New to Surf fishing and I have some specific questions.

[JerseyFresh609]

Hi all, I will be taking a vacation on L.B.I. (Holgate) in about a week and I'm planning on doing some surf fishing.  I'm pretty new to it except for a few times as a kid.  Any answers or advice for the following questions would be great:

1. What should I target? I was down this past Sunday and I saw a guy catch a few fluke and a bunch of smaller fish I didn't recognize (king fish or weakfish maybe?).  I'd like to catch something to eat like fluke but also something that will put up a good fight like bluefish, etc..  I know people have been catching brown sharks off the surf too which I would LOVE to do, but I don't know if my rig can handle that (see below).  Will the local papers have info on what's hitting and also keeper sizes and amounts?

2. I plan on buying these two rod/reel combos:
Shakespeare Alpha (10') and Shakespeare Tiger.  The Tiger is just something cheap so the girlfriend can join me and also so I have something I can hit docks/piers with.  The Alpha is going to be my main surf rod (should I go 12' instead?).  I might re-spool it with 30lb line or maybe a stronger braided line.  I know these rods aren't top notch but they should be okay for what I'm trying to do yeah?

3. What tackle do I need?  I'd like to order the stuff online to save some cash, but I can always stop at one of the bait/tackle shops (anyone recommend one?).  I plan on getting the following things: tackle bag, hooks (sizes?), wire leaders, pyramid sinkers (2oz?), swivels, pliers, a knife, split shot, pole holders, a fish scale, gloves and a rag.  What did I miss? Also is there a good online place to order this stuff?  I planned to use Amazon or Walmart.

4. Can crab off the surf while I fish?  Maybe with one of the traps they go in and can't get out of or maybe just with a baited line?  I would love to cook a few of these guys up.

5. Any other tips/advice?

[BigAl13]

First  . The rod selection you have posted wouldnt be my choice but should do the trick. The species you have posted will be your target, thats whats out there now. Go to the tackle section on this site and check out the tackle here Re spooling the rod is also a good choice I would use a braided line in the 40lb range. Do you plan on fishing more often now or is this just a vacation type trip? Read the threads on the "From the Surf" section, there is valuable info on there that will help you get started, Im not familiar with the B&Ts down there so I cannot recommend one for you but Im sure some of the other guys can help. As far as bait Berkley Gulp is a good choice being that 1) it works and 2) anything swimming by it will likely take a swipe. Hope I helped good luck.

[ChrisL]

Welcome adoard. 

Right now from the surf it's fluke, king fish and small blues mostly. 
Fluke on gulp swimming mullet ans shrimp.  Use a typical fluke rig wiht a bank sinker or a teaser rig with a bucktail at the end.
King fish on peices of Fish bites or gulp worms.  Use a hi-lo rig with small hooks and a bank sinker. 
Bluefish are taking bunker or mullet chunks.  Use a hi-lo rig or one with floats. 

That 10tf rod will work, but will probably be a bit overkill for the target species right now.  They are all smaller species and a lighter rod (9ft maybe) will might the fight seems a little better.

You'll want fluke rigs, king fish rigs, fireball rigs, bank sinkers from 1 to 3 oz, pyramid sinkers 3-4oz, a tape measure, pliers, gulp, mullet/bunker, fish bites, rod spike, knife, rags and a camera. You can skip the scale, split shot and wire leaders. 
Sharks is a whole other beast, literally.  It's mostly a night game, requires different and heavier gear and requires some experience to stay safe. 

Make sure you register for the NJ saltwater registry and check the regs on size / limits.  http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/njregs.htm

Local shops down on the island would be Fisherman's head quarts, Ocean side B&T and Jingles B&T.  They all have sites you can check for location.  They're all good shops with knowledge of the area, current happenings and all the tackle you'll need.  Support the local shops  .

If you want to do some crabbing, hit a dock on the bay side.  Crabbing isn't a surf thing. 

Good luck, have fun and make sure you let us know how you do.  Oh...we like pictures too.   

[Hotrod]

Great info guys.  As I do like the plug for our shop. Best bet would be
To stop at fishermans headquarters right when you get on the island
They have every thing  you need

And are very friendly. 

[JerseyFresh609]

Thanks guys!  I did register for my license already and I just checked the keeper limits page.  This is mostly a vacation thing but since I will have some gear now I may be doing this more often, especially with a little success next week!  I'll get what I can online and head to one of the local shops for the rest and some bait once I'm down there.  I'm excited!

[BigAl13]

The reason I asked if you plan to fish alot is because if thats what your planning you may want to buy a different set up so you dont have to purchase another one to soon

[JerseyFresh609]

Well I decided to stop by Dick's Sporting Goods today and take a look.  They actually had the Shakespeare rod/reel that I was looking for but at $99 I found Penn Fierce Combo (8000 reel, 10' composite rod) that was clearly of better quality.  Since I went a little over budget I skipped the $25 braided line and had it spooled with 250yds of 30 lb mono.  I also picked up a smaller rod/reel combo for $21 that seems to be decent for what I paid for it anyway.  Grabbed a soft tackle box and some tackle as well.  Still need a few odds and ends but I'm just about ready to go fish.

[Bucktail]

Go get 'em and 

[Hotrod]

Yes.  Dickss was a good choice

[JerseyFresh609]

Yes.  Dickss was a good choice

That's what she said! Hahaha sorry, I had to.  Seriously though, they had a pretty decent selection of gear and fair prices.  I will stop by one of the local shops for bait and a few more odds and ends.

[Hotrod]

 

[ped579]

Welcome Aboard.

All the information here is very sound and it looks like your on your way to do some fishing and relaxing.

Holgate is a great place to fish.  As you get on the sand there is a bulkhead to your left it si always good to start there as it holds bait fish which brings larger fish.

Again welcome aboard.

Happy Catching

Paul

[JerseyFresh609]

Between my girlfriend and I, in a few trips over the last few days we have had 3 dogfish, 3 kingfish, 1 fluke and 1 snapper.  Nothing worth keeping but better than getting skunked.  Used gulp, mullet, bunker and spot.  Caught most of it on the $20 rod/reel too.  Nothing big was hitting.  A couple kids were catching lots of spot today.  I didn't have any tackle small enough to catch my own for bait but they were nice enough to offer me some so I chunked it up and caught a small blue with it.

[ChrisL]

   Glad it worked out for ya and you got into some fish.
Thanks for reporting back. 

[BigAl13]

 

[Hotrod]

 

[Scott G.]

 

[fluke - u]

 

[SurfJockey]

Nice going.