How to: Reading the water

[hookset]

Came across this article by Randy Jones. It's a nice read. It might take me a couple posts to put up the complete article.


By Randy S. Jones

The purpose of this article is to give you an idea of where to find game fish in the relative vastness of the ocean and its surrounding waters and to explain the importance of tides to any saltwater fishing. The ocean is a huge area with much of the water devoid of fish. Where are the fish and why? Read on.

Randy Jones leading clients across the shallow flats of Monomoy, Cape Cod. photo John Halnon

Tides
What is tide and current? Tide is the vertical movement of water. Current is the horizontal movement of water. In a 24-hour period there are 2 high and 2 low tides. When the tide is rising, it’s known as flooding. When the tide is falling, it's known as ebbing. When there is no horizontal or vertical movement of the water, the tide is slack.

What creates or causes them? It’s the gravitational pull between the sun and moon on the earth’s atmosphere. This creates tides and currents. Because the moon is closer than the sun, it has more of an effect on our tides. Therefore, we have to pay special attention to the different phases of the moon.

Full / New moons create spring tides that mean higher high tides, lower low tides and faster currents. Opposite moon phases mean lower high tides, higher low tides and slower currents. The exaggerated full and new moons normally create better fishing conditions.

Why are tides and currents so important to understand? Here’s the bottom line — fish are easier to catch when they are feeding and it’s the tide and currents that dictate this. This means the tide and current will concentrate the bait and the movement of water will initiate and stimulate feeding activity. As the water begins to move, smaller baitfish are at the mercy of the current and get confused in the turbulent water. Larger game fish have an advantage because they are equipped to feed in this turbulent water. As such, moving water is often best for fishing.
I highly recommend a tide log book (known as tide tables in the United Kingdom ) for anyone interested in understanding tides and currents more thoroughly for your area. This book is my bible. It’s what I use to plan each and every fishing day.

Let’s take tides and currents a step further. The fastest part of either tide is normally 2 hours before the high and 2 hours before the low. Most areas fish the best during this time period, but not all. The fastest of either is the falling tide; normally this is the better of the two. As water begins to push in or out, it starts out moving slowly, then gradually increases in speed until reaching a crescendo. During this peak the fish normally feed voraciously. Taking very little time to inspect their next meal for scent and realism. This is similar to trout feeding in the fast water. These tides can almost be too easy.

I’m not embarrassed to say that after fly guiding in Vermont for trout for 12 years I was intimidated by the saltwater environment at first. Where are the fish and why? How? After reading Striper Moon by Kenny Abriems and Inshore Saltwater Fly-Fishing by Lou Tabory, I realized the similarities between the two and found my doubts less warranted. With fly-fishing the main ingredients are basically the same. Presentation.

Casting
Same as freshwater, but throw in the double haul for good measure and easier casting! Mostly we are stripping streamers through the water.

Instead of entomology it's baitology: Much easier to understand than 1000 types of caddis, stones, mayflies, etc. Matching the hatch? Try 3 profiles in thin, medium and wide. A few specialty flies (surface flies, squid, crabs and shrimp). Use brighter colours in the spring and more natural colours in the later part of the summer. Simple.

Habitat
Several basic types — beaches, flats, marshes, estuaries, rock structures, jetties, bays and rips. Once you've learned the basic ingredients, its as simple as saying “Fish On”
Let’s discuss tides, currents and their relationship to structure, so we can all catch more fish. When water is moving and coming into contact with rocks, points of land, holes, islands, jetties, rises in the bottom, channels etc there is a natural tendency for the water to speed up. It has to compress or concentrate its flow (speed up) to get over, around or into a piece of structure, just like in a trout stream. This increased water flow or speed draws the attention of predators. We all know if a predator has to expel more energy to get food than it takes in, it will surely die. That’s why predators normally use this structure to hide behind (like trout ) and allow the currents to bring their food to them. Baitfish are at a disadvantage as they are unable to swim away or navigate easily with these faster currents, sometimes being tumbled. These areas are one of the easiest places to catch.

BIG bass are easiest to catch when they are feeding actively. What initiates this? Most of the time it’s the speed of the current moving the bait over, around or into structure. The faster the current the more aggressively they will feed and the easier they are to catch! During the course of a day most flats will have fish on them, but I try to only fish the ones that have moving water.
This equation works ninety percent of the time.

Moving water + structure = a compressed water flow.
Compressed water flow + baitfish = predators.

Take some time and study current movement. Seek out moving water and you will be rewarded. The only time this equation will not work is if there has been a strong wind for several days that will blow the bait out. Water temps. are too cold or warm. (55 — 65 deg. best — like trout) Too much noise created by anglers or boats. The following areas are all ideal locations to find your quarry. The best way (for the most part) to learn and understand these area’s is to look at them at low tide.

[hookset]

by Randy Jones

Rips
One of the easiest pieces of structure to catch fish. Rips are formed by bars of sand or rock that rise up to below the surface, combined with current. Points of land also create them. Severe changes in depth with tide and current create turbulent water. The increase in water flow as it moves over or around this structure is a main stay in consistent hook-ups. Bait is swept over structure as the water flow is concentrated. This leaves bait confused, unable to swim against this faster current. It leaves them easy prey.

Rips occur when tide is coming in or out and can be found in any type of habitat. Fish really key in on these and make them a regular stop in search for a meal. Normally casting across the rip line and retrieving your fly as it cross’s into deeper water will work. This imitates the natural bait being swept over the rip. Sometimes letting your fly swing and go deeper into the water will also produce great results. The speed and depth of water would determine the type of fly line you would use.

Marshes and estuaries
A marsh system is a relatively flat, low-lying portion of the coastline. Hidden behind beaches and harbours. These marsh systems tend to have a lot of water movement and tidal flow. Mud bottoms warm up the quickest and are the very first place we find them in the spring. Starting on the South side of Cape Cod moving east. We talk about marsh systems in regards to fishing because they are very rich in food and nutrients. These areas are a nursery ground for many saltwater species including plankton, shellfish, chubs, grass shrimp, crabs, sand lances, silver sides, herring, cinder worms etc. As such, game fish love these areas and are an ideal habitat for bass and blues looking for an easy meal. Normally as the water heats up as the summer progresses they will move out and into areas that have a cold water influence.
Fish can be found in a marsh almost all the time, depending on its size. Many times fishing high up in the system at high tide and working your way down on the drop will keep you in the general area that the fish are travelling. Fish near the mouth at low tide and work up with the incoming. If your marsh system is smaller in nature than most, fish will leave as the tide recedes and hold in an area with deep water accessible, most likely at the mouth or just outside it. Normally you will have current flowing out of the marsh at this time and the fish will be feeding on the bait that is swept out. This would be a prime area to fish. If your marsh is large then look for fish to hold and feed within this area. They will have plenty of deep water and feel safe to remain in the system to feed through the entire tide.

When the water is moving the fish are feeding. Marsh systems can be very long and meander endlessly, like a freshwater stream. So, how do we locate fish? What do we look for? Well, the key word is structure. Structure can be anything that helps shelter fish or bait. It could be rocks, deep holes, rips, ledges, channels, undercut banks, logs, depressions, sand bars or the channel itself. Fish it like you would a river. Look at your favourite marsh at low tide and it will open up all of its secrets.

Rock Structures and Jetties
Jetties are normally located at the entrance to harbours, marsh systems or along the coast to try and protect it. Jetties and other rock structures (rocky coastline) are home too many baitfish. They feel safe and comfortable being able to blend in with the surrounding structure. Our quarry understands this and keys in on this type of habitat for this and other reasons.

At low tide, does your beach have many rocks exposed? If so, then this could be a prime area to fish at the high. It will have bait fish and predators mixed within all of the rocks that are now covered. Throw in waves crashing over the rocks, tumbling the bait and this makes them an easy target for predators.
When on a jetty, try fanning your casts. Work close to the jetty then further out. If your at the tip of the jetty (12 o’clock) look for water being swept (concentrated) around the tip of it. The fish will always be at the 1 o’clock position if the current is sweeping the bait in the current from left to right. This would be another form of a rip. The jetty forms a point and the current from the shoreline to the tip of the jetty is being compressed around the tip. The bait gets swept along for the ride and the predators will be waiting for an easy meal.

Flats
A large expanse of shallows, consisting of mud, eelgrass or sand. Its high noon, blue-bird sky, light coloured sand, incoming tide, cool breeze blowing, standing in 2 — 3 feet of crystal clear water in June, July and August. Girls in grass skirts surround you (just kidding). Sound like the Caribbean?

Here on Cape Cod, we have miles and miles of light coloured sand flats and crystal clear water that makes sight casting to 5 — 25 pound stripers the order of the day. This is probably the most exciting type of fly-fishing you will ever do. They’re cruising the flats eating crabs, shrimp, silversides and sand lances, and just waiting for your perfectly cast fly. Sometimes you need to burn up the water with a fast retrieve and at other times using a dead drift with the current is all that is needed. All methods will require distance, speed and accuracy in your casting skills.


http://www.leadertec.com/Images/randy_pic2.jpg
photo John Halnon


We have some of the finest destination flats fishing in the world right here on Cape Cod. Seeing hundreds of fish in a tide is the norm. Stripers and blues come to this area in search of food. As the sand flat becomes covered with water the baitfish move up onto the flat through troughs, sluice ways and channels to escape the predators. Approximately 2 hours before high water the predators come up onto the flat following these same troughs (like roads) in search of food. This would be a good place to stand and sight cast to them.

Sun and no wind make for optimal sight fishing conditions as they cruise the flat. At high tide many times you will find them in 6 inches of water tight to the shore, again, this is where their next meal is hiding. So this would be an additional area to prospect during that stage of the tide.

As the water starts to recede, the larger fish will leave that area and depart from the flat using similar channels and sluiceways to those they came up on. This is another prime spot to fish. Normally they will hold, waiting in ambush in the deeper water for the baitfish to get flushed off the flat. My next move would be to stand close to the edge of the flat and cast my fly into the creek that is flowing off the flat. I'd allow my fly to swing and sink, imitating a baitfish being washed off the flat.
This is one of many basic feeding patterns that never changes and consistently repeats itself, tide after tide.

Beaches
Beaches are one of the most difficult areas to understand and read. Mother Natures’ signature clues can sometimes be very subtle and a keen eye and knowledge of what to look for is imperative to being a proficient reader of where the fish are at and why.

What to look for? Converging currents, slope of beach, tidal flow, wash, waves, sand bars, ocean holes, dips, slots, troughs, spill zones, wind direction, points, channels from bays, rips, rocks and coves. These are areas that all hold fish. The best way to learn a beach is to first look at it at low tide.

Slope of beach
A gradual sloping beach is probably a better beach to take the kids to then to fish. Normally if the slope of the beach is steep then it continues at that angle subsurface. These are preferred areas to fish due to its depth and fish holding capabilities.

Wash
The wash is the area where the wave crashes onto the beach and where the water receding off the beach meets. This white water turbulence is often at your feet and often over looked as a fish holding habitat. Fish can and do feed in this turbulent area where the bait is being tumbled and confused, making it an easy target for a predator.

[hookset]

Randy Jones part 3

Sand Bars
These come in many shapes and sizes and normally how the current, wave action relate to the bar is the key ingredient to understand where the fish will be holding.

If you see a point off a beach it will normally continue out under the surface. Combine a current on the dropping or incoming tide moving across it and you will very likely have a rip. Look for most fish to be feeding on the down tide side.

If a sand bar were 50 feet off the shore running parallel to it with waves crashing over it then I would look for the fish to be holding between the beach and the bar. They will feed on the bait as it's picked up by the wave and tossed over the bar. Casting into the wave as it’s ready to break and allowing the wave to crash on your fly, then imparting a darting action will often result in a strike.
There will be times where you will be able to stand on these bars and cast your fly perpendicular to the wave / current direction and allow your fly to flow over the bar and into the deeper water. Imparting action to your fly or simply letting it dead drift will often result in a strike.

Channels from a Bay or Estuary
These areas are a magnet for fish. All Bays and estuaries hold bait fish. At sometime these baitfish will leave these areas or be sucked out by the tidal current. These channels are prime feeding lies for cruising, migrating, resident bass and blues. On a dropping tide the current through these channels is often extremely fast, providing a predator an easy meal. They may set up like a trout on a seam, behind a bar (rip) or maybe in a multitude of different sand holes on the bottom created by this incredibly fast concentrated current. Often sight fishing to these fish is almost comical as you can pick out the fish you want to catch. It’s just like swinging a streamer for trout. With this increased flow of water they do not have the time to study or inspect your fly for realism and are often much more opportunistic feeders, which we always like.

Ocean Holes
These are good fish holding locations due to the depth of water they hold, making the fish feel comfortable within this habitat. One of the easiest ways to find an Ocean hole is to put on a pair of polarized sunglasses and look down the beach. Look for the darkest water along the beach and you've just found a spot to fish.

Waves
A wave is made when it comes in contact with shallows. Often by simply reading the swells and where the wave is breaking will help you to decide where to fish. If a wave breaks on the shoreline then I know I have deep water in front of me and would be a good fishing location. If the waves start to build 200 feet out, crest and break far from shore then I probably have a point of sand or shallow water bar. If I have waves breaking out to my right and left, but breaking at my feet in front of me, then I probably have an ocean hole. This is where I would fish. Even if you cannot visually see sub-surface structure, by reading the swells and breaks it will help you understand what you cannot see.

Reading Sand
Holes, bars, dips, pockets normally indicate fast moving water. A prime location to fish when the current is at it’s optimum. Soft sand equals shifting sand and in this area expect Sand Lances (called sand eels in the UK ) to be present. They normally seek out this type of sand to hide in. Throwing a Sand Lance pattern would be my first choice. Or the real thing!

Bays
Bays are comprised of everything. Flats, bars, channels, rips, marsh, beach, and rocks. Look for birds, darker deeper water, structure, current and all of the above. Read the water right and this is the result, a beautiful striped bass. photo John Halnon

http://www.leadertec.com/Images/randy_pic3.jpg
Read the water right and this is the result, a beautiful striped bass. photo John Halnon


The best way to study these different habitats is to first start out at low tide. Go for a walk on your favourite beach. Notice the points, bars, holes and rocks. These are the areas to concentrate on and could be loaded with fish later in the tide. A careful eye and an understanding of these areas are all that is needed to become a proficient angler.

Let’s try to put it all together. As an angler, your goal is to search out and study all the above mentioned habitats and their relationship with moving water. Fish them, find out when each piece of structure fishes at its optimum. (Remember my equation?) Some will fish best at high, mid, low, incoming, outgoing, half in or half out. Others on a half or full moon, while sometimes your spots will fish best on opposite phases. Compile an assortment of spots, so you can do what I do each day before heading out. Fish each spot when it is at its optimum. Thus guaranteeing you the best chances for hooking up! You will find with time the more spots you acquire, the odds of fishing 24 -7 all summer long increase. Also, you will then be able to take wind into consideration. Casting on your back cast is easy as spreading soft butter on a warm muffin when you’re experienced. But for the new angler it’s an acquired skill. So being able to fish, casting on your forward cast can sometimes be a more pleasurable experience.

When I go fishing, I take all this and more into consideration when deciding where to go. In my opinion, fly-fishing is one of the most challenging and rewarding types of fishing you will ever experience. But to achieve proficiency you need to have a clear understanding of tides, currents and habitat you fish. Then you'll soon be realising the best part of fly fishing —FISH ON!

http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtechniques/Tides_habitats.html

[katiefishes]

Thanks for posting that hookset. I found it informative and helpful.

[7deadlyplugs]

Great read, hookset. I was reading this one the other day, but yours is a lot more detailed.:thumbsup:

http://www.landbigfish.com/articles/default.cfm?ID=725


How to Read the Beach for Surf Fishing
By Joe Malat (http://www.landbigfish.com/profiles/default.cfm?ID=36)

Rookie surf casters, as they gaze into the churning mix of breaking waves and vast expanse of open ocean are often intimidated. They have no clue about where to cast their baits and lures. “It all looks the same,” I often hear. But it doesn’t. Each section of beach has a combination of obvious and subtle characteristics that may determine the presence of fish. The key to reading the beach is being able to locate sections of beach that are most likely to attract fish.

A slough is a deep trough that runs parallel to the beach, bordered by a sand bar on one side and the beach on the other. The distance from the beach to the bar will determine the width of the slough. Fish travel up and down this trough and look for food such small fish, crabs, and sandworms. On the Outer Banks, under normal conditions, we have approximately a two-foot difference in water depth along the ocean beach between low and high tides, and it's easier to locate a slough at low tide, when the sand bars are easily visible.

When the water depth decreases suddenly in a short distance, such as in the case of a sandbar, the incoming waves will break on top of that bar. In the case of a gently sloping beach, with no outer bar, the waves will gradually spill over, and continue to do so until they eventually break on the beach. This what experienced surf fishers call a flat beach.

Beach sand can also be a tip-off about the contour of the ocean bottom. Very fine, tightly packed sand is often found on a beach with a gradual slope. Coarse sand, or small gravel, is typically found on a steep sloping beach. Sometimes this coarse, large sand is often darker than the fine grain sand, and it's not unusual to find various types of sand over several miles of beach.

The width of a slough may also be critical. On the Outer Banks, big fish such as red drum tend to prefer the wider, deeper sloughs, with some shallow, shoal water at either end. Speckled trout, flounder and sea mullet can be caught in narrow sloughs where the bar may be as close as fifteen to twenty yards off the beach, but the water between the beach and the bar is several feet deep.

Once you locate a promising slough, it's time to take the investigation one step further. Fish may travel this ocean "highway", but they need a way to get on the road. They can do this through a break in the outer bar, easily discovered after watching the waves for several minutes. If there is a break in the bar, a wave will pass over the bar, but will not crest.

If the occurrence consistently repeats, that indicates a cut in the bar. Fast moving, rippling, or discolored water may also be seen at these breaks or “outsucks” when the tide is falling. Not only will wandering fish come into the sloughs through these breaks, the fast moving water around these breaks will often form rip currents that send food swirling past the predator fish as they line up in front of the baitfish buffet.

Sloughs are not the only beach formations that attract fish. Currents and winds may scallop out the beach and form points. Frequently, the water is deep on one side of a point, a perfect location for fish to congregate. A well defined point on an open beach may attract fish the same way a piece of structure will hold fish on an otherwise featureless ocean floor. The key is to concentrate your efforts in a location that is just a bit different from the rest of the topography.

Hard structures such as jetties, piers, bridges, or inlets are also locations that encourage fish to stop and congregate. Usually these don't change, but the beaches around them will change regularly. Inlets can be incredibly productive locations to fish the surf. On a falling tide, the small baitfish and other sources of food are swept out of the inlet, providing a natural chum line that will attract fish from miles away.
Beach formations are constantly appearing, moving, rearranging or disappearing, as the winds, currents, and waves change. A perfect speckled trout hole can appear then vanish in a few days, or even migrate up and down the beach during the course of several weeks. Keep that in mind as you scan the surf line, looking for that ideal slough or perfect point.

[baitstealer]

Reading the water is one of the most asked questions from newbies. I came across this chart showing the optimal location of bait.

http://www.stripersonline.com/ubb547/image_uploads3/beachfig3A.JPG

[DarkSkies]

There have been quite a few requests lately from new members about reading the water.

We've gone over the basics, but in different threads.

There are some great books out there, among them John Skinner's, to name a few.

On the internet, there are some all-time best threads on this subject. Poppy's "reading the water" comes to mind as one that's very good because it has pics of the water to illustrate what he's talking about.

I threw up this thread to help the new guys learn more effectively. I'll fill these in when I get a chance. I'll try to post up some more interesting stuff and pics when I can.

Anyone else wants to post up some of the stuff they learned, feel free, and thanks. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Just because the bay is basically flat and seems to have less depressions or structure per mile than the ocean, there are still some things you can learn:

[DarkSkies]

Some bay pics:

[DarkSkies]

Some bay pics:

[DarkSkies]

Basics: reading the rivers and inlets

[DarkSkies]

Some river pics:

[DarkSkies]

Some inlet pics:

[DarkSkies]

Basics: reading the surf
The surf is more challenging than the bay. While the bay changes every year, the surf changes with every major storm.

Cuts and sloughs:


Outsucks:

Current:

Inner bar vs outer bar:


Where fish like to be:

[DarkSkies]

more surf pics

[DarkSkies]

some surf pics

[DarkSkies]

other surf pics

[voyager35]

Basics: reading the surf
The surf is more challenging than the bay. While the bay changes every year, the surf changes with every major storm.


That's why guys should be out there putting in their time instead of following all the internet reports like lemmings. You can lead a man to water, but you can't make him want to learn.

What I do-----I mostly fish in a boat where GPS is important. You might think that's all there is to is, job done. Nope, I also have landmarks written down for my inshore spots that are just beyond the surf. When we fish the rocks off of Deal, I write down in a Captain's log which pieces were more productive that year, and when. I write down if a rocky piece was between 2 certain landmarks. I also do this when we drift for fluke because we are drifting on sand, and the humps shift with the seasons.

Reading the water should be something that is in every fisherman's toolkit, whether you fish the surf or from a boat. Fishing an inlet is important as well. There are certain weather patterns and tides when you want to be near the front on the incoming and others where you want to be further towards the back on the outgoing. There are others that have some severe rips right before the inlet, and you have to read that water as well. They all depend on the structure and water flow of that particular inlet.

[finchaser]

Basics: reading the surf
The surf is more challenging than the bay. While the bay changes every year, the surf changes with every major storm.

Cuts and sloughs:


Outsucks:

Current:

Inner bar vs outer bar:


Where fish like to be:






I know the answer to the last one: (Where fish like to be)

In the water:D

[DarkSkies]

I know the answer to the last one: (Where fish like to be)

In the water:D

(I guess you missed the part where I said: "I'll fill in when I get a chance" :HappyWave:)

So you're takin the place of Killie tonight? :laugh:

Where is the HealThyselfMiracleMan...he sick or somethin?

Did he ask ya to fill in for him on the ballbustin crew?

Ya know, the job doesn't pay overtime, and the hours are terrible...;)

[BassBuddah]

A little something I try to look for, find the water that is different from the rest ie when the water is going out, find the water that is still coming in, or vice versa. This will reveal an area of stronger current. It's not always easy to spot for the newbie. Give it some practice in the sunlight, and you will soon get better at it.

[fishinmission78]

If you want to learn the basics, go to one stretch of beach at low tide, study it, and learn that well. Do it as many times as you need to until you learn that area. It would help if it was near an inlet, you can then learn what happens near the inlet as the tide ebbs and floods. Look for eddies or pools of different water near the sides of the inlets. Concentrate on one thing at a time. Your confidence will build up that way.

[surfstix1963]

Sandbars are pretty easy to see whats going on especially when you have waves.

A wave only breaks over shallow water.

Where it starts to form is the outer bar(deep water)

When it starts to form it is going over the sandbar(lower water).

Where it actually breaks is called the slough or trough. The wave dies down because it is coming back to deep water.

Thats the area between the beach and where the wave broke. Most of the fish are going to be right in front of the inside of the bar.

If you think about the least turbulent place for the fish to hold and feed on bait being washed over the bar, its where the wave just lifted and broke right over their heads.

Its really important to try to cast over the outer bar and work it slowly over the bar. When it comes over the bar this is where you need to pay close attention to the plug.

Keep it working but don't get caught up in the wave.

Try to follow the backside of the wave so your plug doesn't tumble and you lose control of it.

Waves usually come in sets.
Try and count them to get some insight on how the sets are coming in.
If you figure that you will have some time to work your plug w/o wave interference there should be nice foamy water. Always try to cast to the backside of an incoming wave.

Then you have cuts in the bar.
Watch the waves break. There will be areas where the wave is not breaking. This is a cut. This is the fishes hwy.

From outside the bar to the inside is where they can search for food. It is basically just a deep pocket of water in the sandbar the fish use because they can't get over the shallow sandbar.

Like I said most of the bait is being washed over the bar into the slough.I hope this made sense because I kind of got lost in my words.

[Frankiesurf]

What he said.:clapping:

[killie]

no need to read the water, call Bob. :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

no need to read the water, call Bob. :HappyWave:


What happens when your cell phone doesn't work one day and ya can't find Bob? :fishing:

Pssst - Word on the street has even odds that if ya don't get that special plug (you were given last year) painted in the next 30 days... ya might get lost in the shuffle and not be able to find the path to the promised land any more.

Better fire up the compressor and the airbrush, dude. ;) :moon: :HappyWave:

[surfstix1963]

Outer Bar & Cuts:

Another way to identify cuts when the waves aren't around is to look for foamy water or just a difference in what the water looks like as it exits.

This will be vertical to the beach.

You need to look a little harder but you will learn to see it.

I feel the larger fish stay on the outer bar right near the opening of the cut. As the water naturally comes in and recedes through the cut, there will be a current or eddy formed because of the surrounding sandbar on both sides of the cut.

This forces the water and the bait to be washed in and out of the narrow opening. Easy pickings...big bass are lazy, and they didn't get big by being stupid.

If you can reach the outer bar I like to fish my bucktails real close to the bottom in these cuts. Just my .02 cents

[surfstix1963]

Sloughs or troughs:

Another good holding spot is slough or trough.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the fish use this to feed against the inside of the bar.

Sometimes you have a situation when the wave is rolling over the bar into the trough, but flattens out all the way to the beach. This is when the trough in front of the inner bar has a rising hump in the bottom midway to the beach and a drop off in front of it.

So you have:
a) the sandbar,
b) the trough in front of that(fish holding here)
c) then the hump
d) and a drop off between the beach and the hump.(fish holding real tight to the beach.)

This is why you never lift your plug out of the water -- keep reeling until it is on the sand.



Another thing... don't step in the water when you first get there because:
#1- theres a drop off and you will take a swim
#2- thats where some of the fish will be, and they will get spooked.

You can only identify this at high tide by the wave action.

At low tide you will see these humps as you walk the beach.

If you can imagine what these humps look like at high tide you will see the uprising and a deeper depression between two of them.

The bait and fish like to lay in the deeper spots between the two rising areas.

You can feel these as you walk at the lower tidal stages at night if you can remember what they felt like when you walked on them at low tide during the day.

I don't try to reach the outer bar too much in this situation, because the fish like to get inside the trough at night.

I like to work the trough and bring it into the drop off right to the beach.

Stay out of the water! Remember #1 and #2 at night. :learn:

[surfstix1963]

I'll just give a quickie on inlets because I cannot educate NJ jetty jockies. I may learn much from you guys.

An inlet is basically a hwy from the bay to the ocean for bait and fish to get from one to the other.

Current is the big factor in the inlets.

It brings the bait to the fish where they lie to feed in the various structure...rocks, eddies, and rips.

The fish will feed on the inside when the current is moving in and vice versa when going out.

What you need to know tide and current are 2 different things.

I don't know how many times someone has come up to me and asked why the tide is going in or out.

It was supposed to be doing this at this time according to the tide charts.

Well it is doing that, but the current continues until the bay water and the ocean water equalize or level out. The tide may be changing, but the current will still be running for another 1-2 hrs. Depending on the size of the bay it is filling or emptying.

I think the best fishing for me is the 2 hrs. from tide change to the current change as the flow slows down

I feel this is also when the fish are on the move opposite of where they were. I'll let the jetty guys fill in the spaces.

[surfstix1963]

OK gotta go my back is shot hope this helps you new guys out.:thumbsup:

[Dreaminofishin]

As a result of reading these threads I'm going to be spending a lot more time studying the water instead of throwing and hoping. When you fish an inlet do you always throw your plug/jig upcurrent and let it come down to the fish?

[DarkSkies]

Dreaminofishin, here's what I do when I fish an inlet. Other guys do it differently, it's all a matter of preference and what you're comfortable with:


Flood tide...
I generally like to be near the back of the inlet. If the inlet has a bridge or some kind of structure, I'll fish against the current and fish from whatever side allows me to do that. I don't want to confuse you by bringing bridges into the equation, but often there are car or train bridges near the back of inlets.

Big predators hang around structure in wait to ambush smaller fish. Since I generally fish at night, I look for the shadow lines made by the lights, and try to throw out so my offering ends up in the darkness of the shadow line.

Again, I'll try just to stay on the inlet topic here. All inlets are basic in their design. As Surfstix said, they are a highway for a water and the fish. There are many subtle differences for each inlet. That's why you should pick one inlet and learn those differences at different stages of the tide.

The first thing I would do if I didn't know an inlet was to go there at extreme low tide, right before slack. Pay attention to the rocks on the sides and the variations. All sorts of little fish, and also seabass, tog, crabs, etc will be hiding in those rocks as the tide fills. It's also a good time to check any nuances in structure you can see near bottom. If you're bait fishin it will save you many lost rigs.

As the tide fills in, you may have eddies, pockets, or areas in back of the inlet where the current is less. I think Surfstix, despite his modesty, did a fantastic job of explaining the difference between tide and current above. :thumbsup:

The current will become stronger or weaker at different stages of the tide. A lot of guys like to fish the middle areas of inlets. Fine, but know when to move from them. IMO the middle areas are best at the beginning and end of the tidal flow when current is weaker. That's a great time to toss out plugs because you can retreive across the current and still have your plug at a slow enough retrieval speed.

Retrieving plugs when the current is too fast, like in the middle of a tide when current is at its strongest, can be a waste of time if you're targeting bass. What I usually dto is hit an inlet up to 2 hours before and 2 hours after high tide, as many have advised. That seems to be the best window.

Ebb tide:
Everybody's different. I like to be at the front of an inlet for the ebb. I try to figure out where the sweep is. The sweep is the direction the water is moving in the ocean. This depends on the moon stage, wind, offshore weather patterns which sometimes give rise to a swell, among other factors. Also the structure at the outer area of the inlet.

Based on that sweep I'll decide whether I want to fish the N or S side of the inlet. I'll note here that right before a storm, I might concentrate on the front of the inlet for he ebb, depending on the wind and sweep. If fish are pulled out of the inlet by the tide, and there is a swell pushing the water in at the same time, there can be some big predators right in front, or to the sides of the rocks in front. This gets a little dicey, safety gear is an absolute must. More on that in a bit.

When I work the front rocks of an inlet, I will take the bucktail and bounce it on the bottom as close as I can to the rocks without getting hung up. This is where you will lose the most jigs until you get the hang of it. Even after you get better, you'll still lose some jigs if you're fishin it right. I generally like to bounce the bucktail around the frong of the inlet, gradually working it around the structure WITH the tide.

If you were a scuba diver, you would be amazed at all the bass that sit at the bottom near the safety of the rocks. The strong current just 20 feet above them is less intense as the current action is broken up by that bottom structure.


Full/New moon tides:
However my fishin rules are not set in stone. If there's a full or new moon tide, the current will be extremely strong. It's a waste to fish the fastest running water during the mid-tide.

Does that mean ya go home? Nope, that's why ya need plan B, and C sometimes. I will bounce around an area and may come back to an inlet area 2 or 3 times in a night, fishing other spots until I feel the tide is optimal.

[DarkSkies]

Should I stay or should I go?
Also, if you're not doing anything at an inlet, how do you know if the fish are there? My guage is the bait. If there is a lot of bait around and popping, I know fish will usually be on them. That's not the whole picture. Many times you will see bait running in and out on the sides because the current is usually a little less intense there. You won't see anyting popping or on the surface at all. You have to train your eyes to look for them. Sometimes that's difficult in fast moving water. It's something I don't believe you can teach to someone. You have to learn to recognize it at your own pace to get good at it.

My intensity and focus on fishing a place becomes more directed when I see lots of bait. However, there are times when you will see no bait and fish will still be holding.

Jigging and bucktailing:
That's where the bucktailing comes in, or throwing rubber jigs. A lot of guys will make a few casts at an inlet, move around once or twice, convince themselves because there are no fish busting on the surface that it ain't happenin that night. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/smilies/don't%20know%20why.gif Sometimes they're right, but I always remember a simple rule an old-timer taught me years ago:

"The fish are on the bottom" http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif :learn:
If you don't probe the bottom as part of your fishin that night, you will never know if you missed the fish by not being deep enough.

As the current strengthens through the tide, it's an effort for a fish to not get swept in or out. So many bait fish will hold to the sides, and bigger fish hold on the bottom, away from the stronger.

Another reality is that the bigger fish move with the current. Striped bass love current. You have a higher chance at catching a big bass in strong current than you do on the flats somewhere.

The key is realizing that a bass will move during the tide stages up or down an inlet area to find the combination of water they can comfortably swim in, ambush food, and not get swept away.

Current is less strong on the bottom, so that's where the big predators will sit during strong parts of the tide. Or they'll find a ledge, a seam, or crease in the bottom to sit and pop up once in awhile to nab a juicy enough baitfish.

Bucktailing/fishing rubber:
Your job bucktailing or throwing rubber is to find where those fish are sitting. Learning creases, ledges or seams is good if you have a boat with a depth finder. From shore you have to do your own prospecting.

If you're jigging, you'll lose bucktails and jigs. Never buy expensive bucktails or rubber when starting out. Buy stuff in multi-packs, or at flea markets. If you have a friend who makes bucktails and likes to trade, that's golden. :dribble:

The functionality of a bucktail doesn't depend on how much you paid for it or how artistic it looks. :kooky: It's all about how you work it in the water. I have seen old timers fishing next to other guys outfish them 3:1 with the same bucktail. At times I've been the one outfished 3:1 as well. When that happens to you, you will quickly try to learn the subtle differences. ;)

The best advice I can give you about beginning bucktailing or jigging is to:
1. Read a good book on bucktailing (Skinner's comes to mind)
2. Buy a lot of cheap or used bucktails at shows
3. Learn to bounce the bottom.

As you become more proficient and get into bigger fish, the quality of the bucktail hook becomes more important. You will tend to learn which ones to stay away from if you lose a big fish when a hook pulls. :burn: Big fish don't just break your line, they break your heart! :( You don't need to worry about that much in the beginning, just work on your technique.


Fish with mono in the inlets first when learning. As you lose jigs it's not cool to put a lot of braid out there on the bottom. I can recommend sufix tritanium 17 or 20lbs for inlets. We have gotten jigs stuck on the bottom and been able to retrieve them with that line.

[surfstix1963]

Good one DS very informative:clapping: like you said when your losing your bucktails your in the target area at least then you just need to find where those fish are holding in that target area.To me the inlets are harder to get a read on unless you learn them upside down and backwards.One thing I like to do when the water is slowing down enough while I'm waiting for the turn around is to throw a live eel no weight and just let him swim around on his own my theory is the fish are starting to move to stage up for the turnaround and that eel is irresistable if they see it. This has gotten me two fish in the thirties(lbs.)and I just did it early one morning when the BT didn't produce I had some eels and just said What the hell threw on a bait rig and wham.So when in doubt try anything.

[DarkSkies]

This is turning out to be a primo thread Surfstix. :HappyWave:Good point about the eels. I was in the middle of editing my post and decided to send you a pm. Look for it. Thanks. :thumbsup:

What Surfstix said about eels is a killer piece of advice, guys and girls. Some huge bass have been taken on eels in inlets. The way to do it is wait until near slack, toss it out, and let it sit. Or ya can drag one in slowly if you know the bottom structure.

Primo times are dawn and dusk. The problem with inlets is that boat traffic really hurts the bite for quality fish. That's why it's best fo fish at night or when the weather is bad and a lot of boats won't be going out.

That being said, that magic hour before dawn in the morning is truly magic when there is bait around. Sometimes you may only get a 1/2 hr or 15 minutes of real action. And the action may not be consistent on a daily basis. That's part of the challenge. If you're there at the exact right time and you see it with your own eyes, you would agree. :lookhappy:

[DarkSkies]

Last but not least. Let's talk about safety...

Safety is always the most important thing:
No fish in the world is worth you jeopardizing your safety or your family's future on those rocks in front. I have friends who have pulled in trophy bass right before a noreaster.

There are some mighty big bass to be had if you fish at or near inlets, at the right times. Tales of trophy sized bass bring guys out during every storm to give it a shot. And EVERY YEAR a guy is washed off or drowned from being washed off an inlet somewhere. :scared:

Especially if you fish the fronts, you have extremely powerful current out there. The rip can wash you out to sea if you lose your footing, and you could drown before anyone gets to you. :(

Some basic safety tips, feel free to add if anyone has any more:

!. Korkers always. I have made a lot of fast friends fishin inlets in the dark of night. However if you've ever walked on the front of an inlet or jetty with sneakers or bare feet and had a guy ask you what the hell ya were doing and how your family would survive without ya :argue: that guy was probably me. :D
(I know someone is gonna bust me about this sooner or later, so I might as well fess up now. In 2008 I fished the Spring bass season with old worn korkers. I got knocked down quite a few times as I procrastinated about buyin new ones. I was wrong. Some of my friends won't let me forget it. I make lots of mistakes. That was just one of a long list. Confession ever. Effumall! ;))


2. Try to wear something other than waders. Raingear, pants, boots, drytop, etc. If you feel the need to wear them, you should have a wader belt. There is no reasonable way you're gettin your waters off if you get washed out in strong current. They could become your grave marker.

3. Fishing plan. There's always one person who knows where I am when I'm on a jetty or inlet somewhere, or out in a kayak they know the general area I put in at. You night warriors would be well-advised to do the same. ;)

4. Escape plan in your head. I've taken a bunch of headers over my head fishin rocks, jetties, and lighthouses. I know what I'm getting into when I go out there. You can't always plan the sizes of the waves if you get a rogue set in there. So you should anticipate what your first survival moves will be when you eventually get knocked down, or in the water.

Fishin with a buddy is good. I don't always do that, so I try to think what rock, what channel, what area I will try for if I do go swimming. Many bad experiences in life can be turned around by thoughtful planning ahead of time. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

With all the above lecturing done, please don't be the guy below. What he did is not cool, or smart. And I haven't seen any jetty world records reported in 2009, so I know he didn't get the world record the afternoon he set out to fish that noreaster. ;)

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8141&stc=1&d=1258085839

(As originally posted by Finchaser)
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5327

[DarkSkies]

Surfstix mentioned about there being some threads for the new guys to read and learn from. Don't feel intimidated by asking a question. That's the only way you're gonna learn. :learn:



Search feature:
The "Search" feature toward the right top of the user tool bar (under where the site lists your username) is also helpful for finding stuff. Type in a term, and you should find it if it's here. A little tip is to use " in front of the term if your search words are common or generic. That way your search will be targeted better. Do not use " at both ends of the search term or phrase because sometimes that will be too limiting. You might not find what you're looking for.

Hope this helps, guys and girls. Feel free to click on and add to any of the threads below to help our new members.

Some of your questions might be answered in the threads below.
They were all found by typing in the word Techniques in the search key.


Surf fishing 101.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ead.php?t=1824 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1824)

We also have a lot of "New guy/Newbie/Just learning " threads:

You can find these using "Techniques" as the search term:

Bombers
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1136&highlight=Techniques)

Jigging shallow water:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1134&highlight=Techniques)

Jigging deep water:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1135&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing a Mag darter:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1137&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing a Fin-S:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1138&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing a Danny:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1140&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing a Mambo minnow:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1143&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing a Needlefish:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1142&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing a Pencil popper:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1141&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing a Sea Dog or Saltwater Spook:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1146&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing a Shad or rubber swimbait:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1145&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing a Sluggo:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1139&highlight=Techniques)

Fishing Swimmers in the surf:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ght=Techniques (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1791&highlight=Techniques)

[porgy75]

This is a great post guys. I have not been fishing that long and always get great advice here. This post is awesome. Thanks.:clapping::clapping:

[Dreaminofishin]

Great information!!! I have spent a lot of time throwing black bombers into an inlet current running full blast, thinking I was doing the right thing to get into some big fish and catching skunks instead. Time to fish smarter.

One other question, is there anything that you just don't fish at inlets because it's a waste of time? I'm wondering about things like metals and even using bait.

Thanks to everyone for the lessons.

[surfstix1963]

Plugs:
Anything that is considered a swimmimg plug I like to fish as slow as possible.
If you think you're reeling too slow, slow down some more. Just keep the plug moving to keep slack out of the line.

The only exception would be a needlefish you need to try different things w/these.Those posts DS put up are a great read.

I like to throw bucktails and large rubber shads at night at an inlet.

I don't fish inlets much during the day. Fall and early spring there can be some action w/ big blues when the fish are using the inlet for migration. This could be some quick good daytime action. Just bring some heavier tins and poppers. This is one of those "I was at the right place at the right time" things. It probably won't repeat itself daily.

Bait:
If your going to fish bait use eels at night. If you have never done it try and pick up some tips on it. Eel balls are a nightmare. I fish fresh bunker during the day.
Bring lots of rigs because you will get hung up and lose them.

I like a fishfinder rig so the bass doesn't feel the weight when they pick up the bait

I use only circle hooks.
I use gamakatsu 8/0 and mono line 30 lb test.

This is one exception - on a jetty when I break out the 11 ft. Old Ugly Stik rod & a larger line capacity reel, a big bass will take quite a bit of line on its initial run. You need to try and get control w/o horsing the fish. They usually have a couple good runs in them before they wear down. You need to let the fish set the hook.

w/ circles don't rear back when the fish takes off. "Bow to the cow" and when the line comes tight hold on. Just think of every strikeout as a lesson learned. You never stop learning. Hell we all get skunked. Doesn't matter how long you've been doing it, or how much you know. :fishing:


Family first:
One last bit of advice. Take it any way you want. If your a family guy, remember you have a family. This addiction, like any other could drag you down to places you don't want to be. :learn:

Been There Done That.

[surfstix1963]

Inner bar changes:
Another beach scenario that I have seen over the last few years is the inner bar getting pushed up on the beach due to erosion. You will have the situation of wading through some water to get to the exposed bar at low tide.

1-What you have at low tide is a sandbar on land, in which that water you wade through at low tide will be a trough at high tide(much deeper).

You are safer to walk to a break in the trough to enter the exposed bar. That break will be a cut when the tide is in(much deeper) The water your casting in is actually the outer bar.

If the fish are there thats the only place they will be unless they are way out where another bar is forming.

2-the bar you were fishing on will remain a bar just back underwater as the tide rises.

3-When the water starts rising the waves are going to start slamming that ledge of the bar and filling the trough behind you.
If you are not paying attention you could end up in a bad place. b Where you walked in will be going underwater. When that bar appears to be getting smaller to stand on, its time to pack up and get out of there.

4-Try not to stray too far from the break you came in on.
That will be your safest way out if you get side tracked. If it starts to get covered look for water rushing in and out that will be where you came in. That little bit of moving water can trip you up. be careful and the sand will be getting softer.

5-I don't mean this to sound totally unsafe but its not one of the best beach scenarios for the new guys. You just need to use your head and know the tides. Constantly pay attention to whats behind you as well.
You will learn how to negotiate these situations. If its real bad stay out of there. You will find fishable places somewhere else. :thumbsup:

[dogfish]

Great information!!! I have spent a lot of time throwing black bombers into an inlet current running full blast, thinking I was doing the right thing to get into some big fish and catching skunks instead. Time to fish smarter.

One other question, is there anything that you just don't fish at inlets because it's a waste of time? I'm wondering about things like metals and even using bait.

Thanks to everyone for the lessons.


Metals are good any time bluefish are around. If they are chasing bait you will see them. If not use a heavier tin and vary the retrieve until you see what they want.

Bait is good for when the current slows down, like near slack tide. Otherwise you will spend all your time peeling weeds off of it. One difference is if you are going for tog in the rocks with crabs. They will find the bait in most stages, but tend to back off a bit when current is strongest, and i have not found them to be most active at exact slack, you need a small amount of current for them. Hope this helps.

[storminsteve]

:thumbsup:Great thread.

[Dreaminofishin]

When I hit the suds this spring I will have bucktails ranging from 1-4 ounces with some pork rind. I figure I will be using some shock leader that I will tie direct to the jig, and will probably use a barrell swivel to connect the leader to the line. I'll have a few Bombers, probably black for night and school bus or another light color for daytime. I'll still keep my Popper for daybreak, and maybe dust off that old Danny Plug that hasn't seen the water in years.

I'll pick up some new Korkers and go with foul weather pants instead of waders so I don't sink like an anchor if/when I go in the drink.

I'll probably spend a lot of time throwing the bucktails at night, both in the inlets and on the beach, hoping to get confident in my ability to fish the lure right under different conditions. When the inlet current slows down I hope to have an eel to throw out and let swim around. I have fished them from boats and they can be a problem.

Again, I appreciate the great advice. How's my plan look so far?

[surfstix1963]

The best way to keep an eel under control is too ice them down.

I use 2 five gallon buckets one inside the other you don't want a smaller bucket on top you need some room in the bottom bucket.

The top bucket you will drill holes in the bottom of it.(This is for the eels slime to drip into the bottom bucket or they will suffocate in their own slime)

So now the buckets are set up:You will also need a burlap bag or a couple of onion sacks I like the onion sacks they are easier to wash off.

Bring the buckets with you to pick up the eels so they are not in a bag of water that will kill them faster.

Put the eels in the top bucket the bags over the eels and ice on top of that(Flaked ice is to compact for this cubes are better)( you do not want the ice directly on the eels) you dont' need to bury them just a little ice will do the thing is keep the eels cool and damp this is where burlap is a little better.

The ice will slow them down easier to hook less inclined to get an eel ball while baiting anyway.As the ice melts it will wash enough slime out of the top bucket into the bottom bucket so they don't die.

Don't cover the bucket that will defeat the whole purpose bungee it down somewhere you don't want eels loose you will never find them all until its too late

I know there are plenty of new mesh bags out there but I have kept eels alive for 3-4 days iced down just keep them away from critters and the sun.And did you ever try to get one lively eel out of a bag of 6-12.

When they hit the water is when they come back to life, only fish eels w/ a slowing current or you are going to have one mess on your hands.

Just a bit of advice if you catch one bass on an eel don't change it you'll have a better chance to catch more bass on that one than a new one, as long as the tail curls when you hold it up its good to go.You might want to move this I just realized maybe not the spot for it just got caught up in this thread.

[Dreaminofishin]

Hey, Surfstix,

I'll gladly carry the buckets with the ice and the eels. Let's go fishing.

[Dreaminofishin]

:dribble:I'll can also carry lunch and coffee.

[DarkSkies]

Hey, Dreaminofishin, I wondered if ya know he lives in LI. :HappyWave: About 140 miles from ya as the crow flies. A bit of a hike. If you're up to it no problem, but you might have some NJ water closer to ya first. :lookhappy:

We in NJ get the fish first anyway. You'll start to read reports from Delaware shores, Poverty Beach, Slaughter Beach, the CM rip areas, Graveling Point, etc. Then the bass will gradually filter into the Delaware and NJ back bays first after some start spawning in the Chessy.

There will be another huge body (allegedly or hopefully ;) ) that is drawn up into the Delaware bay, NY Bight, Hudson and some of the smaller freshwater rivers to spawn. They'll be busy doing that till somewhere near May.

The best time to start hitting LI is after the water here goes towards 60 and above. The bigger fish start moving N following the bunker and seeking cooler water. That's the time to follow them if ya wanna do the stripercoast thing.

Do a search on:
"striped bass migration (exact copy of what I typed to the left)

You'll find 3 threads here on that topic. It's an interesting read. It's a good way to keep from goin nuts too. :kooky: :D

I almost convinced myself to hit a deep water spot I know of this weekend. It's really not worth the time, but just to get out there would be a welcome relief from the boredom.

Spring can't come soon enough. :fishing:

[surfstix1963]

I'll take you up on that Dreamin as soon as I recover from my surgeries it might be next year though this upcoming season is already a done deal.

[killie]

I fished with DS in the fall. I got there before he did. Hard south wind blowin, as I walk on the beach there's 40 guy's to my left, a pocket right in front of me with 1 guy fishing clams. I go just right of the pocket, why you ask when everyone else was to the left, simple south wind blowin, I casted out over the breakers and let the current and wind take my metal thru the pocket. guess who caught fish that day :).
DS witnessed it. that's reading the water. thanks Bob :HappyWave:

[finchaser]

your welcome killie:HappyWave:

[seamonkey]

I found an article on barses by Russ Bassdozer. Pretty interesting. This guy is a great writer and full of sarcasm and humor.


http://www.bassdozer.com/



By Russ Bassdozer (http://www.bassdozer.com/about_us.shtml)

Used to fish in New England with a wild and wooly sort who first got introduced to us as "Massachusetts Mike." He was a great surf fisherman. He caught the tar out of the giant cows that were abundant back then, and he rubbed elbows at the top of the surfcasting pyramid. But he was a tough, vain and arrogant rogue. This really wasn't his fault as it seems that most top rungs on the surfcasting ladder are blessed with such personalities.

Nevertheless, Mike deserved a special title fit only to himself, and we soon changed his name to "Masshole Mike." It stuck like a sharp hook in the eye and that's how he was forever after known on every beach and rock in the striper kingdom. As you would probably expect of Masshole, he relished his new name, and if he ever reads this, there is no doubt he will surely convince himself and others that this article is proclaiming his prowess in the surf for all the Internet to know. Unfortunately for him, Masshole Mike is not what this article is all about, but it is about a closely related topic - barses. Are you interested? Please read on.

How does one identify a barse?
You don't. Typically someone has to tell you about their barse when they lay dying and they are convinced they will never fish again. It is often best to speed up this process by poisoning the old barse or backing up over him with your truck when he is preoccupied with wrggling out of his waders. By the way, make sure you have a tape recorder handy for any last minute revelations at that moment.

How big is the typical barse?
The term, "barse", is used to define a specific, usually FIXED spot, often of hard composition - like rock beds, docks, bridge stanchion, shoals, mussel beds - but also other rather PERMANENT spots such as weed beds. A most important part of the definition includes that a barse will PERSIST from season to season with only subtle changes to it.

Now, the barse itself is not often, for example, an entire dock, but maybe only one hole where you can cast uptide and let your jig drift down and swing up off bottom as it goes under the dock. In this example, let's assume that there is a channel or ridge that comes down the shoreline parallel to the beach, and a school of bass will always pass through the area using the deep end of the slope like Indians on a trail moving single file through the woods. The barse is where you can intercept their passage where the trail goes under the dock. Their will be a constant stream of bass moving along the trail when they are actively using it.

Another type of barse is bigger, like on rugged bottom where a weed and mussel bank forms for whatever reason where there is often a slope going from deep to shallow water. Also a rock bed in such a sloping area, or even just one or two big rocks positioned just right! In these barses, there are all the living conditions that satisfy a striper's needs, including food, shelter, etc.

As wandering or migrating striper schools use scouts to locate these barses, they will move into them and set up feeding stations during the tidal periods when they instinctively can get the bait disadvantaged and driven down into the school by wind, tide, the bait's blind compulsion to migrate on that tide, or other bass or predators uptide that are causing the bait to flee down into their feeding stations at the barse.

The scouts will continue to draw the school up to feed at this barse until the bait has left the area of the barse...for various reasons...including that the bass may have decimated it all. Then this wandering or migratory school will move off the barse to seek more productive barses that haven't been chewed down lately (they don't call 'em cows for nothing).

Now, the best part of barses is that "resident" bass always occupy them too. Why? Because there is everything a bass needs in a barse. It's like a 711 store that's always open. If the barse has enough food for 100 or 10 resident bass, then there's 100 or 10 residents in there all the time, 24 hours a day. If it can only support 3 bass, that's the amount of residents that will always live there.

Ready for a math puzzle? If a barse can only routinely hold 10 fish, and 8 are already residing there and 5 new fish try to take up residence...that means 3 fish have to voluntarily leave or involuntarily be forced out of the barse by the ones most determined to stay. Big ones will look to confront any and all others, small ones will try to remain hidden deep in the barse where they can't be found by the others. Eventually, 3 fish will have to depart the barse as there is not enough sustenance in it for all of them.

However, resident fish are not "all there" for whatever reason. They may be sick, tagged, a little smelly or squirrelly in their pea brains, so their school has made them outcasts, and they live like homeless (a striper's home is it's school) on the barse. Therefore, you can tell when a ravenous school has moved on because you will start plucking out ony residents again.

Some residents will have noticable problems, sometimes they may smell foul, or their bodies are cheesy, or tail rot, or one-eyed, or tagged, whatever deformities, etc. Many residents will look perfectly fine to our eye, but their school found something about them to be a risk to the school's well-being and therefore an untolerable individual fish to be forced out of the school.

Sometimes during heavy migratory periods, waves of fresh-run schools will set up in the barse night after night for long durations of a few days to a few weeks. Again, you know when you are between schools or sadly, when an entire WAVE of a migration has finished passing you by, because the residents will once again reclaim the barse...could be new, not right fish staying behind because they can't keep up with their at the moment... could be the same not right fish as before the fresh-runs passed through who are now coming out of hiding.

Either way, the return of these residents, often referred to as "handicaps" is a sad sign indeed during migratory seasons. Oh, other big waves may come through soon, but you just waved "Ta Ta, see you next year!" to the departing hordes! The handicaps are like the guys who clean up after the end of the parade.

How do you approach a barse?
You absolutely must make sure that you buy the barse a big breakfast every time you come off the beach with him.

Do you toss your lure right in the middle or do you skim the edges of the barse?
I find that it is usually best to hit him in the middle on the back of the head with a 2 ounce bucktail that you are casting. I wouldn't recommend to just skim the edge, you probably will not get sufficient results out of the barse that way! Remember, the barse must be convinced that he'll never cast again before he'll pass along his spots to you! Have the tape recorder handy in case he does regain consciousness for a few minutes. He will probably be incoherent or babbling a lot, and you just kind of have to go with the flow as they say.

Does a barse ever shut up (or stop holding bass) or is it an endless source of bass that one keeps to oneself if one finds a good size barse?
Well, I have never known a good-sized barse not to be hungry at breakfast time. All kidding aside though, as far as an endless source of bass, that can be a good way to look at a barse. There will ALWAYS be fish that want to get into your barse, and you should keep your barse to yourself and practice safe sex. If you pluck out 5 residents tonight, you can come back tomorrow and find that they have been replaced by 5 new ones.

Are barses different in the surf, jetty, inlet or river?
Yes and no. The only difference is in their permanence - or more accurately their persistence over time. Of course, jetties, rocks, bivalve beds, weed beds and other natural or man-made structures have the tenacity to persist as barses over time, but we start to lose the meaning of the term when we include ever-changing sand beaches that may have great spots on them such as a bowl formed behind a shallow bar on a sandy beach...nice place for a bass to habitually visit on the tops of the tides, but they would not want to live there in there at low tide.

Also, this bowl may get flattened out by a good storm, only to take some weeks to reshape itself back into into a productive fish-holding bowl. So yes, this is a good and constantly productive bowl, but it is not a barse as we have defined it above; not a 711 store that never closes, and not having the capacity to accommodate resident denizens 24 hours a day. Of course, this bowl is definitely a good spot, but it does not qualify by meeting all of the requirements to be defined as a classic "barse".

How come some barses only seem to produce on one tide (or part thereof) but not the other?
Flood or ebb? Let's get into a discussion of incoming versus outgoing water. Migratory movements, non-migratory feeding treks, or frequent instinctive nomadic wanderings of schools are often accomplished via a "rachet" effect using the tide.

Think of how you change a tire...rachet up one notch, then hold...rachet up another notch, then hold. Bass frequently rachet up wherever they are going on one tide, not heavily feeding during that, then hold for the other tide in as comfortable a holding place as they can locate...your basshole...hopefully, but not always, finding an available food supply big enough for the entire school to gorge themselves. If so, they will settle in and gorge themselves for that particular tide or portion thereof.

For example, a classic pattern for non-migratory schools around inlet jetties is to use an incoming tide during the mid-afternoon to sweep the bass far up into the back bay, where they will scout for bait as they sweep into the back, often looking for big pelagics such as herring, bunkers and such.

They will start driving this bait to concentrate it into denser schools as the outgoing starts around dinner time, and then push them towards the jetty on the outgoing, pinning them against the sides of the jetty by sundown or shortly thereafter and take feeding stations in the rip out front. If there are big pelagics to be pushed down, then this pattern will be productive for 2-3 days twice a month when the tide cycles around to a mid-afternoon flood.

Well, that's all for now...my phone's ringing and I betcha it's some barse who wants me to take him to my barse. Fat chance. He'll have to kill me first.
Regards, Bassholedozer

[nitestrikes]

Very informative seamonkey thanks for posting it.

[surfstix1963]

A quickie on tides,naturally we have 2 high and 2 low.

Spring or Moon Tide:These happen twice a month they cause very high and very low tides.

They also occur around the full and new moon when the gravitational pull is the strongest.

Fish feed when the water is moving:So it makes sense to fish around the new and full moon phases because the water will be moving quicker. Personally I like to fish 2 days before and 2 days after a full moon.(Actually I like to fish whenever I can)

The other thing with a full moon is sometimes it casts too much light on the water if this is the case I will bring a couple of lighter colored lures because they could make it happen if darker is failing you.I will either fish the shadow lines or seek a darker area.

Neap Tides:Which occur the other 2 weeks of the month naturally around the 1st & 3rd quarter moon phase.These are generally weaker tides because of less gravitational pull. This is a good time to fish bait in the inlets
for you bait guys.The fish are still around during these tides you just need to fish the moving water.

This same pattern repeats itself every 2 weeks,another thing is the tide changes about one hour later everyday.So if you had good action at a certain spot one day, if that pattern is going to repeat itself the next day it will most likely happen one hour later keep a log and it will start giving you some insight on where and when you caught and you can actually calculate where the fishing may be good & also pretty accurately.But nothing is written in stone.

These are just the basics of tides there are books on this,Tides are caused by many factors moon,sun,wind and gravitational forces caused by different aligments of the sun,moon and earth.I feel the basics have served me well.

[surfstix1963]

Bridges:Are very productive due to the lighting above which casts shadows on the water which in turn attracts bait.Fish these shadow lines (I think this was discussed in another thread) Don't cast into them bring the offering to them using the water flow (rubber shads and bucktails are best) this way it looks natural to the bass and they don't get spooked.

The concrete foundations and any other rising structure off the bottom that the bass can use will be where the bass are hiding waiting for a meal to get washed by w/ the tide and or current.(remember tide and current are two different things.)

The bass use these structures because the water flows around them resulting in less current for them to hold and feed and also pass more oxygen over the gills. Bass love structure they don't like to leave it. On the turn of the tide they may just move to the other side of the structure they were in.They use this because it is the easiest way to feed and utilize the meal to the max by using the least amount of energy to feed.So they do not have to eat so much.Unlike bluefish that are usually eating non stop because they are always on the move and using most if not all of the energy they are getting from their food.

Keep an eye out for rips and eddies by bridges this is good structure also at certain times.One thing I like to do if I have the room is stand at an angle to the bridge and cast out in front of the concrete foundations w/rubber shads and let them sink(you will need different wts. according to current) as they drift to the bridge stantcion or even slightly under I start a slow retrieve to try and coax the bass out of hiding.I fish every one I can reach.As the tide dies and the current is still running I like to fish parallel to the bridge and see what happens then I will switch sides and cast at an angle to the stantions on that side.

If I'm fishing a bridge I will fish it hard with any method that jumps in my head if it doesn't happen I'll start fishing the shoreline with a large swimmer and try and pull something out of an eddy,rip or deep hole off the shore.This is a time when you stumble over new structure, take notes or if your young keep it in your head thats one less spot you need to find.I don't like to move much unless I'm on a beach, I feel the more time I spend in one area thats new to me
the more I learn about it no matter what the results were.You can also move away from the bridge a little and toss some bait in the water if you like.

If you frequent one spot and see familiar faces take mental notes on what they are doing and when they are doing it.Sometimes you get lucky and they will chat with you take mental notes.My cousin who started me w/offshore fishing when I was 8 always says till this day "Keep your mouth shut and your ears wide open you'll be surprised at what you learn"


Structure is part one of the bass puzzle whether it be on the beach,inlet or in a river.Learning the different structures is #1 on the list then you can start to put the rest of the puzzle together.

[surfstix1963]

By the way Seamonkey great post very informative.

[surfstix1963]

Flats:
Bass can be found in very low water you would be surprised.This is strictly night fishing when the boats are home.Did you ever see a bass with its chin all red and scraped up this from them digging w/ their snouts in search of food.This is a situation where the back of an inlet and a shallow flat meet, deep water on one side and practically none on the other. Incoming tide bait is getting pushed by and then they try to get to the flats for what they think is safety.Baitfish use the safety in numbers theory and bass use bait in numbers for a bigger meal.

Walking the shoreline requires stealth mode no lights and no grinding of the boots in the gravel no walking in the water or the fish will get spooked. you need to place your cast as far out as possible and work it very slow back to the flats.Small lures are the go to (small bucktails,thin profile rubber lures(if the tide is up smaller swimming plugs shallow running w/ a teaser) you don't want big splashes. I would think the new rubber crabs would be good but I haven't given that a go yet)This is the perfect spot for a fly fisherman since the flies do not make much of a disturbance.

This is very hard fishing because of all the mistakes that can be made such as making noises,digging through your bag( I don't bring one just carry what I want in a small organizer),your bail flipping over on a cast.

The fish won't be stacked up on the flats but spread out along them searching for food sometimes they are just sitting in one spot resting and waiting for a crab to slide by.

Mussel Beds and Sod Banks:
Another good night spot again quiet is needed which is not easy to do walking through grass w/ mussels crushing under you.The bass love to cruise this area for grass shrimp and spearing.If it is very quiet and you really listen you can hear the bass slurping up the food.
This is generally a spring thing for the bass they are coming to spawn up river.

You need to try and figure where they are and cast ahead of them close to the bank and you may get some takers.These are often not large bass but they can be there.

I have a spot in the spring comprised of mussel beds and I fish this spot as often as I can since starting in April we stay in our fifth wheel our rolling condo.This spot lights up when massive schools of bunker come in and the bluefish are just totally insane on a daily basis.One part of the river is a very tide related spot and just the opposite of what you would think this is an outgoing spot where the bunker move in and the blues follow you can almost time the fishing within 15 minutes all you need to see is the bunker and it will happen.These are 10lb. plus choppers. right at your feet just cast and the plug hits it gets smashed I like to take the kids because it no challenge for me.



OK let me get back on track here This is a spot I have found through trial and error and watching the regulars.Kind of spying I guess, what trucks they drove where they fished,what plugs they used, what they caught when they fished and the occasional Good Morning. I lost a couple of weeks fishing but learned the place upside down & backwards.Out of that I knew where they fished,at what tides, if the wind switched where they moved and when they packed it up, this was a crew of 4 guys.I then applied that knowledge to fishing there and found my own spot when they saw me catching the bass while they caught blues they started talking now I'm the fifth guy although I do start earlier then them in the morning because thats when I catch the bass.But then they started asking how the hell do you get the bass everyday all I said was white sinking poppers and get it to the edge of the channel work it w/ short hard pops when they come for it stop the plug let it sink for a second and thats it and now they realized why I waded out as far as I could to reach the channel the blues were behind me and the bass were in front of me.Sorry that 2nd part sounds more like a story but read between the lines theres info in there.

[cowherder]

I was looking at the different posts in this thread and realized it is a lot to digest. I'm taking notes from the different types of water and will read those the next time I go to the beach pre-season. Thanks guys for explaining this so well.

[stripermania]

I was looking at the different posts in this thread and realized it is a lot to digest. I'm taking notes from the different types of water and will read those the next time I go to the beach pre-season. Thanks guys for explaining this so well.

Cowherder, some of these guys are pretty intense about their posts and give exceptional details. Their knowledge is amazing. There is something in them for everyone even those with experience.

[clamchucker]

Baitstealer, that is a nice chart, that tells me nothing. Thank you for posting it anyway. I did a search here, and surfstix1963 and dark have quite a comprehensive explanation. Here is is, hope that helps
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5633

[storminsteve]

There is something in them for everyone even those with experience.
Absolutely, i just went back and re-read this thread, great stuff!

[DarkSkies]

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. It may have been said already, but when fishing rocks and inlets, there are rips, eddies, and ambush points. There are key places to fish at each, depending on the tides. moon phase, and season. And if you fish one set of rocks and try to apply your discoveries to another, you may be making complete opposite assumptions other than what will work for the place you are comparing.

How many of ya's go somewhere, and just look at the water for 5 minutes before you even make a cast? I do....


Reading the current pattern of the night, in conjunction with the tides, and even a swell, or sweep from morth to south, or vice versa, can be critical to your success. Try to learn one area at a time, and pay attention to what some have said in this thread, some great advice here.....:thumbsup:

[baitstealer]

Thanks so much for this, fellas. great read.

[DarkSkies]

Reading the current pattern of the night, in conjunction with the tides, and even a swell, or sweep from morth to south, or vice versa, can be critical to your success. Try to learn one area at a time, and pay attention to what some have said in this thread, some great advice here.....:thumbsup:


Time to re-visit this thread....there are a lot of good solid observations and suggestions here. The beaches, the ones that we have access to, have changed drastically....if you still want fish now is the time to get out there and do your full and new moon scouting....

There are cuts and holes in some of our beaches that haven't been there for 20 years.....
Much appreciation to all those who shared their thoughts here.....:HappyWave:

[jigfreak]

If people would read this whole thread and pay attention there would be no more need for the internet forums. The new breed wants everything handed to them on a silver platter. It is there right in front of your face. Like said go and walk the beach for a few hours every low tide. It will all unfold before your eyes. And I agree some of the mew holes are really sweet. i think within a month some of them will be filled back in though.

[storminsteve]

Went back and looked at this thread over the weekend. Great winter reading, thank guys!

[hookset]

A quickie on tides,naturally we have 2 high and 2 low.

Spring or Moon Tide:These happen twice a month they cause very high and very low tides.

They also occur around the full and new moon when the gravitational pull is the strongest.

Fish feed when the water is moving:So it makes sense to fish around the new and full moon phases because the water will be moving quicker. Personally I like to fish 2 days before and 2 days after a full moon.(Actually I like to fish whenever I can)

The other thing with a full moon is sometimes it casts too much light on the water if this is the case I will bring a couple of lighter colored lures because they could make it happen if darker is failing you.I will either fish the shadow lines or seek a darker area.



I agree hate fishing when the moon is bright at night unless you're tossing bait. Best for me is when it's a full moon and cloudy.
btw the full moon tide is a good chance for the newbies to get out there on the beach and learn the structure at low tide. A lot of it has changed this year with the effects of dredging and sandy. with the dredging its ever so important to go out and do this as many places are lame and flat now. You need to look for the areas that are configured differently like it says in this thread and low tide is the best time to do that. Now that all the tourists are off the beach. Then when you read the water at high tide it will have a lot more meaning. Great points surfstix thanks for sharing.

[fishinmission78]

Won't have much water to read after the beach replenishment. The cuts and bars will be gone and it will be one long flat stretch of beach. Will take at least a year for things to come back. I don't wish anyone any harm but we really could use some severe spring noreasters to give us some of our soft structure back.

[Monty]

Won't have much water to read after the beach replenishment. The cuts and bars will be gone and it will be one long flat stretch of beach. Will take at least a year for things to come back. I don't wish anyone any harm but we really could use some severe spring noreasters to give us some of our soft structure back.

Used to be 5 or 6 rock piles visible in this pic.....
Frustrating.


http://rocksimpson.com/images/2014_3_2_BR_Long_Branch_3.jpg

[buckethead]

This is a great thread for the younger or younger angler to review periodically.

[surfrob]

This is a great thread for the younger or younger angler to review periodically.

or ... us seniors fighting off dementia:wow: :D

great thread.

I can say I'm still mystified about the south jersey marsh system(s) near me and I'm (re) learning to read what otherwise are flat featureless beaches.

There is almost *no* hard structure on the beach I fish, but there is concealed soft structure. When I stumble upon something, it's the ticket.

The backbays are completely different than anything I'm used to, or rather the back bay/river system where I used to live, stymied me (almost) as much or more
than the backbays here. I was able to unlock a few secrets there while down here I'm still looking at the vault's user guide.

"When the water is moving the fish are feeding. Marsh systems can be very long and meander endlessly, like a freshwater stream. So, how do we locate fish? What do we look for? Well, the key word is structure. Structure can be anything that helps shelter fish or bait. It could be rocks, deep holes, rips, ledges, channels, undercut banks, logs, depressions, sand bars or the channel itself. Fish it like you would a river. Look at your favourite marsh at low tide and it will open up all of its secrets."

Problem is there are systems down here that are vastly more complicated than just "structure". It's "structure" "bait" and "predator" movement in combination.

You can find predators looking for structure (I know of some places), but equally important is where is the bait at a given time/season in the tide relative to those structures.

Some things are a given anywhere mostly because well, bait is bait. Docklights at night. I mean, c'mon... if you can get out at night and don't check docks you're really striking out. But "reading the water", more to the point, is as or really more complicated in the backbays than it is on the open beach.

ah, just realized I'm rambling a bit... :D

[porgy75]

I was curious if any of you guys here have any tips on reading the water in monmouth county now that all the beaches have been bulldozed and filled in with sand. Is there any hope to get the cuts and openings back or will that take years and years. Thanks.

[surfstix1963]

I don't fish NJ but the bottom line is structure is structure if you know how to read it.It's either there or it's not,a beach void of good structure is a waste of time.They can spend all your tax money but they cannot fight Mother Nature the storms will remove most of what they are doing it's like the proverbial pissing up a rope.Montauk is fighting a similar battle right now with beach replenishment.

[surfrob]

I was curious if any of you guys here have any tips on reading the water in monmouth county now that all the beaches have been bulldozed and filled in with sand. Is there any hope to get the cuts and openings back or will that take years and years. Thanks.
The beach repleshment itself disappears in about one big storm. By spring, you will see a lot of that $ missing. However, in my experience several things happen as a result. The worst is that a beach-long bar forms near the edge of casting distance with no cuts. This trough can last for much of a season and is just a relative dead zone through much of a tide since it's all pumped in sand, devoid of much life. However, eventually that too gets cut and dissipates and life returns. Best bet is to hit areas with remnants of rock piles.

[DarkSkies]

Bump for a great thread. Thanks for the thoughts people, feel free to add any more.

[plugcrazy]

Used to be 5 or 6 rock piles visible in this pic.....
Frustrating.


http://rocksimpson.com/images/2014_3_2_BR_Long_Branch_3.jpg

I agree, reading the water is so different now because a lot of Jersey has a big sandbar or just flat beaches. There are some good inlets jetties but not many. A few drop offs in places where the structure is coming back but it really sucks overall.

[Monty]

I agree, reading the water is so different now because a lot of Jersey has a big sandbar or just flat beaches. There are some good inlets jetties but not many. A few drop offs in places where the structure is coming back but it really sucks overall.

Its disgusting, fished Jersey 1x this year if I remember correctly. LI has so much more to offer and a lot of it is about the same distance from my house in Jersey.

[finchaser]

Reading the water now is easy 1 large sand bar

[fishinmission78]

Yeah especially at Island Beach. Very few cuts like there used to be. We need some severe winter storms to change that up.

[baitstealer]

This is a great thread for the younger or younger angler to review periodically.

I go back and look at this thread every winter. have learned a lot from it, thanks guys.

[porgy75]

X2 I have learned so much from it as well.when you really start to get into it and study, you can see all your mistakes. When I first started I really knew nothing. According to the way some of these diagrams are I was fishing a flat beach at low tide with no possibility of ever catching.

[finchaser]

Yeah especially at Island Beach. Very few cuts like there used to be. We need some severe winter storms to change that up.

What he^^^said

[fishinmission78]

Bump for a good thread.

[BassBuddah]

TTT. You guys just starting out should study this well.