NJ Saltwater Fisherman Forums
The Surf Fisherman Forum => From The Surf => Topic started by: mustluke on October 02, 2008, 03:01:01 PM
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hi all I'm new to salt water fishing just started last summer. so far i only fished Point Pleasent inlet, got some blue fish, sea robins and bunkers, its a lot of fun but I'm tired of those rocks. i really want to try surf fishing, i think i got all the gear that i need, 15" and 12" rods, each equipped with 35lb test pro line, rod holders and a beach chair with cup holders. just want to ask if Point Pleasent or Atlantic City beaches are any good for surf fishing?
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welcome.. Any beach is good if you find a good hole and bait. Don't be disappointed if you fail to catch, its not an easy thing to do off the surf.
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whs
Welcome. If you don't know how to read the beach, take a look at the thread "Reading the Sand." It will give you a great perspective on where to fish at any beach. Sounds like you are all set up with the proper equipment. You will defintely want to tape or use bandaids on your casting index finger b/c that PP will cut you up! Also, where ever you fish, make sure you are familiar with the terrain. You want to be safe out there at all times and the surf can be rough and unpredictable.
Good Luck and ask any questions you need answered. I am sure someone here will be able to answer it for you!
TT^
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Hey Luke. Welcome to the site. You came to the right place. For one. these guys love helping others.. also.. there many here that just browse the site... afraid to ask what they may thing are stupid questions.. Well there are no stupid questions!.. Ask away..and you'll be catching fish in no time t^
But as Nick says.. The surf is tough.
Rod
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We are meeting up so just sign you name to the list and I will learn you TT^
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Hey ,
Run a course of 195 degrees on Rt. 35. When you come to 2 water towers.. Lavallete and Ortley, come hard to port to 090 degrees... Steady on course and slow your speed to you see da beach. Once your sandborn, look north and south... Where ya see most of the people, sneek in between but not too close... Theres a bunch of "grumpy old men" out here on the beach with us and ya always wanna give each other room....
If you see me, go the other way.. I haven't caught a fish yet.. I am of no luck to you pal...
Capt. A
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Hey ,
Run a course of 195 degrees on Rt. 35. When you come to 2 water towers.. Lavallete and Ortley, come hard to port to 090 degrees... Steady on course and slow your speed to you see da beach. Once your sandborn, look north and south... Where ya see most of the people, sneek in between but not too close... Theres a bunch of "grumpy old men" out here on the beach with us and ya always wanna give each other room....
If you see me, go the other way.. I haven't caught a fish yet.. I am of no luck to you pal...
Capt. A
rofla
Nice Post Capt A..
But these are Great Fisherman.. trust me t^
Sorry Capt A. I didn't edit your post like it says.. I hit the wrong tab.. thought I was Quoting.. but it was modifying t^
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grtn
No Prob Rod..
I ran into a guy yesterday and I swear on my life, i thought he was going to rip my head off for saying good morning to him nosmly... he scared the Pee out of me 5hrug.. he had me nervous all morning... nosmly
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grtn
No Prob Rod..
I ran into a guy yesterday and I swear on my life, i thought he was going to rip my head off for saying good morning to him nosmly... he scared the Pee out of me 5hrug.. he had me nervous all morning... nosmly
yeah but you scare easily slt hhppy hhppy chrz
dude Surf fishing can be frustrating and a lot of fun at the same time,, anyone can run a boat and chase fish all over the bay, surf fishing takes time patience and dedication,,,, just start hitting th local beaches, make friends with some natives and before u know it youll be catching fish
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Welcome Aboard mustluke,
You are starting the sport of surf fishing at the right time as the Fall striper run is just starting and it looks like it will be a good one. If we are really lucky it should last until January (wishful thinking).
Your equipment sounds good so you should be good to go in that department. I would make sure that you stock up on fish finder rigs that have a hook leader of at least 18" or more. Today I was switching leader length till I dialed it into using 24" and I was catching. As far as hook size you will hear a lot of different answers but since you are new and want to catch just about anything I would recommend a 6/0 or 7/0 circle hook. Any bigger and you will be eliminating a lot of smaller fish which can get frustrating.
Like P-man said read the article on reading the beach and get out there and HAVE FUN. Go at low tide and watch for where the rips are causing a current on top of the water put that to memory and go back later and fish both sides of that area. Remember you do not have to cast out all that far all the time. If you would like to try just remember that there is a lot of water you just cast over that might be holding fish. Fan our your casts and vary the distance and you should be alright.
Again Welcome Aboard
Happy Catching
Paul
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there's alot of great areas to fish the surf in between pp and ac. i fish Barnegat inlet, and all of LBI. if you prefer the inlets, Barnegat is great, and there are only a few areas where you need to be on the rocks, and they are not those army corps things either
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thanks for all the input, you guys are great the thread on reading the sand helped a lot slt
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Good Luck, if you want any more help just give a shout out that is what we are here for.
It does take a lot of work but once you have your beaches scoped out all it is is just a matter of find your favorite one to start with that one. If the bite is off there move to another cut, I meet a lot of great people by doing this moving around. One nice thing once they see you out there time after time a lot of the locals will open up and start to give away some more secrets you never would of thought of.
Don't be afraid to listen...By listening and being quiet I have learned a lot from the old timers that haunt the beaches.
Remember after a good blow recheck as the rips and cuts may have moved.
Again Good Luck
Happy Catching
Paul
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Welcome! I am a big fan of the A.C. area for many reasons. There are alot of different places and terrains between beaches, boards, bricks and rocks. Depending on where you go, parking can be a bit trcky, but I have found a few good places that I would be willing to show you if you wanna set up a fishin trip. There is a local B & T that shows pictures of all of the fish that I didn't catch and has alot of supplies in an itty bitty room!
As for the beaches....I have not caught anything yet, but I know the fish are there because they come up sometimes and make faces at me :P and point and laugh rofla ...it's kinda mean :'( But thats OK, cause when I get me one of them big ole boys I intend to cut'm and cook'm >:D Anyway, good luck, and give me a shout if you want company down in A.C. chrz
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As for the beaches....I have not caught anything yet, but I know the fish are there because they come up sometimes and make faces at me :P and point and laugh rofla ...it's kinda mean :'( But thats OK, cause when I get me one of them big ole boys I intend to cut'm and cook'm >:D Anyway, good luck, and give me a shout if you want company down in A.C. chrz
Those same fish must be up here in Ocean County, too! They come up and stick their tongues out at me...sometimes they put their hands up to their ears and wave them at me too!! Very rude rofla rofla!
TT^
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Hey mustluke....welcome.
to me surf fishing is the essance of fishing in the salt. I've been from the beach to the canyons for tuna and find that a couple of hours surf fishing dollar for dollar can be the most relaxing of them all....Sounds like you have the right equip to start just get out there and have at it.
Tight lines.......
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Give it a try surf fishing for me is the most enjoyable fishing there is you wont catch anywhere near as much as boat fishing but thats part of the challenge.Also once you land a keeper Striper in the surf and you will if you really dedicate yourself to learning to fish the surf you will never want to fish from a boat again.
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There is alot written on the subject if you are a reader. Don't be a loner! Make friends at your local bait shop to get the latest. Generally surf fishing picks up in the fall for bass/blues in ocean/monmouth counties. The mullet run gets things going in Sept and then.... till you've had enough. Summers are slowwww concentrate on fluke for the best action. Always watch for those noreasters in the fall they can trigger some great action. Oh yeah, by the time it hits the board it's all over rgmn and you shoulda been here yesterday rgmn
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I'm heading down for more Long Branch Beach Abuse. 4th of July weekend I was there with my brother, girlfriend and a bud of ours. I caught a 12" Fluke and 10 seconds later, my bud says " I got something". We ended up all catching a fish within a one minute time after numerous stolen bait episodes. Total was 3 Fluke @ 12" and a 14" Sea Robin caught by my bro. 10 minutes later, my brother that rarely fishes and was the least interested amongst us, caught a 20" Fluke. He proceeded to brag along the boardwalk all weekend long about his "Mighty Fluke". Went down weekend of July 17th and caught a couple of Skate and small Fluke to 16". Caught my first Stargazer, which was extremely cool to me. If anyone is on the beach this wekend and sees 2 guys fishing and using orange sand spikes, say hello. Name is Bunker, just like the fish. Tight lines everyone, and can't wait to do a first report with pics.
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Good luck bunkerman. My haunting grounds are a bit further south, Island Beach State Park. The only problem is I usually do not go out on weekends to many people on the beach doing crazy stuff. I guess I am spoiled living so close.
Happy Catching
Paul
PS: pretty cool with the orange sand spikes... t^ grtn
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Good luck Bunkerman!
TT^
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I was a Sprinkler Fitter and we used Blaze orange PVC pipe on some jobs. I took a few scraps of 2" and tapered the ends and made them 20" long. They work excellent and I don't have to worry about them being stolen. Leaving tonight and going to be fishing pre-dawn at the beach. I can't wait. Going to have to have the girlfriend put the site on her BB so she can post if we catch. She posts to my FB and I usually do my CTFisherman reports after my pics are DL to the computer. I'm like a little kid right now. Thanks for the welcome also.
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I was a Sprinkler Fitter and we used Blaze orange PVC pipe on some jobs. I took a few scraps of 2" and tapered the ends and made them 20" long. They work excellent and I don't have to worry about them being stolen.
Cool! You might still have to worry about them being stolen(this is the NJ Shore :-\), but they won't be able to hide them ;D.
TT^
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Aha! The thing is, I have lost 40# and still @ 270ish 6'1". I am never more than 10' from my rods. I'm a big guy that ends up with a gaggle of kids that want to touch and let the fish go. I may have to train some of those kids to attack on command. The Bunker Brigade. Hmmm, I may have to print up T-shirts. ;D
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Hey guys, I'm a new member as well and this thread is exactly what i was interested in. I'd like to try some of the early season clamming action for stripers or even fishing in the bays off the shore. I've been strictly a boat fisherman in the saltwater but I'd like to try the shore fishing this year.
Any advice for the spring run (April-early May?)
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well they are already starting to catch in the back bays but water seems to be a little to cold for the ocean to bring the stripers out just yet...Go with small hooks 3/0 or 4/0 circle hooks and little bits of clams if your clamming or artificials
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Cliffwood beach area is always a nice early season area
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For true Spring Run Stripers in the Ocean...anywhere the bunker pods are is good!
However, you can always catch some early stripers and resident fish in the bays and inlets. Some of these fish can be good size. I know the Barnegat Bay and lower Rivers have been producing some fish. Always have a chance of some being oceanside as well.
What area of the State are you looking to fish?
TT^
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For true Spring Run Stripers in the Ocean...anywhere the bunker pods are is good!
However, you can always catch some early stripers and resident fish in the bays and inlets. Some of these fish can be good size. I know the Barnegat Bay and lower Rivers have been producing some fish. Always have a chance of some being oceanside as well.
What area of the State are you looking to fish?
TT^
I'm looking for any area Manasquan Inlet and north. I think the gear that I will be using (med 7' spinning rod with 30# braid) is more suited to bay/inlet fishing than ocean, but I'm just looking to try out some inlet fishing for stripers.
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Sandy Hook has some good Bay Access and if you walk out to the point you have the Bay meeting the Ocean. Manasquan Inlet is always worth a shot...although slow this time of the year...Canal too. I am not Monmouth County savvy, so I can't help with that.
TT^
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whs
Now if you went from the inlet south there are tons of places we could tell you to try. Just hang in there and I am sure some of the guys up north will be jumping on over the weekend.
Happy Catching
Paul
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You new guys might want to join a fishing club. It's what got me going and I learned a lot.
There are plenty of them around. Not all are friendly and open to new members. It will depend on where you are from and where you fish and what they are about.
For me, I like the Hudson River Fishermen's Association. They have a group of guys, a few dozen, that hit the beach's up and down the coast of NJ all season through December.
Anyway, that is where I learned a lot. Now I am part of their Surf Fishing Team in some local ASAC tournaments. They also get many 10 percent discounts at many local tackles shops from Bergen County through Ocean County.
Well worth it.
www.HRFA.us t^
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I for one do not like the politics of clubs. I have put my time in and, well, fishing my area for over 50 years I seem to like the group of guys that hang on the beaches and have no need for clubs.
I and a lot of guys on the beach are always willing to help anyone that comes along. I don't know how much equipment I have given away and or taught to read the beaches but for a lot of guys clubs are a good way to learn.
Either way there are always ways to learn especially with spring on the way it is time to get things ready to go.
May is just around the corner.
Happy Catching
Paul
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Paul, that is true with many clubs. But this guy is just starting out. There were several clubs I belong to that were more "social clubs" than fishing clubs. I have left those clubs and stuck with a good one. Great comradery too.
You have to start somewhere. This is just a suggestion.
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have been surf fishing for 15 years and i learn somthing new every year dont get disapointed its like going back to schoolget out ther you will learn
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I am another neebie @ Surf fishing. All great information! I will have to read the sand! msfsh
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wa
I am another neebie @ Surf fishing. All great information! I will have to read the sand! msfsh
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If anyone needs help just ask as there is a lot to learn as you will find out. Especially now that Sandy has ripped through our area and the bars, cuts and slough's are not there like last year.
Now would be the time to start your learning process and begin with the basics. Learn to read the sand, figure out what baits frequent the beach areas and try to use those or if artificials are to be used come close to the patterns in artificials the so called "Match the Hatch".
As far as equipment goes don't go wild and try to buy everything you think you would need to start. Pick if you will be using natural baits or if artificials will be your first choice. If it were me the simplest would be using bait first. This way you can get use to the different baits available through out the season and the following year start to migrate to artificials. Cost wise this would be the inexpensive way to go as well.
Like I said in starting out, ask a question and I am sure there will be tons of answers that will come your way. Just stick to a system, learn it well and then go on to try something else.
Happy Catching
Paul
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Hello everyone, I am still somewhat new to surf fishing. If anyone wants to get together and go fish Brigantine let me know.
Wayne