"The ocean seems so vast...I don't get exactly where or how to start with surf fishing."
No doubt about it, getting started in surf fishing can be pretty hard. If you read the Goose fishing reports in late spring and early summer, catching striped bass and bluefish from shore may seem easy, but confronted with the Cape's miles of shoreline and the hundreds of options in rods, reels, lines and lures, the way to getting started can quickly become way , way complicated. Or, at least seem that way.
No one article or chasing of fishing reports , will be able to teach you how to effectively surf fish and this one won't either. What we will attempt to do here is to introduce many of the issues that you need to know or begin thinking about to become a more successful surfcaster and catching more fish from shore. We will look at the gear required, best times of the year, various types of locations , what species are likely to be available from the beach and when, prevalent bait, impact of weather (wind direction), tidal influences, moon phase impact ,and so on. The more I tell you about surfcasting, the more it will seem as if the slightest change in any of these factors will affect the fishing (it will), which can leave any novice angler feeling exasperated. But, don't worry. You can learn to negotiate all these factors and do quite well from shore.
Back in the 90's, when I was just beginning to guide on Nauset, I was lucky enough to have made the acquaintance of Tony Stetzko. He held the surf striped bass record for many years with a 73lb'er he caught off Nauset one fall and was locally well known for catching many other big bass from shore consistently. I used to try to pump him for fishing reports and fishing intel nearly everyday. He was a friendly guy and would always take the time to give me some generalized, somewhat evasive information , but never anything earth shattering, like I was hoping for. Then, one day, I asked again and ,in an exasperated tone, he said " Sean, look it... everyone seems to think I am some sort of great fisherman, but I am not. I just go alot and I pay attention...you should do that." And that is when I started to learn how to really fish the beach.
So, first, decide where you are going to fish and do some recon. Even if you are just visiting the Cape to fish for a few days, it won't take a tremendous amount of time to go to the beach you will be fishing at dead low tide and study the bottom features. What you are looking for are areas of the bottom that are different in topography and structure from the surrounding bottom. Those are the areas likely to hold fish when the tide comes in because the currents will be altered.. Yes, there are places like the Brewster or Monomoy flats where the fish hold or cruise around on flat, featureless bottom, but on the outer beaches, this will be the exception rather than the rule.
Gear you must have.
Like any sport these days, the gear can become very high tech, made of exotic materials and, of course, very expensive. One can easily spend 1,000 dollars or more on " end of the road" rod and reel set ups. They are very nice to have and serve a very particular purpose at that end of the range, but an initial purchase of that size is not required to get set up with a combo that is pleasant to fish with and up to the task of weathering the harsh saltwater environment surf fishing presents.However, there is a minimum you will want to spend. All your gear needs to be made of materials that are salt water worthy or it may not last even a few trips.
Starter Combos
At the Goose, we offer a number of proven, reliable setups at mid price points. We really don't stock many setups in the super low end of the range because those just become a constant, vexing, ongoing warranty issue for us because they just aren't up to the task. Generally speaking, A 9-foot rod with a 4000-5000 size reel is considered a standard beach ,river, jetty combination.The rod should be stout enough to easily cast a 2- or 3-ounce lure comfortably, but not so heavy that catching schoolies feels like you are fishing with a winch. Some spots, like the canal are fished more comfortably and effectively with a longer rod, moving to a 10-12 footer to increase your casting ability is advised.
Your first setup should cover as many fishing bases as possible, and able to handle a variety of fishing scenarios adequately. That said , there is no one perfect set up that will cover every eventuality. Simply decide what kind of fishing you will likely be doing the most and purchase a combo best for that purpose- for some situations you might try , it will be a little too lite or a little to heavy. But, it will get you by decently.
The Goose pro staffers working in our store are all experts in the best gear and look forward to answering your questions online or in store; never be self conscious about asking us for help with the right gear. We love helping people get started on the right foot.
Some sample, good quality starter gear:
Where?
So, you are pretty sure you are armed with the right gear...now, where becomes the pressing concern. And, it's probably the reason you are still reading this little article...
As mentioned above, chasing fishing reports is generally silly and non productive as a beginner or intermediate level beach fisherman because you will never learn to understand the "why" of the reasons the fishing was good at a particular spot yesterday.. You will always miss the best fishing by a tide, a day or as conditions inevitably change on the same day on Cape Cod.
If fish got caught yesterday at Nauset because the wind was southwest at less than 10mph,70 degrees and the outgoing tide was at it's best right at dusk, chasing the fishing report and trying the next day when the wind is 25 mph , blowing out of the northeast , the temps dropped to 55 degrees, and you begin fishing at noon, you aren't likely to experience the same epic fishing as you read in the online report.....
The truth is, The most productive, reliable shore fishing happens usually in the most well known, most popular surfcasting spots. They became famous for good reason and are the most logical starting point if you are in the beginning of your surf casting journey. It's a better plan to use these tips to learn to read water and conditions so that you can be a source of fishing reports, not chasing them. And, speaking of reading the water...a good pair of polarized sunglasses are a must have to more easily identify changes in bottom depth and structure. If you don't own a good pair, get some.
When fishing the beach, you don't necessarily need to cast your lure or bait " way out there". Yes, sometimes fish do hold beyond the first set of breakers and can be caught by casting as far as your gear will allow. But, I can't count how many times I have waded into the water, turned and casted parallel to the beach and caught huge 40+ inch fish in the first trough 10-20 feet from waters edge. In fact, unless you are intimately familiar with bottom topography of the beach you are fishing 100 yards from the waters edge, you may be casting " way out there" and land your bait on a sand bar that is 6 inches deep at high tide. Way out there does not mean you are fishing deeper. Most times the deepest water , with the swiftest currents is located very close to the waters edge.Be careful not to wade through fish to try to cast to fish you believe are way off shore.
The most likely spots to find good fishing if you are just starting out:
Salt Water Rivers:In the early season, herring begin their journey to inland ponds to spawn. This usually happens in mid March/ early April in meaningful numbers. The early season stripers will have either wintered over and waiting for them or, in hot pursuit right behind them in the spring migration. Usually , out going tides are better in the early season as the current and dropping tides consolidate them for easier pickings than the flood tide when they scatter all over and up and down the river.
When fishing rivers in the spring look for sharp bends in the river that create breaks in the normal flow of the current.
Outer Beaches:
Think of the outer beach like you are fishing a river inland. In the case of the outer beaches, the rivers are surrounded by water rather than land. To the inexperienced, looking at the water at a place like Nauset Beach, it seems as though the water is all essentially the same all the way out to horizon. To an experienced beach fisherman however, there are many distinct sections of water that contain the main current, cross currents and counter currents. Remember the recon mentioned above? When you visit the outer beach at dead low tide, you will see many areas where the topgraphy of the bottom changes...most often briefly and subtly. But, these slight bottom changes can have a drastic impact on how currents set up to provide ambush feeding opportunities. It does take a little time and practice to recognize these features but can drastically improve your fishing success if you do. When you find an interesting piece of bottom that you think will alter current structure, turn around and snap a pic or remember a landmark directly behind. When you come back at the top of the tide to fish the start of the outgoing tide, you can easily return to exactly the same spot.
Drop-Offs:
For the same reason stripers love distinct structure, they also love significant changes in water depth. This might be the edge of a channel leading into a harbor or a sandbar off a beach; either way, stripers will lurk in the deeper water looking upward for vulnerable baitfish.
Current:
Remember , stripers and bluefish are opportunistic, ambush feeders by nature. Fast moving water is tough for small baitfish, but childs play for stripers and bluefish to navigate. Find moving water anywhere along Cape Cod's coastline and you can usually find our local gamefish actively feeding most times of the year. Inlets to harbors, mouths of tidal saltwater rivers tidal rivers, and shorelines with strong, consistent current almost always hold bass and baitfish.
Moon Phase:
It's not always possible to coordinate every factor presented here in a short or fixed time frame. But if you can get the chance to fish a likely spot, with the right gear, around the time of a full moon, you will probably do very well.
Of course, the full moon has it's greatest gravitational and hence, tidal impact at this stage in the lunar cycle.
Times of the year:
In part and because of the relatively shallow depths, Nantucket Sound sees the first reliable shore fishing action of the year in mid to late April.Some of that action will be hold over fish that wintered here, but some will be new fish that followed the herring and squid migration. As temps warm up into the first few weeks of May, stripers will spread out throughout the Sound and into Cape Cod Bay.By June, the fish will have turned Monomoy and start to populate the Outer Beaches. Through 4th of July, this is primetime for Cape Cod surf fishing. As water temps really heat up from mid July, beach fishing really becomes a night time endeavor.
September , October and November , the fall migration will be underway and it can be epic fishing. If I could only beach fish at one time of the year, it would be the fall on the Outer Beaches. Having said that, the fishing can be really hit or miss in the fall due to adverse weather conditions. You have to put in your time ,be flexible, and prepare for some fishless outings...but when you hit it, the blitzes can be amazing.
Lures
There are many lures that work well for surf fishing at various times throughout the season...that's one of the reasons they make big tackle boxes. But you can do pretty well if you arm yourself with duplicates of just these 4 types.
1. Swimming Lures : The Daiwa Salt Pro Minnow is hands down the best seller at the Goose in this category. And for good reason.
2. Surface Lures : The most popular surface lure in the store is the Drifter Doc. It's easy enough for a novice to retriev correctly, casts well and stripers smash it like they hate it.
3. Metal jigs/ Squid Tins: the A17 with a green tube should be in your bag no matter where you are fishing on Cape Cod. Perfectly mimics the size, shine and profile of a sand eel- the stripers primary target for most of the spring, summer and fall.
4. Ron Z: excellent sand eel imitator and comes in a wide range of sizes to imitate other bait species as well.Buy extra bodies, they will naturally tear up while fishing. Must Have Lure.
This article could go on for thousands more words to cover any eventuality you might encounter beach fishing the Cape. Again, the purpose of this article is to introduce some basic beach fishing concepts and things you should consider if you are thinking about giving beach fishing a try on Cape Cod this year. If you have questions about fishing not addressed here, email us and we will be happy to answer your questions and get you started!
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