A light easterly breeze brings fish to the surf
--If the surf is too rough to fish, cast lures at the inlet, or take your surf fishing gear to the Ocean Pier.
-- Fish bite good right before a storm, weather change, or front! (falling barometer)
--To catch more fish always keep your bait moving slightly across the bottom so you can cover more territory and make your bait look more life-like.
--If you use squid, always cut it into an attractive tapered strip and hook it only once so it dangles off the hook.
--If you want to catch stripers, fish early in the morning, dusk, or after dark. Use bloodworms or artificial lures such as Atom's Plugs, Rattletraps, Bombers or clams
Some of your best surf fishing is early in the morning and right before dark.
--A hurricane type sinker holds better per ounce than the traditional pyramid type. If it is extremely rough try a sputnik type surf sinker.
--The lighter the line, the further you can cast, and the less sinker weight it takes to hold! (Most people surf fish 12 to 20 pound test line. Never go over 20# in the surf.
If you throw lures, do not use over 16# test.) --Keep your bait in a bucket or cooler, or the sea gulls will steal it! LOL
--If you want to use a whole finger mullet, buy a "mullet hook" rig so you can thread the whole finger mullet on the hook.
--Fish one rod out far with a whole finger mullet for blues or stripers, then fish a shorter rod in close with strips of mullet or pieces of bloodworm for kingfish, spot, and trout.
--If you use bloodworms, keep your hook size down to a size #6 or #8. (Unless you are after keeper sized stripers.)
--If the crabs continuously steal your bait, go to a single, surf- floater rig. This puts your bait further off the bottom away from the crabs.
--If there is an outer bar where you are fishing, fish the inside slough at high tide. At low tide, walk out to the bar and cast off.
--Cast the deep side of jetties for good results.
--Look for a point of land jutting out on the beach, then fish either side of it.
--It is possible to "over-cast" the fish, especially at high tide and towards dusk.
--Always use a sand spike, so your reel does not fall in the sand when baiting up or taking a fish off the hook
--Never wash your reel in the ocean! Wash it with fresh water when you get home.
--If you get a big fish on, use your drag, and let the wave action help you bring the fish to the beach. Many fish are lost right in the wash as the excited angler cranks too hard when the wave is retreating.
--Do not fish in a lightning storm with a graphite fishing rod! (It ain't worth it!)
Surf Tips - Snag Rig For Peanut Bunker
Each fall massive schools of peanut bunker leave the rivers and bays, swarming the New Jersey beaches on their migration southward. Striped bass and other gamefish converge on this gathering of bite sized morsels. There are many ways this link of the food chain can be used to the angler’s advantage.
Fishing with a small spoon that imitates the small baitfish is one option. Peanut bunker come in a range of sizes, from barely 2 inches to over four inches. Your artificial offering may not be a close enough match to the bait schools in front of you. There are times when the fish will settle for nothing but the real thing.
Live peanut bunker can be purchased at many bait shops and marinas. This adds another expense to your surf outing. More importantly, transporting the baits and keeping them alive can be difficult and cumbersome.
Netting the peanuts with a cast net is another way to procure live bait. If you own a cast net and know how to use it, this is a quick way to get a lot of live bait. One drawback is keeping the extra baits alive.
Constant water replacement is required to keep them cool and well aerated. You are also tied to one location - the spot you keep your bait pail.
*** The Uni to Uni Knot
The Uni to uni knot, sometimes called the barrel knot, is one of the easiest line to line connections to form. It is an excellent knot for attaching monofilament to the super braid lines that are becoming so popular among surf fishermen. This knot is useful for rigging leaders or connecting super braid line to monfilament backing.
It is most effective when the two lines are of similar diameter.
Surf Tips - Teasers
A teaser is a fly or sometimes a soft plastic sand eel imitation rigged on its own leader ahead of a conventional lure. Teasers are most often seen ahead of swimming plugs like Bombers or Redfins. They are also effective rigged with metal baits, bucktails, or even poppers.
