experience can be poured out at no cost to those who are good listeners and demonstrate the requisite desire to learn. There’s just no substitute for such information, and it’s relatively easy to come by.
Rich Rusznak lands a bluefish with classic fly-rod form on a gently sloping beach. (Joe Blaze photo)
On steeper beaches, fish without teeth, like this striper, can be landed by grasping them by the lower lip. (Joe Blaze photo)
Joining a local fishing club with lots of surfcasters is another means of getting a leg up that will save lots of trial-and-error. Also patronize tackle shops specializing in surfcasting. Your purchases will bring valuable information from the owners who have a financial interest in your success, and you’ll also have another opportunity to mix with anglers who may be of help. Never be afraid to ask questions, and don’t forget to reciprocate. Should you stumble across something of value, be sure to pass it on to those you’re receiving information from or you’ll soon see your sources dry up.
Even when nothing much is going on along the beach, productive time can be spent observing the lay of the land at various stages of the tide and under varying weather circumstances. When a run of fish does occur, you’ll be much better situated to take advantage of it.
For instance, as noted in the chapter on reading the surf, there are sloughs that will consistently hold fish even though they may be hard to spot on a high tide. Those spots may stand out at low water, and that knowledge could make all the difference at other stages of the tide when they might not be obvious.
Tide is a critical factor when fishing the surf as even small changes in water level can make all the difference. Sand bars that are too shallow on lower tides become a great attraction once covered by enough water, especially so when there’s enough wind or high enough seas to produce white water on the bar. The area you ordinarily fish may not have enough water at low tide to hold fish. Yet, there could be another spot not too far away that features a sharp drop-off and is actually better at low tide because that small deep area tends to concentrate fish. By acquiring this information you can fish various areas at different stages of the tide and maximize your opportunities.
Weather forecasts are important in determining where you focus your efforts. Of course, they’re not always right in terms of wind force. However, knowing the wind direction and how high the waves are will be a big help. After a while you’ll learn what areas are best on various winds, and whether they’re fishable in big seas. Some of the most memorable days on the surf occur during bad weather, but there are also occasions when the water is so discolored or full of weed that there’s little hope. These are things you’ll have to learn in your area by putting in the time.
Different shorelines call for revised tactics. Here the author works the jetty wash, which corrals bait and makes it vulnerable to feeding fish. (Joe Blaze photo)
Angler uses the action of the waves to work fish toward the beach. (Joe Blaze photo)
This is what it’s all about: Ristori shows off an early morning striper that his a plug along the jetty at Sea Girt, New Jersey. (Joe Blaze photo)
Keep a log of your fishing on a daily basis. Over a period of time you’ll be able to look back and put together some sort of pattern for particular spots under various conditions. This will help maximize your opportunities to be at the right place at the right time, which is the bottom line in consistently catching fish from the surf.
While there is no substitute for having a network of friends to keep you informed of fish movement, it’s also important to follow news reports in local fishing columns and radio or TV shows, where they’re available. Just keep in mind that everything you get from those reports is a day old, and much of what happens on the surf is a mere flash in time. There are periods when fishing is good for days, particularly during migrations, but more often the blitz one day will not be repeated the next day, even if conditions remain the same. Nevertheless, that’s still your best bet to get into a hot bite and you must be ready to follow it up. Staying in bed and waiting for the call that it’s happening again may cost you your best opportunity of the season.
With the right touch and deft timing on the part of the angler, this striper landed itself on the sand. (Joe Blaze photo)
Though most surfcasters dream of being all alone on the beach when the fish of their choice is chasing bait into the wash, other anglers can be a big help in locating fish. I make no bones about the fact that one of my principle methods of locating fish along the surf involves watching for bent rods or anglers walking into the wash to land or release their catch. That’s often a more reliable clue than bird activity and bait concentrations.
Indeed, it was a bent rod that put me on fish a few years ago after having suffered a minor stroke. My doctor wouldn’t let me drive, but my wife surprised me one morning by offering to drive me to the surf. It was later in the morning than I’d ordinarily leave, and I had no expectations when we pulled up to a favorite street ending in Bay Head on the Jersey Shore. There were only a few birds picking around and no signs of fish, but the lone angler on the beach had a bent rod. I scrambled back to the car, grabbed my rod and a metal lure, and proceeded to release lots of school striped bass by casting blind into surf that showed no signs other than those casually picking birds. I would never have made a cast there if it hadn’t been for that single bent rod, but I ended up making my wife late for work because the stripers wouldn’t stop hitting, even as the sun got higher in the sky. Fortunately, her boss is a surfcaster and appreciated the fact that I couldn’t leave them biting!
Angler body language can also be helpful as just observing concentrations of fishermen, and how hard they’re working an area is a clue as to whether something has been going on and might recur. I even check the surfcasters’ body language when boat fishing, keeping an eye out for anglers ganging up instead of spreading them-selves out along the beach.
While conditions during a storm may be unfishable, the beginning of a storm is one of the best times to be on the beach. Adjustments may have to be made in terms of heavier tackle in order to cast lures or bait into the wind, but game fish are apt to be feeding close to the wash as the surf is building.
Often stripers will feed very close to the beach in the trough formed by a drop-off in the bottom. Rich Rusznak has presented his fly parallel to the waves so the fly remains in the trough longer. (Joe Blaze photo)
Though the immediate aftermath of a storm may not be the best time to fish the surf, your best opportunity could occur shortly thereafter.
Especially during the spring and fall, storms trigger migrations of bait fish. That, in turn, attracts the game fish that feed on them.
It can be frustrating to watch those schools move along without being disturbed, but sooner or later the predators will take their toll and you’ve got to be patient enough to wait them out.
Storms can also present an opportunity for exceptional bait fishing as shellfish are uprooted and smashed on the beach. That happens along the Jersey Shore when a northeaster creates waves that fill beaches with surf clams. As those clams die, open up, and are washed back into the surf, striped bass feed on them right along the drop-off and become easy targets for anglers who pick up fresh clams at their feet and fish them just yards away from where they’re standing.
The timing of your efforts in the surf must be at-tuned to those of the fish you’re seeking. Though most game fish feed both night and day, some are more active at certain times. The low light periods of dawn and dusk are traditionally the most rewarding for most predators, especially when that time of day coincides with the desired tide and weather conditions. Without knowing a thing about an area I’m fishing for the first time, that’s when I’ll be trying rather than during the middle of the day or at night.
Jerry Fabiano takes his time convincing a striper to leave the deeper water beyond the drop-off. (Joe Blaze photo)
Surfcasting at night presents challenges not faced during the day, but can be the most effective way to catch some species under particular conditions. Bait is a most important consideration in determining when to fish. For instance, if predators are feeding on migratory schooling bait that moves during the day, they’re not apt to feed actively at night. On the other hand, if bait is scarce during the day, it’s likely that predators will be seeking whatever they can find in the dark.
Night fishing is actually quite pleasant under the full moon, and that’s usually a good time to try it. The dark of the moon presents more challenges. In some areas, there’s a problem with phosphorescence that lights up your lure and makes it look unrealistic. You’ll have no problem following it under those circumstances, but when that condition is absent you may find yourself reeling your lures right up to the tip of the rod. Though a long leader with a knot that interferes with your cast is annoying, it can be a help at night, as you feel the knot hit your tiptop and know when to slow the retrieve.
Fishing your lure right to the beach is important during the day as many hits occur right at the drop-off and even more important at night when fish are even less reluctant to strike in just inches of water. Be sure your drag is set light enough to prevent both a break-off and ripping out hooks with a fish thrashing on only a few feet of line. At that point, with the fish hitting so close, you may only have to back up a couple of steps to beach the fish!
Some anglers are very sensitive about lights being shined in the water at night, so it’s good form to only point a flashlight toward the beach when removing hooks or changing lures. Actually, most fish are attracted to steady lights at night. Lights from shore-side piers and restaurants, and even street lamps attract bait, and predators tend to hang around the shadow lines. On the other hand, flashes of light might spook them.
Do everything slowly and surely at night. Even simple things, such as completely closing a snap after changing lures, can be fouled up. Shuffle your feet while wading in order not to step into a hole or over a drop-off; and, in tropical areas, shuffle to stir up rays before they remind with their barb you that you have stepped on them. Check landmarks as you walk onto a beach, and plan your return.
Bob Noonan fishes Barnegat Inlet because he knows that at dusk predator fish are often feeding heavily. (Joe Blaze photo)
Sometimes the best strategy is simply being in the right place at the right time. This angler hits pay dirt at dawn. (Alberto Knie photo)
It’s very easy to get confused after dark, especially if you’ve been walking up and down the surfline.
While most of us are happy to have our feet solidly planted in the sand, there are some venturesome anglers who extend their range by wearing wet suits. That’s become quite common at Montauk Point. Long Island’s eastern tip on the south side features many boulders close to shore, and wet suit anglers swim out to them for a perch that puts them tight among the striped bass they seek. Needless to say, only strong swimmers should attempt that extreme fishing which also requires the finest reels that will stand up to being completely submerged.
Landscape and hazards of Montauk take on a different dimension once the sun goes down. Know the area you are fishing and move carefully when fishing after dark. (Alberto Knie photo)
Getting started in saltwater fly fishing can seem like an overwhelming task, but it isn’t complicated. It’s most important to buy the right rod and reel for the type of fishing you’ll be doing. The East Coast striper fly fisherman will require a very different outfit from what a West Coast surf perch fisherman needs, and the guy interested in catching redfish in the Louisiana marsh will need a vastly different rig from the angler casting to bonito off a jetty in Southern California. Here are my suggestions:
Choose a seven- or eight-weight rod. This is the perfect starter rod for the beginning saltwater fly fisher, heavy enough to punch a fly into a stiff wind, yet light enough to cast all day. Technically, you could use a heavy trout rod, but ideally you want to use a saltwater rod because it’s made of materials that can handle salt, sand, and generally tough conditions.
A good direct-drive reel that can hold a minimum of 200 yards of thirty-pound Dacron backing will work well in most saltwater fly-fishing situations. Currently, fly reels designed for saltwater fishing are more than adequate in handling fish up to fifty pounds. Buy an extra spool to hold your shooting head.
Here is what you’ll need:
1. A basic weight-forward (WF) floating line matched to the weight of your fly rod. The WF floating line is a great all-around fly line for sight-casting in shallow water. Don’t get confused by all the marketing of “saltwater tapers,” “bonefish tapers,” or “redfish tapers.” Such lines are for more advanced, specialized fly fishers, not beginners.
A basic rod matched with a quality reel is a good starting point for a beginner.
2. A weighted shooting head. A combination of a weighted front taper and an intermediate running line, this is ideal for sub surface fishing or fishing rip currents from the beach. When fish are feeding below the surface, the shooting head will keep your fly in the hit zone longer. A 250- to 300-grain should be sufficient for most situations. The grain weight equals the sink rate of the fly line, so a 250-to 300-grain line will sink between five and eight inches per second. This is plenty of sink rate to get you down to feeding fish.
The standard nine-foot fly rod works best in many saltwater fly-fishing situations. It provides the angler with enough length to keep his fly line high off the water while backcasting and is effective when fighting fish in shallow water.
Many beach fly fishermen prefer a longer fly rod, something in the ten- or eleven-foot range. The added length assists in keeping the fly line safely above the shoreline structure on the backcast. This also allows for the shooting and/or weight-forward section of the fly line to extend beyond the rod’s tip section, providing much-needed assistance in shooting the fly line as well as extending the length of the cast.
For bluewater fly fishing, a shorter rod (eight to eight and a half feet) works best when fighting a fish in deep water. A stiff butt section is especially important for putting pressure on a fish when reeling it in from deep water. It also saves the angler a trip to his chiropractor for an adjustment on his sacrum.
A shorter rod is best when you’re fishing for bluewater fish such as tuna, sharks, and billfish.
A good saltwater fly reel should be made from first-grade aluminum bar stock, have a slightly oversized handle that can be easily cranked while fighting a fish, and, most important, have a strong drag system.
The drag system is the heart of a good saltwater reel—it is essential in controlling the powerful surge of a gamefish that’s determined to escape. A disk drag system of cork, Rulon, or graphite will stand up to the long, strong fights of saltwater gamefish. Many of the stacked-disk-drag fly reels on today’s market are outstanding and require little special maintenance. The cork-drag reel has the most powerful drag system; however, such reels require a bit of TLC. Oiling and lubricating the cork drag are essential to retaining its excellent action.
For both synthetic and cork fly reels, back off the drag at the end of each fishing day or if the reel is not to be used for a long time. This will help preserve the drag and keep it working in top form on future trips.
A quality saltwater fly reel is a smart investment.
Proper drag settings are essential for saltwater fly fishing. A proper setting can spell the difference between landing and losing the fish of a lifetime. Unlike conventional or spinning reels—on which the drag is usually preset and not adjusted during the fight—the fly reel drag can be manipulated by applying pressure to the reel with palm or fingers, giving the angler more control over the amount of pressure needed throughout the fight.
Palming the reel gives the angler more control when fighting a fish.
To set the drag, take your fly reel and tighten the drag so there is only light tension on the reel as you pull off line with your free hand; then tighten the drag until you feel resistance.
Begin fishing using a light drag. Once you have a fish on and the fight has begun, apply needed pressure by palming your reel—however, apply the pressure carefully so you don’t break the tippet. Don’t be surprised if you lose a few fish as you learn this method. It takes time and practice. Eventually, though, knowing when and how to apply pressure will become instinctive.
Intermediate lines don’t float and they don’t sink rapidly. When you cast them out onto the water, they will sink very slowly, which makes them perfect choices when casting to fish feeding just below the surface (one to five feet) or in slightly deeper channels. You can use these versatile lines in situations as varied as casting to bonefish feeding off a reef in a channel or to West Coast yellowtail feeding just below the surface in the middle of the ocean.
An intermediate fly line is perfect for fishing along reef channels.
When choosing your rod and corresponding fly line, base your choice on the type of fishing you intend to do, as a heavier inter mediate line, such as an eight, will sink faster than a lighter line, such as a five.
In addition to getting the fly in the hit zone, the slick coating on an inter mediate line will let you put extra length in your cast.
The best saltwater fly fishing usually takes place below the surface, whether you’re fishing near shore or off shore. Fish such as tuna, dorado, bluefish, and stripers will often feed in deep water, requiring anglers to get their flies deeper into the water column. This requires the use of a full-sinking line or sinking shooting head.
Full-sinking lines are rated Types I through V, I being the lightest and V the heaviest. If you are casting to fish only a few feet below the surface, a Type I or II shooting head will work fine. However, if the fish are feeding twenty feet down, the Type V would be your line of choice. The entire fly line is weighted, and is approximately one hundred feet long.
Once mastered, the integrated shooting/sinking head is a joy to cast.
These are my favorite sinking fly lines. The first twenty-six feet of these lines are weighted, and the rest is monocore running line. Due to the slick surface of the monocore running line, these fly lines cast like a dream. Additionally, since all the weight is loaded at the front end of the line, the momentum of the weighted section helps extend the distance of your cast. These lines are rated in grains, from 150 to 800 grains—150 is the lightest, 800 the heaviest. An 800-grain line will work most effectively to fish to thirty feet.
In depths over twenty-five feet, lead-core lines are usually the best choices. Because they sink so quickly, they work well when you’re fishing from a drifting boat and when you’re dealing with strong currents. They are typically twenty feet long, and are attached with a loop-to-loop connection to a monofilament running line. The weight of the lead-core line and the thin diameter of the mono running line allow these lines to get down faster when compared to the other types of sinking fly lines. However, they can be difficult to cast—not only that, but the mono running line has a tendency to coil while casting.
Today’s fly fisherman can buy fly lines in a wide variety of colors. Before settling on a color, consider its advantages and disadvantages. If you buy a brightly colored line, for example, you’ll be able to follow a hooked fish’s position in a fight. On the downside, many fish, especially those found in shallow, clear water, are skittish and easily spooked by brightly colored line.
Fly lines in natural colors (light blue, tan, or light green) are wise choices in most situations. Such colors make it easier to match the line color to the surroundings in which you plan to fish. On overcast, low-light days, gray and green lines are good choices; clear, sunny, blue-sky days seem best served by light blue lines; in rocky areas or light brown sandy waters, tan should be considered. Remember that one color does not suit all conditions.
Fly lines in light blue, tan, or light green are good choices for salt water.
Losing a big saltwater gamefish after it is hooked and decides to head for the horizon is, in many in-stances, the result of filling your reel with backing that is either too short or too light.
Twenty-pound backing is a good choice for most inshore salt water fly-fishing situations, while thirty-pound backing is better suited for larger bluewater gamefish.
Since many inshore saltwater gamefish will make initial runs of seventy-five to one hundred yards before they turn and settle into fighting mode, your fly reel should hold a minimum of 175 yards of twenty-pound Dacron backing.
Twenty- and thirty- pound Dacron backing are good choices for a saltwater fly reel.
For bluewater fly fishing, a minimum of 300 yards of thirty-pound Dacron or gel-spun polyethylene is standard. Big bluewater gamefish such as tuna and marlin will run off 200 yards of backing before you have time to say “Come back and fight like a man!” These fish can also dive to great depths, thus making essential an abundant supply of backing.
The phrase “getting into your backing” arouses excitement through a saltwater fly fisherman’s being each time he hears it. There is nothing more exciting than witnessing one hundred yards of backing slicing through the water, pulled by a bonefish, tarpon, sailfish, or marlin. When this happens, the color of your backing is essential for tracking the fish’s direction: Is it swimming at an angle, or is it sounding? Sooner or later, every saltwater fisherman is going to experience this.
High-visibility backing will help you determine how to fight a fish. For instance, when tarpon fishing it is important that you are able to turn a fish’s head during the fight, a move aimed at keeping the tarpon off balance and assuring that it is brought quickly to the boat. Just as important, high-visibility backing allows the angler to track the fish’s direction and keep applying pressure in the direction opposite from where it wants to go.
Bright colors allow you to see where your fish is going during the fight.
The best colors? I prefer bright yellow or bright orange, both highly visible backings regardless of weather conditions or water color.
The fish net is not just for stream or lake fishing; it’s also a useful aid in safely catching and releasing saltwater gamefish. It helps you control a fish, remove the hook from its tooth-filled mouth, and then release it without causing it harm.
If you are a catch-and-release fly fisherman, employing a net is easier on the fish once it is brought to boat or shore. Handling the fish can be harmful to it, as your hands tend to remove the fish’s protective slime coating, leaving it susceptible to bacterial and fun gal infection after it’s released.
The standard trout net may be a bit small, but there are many great medium to large nets on the market. Select a net that suits the fishing you have planned. Smaller nets are suitable for Southern California’s surf perch and corbina; larger nets are needed for tack ling species such as Gulf Coast redfish or East Coast stripers. Use only nets that have black rubberlike webbing, as the soft, slick texture will not harm the fish. Forget about using grandpa’s old aluminum net with the green polypropylene webbing. These nets do the fish more harm than good.
Using a net can help tame an unwieldy gamefish.
Good polarized sunglasses will help you pinpoint more fish.
Whether you’re stalking bonefish on the flats or sight-casting to tuna offshore, your most important piece of equipment, next to the fly reel, is quality polarized sunglasses, which eliminate glare from the water’s surface. Drugstore sunglasses? For get them. All they do is make you look sharp. A pair of high-end polarized glasses is well worth the money.
The variety of polarized lens color choices can be confusing, so here are a few guidelines in selecting your glasses:
1. For shallow flats, beaches, and marshes: amber lenses
2. For deep water, offshore waters, and bright sun-light: gray lenses
3. For softer light, glare, and cloudy days: yellow, light rose, or amber lenses
Frame styles vary greatly, but function and coverage are the major concerns. Choose a frame that provides good coverage over the eyes, as well as in the temple area. Look for frames that do not let in light peripherally (from the side of the head), and choose a frame that will remain comfortable throughout a long day of fishing. Consider lightweight frames with arms that don’t pinch behind the ears.
In the past, most anglers chose glass as a lens material. Glass is durable and relatively scratch-resistant, although it’s heavy. Nowadays, outstanding synthetic lens materials such as polycarbonate and SR-91 are good alternative choices. SR-91 is strong, light, and has superior light transmission and clarity. Wearing glasses with SR-91 lenses all day isn’t as much of a burden on your nose.
Eyewear is a personal choice. Whether you’re a hipster or lean more toward the traditional styles, the important things to remember are lens coloration and eye coverage. Oh, and don’t forget a lanyard for your glasses. It would be a shame to lose your expensive pair of shades to the deep blue sea!
If I could fish barefoot, I would; however, this is not practical in many saltwater situations. A good pair of fishing shoes is as important as your favorite fishing hat, shirt, or sunglasses. It’s important that your feet are properly shod for any occasion.
When skiff fishing, a firm-soled running or deck shoe works well, but with modifications. The first thing I do when I put on a pair is to tuck in the laces snugly, leaving no exposed dangling ends. Fly lines can hang up on anything, but loose laces always seem to be at the top of the list. I know some fly fishers who are so concerned with this problem that they run duct tape around their shoes to keep the laces covered. And don’t forget: No black soles!
Sandals? I would leave them at home. Like shoe-laces, the straps on sandals pose another problem in line hangup.
Flip-flops, if you are so inclined, are an acceptable and comfort able option, as they have no line-grabbing laces or straps. On the downside, they offer little support for your feet.
There are hundreds of different types of practical shoes that will fit your needs on fishing trips. Select a shoe with high ankle support, a firm and solid toe, and stiff arch support. Since you’ll be wading in a variety of bottom conditions, including mud, soft sand, hard sand, and even coral reefs, select a shoe that has a thick sole to prevent punctures. If you fish with a stripping basket, you can use sandals because there is less chance of your line getting snagged on the straps of the conventional wading shoe.
Proper footwear protects your feet when walking on coral reefs.
If you fish from rocks and jetties, heavy-duty wading boots are not only comfortable, but provide great support. If you choose not to wear waders, then wear two pairs of socks in the boots for a better fit.
Being able to lay out thirty or forty feet of fly line behind you is a skill you need to master. Fish can materialize behind you as easily as they can in front of you, and a quick, accurate backcast will improve your chances of catching them.
You can make the backcast in the same manner as the forward cast. First make a forward cast, allowing the line to lie on the water, then pick up the line and shoot it behind you. This move is called the water haul; instead of coming forward with the forward cast, you now allow the fly line to lay out behind you in the area where you spotted the fish. You can proceed with stripping the line from there, just as you would if the fish were in front of you.
Throwing a fly in a crosswind or a following wind off your casting arm’s shoulder is perhaps fly fishing’s most troublesome cast. I have seen many casts blown and fish missed because of an angler’s failure to properly execute this cast. No matter where you fish in the salt, you will, at some point, be tested by a crosswind or following wind.
When you’re placed in this trying situation, the Belgian or helicopter cast is your most effective cast. This cast should be executed quickly, with a minimum of backcasts. When winds become erratic and disagreeable, as is their habit on salt water, this cast can be the great equalizer to a seemingly insoluble problem.
To do it, first make a high backcast; then, make your forward cast a high overhead cast (liken your casting arm to a helicopter’s blade as you make the transition from side cast to forward overhead cast).
With practice, you can easily master this cast. Whether you are fishing on the flats, the beach, or the open ocean, it will give you confidence when you find yourself dealing with winds.
It’s very frustrating when a gamefish follows your fly practically to the rod tip, but refuses to strike. There is, however, an easy way to get a picky fish to take your offering. I call it “sweeping the fly.”
When a fish has followed the fly to within a few feet of your rod tip (usually you’ll have five to ten feet of line outside the tip), lower your rod tip and make a sweeping motion as if you were going to make a sidearm backcast. Don’t pull the fly out of the water— just keep it moving. On the sweep, the fly will move smoothly through the water, doing a great impersonation of a fidgety baitfish attempting to escape a predator. This move enjoys a high percentage of success. The trick is to exercise control over your emotions and not to pull the fly from the fish’s mouth if it strikes. The hook-set is always very close to you, so be prepared to let the fish run, which means managing the line as it shoots through the guides.
In fishing, there are many visual indications that fish are on the bite. One of the easiest and most reliable signs to identify is bird activity.
Some species of birds are better indicators than others, and you don’t have to be an ornithologist to recognize the better ones; a basic knowledge of the bird kingdom will do. Let’s look at the birds and how they rate in priority and importance to successful fish finding.
The best fish-locating birds of all, terns work diligently in searching for baitfish. If you spot them picking and fluttering in an area, that’s a good sign that gamefish are working baitfish. Terns often fly ahead of a school of gamefish, picking up baitfish that have been pushed to the surface.
Pelicans: The big daddies of the seabird world. Though not as agile and swift as terns, pelicans will tell you where the main bodies of baitfish and gamefish are. Pelicans will dive with abandon into the center of a bait ball, filling their mouths with as many baitfish as possible. By habit, pelicans will not allow a bait ball to relocate too far from them. So if you spot a pelican positioned on the water, you can be sure that bait and gamefish are in the area.
A fly retrieved like an injured baitfish provoked this striper into striking.
Keep an eye on bird activity.
Gulls are the scavengers of the sea. Seagulls are opportunistic feeders that will feed on anything, from popcorn to anchovies. Their presence is a good sign that baitfish are about, but they can hoodwink even the best fisherman by diving on anything they can eat, including everything from plastic bottle caps to sardines. Keep that in mind when turning to gulls to find fish.
If you are using a fly that imitates the movements of a baitfish, try to observe the behavior patterns of the actual baitfish. How fast are they swimming? Are they swimming in schools or small groups when being chased by gamefish? Are they stunned by gamefish before being eaten as they are sinking or, in fishing lingo, “on the fall”? Most injured baitfish swim in frenzied motions, so quick, short retrieves are generally the best. In conditions where the baitfish are lazily swimming about, try slower, longer strips to get your adversaries’ attention.
Baitfish always swim into the current, so when fishing from a drifting boat, cast your fly upcurrent, then let it sink and drift in the current. At the end of the drift, as the fly swings behind the boat, allow it to gyrate, lifelike, in the current for a few seconds before beginning stripping. This technique often results in a strike, so hang on!
If you’re attempting to imitate a crab or shrimp, make short, small strips so the fly looks like it’s scurrying along. This move usually gets a fish’s attention. If you spot a gamefish eyeing the fly and beginning to approach it, stop stripping and allow the fly to sit motion-less. Wait a few seconds, move it again in short spurts, and get ready!
Think like a baitfish.
In trout fishing, we are taught to keep the rod high while fighting a fish. This accomplishes two things: First, it protects the light tippet, and second, it keeps the fish’s head up, pre venting it from moving into the current or deeper water. In saltwater fly fishing, however, we are using heavy, strong tippets that are virtually impossible to break, and enable you to exert maximum pressure when fighting a fish. To do this, employ a low rod angle and use the rod’s butt section to do the fighting for you. When you’re hooked up to a saltwater fish in shallow water, the higher the rod angle, the less pressure you put on the fish. Lowering the rod’s angle will allow you to use the fly rod’s butt section, allowing for more pressure on the fish.
Some saltwater fish react to a fly that is stripped as fast as possible. Tuna, barracudas, roosterfish, amberjacks, and yellowtail are good examples. These guys prefer a fly that moves like a racing car. If the fly isn’t imitating a fleeting baitfish, and if it suddenly stops or even pauses, these fish will turn and swim away.
Use a two-handed strip to imitate fast-moving bait.
Use a low rod angle for maximum pressure when fighting fish in shallow water.
The two-handed strip is the perfect retrieve for these situations. This retrieve enables the fly to be stripped through the water without breaks or pauses, as happens with the conventional one-handed strip. The drawback to using this retrieve is that you have to place the rod under your arm, which makes it almost impossible to lift the rod tip for a strike. Instead, you have to use a strip-strike.
For a successful two-handed strip, do the following:
1. After the cast, place the rod under one of your arms.
2. Point the rod tip down, keeping the tip in the water at all times.
3. Begin the strip by pulling the fly line with your hand at the first stripping guide.
4. Repeat this with the other hand.
5. There should be a continual motion, changing hands with each strip. Vary the speed of the fly as you strip it through the water.
6. Strip the fly all the way to the boat and repeat; if you feel a hit, give your line a solid strip-strike.
This is a great technique for blue water as well as nearshore fly fishing.
Picking the correct flies is one of the keys to catching fish. This can be a daunting task for the beginning angler, as most tackle shop fly bins are filled with huge numbers of flies in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Here are some basic guidelines.
I believe that a sparsely dressed baitfish pattern is preferable to a bulked-up, flashy fly because it looks more natural. I’ve also found that gamefish are far less selective when presented with a sparsely dressed fly. The fly is only a hint of what the fish is feeding on, and it often elicits a Reflexive striking action. When gamefish do strike, they usually zero in on the fly’s oversized eye, which closely resembles the large eyes of baitfish such as sardines, pilchards, and anchovies. For them, focusing on that eye results in fewer lost meals.
Sometimes less is more.
Natural colors work best. Olive greens, browns, tans, and whites are all great color combos for baitfish patterns. Also, carry a selection of blue-and-white, red-and-white, and chartreuse-and-white flies, for those times when a bit more flash is called for.
Fly size depends on what type of fish you’re pursuing. In most saltwater fly-fishing situations, you’ll need baitfish patterns that range from a small anchovy pattern in size 6 to a large sardine or pilchard pattern in size 2/0. Remember, it’s all about matching the size of the baitfish that fish are feeding on.
Finding fish in blue water may seem to be a daunting task. The ocean is huge, and big gamefish such as tuna, dorado, sharks, and marlin can cover great distances in a matter of hours. But with good eyes and a little common sense, you can indeed find these fish in open blue water.
You may find other locals searching the kelp for fish.
The first clue to locating fish in open blue water is bird activity: working terns, gulls, and pelicans. Locate the circling and diving birds, and you’ll find fish nearby. If you see birds floating on the water, you should fish the area anyway, as a raft of birds may indicate that baitfish and gamefish are in the area, just not actively feeding at that moment.
Once the birds and bait are located, look for gamefish agitating the water’s surface in pursuit of baitfish. The gamefish will push the baitfish up from the depths, forcing the prey to explode out of the water, an activity easily spotted at long distances. When this happens, the birds will also be going crazy, diving into the melee to pick off baitfish at the surface.
If you don’t see any birds, look for structure such as floating kelp paddies or weed lines. Baitfish like to congregate underneath these structures for shelter, and where there are baitfish … there are gamefish! Pull up next to these floating structures and cast a fly out along the edge. Make a few strips and see if anyone is home. Sometimes you can even see the fish stacked up underneath the structure.
The surf zone is a great place to start saltwater fly fishing, whether you’re targeting stripers on the East Coast or corbina on the West Coast. This bewildering area of crashing surf, rips, rock piles, and sandbars can be intimidating to the uninitiated. Don’t let it get to you! These two simple clues about surf zone structure will help calm your doubts.
Fish that live along beaches love structure, especially rip currents. These are small channels, usually twenty to thirty feet wide, created by waves washing on shore and then needing someplace to get back out to sea. These riverlike indentations run perpendicularly through the surf zone. Fish congregate on the edges or even within the rip to feed on baitfish, crabs, and shrimp. Rips can be very productive on both incoming and outgoing tides, and can be found along the edges of reef structures, alongside pier pilings, and randomly along sandy beaches.
Extreme low tide is a good time to check out structure that is normally underwater.
Where you find rip currents, you’ll also find potholes, which are dark indentations located from a few feet to a few hundred feet from the shoreline. When you’re observing a beach at low tide, try to remember the locations of potholes. Fish will stack up in them when the tide rises and covers them with water. They will, however, change location as the sand moves around.
This may sound strange, but this is a question I hear more than any other question when guiding in salt water: How deep is a fathom?
The question may seem irrelevant; however, if you ever have to read a nautical chart, you’ll notice that most charts record depths in fathoms, not feet.
Understanding how to read a chart can help you in navigating a channel, finding a secret hot spot, avoiding a sandbar, and, most important, getting back to the dock at the end of the day.
Here are some useful con versions for reading a nautical chart.
| 1 fathom | = 6 feet |
| 1 nautical mile | = 1.2 miles |
| 1 knot | = 1.2 mph |
| 1 meter | = 3.3 feet |
I remember fishing off the beach when I was a boy, and noticing that once the water along the beach began to churn, I began catching fish. It was as if someone had turned on a switch, causing the water to come alive with baitfish, bird life, and hookups. A few years later I figured out that the ocean turbulence and activity were the result of a changing tide.
Tides are very important to fishing success in both offshore and inshore waters, dictating where the fish will feed, and when they will feed. Being familiar with the tide’s ebb and flow will improve your chances for success, no matter where you fish.
Rising tide brings in an abundance of baitfish and crustaceans.
I find the rising tide to be the optimum time to fish. Flood tides bring in new water filled with baitfish, shrimp, and other forage for gamefish to feast on. The gamefish will herd the bait into tight groups. Like the bad guys in a Western flick lying in wait for the good guys, the gamefish lie in wait to ambush the bait as it moves into nearshore areas, using the shoreline as a trap.
Falling tides that flush out marshes, estuaries, and flats can prove beneficial to the saltwater fly fisherman, as gamefish predictably will wait in deep channels and holes, and on sandbars for a seafood buffet being swept toward them.
As the tide falls, the receding water pulls small, tasty creatures out of the rocks and marsh grass.
Fishing offshore tides is different from fishing nearshore tides. Instead of the flooding and draining effect that tides have on inland flats and marshes, offshore tides are more about the movement of water, or current. This water movement is generated by both tide and wind. And the greater the current, the better the fishing. How does this occur? As water moves over offshore structure, drop-offs, rock piles, and even floating kelp rafts, the currents push the bait into tight groups, making them easier prey for predatory gamefish.
Tidal movements correspond with the moon phase, with the most extreme tides occurring during new and full moons. Fishing during these times is usually most productive. Keep in mind, however, that a full moon allows fish to feed all night. When the moon is full, fishing at dusk and dawn is often most productive.
Full and new moons produce strong tidal movements, which concentrate the bait.
Remember: The more tidal movement or current (water moving in, out, or in a certain direction), the better the fishing!
A good guide can provide you with a wealth of the information you need when fly fishing unfamiliar waters. His time spent on the water, logging hundreds of hours, studying the characteristics of different gamefish, and honing fly-fishing skills are almost guaranteed to make you a better angler. When you go to a different location and want to fish, hiring a guide is a worthwhile investment. Once you have enlisted his assistance, pay attention: Listen and learn! You might be a fly-fishing whiz on Montana’s Beaverhead River, but you will find that saltwater fly fishing is entirely different from fly fishing in fresh water. Don’t bend his ear with stories about your skills as a freshwater angler. You are there to learn from him, not vice versa.
Find a good guide and you may make a lifelong friend in the process.
