latenight58

Does anyone here use UK style tripod rod holders? (As in the ones used in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland). The ones I've seen online in the US seem to be cheap flimsy camera tripods that were slightly converted to fishing rod use. The UK type tripods have 1-piece legs instead of telescoping ones. Please let me know where you've seen or purchased the sturdier UK style tripod rod holders. (as seen in the photo I found online) I have several types and sizes of traditional rod holders, but occasionally the New Jersey sand they're buried in becomes like quicksand and a decent sized fish could pull over the rod & rod holder at night before I realize it. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I read about a week ago that Atlantic City beaches are still open along with North Wildwood, but that Ventnor fenced off its beach from Atlantic City. https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-atlantic-city-sex-shop-boardwalk-open-beach-ventnor-closed-20200405.html Other than Atlantic City and North Wildwood, are there any other New Jersey beaches open for fishing?

I’ve fished since the mid 1960s with both conventional and spinning reels. I’m right-handed. A majority of the world is right-handed. If you are right-handed, you have more dexterity in that hand for cranking the reel. You don’t need any dexterity in your left hand to simply hold onto the rod. Yet, despite that right-handed conventional reels have the cranking handle on the right side, spinning reels by default have the handle on the left side. [And yes, I changed the handle side to all of my spinners.]

Props to Joe Moore/One More Cast Tackle, Tommy Farmer/Carolina Cast Pro, Akios & Penn Rods!!!! People usually post complaints about products and support, but I wanted to give respect to some distributors and manufacturers for absolutely outstanding customer service. Several months ago I was fishing on a pier in Seaside Park, NJ. During a cast, a cap on my Akios conventional reel fell off, bounced off the pier and into the bay. As I stood there looking into the murky water, a couple more pieces fell out of the reel and into the depths too. When I got home, I emailed Akios supplier Tommy Farmer of Carolina Cast Pro and the Akios Company in the UK. Tommy wrote me right back immediately, and the president of Akios called me back that night from the UK while in a conference call with Joe Moore of One Moore Cast Tackle in Avon, NC. Within 3 days I had all the missing parts from Joe Moore/One More Cast Tackle!!! Joe shipped me the parts immediately and before I could even send him a check (and I was only charged a very nominal cost!!!) The following week, I was fishing with my Penn Battalion heavy surf rod when one of the ceramic pieces inside an eyelet fell out. I emailed Penn, sent a photo of the defective rod and a letter of explanation as to what happened, paid the cost set forth in the warranty claim, and within 1 week had my new rod!!! (which has performed perfectly since!!) Thank you Joe Moore/One More Cast Tackle, Tommy Farmer/Carolina Cast Pro, Akios & Penn Rods!!!!

Yes, I am using a conventional reel with bait (bunker or mullet) and a 6 to 10 oz sinker on the beach. The only reel I can get some distance with is an Akios 656 CTM (magnet) with 20 lb. mono. Unfortunately, it's a very small reel, and even when I overfill it with mono, there is absolutely no line left on the reel after a decent cast. I'm just now looking at the new Akios 757 CTM but I think it only holds 25 yards of mono more than the 656 CTM. An additional issue is that when fishing at night, I normally use 3 surf rods at once and each rod is around 100 feet apart, so I need time to run to a rod after I realize it was hit. (Also, at night with a breeze, I wouldn't even hear the clicker when I'm any distance from the rod). My brother was fishing on the same beach at night a few months ago and one of his rods was missing - a large bluefish had pulled out his rod holder and dragged his rod way out into the ocean. (He did go out into the ocean to look for it & found it and brought in the bluefish!) I thought the tripod type rod holder might withstand a lot more pull in wet sand - especially if only a small part of the top of the rod was over the top of the tripod. I noticed (on facebook) that the tripod type rod holders are used by all the UK casting teams when they're fishing.

If ALL OTHER FACTORS STAY THE SAME (casting power, rod, line, sinker weight, etc.), does a larger width spool on a spinner produce longer casts? It would seem to me that there would be more line friction during casting with a smaller width spool, but I could be wrong. Also, if spool width is a factor in casting performance, why don't the casting performance spinners (Akios Scora 80, Daiwa Emblem Pro, Penn Spinfisher V SSV7500LC, etc.) have exceptionally larger (or smaller) width spools than normal?

My everyday surfcasting spinner continues to be my Daiwa GS9 that I bought new in approximately 1975. I was surprised to see that this reel (and other old Daiwa models & other brands as well) are still manufactured for sales outside the US: https://www.ottostackleworld.com.au/daiwa-gs9-spin-reel http://tacklebusters.com.au/en/reels/8032-daiwa-gs9.html#/1883-daiwa_gs9-gs9 This reel (on the web pages above) "looks" like my mid 1970s Daiwa GS9 (except for the handle) built in Japan, but is it the same reel or a cheap reproduction. My old GS9 is simplistic and built like a tank. I'd hate to spend a lot of money on a flimsy retro model version of my original. (I'm uploading a photo of my old reel to this post.)

I've tried (often installed & then uninstalled) many fishing related cellphone Apps but kept the following: Fish Rules - It automatically downloads rule changes frequently and by default checks the rules in your gps location (State) Tides Near Me - seems accurate and saves regularly used locations Fishing Knots Lite Is anyone satisfied with any apps I haven't mentioned that you use for surf fishing? Fishbrain (which includes social networking) looks interesting, but I just read in freshwater forums that it's creating a lot of spotburning.

During this striper surf fishing winter lull, I’d like to try perch fishing for the first time. I’m just reading about tackle and bait options right now. Is there any good perch fishing in New Jersey in January/February? I don’t have a boat….any recommendations for particular riverbanks towns in NJ that might be productive this time of year (and any local bait & tackle shops near it you’d recommend for supplies, bait and advice)? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I have the Akios 656CTM and am very happy with it. On a good day, I can totally empty the overfilled spool on a cast. [Photo attached: My Akios 656CTM in use at Island Beach State Park, New Jersey on June 3, 2017]

My Daiwa GS9, which I purchased in 1976 is still my go-to everyday reel. On 2 occasions in the mid/late 1970s, the reel (and a rod) were briefly lost in the ocean (for a few hours) after boats coming too close to the beach snagged them. The reel has never been overhauled. - only lubed occasionally. [Photo attached: My Daiwa GS9 in use at Island Beach State Park, New Jersey on June 3, 2017]

I've noticed very few fishermen on New Jersey beaches using floats on their hook leaders. I've lost a lot of bunker chunks in recent weeks to crabs. I know floats hurt casting distances to some degree, but do they scare off bluefish & stripers or make them less reluctant to go for the bait?

A few days ago I was catching large bluefish on the beach and was surprised to see a bluefish bite through a new, store-purchased sevenstrand wire leader. (That made me rule out thinking about making bluefish leaders with heavy mono!) I’d like to make my own wire hook leaders specifically for large bluefish for use on the beach, jetty or pier. I did find other posts similar to this, but the posts seemed to primarily target fishing deep waters on a boat. Are there any suggestions or opinions here on wire leaders specifically for bluefish on the beach, jetty or pier? [titanium (with clinch knots), sevenstrand (with sleeves & crimps), nylon-coated sevenstrand (with sleeves & crimps), single strand (with haywire twists)]. Would the different types affect casting? How long should the wire leader be? (from the hook to the rig) For surf-fishing I normally use a ringed 3-way rig [which I attach the line, sinker, and hook with a mono leader]. I was going to try single strand wire (I’m not sure what size) and attach it to a size 6 to 8 hook (I’m not sure if I should use a circle hook), and making knots with haywire twits. At the other end of the hook I would put a barrel swivel and connect that to the rig with a short piece of heavy mono. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Thanks for the update. I did order it and had a chance to use it over the weekend. I'm VERY happy so far! I wish all spinners came with an additional spool like this one!

I’m considering 2 inexpensive spinning rods for surf fishing with miscellaneous lures (metals, bucktails, SP Minnows, Wind-Cheaters, etc.) and occasionally light bait (mostly for blues & stripers) on New Jersey beaches: Penn BATSF1220S10 (10’, Line Rating 12-20, Lure Rating ¾ to 3) or Penn BATSF1530S10 (10’, Line Rating 15-30, Lure Rating 1-5) Would the slightly heavier rod be too much for ¾ ounce bucktails? I’m thinking the slightly heavier rod would be the better choice being more versatile – but would casting distances of light lures such as SP Minnows be significantly lessened? I’m also considering a Penn Spinfisher with 30 pound braid – any suggestions on the proper Spinfisher size? Any thoughts or suggestions are sincerely appreciated.

I'm considering the Daiwa Emblem Pro A. Is yours still holding up well? My biggest concern is getting it occasionally splashed with salt water.

Thanks everyone for your input. I picked up the Penn BATSF1530S10 (10’, Line Rating 15-30, Lure Rating 1-5). If I choose a Penn spinner, could anyone suggest the proper size? (4500, 5500, 6500?). Thanks.

I'll be bringing Philly Soft Pretzels!!!

Thanks for your detailed reviews....I'm also considering the Daiwa Emblems and your experiences with them are appreciated.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'll definitely take the Scora off my list for my next spinner reel.

I came across this thread (I'm considering the akios scora 80 for plugging) and was wondering if it worked out for you for plugging.

This version of the Tackleuk Shockleader Knot: It seems as strong as a double-uni but is smaller (goes through the guides more easily).

New Jersey provides an advisory with regard to eating stripers caught in and near the State: "2016 Fish Smart, Eat Smart: A guide to Health Advisories for Eating Fish and Crabs Caught in New Jersey Waters" http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/fishadvisories/2016-fish-advisories.pdf With regard to the Delaware River, the advisory breaks down the river into sections between Trenton to the "mouth of the Bay." The last segment of the Delaware River advisory is "Delaware Estuary & Delaware Bay: Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal out to the mouth of Delaware Bay" and it advises that only up to 1 striped bass meal should be eaten per year that is caught in that segment. The “mouth of Delaware Bay” seems inexact, arbitrary and ambiguous since the mouth of the bay probably means where the Delaware Bay generally meets the Atlantic Ocean. Also, the fish up the Delaware River undoubtedly often travel to Atlantic Ocean 24 hours later (and the advisory for NJ coastal waters is 1 striper meal per month – that’s 12 times as many meals in a year!) What is your understanding of where the “mouth of the Delaware Bay” is?.....more precisely, how far North up the bay is it?..... Higbee Beach?...Villas?...Sea Breeze? [i’m interested in surf fishing in all these areas if the stripers are generally safe to eat (i.e., 1 striper meal per month)] . [i didn’t post this in the New Jersey regional forum because the NJ State Advisory is probably also good advice for the other side of the Delaware River/Bay in Pennsylvania, Delaware & Maryland.]

I’ve fished the New Jersey beaches my entire life (mostly during the summer) using heavy bait-casting gear but recently got interested in Fall/Winter/Spring surf fishing with light gear using swimming lures (for stripers & bluefish). Does anyone have any experience with the Penn Battalion BATSF1220S10 spinner rod (10’, Line Rating 12-20 lbs., Lure Rating ¾ to 3 ounces, approx. $109.00)? I’m looking for a relatively inexpensive surf rod for casting ¾ to 2 ½ ounce swimming lures (bombers & Diawa SP Minnows), poppers, needlefish, darters, bucktails, metal lures, etc. on New Jersey beaches. My family and I are very satisfied with 2 other Penn Battalion heavy surf rods we have for bait casting…that is the BATSF2040S12 (for Penn SSV7500LC spinner, 12', Line Rating 20-40 lbs., Lure Rating 4-8 ounces) and BATSF2550C12 (for Akios S-Line 656 CTM conventional reel, 12', Line Rating 25-50 lbs., Lure Rating 6-12 ounces). Any experiences, thoughts, suggestions or advice with regard to the Battalion 10’ ¾ to 3 ounce rod is appreciated. [i just joined this forum today, and this is my 1st post.]

I watched competitions of the finals of the national casting championships several times (SportCastUSUSA) which for a couple years took place in the Marlton, NJ area. Most of the top casters at that time were using modified Akios S-Line 656CTM reels. After watching a few events, I was convinced and bought one from North Carolina’s Tommy Farmer (the former national champion & owner of Carolina Cast Pro, LLC). I haven’t attended the event in a few years (it’s a full weekend event and I think last year’s event was in the Washington, DC area), but I’m guessing the competitors are now using Akios’ newer, slightly larger reel, the S-Line 757 CTM.