Surfcasting is an ever learning experience. There is always a new spot to learn or a new technique to apply. Sometimes,realizing something is working before everyone else (such as a hot color, or what size bait fish are keying on) can make all the difference.Here are three very simple surfcasting mistakes. They are very easy to avoid. By default, by not making these mistakes, one is guaranteed to catch more fish.
1. When checking out a spot bring your rod with you!
I have been as guilty of this as anyone. How many times have you went to scout out a spot "just to see" and when you got there, saw a blitz and had to run back to your car? I'm sure everyone surf fishermen has done that. Half the time, by the time you get back, the fish have either stopped or moved out of casting range.
I have learned my lesson, I always carry my rod (and usually my bag, because it it does no good losing your popper in a school of blues on the first cast) to the water. So many times I'll walk into feeding fish and only have one cast before they move on. Better to have that one shot then to be running back to your car dropping F-bombs.
2. Always make a few casts!
One of my pet peeves is what I call "the watchers". A lot of guys will stand around all day and only cast when they see fish. Worse, many guys will drive all over creation stopping at many spots searching with binoculars but never making a cast because they don't see breaking fish. This is a huge mistake. A lot of times the fish are not showing but they are there.
Monday night I went to Narragansett. There were a lot of fish around. Many were schooled up and would pop up all over the place. I got lucky and had fish break right in front of me twice. Both times I hooked up and landed a fish. Both times, by the time I got the fish in, the feeding stopped and I was casting blind. It didn't matter, there were loads of fish cruising just outside "the first wave". I ended up catching many more including a 31 inch keeper. To my right was a guy also casting blind. He caught as many fish as I did. My friend Dave was half a mile away also hooking up with fish hugging the shoreline.
To my left was Pier 5. It was loaded with guys, none casting, all waiting. I am sure there were fish right there, but no one was even trying. This is just the latest example of "dry lines catch few fish" I've seen it time and again, sometimes the fish are there and not showing. Give a spot ten minutes, you have nothing to lose.
3. Put some small plugs and soft plastic in your bag.
I can't tell you how many times I've seen guys casting eight inch poppers into flat water with fish exploding all over one inch bay anchovies These guys have almost no chance of catching anything. I can not understand why they don't carry at a minimum, four inch Zoom flukes, Cocahoes, small bucktail jigs, half ounce jigheads and a wooden egg float.
Of course when fish are on big menhaden, mackerel, or squid, big plugs are the name of the game. In southern Rhode Island the predominant forage is small bay anchovies and peanut bunker. To catch fish you really need to "match the hatch"
One time I was at Potters Cove in Jamestown. There was so much bait the water was black. Schoolies were heavily feeding on the bait. Every cast I would cast to four or five close splashes. However the fish were fussy and I didn't have any lures to match the tiny baitfish. Even though I was casting at four or five fish at a time, I'd only hook up about every ten casts. Still, the fish were around for a while and my total started to add up. A guy to my right was using an eight inch popper splashing water up four feet (the water was glass calm so it caused quite a commotion). He obviously wasn't catching anything. After a few fish, he came over and asked me what I was using. When I showed him my 3/8 ounce jig and 3 inch shad body he said he didn't have anything that small. And he didn't! I saw his bag. Pencil poppers, big needlefish, and Danny's swimmers. It really blows me away that guys don't put gear in there bag of all sizes.
Before you say "those are small fish". I watched Ben Pickering land a thirty five pound striper on a five inch swimmer. It was the same deal as Potters Cove. The fish were on tiny bait. But this time a school of giant fish (10-40 pounds!) were keyed on it. They had the bait pinned against the rocks in Narragansett. The fish were in such shallow water, huge stripers were almost beaching themselves. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in the surf.
As I said, by avoiding these three mistakes, by default you WILL catch more fish. At least once, you will walk into breaking fish and catch one because rod was in hand. At least once, you be surprised
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| This fish was caught on a small swimmer that was imitating tiny bay anchovies Still think big fish only eat big bait? |
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