So, You Want to Start Surfcasting?
by Skip DeBari
Author with a nice late season bass.
One of the first questions I hear from beginning surfcasters is "How do I catch more fish?" Here are a few quick tips designed to help a beginning surfcaster do just that.
1. Stick with one fishing method when you first start out. Try spin fishing with plugs and eels or fly rodding for small fish. Small fish are more numerous and easier to catch and thus they will provide a faster and more positive learning experience. Most new cut bait fishermen simply cast their line out in one spot and let the bait do the work, learning very little about structure, bait or the effects of waves. Carry a small, basic variety of plugs or flies.
2. Take the time to learn a couple of local beaches well. Learn the seasons, baits, structure and techniques of a few areas that you fish often. It will make the pieces of the puzzle come together that much quicker. Sometimes the grass looks greener on the other side, but if the hot action in a far away location dies, you will have to hunt for few fish in an unfamiliar area.
3. Watch the local, experienced anglers. See what tackle they use, how they employ it, how it's rigged and where they fish. Old timers may be reluctant to tell you when and where, but they may show you how. This could be especially true if they see you working the beach several times.
4. Make sure your tackle is in good condition and up to the job. Keep your hooks sharp. Learn a few good knots, like the palomar, improved cinch, spider hitch and yucatan. Wash your tackle off to prevent corrosion and make sure your drag is smooth. Change you're line often. Use a mono leader, with a black 75 lb swivel on one end and a snap on the other.
5. Form an association with a small group of anglers of similar ability. Just from time spent on the water, all of you will learn a lot.
6. Fish as often as you can. You will learn a lot more from several short trips than you will from an all day or all weekend trip and the chance for good conditions is better.
7. Fish at night. If that's not possible try for first or last light. Fish on cloudy, windy days.
8. Fish areas that match your ability. If you can't climb jetties, wade on top of rocks, fish rough surf or large crowds, start with conditions you are comfortable with but try to learn the skills needed for rough and rocky areas.
9. When you first arrive at a beach, look for signs of gamefish such as the sounds or sights of fish breaking the surface or chasing bait, a slick, the shadows under a bridge or fish being caught. Sometimes the clues are subtle, keep your eyes and ears open.
10. Look for structure. Bars, points, rocks, edges, holes, rips lines, channels or whitewater. Make 5 or 6 casts, change lures and repeat, repeat again, then move to the next piece of structure. Keep moving and changing lures. Concentrate on the most pronounced structure - a bridge, an inlet, or a rocky point.
11. Next, look for signs of bait. Swirls, breaks, patches of dark, nervous water, the sparkle of baitfish, birds in the vicinity, baitfish washed up on the beach, sand eels chased from the waters edge or holding quietly on the water's surface at night. At night, after making a few casts, I'll wade around with a flashlight looking for bait (behind me). If you find bait without gamefish, keep coming back to it. Bass may ambush it when it reaches some structure or the tide changes or darkness falls.
12. Fish while you are on the beach. Believe that fish are out there and you only have to find the right lure, retrieve, angle of presentation or location to catch them.
13. Join a surf fishing club. By becoming an active member and demonstrating your enthusiasm, you will make new friends, become part of the group, and learn a lot. If you're in Connecticut, have I got a club for you!
GOOD LUCK!