Following the Night Tides......Do You have What it Takes?

[DarkSkies]

Your Gear.....

Before you hit the road...you double check all your gear.....

You check your leader...if you were using it for the whole night before,,,,you either toss it, and tie on a new one...or inspect it for nicks...knowing that any small oversight, could be the one that causes you to lose the fish of a lifetime.....

At the very least, you cut your leader, cut off a yard or 2 of braid......knowing that although braid is strong, with the kind of fishing you do,,,,you may have rubbed some rocks, bridge ice breakers...or just rubbed the sand a tad too much...and that could be the weak link, that causes you to lose that big fish......

You re-tie your leader, checking all your terminal hardware,,,,replacing it if there are any doubts....constant saltwater use has a deteriorating effect on gear and hardware....and you know that, because you have screwed up before....from not paying attention.....

You quickly check all the plugs you will be using,,,making sure you have no weak or rusty hooks, weak split rings....or anything that would cause you to lose that 30lb bass that you didn't think would show up......



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4fqb9hr7L0

[surferman]

Enjoying it so far ds.

[DarkSkies]

Your Gear.....

Before you hit the road...you double check all your gear.....

You quickly check all the plugs you will be using,,,making sure you have no weak or rusty hooks, weak split rings....or anything that would cause you to lose that 30lb bass that you didn't think would show up......



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4fqb9hr7L0

You are so obsessive that you periodically run a Q-tip, through the eye of the guide at your rod tip....making sure there is no way you will lose that big fish...
As mentioned, you double check all your hand tied leaders, knots, terminal tackle,,,,knowing that if you screw up, it will be that moment, that little mistake,,,,that will bring you clarity,,,and the agony of defeat...further reinforcing your life long struggles as a googan...and making mistakes when it is most important not to......

[DarkSkies]

I mention the above to make us all aware of the fact that no one is perfect....
We try our best to be prepared, and think of all these things....
But when big fish come calling....they frequently take you by surprise.....big fish are solitary by nature....and you never know when you may get the chance to see one or feel one at the end of your line.......

So like the Boy Scout motto...
Be prepared.......

[DarkSkies]

The Committment to be out there...when the fish are there......

In my experience, the night bite, is very different from many other bites.....it is a study unto itself....
I was trying to explain to some newer guys I met the other night......that if you want to be successful, you have to know the tide.....
You can't learn it in an hour....or expect to catch fish with only a one hour committment.....unless you are concentrating on dawn and dusk.....

The biggest fish I have found while fishing, other than the bunker blitzes, are ones that I found deep in the night...
and usually when I was least expecting one....half asleep from the lack of action....until your arm gets the jolt of a solid hit on your plug.....a real solid hit....and after you manage to set that hook hard, you feel the fish start to fight, the drag starts to sing....zinnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg..............to me there is more adrenalin in that moment than drinking a whole pot of coffee....

[DarkSkies]

As to the Committment....I have tried to help hundreds of folks over the years....some of them get it....they know the feeding opportunities are limited.....there will be one window per nght if you are lucky...if you find more than one....you have hit the jackpot......

The standard complaint of today's harried angler (family...job, social obligations, etc, etc) is "I fish when I can"
That's a great path to follow, if it is the only path that gets you out there., and you are able to get some relaxation from it....all good....

However, the fish feed when they do.....the fish wait for no one....and the tides...wait for no one....
So if you are ready to take it to the next level, you have to understand that clearly......and learn to make more of a committment...to be there when the fish decide to feed......

[DarkSkies]

"Why is that Committment necessary?
Can't I just get that info from Facebook?---there is a cool new surfcaster group I joined....they are catchng large all the time, if you believe the pics they are posting.....why I can't just go to the beach, and shadow them? Why do I need to learn all this extra stuff? It just seems too frivolous to me....too obsessive!"





This is an earlier thread I did....
"How Hard are you willing to Work, to Learn?"
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...-work-to-learn
Good reading for the newer members here.....

You need to learn these things, and fish a whole tide at a time.....so you will understand how a bite develops, how and why it sustains itself, and how and why it shuts down...and what you can do at that point.....you can't learn this on facebook, an internet seminar, or even here, for that matter...the only way to learn...is to go out there....put in the time....and see for yourself.......

Usually, when a bite dies....it is about the food lessening, or stage of tide lessening...or some factor that you are possibly not aware of....but you have to train yourself to "see" when this happens, and when it wanes.......

[DarkSkies]

"What are the Benefits, besides me investing a sh*tload of my time, with no guarantees?"

My answer to that is that there are no guarantees in life....

When you asked that beautiful girl to become your wife, there were no guarantees that she would say "Yes!"
When you went for that promotion at work, there were no guarantees you would get it.
When you climbed that mountain ridge to scout for signs of that trophy deer, bull elk, etc...there are no guarantees that you would find the trail....
When you tried that new path in life, unsure of every step, there were no guarantees it would work out either....

[jigfreak]

However, the fish feed when they do.....the fish wait for no one....and the tides...wait for no one....
So if you are ready to take it to the next level, you have to understand that clearly......and learn to make more of a committment...to be there when the fish decide to feed......

Amen,dude. When its on its on and when dead is like a funeral.

[seamonkey]

You need to learn these things, and fish a whole tide at a time.....so you will understand how a bite develops, how and why it sustains itself, and how and why it shuts down...and what you can do at that point.....you can't learn this on facebook, an internet seminar, or even here, for that matter...the only way to learn...is to go out there....put in the time....and see for yourself.......

Usually, when a bite dies....it is about the food lessening, or stage of tide lessening...or some factor that you are possibly not aware of....but you have to train yourself to "see" when this happens, and when it wanes.......

Bored at work today. Would definitely be interested in hearing about more of this. Thanks for the thread, dark

[ledhead36]

I hope you put in a post or two about sitting on a white bucket. That can work out when there are bunker in the area and you sit tight for the whole tide. Have gotten bass up to 38# this way in the spring when they pass by.

[DarkSkies]

^Ledhead, there's nothing wrong with sitting on a white bucket...you, me, and the guys know I did that for many years.......and I always managed to find a source of bait when you ran out for the night....

I have a few friends like you who consistently catch large by tossing bait at night and waitiing...one such friend gets bass in the 30-40# class every year by tossing bunker heads during the right time and tide.....
He knows all too well the importance of following the night tides.....

he has it down to a science and knows what week, to be in which location....we have discussions about fish migration and fishing all the time.....every year he correctly predicts when bunker will enter the bay in numbers...and he can see fish underneath when it looks like there is no activity above.....

[DarkSkies]

He has been getting fish to the high teens in the ocean in the last 2 months on bunker heads...but the other night he called, grumbling that this is his worst year in a long time....
Also, a bunch of his fishing friends just went to Montauk, and did poorly in the surf....June has always been the traditional month when bass turn the corner at the Point...While the boats are doing OK...many have not noticed that their "split trips" are a relatively new phenomenon because you can no longer catch bass all day at Montauk...even in a boat...if that doesn't say the numbers are down., I don't know what does.....

There is another thread here that talks about the decline of fish in Montauk....
or you could just do an internet search for
"Why are there no fish in Montauk right now?"
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...tauk-right-now

Despite all the internet cheerleading by folks who say they are having a relatively good year for striped bass....I'm not.,...have to travel further and longer trips to still find bass...and am not finding the numbers I usually run into.....he told me his trips are 8 hours or more at night,,,,,all for one 16-20# bass.

He claims this is his worst year in decades....
I would have to agree with him...those are my sentiments as well...

I wonder where this year stands for you..relative to your past years of success?

[DarkSkies]

Fishing the Moon Tides.....


Anyone who begins to develop an addiction to fishing...and starts to plan out their trips, as to which place they will be fishing, at which stage of the night tide....knows all too well the importance of the moon tide....

Every time I see someone claim, on the internet
"Well I didn't catch fish last night, damn full moon!"

If you are using that excuse, maybe you need to re-think your skill set, and ask yourself why you are not finding fish...because most likely it ain't the fault of the moon....


1. You may want to blame fire in the water, phosphorescence...(a common occurrence during warmer months and exascerbated by the brightness of a full moon)
2. You may want to blame lack of bait, forage....all good reasons for fish not to be there...
3. You may want to accept that there are less fish around than there used to be, even at night,
4. You may want to consider that with all the new guys in the game today, there are less fish to go around for us all.
5. You may want to consider that weather or storm patterns have affected migration in your area...

All of the above would be valid reasons why you may not catch duriing a full moon trip...but if they are not factors...please don't blame the moon.....

[DarkSkies]

The one caveat is that I try to be more cautious in my movements at the waters edge, during a full moon...because I know if fish are in close, they can see me,,,and my movements might spook them....

For a full moon trip, I'm most happy when there is a "full moon obscured by clouds".
The cloud cover gives me more confidence, and knowledge that if the fish are spooky that night, they will be less wary with the cloud cover...again...this is just my experience,,,yours may be different....


Fishing during the moon tides....
There are a whole host of things to get excited about.....
1. Many major bait migrations or movements occur during moon tides.
2. One needs to only briefly scan the internet fishing reports to see terms like "June New Moon" and "October Harvest Moon" as times of great anticipation among fishermen...and times of great bait migration and movement....
3. Even without a major bait migration, whatever bait that is available, will be on the move, and at a much faster rate, in the rivers, bays, ocean, and inlets and inlet points,,,
4. The rapidness with which this bait moves, tends to have it disoriented and less organized in areas of stronger current or turbulence...
5. This presents perfect ambush opportunities for predators to feed aggressively on fish that may previously have been harder to catch....
6. With the predators being more active, you, the fisherman who studies these things, has more opportunity to catch them.

[DarkSkies]

As you get more into the game, and see fishing as a challenge of opportunities and openings, it becomes like a big strategy game.....if your strategy is correct you are a genius and will find fish when no one else seems to be able to...if your strategy fails.....you are just another loser, with a fishing addiction...


The best of the best know this....there is a video where Bill Wetzel talks about the conditions that drive him to be out there....
He describes sitting at work...and the feeling that a particular weather pattern, will bring bigger fish to the beach.....making for the possibility of a great night ......

I have these same compulsions driving me too....

How many others out there, have felt this as well?
The times, when you know, you just HAVE to be out there.....

[DarkSkies]

The days before and after the Moon Tides......


You will find discussions ad nauseum on internet fishing forums on most preferred moon fishing cycles.....
Waxing
Waning,
Gibbous, etc, etc......

I'm gonna simplify it all for you folks reading this...this is what works for me....
I make it my business to fish at minimum the 2 days before and after each moon tide.....
This puts your committment to fishing, to 8 nights per month....

If you're compulsive like me, you can make it 3 days before and after...which makes 12 nghts a month, that you absolutely must be out there fishing...

If you fish a lot, you will notice that the tides in between (this is why it's helpful to keep a log...) are generally less productive....
I call these "weak tide" nights because I feel that's exactly what they represent...weak tides, weak opportunity to catch fish....

Can you catch fish during these "weak" tides?
Absolutely, if there is a lot of bait around...
Whenever I am trying to illustrate a point in fishing theory, or what works for me...the absence or presence of bait., trumps all other factors...

[DarkSkies]

So, to recap, if you want to increase your catching results, and are serious about your fishing....at the very minimum you should be fishing 8 nights a month, assuming the weather permits.....



For more discussion on this, do an internet search for:
"Let's talk about Full Moon Surf Fishing (and New Moon as well....)"

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...w-Moon-as-well-)

**This is an important point....the weather will sometimes blow your plans to shreds....you need to accept that as part of fishing....,there is no sane reason to be fishing in a lightning storm, beginning of a severe noreaster, or when a dangerous storm is building, or right after....no point in fishing any conditions that may affect your safety...too much foolishness and macho posturing on the internet about fishing in hardcore conditions...there is nothing hardcore about it, if you don't come home to your wife or family......

[dogfish]

The days before and after the Moon Tides......




I make it my business to fish the 2 days before and after each moon tide.....
This puts your committment to fishing, to 8 nights per month....

If you're compulsive like me, you can make it 3 days before and after...which makes 12 nghts a month, that you absolutely must be out there fishing...

If you fish a lot, you will notice that the tides in between (this is why it's helpful to keep a log...) are generally less productive....
I call these "weak tide" nights because I feel that's exactly what they represent...weak tides, weak opportunity to catch fish....

Spot on ds. Simply making a shift to all moon tide fishing would probably put more large under your belt than anything else. Expecting folks to go out and fish 12 nights is almost impossible though, you must be dreaming. I do this when the weather lets me though so I must be as crazy as you. I hate when the weather keeps me from the water.

[DarkSkies]

Yep, dogfish....It's unreasonable to assume everyone else is as addicted to this, as I am....but I know there are some of us out there....hope you are having a good year up there.....