Fishing the old ways, techniques

[finchaser]

Fishing is returning to how it use to be less fish and real winters you newbies are spoiled, when the dogwoods bloom bass will be there can't go by dates. Temps that cause dogwoods to bloom are also the temps needed to warm the water. Been using this since it was given to me over 40 years ago I never go by dates I follow nature.

Mother Nature doesn't lie or depend on dates or cell phones, a few resident fish are always caught before but the major migrating fish are within days of the things listed below.

Tulips ? arrival of winter flounder
Dogwood ? arrival of striped bass
Lilac ? weakfish are in town
Forsythia ? bluefish and fluke are on the move

September?s full harvest moon has a tremendous effect on both weakfish and striped bass which take it as a sign to start their annual southern migration. During this lunar period juvenile species of both predator and prey are driven outward along the shoreline.

[rip316]

I saved this information and I will keep my eyes open to these kind of patterns.

[clamchucker]

Finchaser is on the mark. You will always have stragglers and early fish, be they resident or migrating. But the builk of the action happens every year with the above blooms.

The title of this thread reminds me of some things we used to do way back when I was younger.
We used to fish from the sedge banks for striped bass in the bays before we could afford boats. One of the tricks we used was to take hammers and bring them out to the sedges at low tide. We would smash mussels in several spots there, and then go home. Then, at high tide, we would come back, go to those spots, and catch bass after bass. They were attracted to the broken mussels. The guys in the boats would watch us, and wonder what we were using. "Secret bait" was what we would usually shout out to them. They would be there scratching their heads.

Fishing the old ways - who else has some stories?

[cowherder]

Very good advice guys, thanks for sharing!

[jigfreak]

How about drifting a worm on a float rig toward a bridge for weakies. Old school, anyone remember that?

[speedy]

yes it was the way the weakies loved the sand worms

[finchaser]

How about drifting a worm on a float rig toward a bridge for weakies. Old school, anyone remember that?
Yep even used battery lighted bobbers at night

[fishinmission78]

Back then there were no $40 wood plugs. It was all bucktails, tin squids, and some elementary cheap swimming plugs. And they caught fish.

[Masardinas]

Good to know

thanks Finchaser

[bababooey]

And they caught fish.
And I bet even finchaser caught some big ones after he left his cave and said goodbye to Wilma for the night.:laugh: :HappyWave:

[storminsteve]

And I bet even finchaser caught some big ones after he left his cave and said goodbye to Wilma for the night.:laugh: :HappyWave:

:clapping:Did he say yabba dabba doo! as he went out into the darkness?
Did they have street lignts back then?

[speedy]

Back then there were no $40 wood plugs. It was all bucktails, tin squids, and some elementary cheap swimming plugs. And they caught fish.
when i fished at night out going tide i used a bullet jighead bucktail with fin-S on it
the weakies hit that like crazy... i had to stop fishing i had 2 fish that was good
did not take more than i needed not like some guys !!! back then the fish where there.

[DarkSkies]

Hey guys don't you think you are being a little too harsh on the OGB?
He's not that old.....

Cavemen, no, but I think he was around when they were whaling in the 1800's. :ROFLMAO :HappyWave:
I think they might have used whale oil to light the street lamps then, storminsteve.

[finchaser]

Hey guys don't you think you are being a little too harsh on the OGB?
He's not that old.....

Cavemen, no, but I think he was around when they were whaling in the 1800's. :ROFLMAO :HappyWave:
I think they might have used whale oil to light the street lamps then, storminsteve.

There she blows

[DarkSkies]

See. I told ya fin was related to Capt Ahab! :laugh: :HappyWave:


Getting back to the topic, some of you googans are getting a better education here than you could get at any seminar, ya just don't know it because you didn't pay $100 for the privelege. Why not take that $100 you saved and make a committment to take some kids fishing this year, not necessarily your own but maybe kids in your family or circle that don't get a chance to go that much? :learn:

That's how I learned, people took us fishing, and it ignited a spark that still burns years later. :thumbsup:



***********
Old-school ways - walking eels at the Rips....
Some might be miffed at me for giving this one away, but with the selfishness of some modern anglers, and self-righteousness of not cooperating with your neighbor, y'all probably won't be able to try this technique anyway....Unless you're out in bad weather and everyone else is home.

What to do:
1. Get some fresh eels, not too big, maybe 8-10".
2. Go to the rips.
3. Set them up with an inline sinker (preferred) or if ya don't have one, a 3-way with some lead (in that case ya want to pay close attention so the eel doesn't ball up.)
4. Walk the eel down the beach with the tide after casting out about 70' at night. You want to do this from when the tide starts moving to mid-tide, after that the strong current will make it more difficult to reach the bass on bottom, or you'll need more lead.

5. Once you make the run, then walk back to where ya started, and do it again.


The reason I'm so sure people won't be able to do this is that 30-50 years ago, before people on the internet and cell phones, there was actually enough cooperation that ya could do this, and some nice bass were caught. Everyone waited their turn, and people didn't "mug" people who were already doing this by jumping in the line-up, in the middle of the roaring rips, with a clam rod with a 4 oz sinker on it. :kooky:


So, aside from an adventuresome few who are insomniacs, this technique will not be able to be experienced by the general public.

Still, it's good for you young uns out there to learn that way back, before the internet, there was a level of cooperation and camraderie that just doesn't exist today. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png


Soak this stuff up, people, and let's hear some more, if ya got em. :fishing:

[storminsteve]

Hey I was just busting finchasers chops, dark, I hope he knows that.:d
Thanks for the info about the eels, smashing mussels, float worming for weakfish and all the other techniques guys. You all have a wealth of knowledge, and I for one appreciate when you share it with us. And you're right dark, better than any seminar out there, I never heard of half this stuff till I came here.:thumbsup:

[baitstealer]

Wow, some cool tips, thanks for sharing guys!:HappyWave:

[ledhead36]

So kind of you guys to pass this info on instead of keeping it to yourselves. Thanks finchaser, clamchucker, speedy, and dark.:thumbsup: My grandfather used to do the trick with the mussels at low tide. It really works.

What I can add is to use tapeworms or worms you find in the mud when it's colder water. Sometimes they will not work, as they did not work for me the other night. But when stipers won't hit anything else, they usually are more likely to hit worms.

[madcaster]

These are made of ¼ x 1”and smaller steel bar stock scraps Ihad laying around. The tape is from a auto parts store. It holds up pretty well. Just gives it a flash in the water. I’ve caught some big blues on them; I pull them out when the blues are in blitzing mode or in thick in the spring. It doesn’t take much to lure them in. I ever caught a 24”red drum on one in OBX last year.



13933


My buddy was throwing a bunch of junk away and there was a old set of spoon and forks. I took all the spoons and made some nice “spoons “out of them. I add some lead for weight.My biggest blue was caught on one of these. 15lbs I lady took a pic of me holding it, but she never posted it were she told me to look for it.

13934

[DarkSkies]

This was also mentioned by Fin and he deserves credit. Thanks, Fin.

The old time jetty jockeys knew that certain jetties would produce in rough weather. They would go to these jetties, Manasquan, Barnegat, Belmar, etc, and fish them with the big swells.

However, to prevent getting swept away, they would bring a grappling hook with them, 100' of sturdy rope, and a sturdy weight belt. Attaching the rope to the weight belt, they would then secure the grappling hook deep in the rocks. That way, if they got washed off by some rogue waves, they could pull themselves back up on the rocks without drowning.

[jonthepain]

Clamchucker's mussel story reminded me of a trick that we used to use to outsmart the opening day sharpies on the South Branch.

My buddy Ray used to own a restaurant in Somerville. Every spring, between when they release the trout and opening day, he'd dump a commercial sized can of corn into the South Branch from the top of the 202 bridge.

We'd show up opening day with (who'da guessed it,) corn. The place was always wall to wall fishermen.

Everybody would laugh at us with their fancy spinners and spendy salmon eggs and such.

But we'd kill 'em on corn, and they couldn't catch jack squat with all that other stuff. rofl. it was great. corn was all they'd take for about a week.

Ray's a genius. I used to think he was the luckiest fisherman ever, but after fishing with him for 20 years, I can tell ya it ain't luck lol.

[bababooey]

This was also mentioned by Fin and he deserves credit. Thanks, Fin.

The old time jetty jockeys knew that certain jetties would produce in rough weather. They would go to these jetties, Manasquan, Barnegat, Belmar, etc, and fish them with the big swells.

However, to prevent getting swept away, they would bring a grappling hook with them, 100' of sturdy rope, and a sturdy weight belt. Attaching the rope to the weight belt, they would then secure the grappling hook deep in the rocks. That way, if they got washed off by some rogue waves, they could pull themselves back up on the rocks without drowning.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZnM-KFHWoo


You have to be kidding me, couldn't get me on those jetties for a million dollars.:kooky:

[DarkSkies]

Whenever I can't fish how I want because of weather or conditions, I use the trip home to scout around and plan the next trip.

On my way home in the pre-dawn hours today, I scouted some old hangouts that I haven't been to in awhile...

Not many guys out at that hour....
But I did run across one old salt....

We compared notes for a bit...
I was showing him some pics on my camera, he was showing me some on his phone...

It turns out that in addition to the other fish he caught, this guy has 5 fish 20# and bigger this Spring so far...since March 1.....with the biggest weighing 33#.


Think about that people, that's 5 quality fish, in the last 35 nights.....plus several other small ones.
Some might doubt claims like this, I might too....:kooky:
but I saw the pics.... and can verify that they were some quality fish.....

[DarkSkies]

This is a guy you will never see on the internet...
You'll never see his weigh-ins in a tackle shop, or on a youtube video....
and I honestly believe he would never have shown me his pics, had I not shown him the pics of the bass we were catching all winter, first....

He's happy fishing alone., spends a lot of time doing it when he's not working.,...
And he told me that every time he's tried to be nice to someone just starting out, showing them some of the tricks and subtle thing he does to get bigger fish.....he regrets it....as these benevolent gestures have come back to haunt him when people don't keep their mouths shut....
:don't know why:

He said:
"I don't have problems with people fishing near me, and catching big fish when I'm catching, because they put in their time and deserve it...but that's what you have to do, you have to put in your time"

"Catching big fish from the shore is not easy. You really have to work at it"



I agree with both of those statements, and for that reason I won't go into any detail about how or where he fishes, or the extent of preparation that goes into each of his trips.....

Just wanted to let folks, who sometimes think the internet is the extent of fishing, that the internet, and the people sometimes thumping their chests on it....is only one segment of the fishing folk out there...

And there are quite a few more out there....just like this gentleman I ran into by accident.....

So don't discount the old guy you see fishing by himself out there....and seemingly unfriendly.....if you know the right way to talk to people,,,,ya just might learn something valuable....:learn:

[hookedonbass]

That guy you met sounds like some fisherman, dark. You are right, it is the quiet ones who may catch the most, but they don't talk about it to everyone. Thats how they keep their spots secret. Thanks for sharing all these tips, fellas.

[porgy75]

X2!

[baitstealer]

Looked over this thread again over the weekend. Thanks for the depth of knowledge shared here.:thumbsup:

[baitstealer]

Yep even used battery lighted bobbers at night

Thanks for that finchaser. Could you go into any more detail about drifting worms on a float or bobber for striped bass? What part of the season is best, is there a range of water temps you would recommend to do this?

[finchaser]

Thanks for that finchaser. Could you go into any more detail about drifting worms on a float or bobber for striped bass? What part of the season is best, is there a range of water temps you would recommend to do this?


We used a bobber or casting eggs with a worm in the spring for bass in any of the rivers. Worm was hooked threw the head and allowed to hang off a 3/0 hook on 3' of 30# or 40# leader. We would cast up current and let it drift down current more or less a 10 o'clock to 2 O'Clock swing like you fish a bucktail in an inlet. Bass usually hug the banks as the heat of the land penetrates the water as the sun sets, same effect jetties have on ocean in spring.

This also works with a pinkish fly with a 2/0 hook on the cinder worm hatch.

In late summer a worm drifted back from an anchored boat on a battery lighted bobber over or to structure in a river is deadly on weakfish and school bass.

Here is a picture of a casting egg in case your not formiliar with them ,they are real old school. they can launch a teaser when fish are on rainfish in the ocean and refuse to hit anything .

Hope this answers your question.

[baitstealer]

Awesome info finchaser. I have to thank you guys for teaching me so much. I feel comfortable here you all are a little crazy but you help someone like me out. It gives more confidence when I go out there to learn that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Hope to post a report sometime this weekend. Spring come on in! :fishing:

[seamonkey]

We used a bobber or casting eggs with a worm in the spring for bass in any of the rivers. Worm was hooked threw the head and allowed to hang off a 3/0 hook on 3' of 30# or 40# leader. We would cast up current and let it drift down current more or less a 10 o'clock to 2 O'Clock swing like you fish a bucktail in an inlet. Bass usually hug the banks as the heat of the land penetrates the water as the sun sets, same effect jetties have on ocean in spring.




How about in the fall would anyone recommend drifting a worm on an egg near the bridges or does the water have to be warmer for it to work well.

[hookset]

^^^^^ I have drifted worms before in early fall but not late fall. Caught weakies and bass. When the water gets real cold I switch to rubber or bacardi and rum and stay inside.

[DarkSkies]

I'm happy to report that Ron Muccie, whose health has been an issue in the past, looked better than ever.....I think he said he was on regular dialysis now and will be 78 this Spring.........his color was great....much different than when I saw him last year.....he was in good spirits...said "I'm back, and I intend to be around for a long time!".......:cool:

Some footage of him at the 2010 Asbury Show......

https://vimeo.com/10168886

















Meeting with Ron and Crew yesterday at Berkeley reminded me of them out-fishing most of the fishermen on the beach back in 2009, simple tin squid and teaser combo....2009 sandeel bite........
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19205&stc=1http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19206&stc=1http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19207&stc=1


Ellen out-fishing many of the other fishermen.....tin squid and teaser......simple but deadly combo.......

https://vimeo.com/7821161









:HappyWave:

[captnemo]

I ran into Ron last year. think it was the Asbury Park fishing show.the man is a wealth of knowledge and info. Glad to hear he's still doing okay.

[clamchucker]

Thank you for posting photos of Ron and Ellen. I saw them regularly at the park every season. For a while it seemed he was absent. Health issues tend to get to us old timers. Although I didn't get out much last year, I saw him again in the fall. He did look a lot better.

[clamchucker]

We used a bobber or casting eggs with a worm in the spring for bass in any of the rivers. Worm was hooked threw the head and allowed to hang off a 3/0 hook on 3' of 30# or 40# leader. We would cast up current and let it drift down current more or less a 10 o'clock to 2 O'Clock swing like you fish a bucktail in an inlet. Bass usually hug the banks as the heat of the land penetrates the water as the sun sets, same effect jetties have on ocean in spring.

This also works with a pinkish fly with a 2/0 hook on the cinder worm hatch.

In late summer a worm drifted back from an anchored boat on a battery lighted bobber over or to structure in a river is deadly on weakfish and school bass.

Here is a picture of a casting egg in case your not formiliar with them ,they are real old school. they can launch a teaser when fish are on rainfish in the ocean and refuse to hit anything .

Hope this answers your question.

This post brings me back. Often a worm drifted in the current at the right depth and slow speed was all you needed. Stripers, weakfish, many species would hit that worm. We used to buy worms by the flat and drift the bridges in Ocean and Atlantic counties at night. I also remember fishing Fortescue back in the 70's. It was known as the weak fishing capital of the world back then. Sometimes simpler is better. You can't get much simpler than drifting worms in the current or jigging a light bucktail at slow speeds in the early season in the back bays.

[porgy75]

Nice!

[bababooey]

Hope this year finds you in good health clam chucker. Have enjoyed your anecdotes and stories very much.