How hard are you willing to work, to learn....

[surfstix1963]

Paying your dues is putting your time in thats the bottom line.This is how to learn the game, fish day and night get used to the differences if you are serious especially at night it is a whole different world at night you need to know what your lures are doing by feel,during the day take the time to walk the areas you fish to find structure take a pole w/you you never know practice casting different lures and try and perfect them.Learn to read the beach because it changes all the time you won't walk too many days in a row with the structure not changing you need to adapt to what the beach is doing because thats what the fish need to do to eat.How much effort is related to how serious you want it just like anything else in life the more effort put in the better you should get at it.How much is too much that didn't exist when I started surf fishing probably cost me my first marriage amongst other things I fished every chance I could and heres a tip for you newbies weather you want to hear it or not you can learn more from an old timer in 10 minutes then you can fishing by yourself for a month the key is to listen.Just a quick example there use to be a guy Leo probably in his 80's sat in his chair and watched and waited for the fish to come into reach for him if it didn't happen oh well but one day I knew the fish were there but just out of reach as I was talking to Leo he said go get the fish I said I can't reach them his reply was take those damn treble hooks off the popper and you will reach them to make a long story short he was right on the money the drag from one treble hook was stopping that little bit of distance I needed. Experience is the best teacher.Moving around I will not stay in one spot regardless of tide if the fish are not there I will walk and cast along the beach until I find them fishing structure along the way you can feel the humps under your feet as you walk(points) or they just plain aren't there.Getting skunked thats part of the game get used to it.Sorry so long but if it bores you, your a surfcaster & you already know this.

[DarkSkies]

Paying your dues is putting your time in thats the bottom line.
This is how to learn the game, fish day and night get used to the differences if you are serious especially at night it is a whole different world at night you need to know what your lures are doing by feel, during the day take the time to walk the areas you fish to find structure take a pole w/you you never know practice casting different lures and try and perfect them.
Learn to read the beach because it changes all the time you won't walk too many days in a row with the structure not changing you need to adapt to what the beach is doing because thats what the fish need to do to eat.
How much effort is related to how serious you want it just like anything else in life the more effort put in the better you should get at it.How much is too much that didn't exist when I started surf fishing probably cost me my first marriage amongst other things I fished every chance I could and heres a tip for you newbies weather you want to hear it or not you can learn more from an old timer in 10 minutes then you can fishing by yourself for a month the key is to listen.
Just a quick example there use to be a guy Leo probably in his 80's sat in his chair and watched and waited for the fish to come into reach for him if it didn't happen oh well but one day I knew the fish were there but just out of reach as I was talking to Leo he said go get the fish I said I can't reach them his reply was take those damn treble hooks off the popper and you will reach them to make a long story short he was right on the money the drag from one treble hook was stopping that little bit of distance I needed.
Experience is the best teacher. Moving around I will not stay in one spot regardless of tide if the fish are not there I will walk and cast along the beach until I find them fishing structure along the way you can feel the humps under your feet as you walk(points) or they just plain aren't there.
Getting skunked thats part of the game get used to it. Sorry so long but if it bores you, your a surfcaster & you already know this.

I don't think you need to apologize for the length of that post, you related a lifetime of experience in there.

You made a lot of the key points that translate from someone catching fish once in a whille to bringing consistency to your catches.

Even the best have their off days. Sometimes the fish just aren't there in any numbers, or a list of variables combines to make it difficult to present. However, they don't give up, and learn from it. Any subtle difference, no matter how small, can make your next trip into a better one if you are willing to adapt and learn from it.



Thanks for the very well-worded response.

[plugaholic]

Surfstix it seems like you been fishing a long time, thanks for sharing.

[voyager35]

For me I do not care how much time or attention I have to give to the sport. I am always willing to learn and watch the guys who have been fishing for years. Any little trick is worth the time to learn about it.

In return I never mind helping out the new guys.

One important thing I do is take the time to make a log. I have always found it helpful for the future predictions.

[killie]

watching tides... nope I got Bob
log books..... Bob
weather .... Bob
winds .... Bob again
water clarity & Temp... once again Bob
how's the bite.... Bob
where's the bite... Bob
what are they biting on... Bob
So how much work do I put in? hold on I gotta call Bob
I'll get back to you

[DarkSkies]

watching tides... nope I got Bob
log books..... Bob
weather .... Bob
winds .... Bob again
water clarity & Temp... once again Bob
how's the bite.... Bob
where's the bite... Bob
what are they biting on... Bob
So how much work do I put in? hold on I gotta call Bob
I'll get back to you

I don't really wish for people to have a bad day, but for you, I'm getting on my knees tonight and praying a special prayer that you're fortunate enough to be reincarnated as the guy below.

[surfstix1963]

I started fishing with my grandfather when I was 3 on his boat for blowfish then fluke I cannot tell you how many times I got yelled at by him but he was just trying to learn a stubborn kid I realized that when I was older but all of that yelling stuck in my head and he always told me you need patience to catch fish and damn it that is the #1 rule.I learnrd alot from him tying the boat up properly, baiting the hooks a certain way,how to feel the different weight of a fluke on the end of your line compared to the weight of the sinker and to drop back if you missed it.He taught me so much I cannot list it here when I was about 8 my cousin started taking me offshore that was interesting but although I did that later on in life for awhile it just wasn't my cup of tea.When I started surfcasting, however frustrating it got I learned something everytime I went by listening, watching, reading and alot of hard work I made it to where I am able to catch most of the time and if I don't it doesn't bother me anymore theres just something about being out there I really realize this now because I cannot fish right now because of injuries and I'll tell ya it sucks not being out there it is just part of my life that I enjoy and it is a disease for some that has no cure its a good addiction I am not the best surf guy far from it but I enjoy what I do & try to help others if they want it.Again a little long but I have alot of time on my hands and hope to be back in the game some day.

[stripercrazy]

watching tides... nope I got Bob
log books..... Bob
weather .... Bob
winds .... Bob again
water clarity & Temp... once again Bob
how's the bite.... Bob
where's the bite... Bob
what are they biting on... Bob
So how much work do I put in? hold on I gotta call Bob
I'll get back to you

What happens when you are at home and run out of toilet paper...gotta call Bob?

I started fishing with my grandfather when I was 3 on his boat for blowfish then fluke I cannot tell you how many times I got yelled at by him but he was just trying to learn a stubborn kid I realized that when I was older but all of that yelling stuck in my head and he always told me you need patience to catch fish and damn it that is the #1 rule.I learnrd alot from him tying the boat up properly, baiting the hooks a certain way,how to feel the different weight of a fluke on the end of your line compared to the weight of the sinker and to drop back if you missed it.He taught me so much I cannot list it here when I was about 8 my cousin started taking me offshore that was interesting but although I did that later on in life for awhile it just wasn't my cup of tea.When I started surfcasting, however frustrating it got I learned something everytime I went by listening, watching, reading and alot of hard work I made it to where I am able to catch most of the time and if I don't it doesn't bother me anymore theres just something about being out there I really realize this now because I cannot fish right now because of injuries and I'll tell ya it sucks not being out there it is just part of my life that I enjoy and it is a disease for some that has no cure its a good addiction I am not the best surf guy far from it but I enjoy what I do & try to help others if they want it.Again a little long but I have alot of time on my hands and hope to be back in the game some day.

Good point Nothing in life that's worthwhile is free, we have to work for it, either with physical work of by earning the trust and respect of others. The times spent with your grandfather, you will always have in your memory on a rainy day. Great thread.

[killie]

What happens when you are at home and run out of toilet paper...gotta call Bob?

nope, I call my wife

[finchaser]

watching tides... nope I got Bob
log books..... Bob
weather .... Bob
winds .... Bob again
water clarity & Temp... once again Bob
how's the bite.... Bob
where's the bite... Bob
what are they biting on... Bob
So how much work do I put in? hold on I gotta call Bob
I'll get back to you

No problem anytime my friendI'll be out lookin if I find them I'll call ya. If not I'll be up to see ya.

[DarkSkies]

Yesterday the bite was real slow in the PM. Only a few lucky guys got fish. We met up with 2 of them who had been plugging despite the lack of bunker.

They both caught some nice fish, maybe 24, and 32#.
One of the guys had some rusty plugs in his bag. I wanted to help him out a bit, so I went to give him some of what had been working for me at night (he was still plugging long after everyone else had left and decided the bite was over)












On the way to where he was, I ran into a younger surf guy I know. He's been catching a lot of fish lately in the blitzes. That's what he does, and devotes all his free time to it, so he's done well.

However, as a surf guy I thought he would be able to appreciate that there are some bass around at night, if you are willing to work for them....

I showed him what I was using, told him I was getting bass to 22# at night.

His question..."Well how long does it take you to get each bass?"

Me:
"Sometimes up to 2 or 3 hours for one hit. sometimes less. It's a lot of work, but they're around..."

At that point his eyes glassed over, and he lost interest...

It seems there are not too many hardcore nutcases out there like Monty, Surfwalker, me, and a few others. Plugging hours at a time? Get real, dude!!!

Why spend all those pointless hours plugging for a measly 22# fish or 2 if you can get all you want until your arms are tired in a bunker blitz?

[Monty]

While out there this morning with almost the whole beach to myself, was thinking maybe that with an area known to be "hot" a few miles away, maybe a couple guys that would normally be fishing the area I was in were there (good for me). So I was able to walk and cast a good mile of beach, walking by only three other guys fishing (bait). I got one short on a popper (the way Surfwalker likes to catch'em), had a great time, fished water that looked great, can't wait to get out there again. It was worth the effort if I didn't catch a 24 inch bass and was happy I got that one. I fish every chance I get and am just happy to be fishing. Running around looking for bunker seems stressful to me and a waste of "my" time . I want no part of that type of "fishing".
Took a couple pics of the sun rise this morning......in between casts

[speedy]

great pics monty time is every thing i am out there as much as i can be and every time out i learn something new about the surf and how plugs
work at diff. time of day and tides so i try to get as much info i can ...

[DarkSkies]

6. If you have a busy life, and are pressed for time, if you only went out and fished the 2 nights before and after the full and new moons, you would exponentially increase your odds of catching. Whether you do catch or not, that's up to you and the waters you fish in (which I hope you have chosen carefully)

Moon fishing....
I posted this in another thread, worth reading, I think...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...n-surf-fishing


Tide tables....
How many of ya's are obsessive about your tide tables? Surfwalker is one I know of here who's diligent about printing out his different tide tables every month. Even if he doesn't make it to fish the area, he prints out the ones he's interested in.
Every month, I print a few myself.
Just got done printing out 10 of them. I may print more as the month progresses.


















Why do this?

!. Weather pattern changes - When the wind is from the NE, do you know a place that will allow you to fish it in safety? How about from a yak? How about a hard S, or a strong N/NW pattern? You can't always rely on the weatherman. If I start out to fish and area and am blown out by the weather, do I just turn tail and go home?

Hell no. I take out my charts. I look where I can still get to that has good tides and offers me a way to fish that weather pattern.
If you want to catch fish, even in the hottest weather of summer, you have to be ready and willing to change your plans.

Or change from the ocean to the back bay, or the back bay to a river....

Granted, once you know a whole body of water, you generally know that..."the inlet HT is 2 hours later than the ocean, or the particular bridge, the HT is 3 hours later, etc, etc, so you probably don't actually need to carry all that paper around with ya. But if you're as obsessive as I am, I'll tell ya's that I don't mind. Rather than let the weather or strong winds ruin my trip, it gives me more options. I feel that I have done more of my homework that way.



How about you folks?


And Monty, as usual, your pics are inspiring...looking at them on a hot muggy day makes me want to get out there and find that refreshing water!

[DarkSkies]

I looked at those pics again, Monty, just wanted to thank you for sharing them with us, those sunrises are awesome...