Fishing Tins HELP! + a question for Awesome John

[BrooklynFly]

I always use tins as a sort of last resort lure, for distance or when it's too windy and rough, or nothing else works. I want to gain more confidence in them. But try as I might I just can't seem to buy a fish on tins. I generally use a moderate speed retrieve, sometimes just straight retrieve, sometimes I pause or give it a little twitch to imitate a struggling falling baitfish (has worked in FW for me). I speed it up, slow it down, try different profiles,-like long and skinny, go heavier or lighter, use a teaser, short and fat etc. ALL FOR SKUNK One of these days I'm going to force myself to bring only Tins/Bucktails (that will be the day that fish won't be hitting anything but chickenscratch 16As )

 

What are some surefire tips when using say the most basic of all tins such as the Hopkins Shorty?

 

Hey Awesome John what do you mean by "whip snap that baby on the drop"?:

 

d) My Hopkins Shorty 1.5oz.... this value packed stainless steel tin has out cast out prformed and out fished every lure I ever owned including all my boutique plugs. Once you learn to `really work` this lure you will be amazed at the `SIZE AND QUANTITY` of the fish you will catch... you just got to learn to whip snap that baby on the drop and all hell breaks losse in the water around it. The best 5 bucks you`ll ever spend on a lure.. ther aint nothing that lure cant catch... and what ever wont bite it `you can still snag with it`

 

 

 

[rocket500]

I caught a lot of bass and blues on tins this year.

 

On a sandy bottom, try bouncing a tin along the bottom, very effective.

 

Another effective retrieve is to use a medium speed retrieve, with sweeps of the rod to fish it kind of jig style- Most hits will come on the drop after you've swept the rod and the tin is falling in the water column while you are taking up the slack.

 

Finally ripping a tin across the surface can also be effective at times.

 

I like my tins to have a single bucktailed hook on the back.

 

Try the Pt. Jude tins, they work well.

[Seal]

I've never been a big fan of metals myself, but I've been quite impressed with the Pt. Jude tins.

 

The Sea Scallop and the Nautilus are my favorites so far.

 

 

 

[Kalispimenta]

When using tins i always use a leader.Change the treble hooks to single hooks with feather or buck tails. One of the standards for fishing lures,from what i see,is reeling it fast,try slow retrieve.Also try to carry a variation of tins that simulate fish,like point jude has the butterfish, mullet,sand heel,minnow,try to match the tin with the bait available. Also the tins with tubes have given me some fish,green,white and red tubes.

And remember always work the tin right up to your feet,never give up,i must have caught in the last few days 40 fish with my po-jee, white leader combo,must of them right at the wash.

Good luck

[RI: best part of CT]

Tins have always been my "fish finders" on beaches. Fish them slow, bouncing on the bottom; fish them fast, stopping them now and then to let them fall; fish them steadily; fish them skipping on the surface in white water; toss them out beyond breaking blues and let them sink to the bass below; fish them up and across the current in breachways and inlets.....fish them anyway you see fit - they're effective on any predator species you're likely to find around here. I've seen them take Albies, Weaks, Stripers, Blues, Fluke, Jack Crevalle and Bonito. My favorite all around tin is a 1.5 ounce chrome Kastmaster with a single hook dressed with white bucktail. ESPECIALLY when there's peanuts around.

[Striped Bass]

I caught a lot of bass and blues on tins this year.

 

On a sandy bottom, try bouncing a tin along the bottom, very effective.

 

Another effective retrieve is to use a medium speed retrieve, with sweeps of the rod to fish it kind of jig style- Most hits will come on the drop after you've swept the rod and the tin is falling in the water column while you are taking up the slack.

 

Finally ripping a tin across the surface can also be effective at times.

 

I like my tins to have a single bucktailed hook on the back.

 

Try the Pt. Jude tins, they work well.

 

 

[ToddMan]

I fish Pt. Judes, Charley Graves and a few others. Have done very well with tins down deep. They can be used on top as well when the reeling speed is varied.

[Tfisher]

When nothing is working: I'm tossing those tins

 

I've been throwing kastmasters ( chrome or chrome & blue combo)

(1 1/2 - 2oz) & Pt. Jude (black knight & scalloped) with different kinds of retrieves to find them fishes ...

 

No takers on tin? > I move to a new spot, lol

[Sluggerocchi]

Check out the point jude po jee spinner, and the a.o.k. t-hex, or if you want to go a little cheaper go with a AVA with a black, or green tail, and dress with a teaser in front.

[BrooklynFly]

Thanks for the great replies so far guys. I do have some of the Pt jude tins, the Po-jee, Butterfish and sand eel-they're beautiful looking lures, and look really fishy in the water-just haven't had a fish take one yet. I hear ya about changing spots-bottom line sometimes the fish just aren't around, doesn't matter what you throw out there.

 

I have tomorrow off Planning to fish the morning tide-I'm gonna try some of these different techniques.

[mfm22]

Fellow next to me on sunday morning was hooking up every other cast.

I was lucky to have a fish every 6-8 casts

I look at what he's using -tin and a teaser! He had some doubles ,most were on tin .

[rocket500]

I'll be chucking a tin and teaser tomorrow on the RI shore. Probably a Pt. Jude Sea Scallop or Nautilus. The Nautilus has really caught fish for me this year. The Sand eel tin as well, when sand eels are around. Just drag that one on a sandy bottom with an occasional jerk of the rod tip.

[Chigger]

I'll be chucking a tin and teaser tomorrow on the RI shore. Probably a Pt. Jude Sea Scallop or Nautilus. The Nautilus has really caught fish for me this year. The Sand eel tin as well, when sand eels are around. Just drag that one on a sandy bottom with an occasional jerk of the rod tip.

 

 

 

Which Nautilus do you trow?

 

Thanks

[stakones]

Here is an informitive article from Saltwater Magazine:

 

 

Surf + Jetty: Tin-Man Tactics

 

 

There's more to chucking metal than just casting and reeling.

 

 

By Joe Cermele

 

Long before tackle shops offered thousands of lures to the surfcaster, anglers relied on the tin squid to beach cows from Cape Cod to New Jersey. Today's surf rat tends to grab metal lures only when bluefish blow up on top. But according to Joe Martins, owner of Point Jude Lures [(401) 846-1808, metals can produce big numbers of big bass if you can learn to think outside the box.

 

 

If anyone knows all the tricks, it's Martins, who produces more than 20 models of classic tins and new-wave metals that match everything from eels to butterfish. Here are three of his techniques that will convert you to a full-time metalhead.

 

 

Pitch Black

 

 

It was a call from late plug builder John Haberek that changed Martins's view of tins. "He said, 'Joe, I'm on the beach right now slaying bass with your lures,'" recalls Martins. "Thing is, it was the middle of the night." It was then that Martins realized metal lures had a place in the dark surf. Whether you're a fan of Deadly Dicks or Kastmasters, you can make them work after sundown.

 

 

A common misconception is that a night presentation must be slow, but according to Martins, the steadiness of the retrieve is more important. In rocky areas, Martins recommends reeling just fast enough to keep the lure above the boulders.

 

 

To up catch rates even further, Martins introduced a line of black metals dubbed Black Knights. "I figured that if black Bombers and needlefish worked at night, so would black metal," he says. The combination proved killer, matching a sharp silhouette with the vibration of a metal lure the fish could pick up with their lateral lines. "Metals are especially effective on stormy nights, which bass love," Martins notes. "It's not easy punching a wooden lure through the wind."

 

 

Slow Hand

 

 

Sand eels are primary striper forage up and down the East Coast, and nothing is more effective at mimicking them than a metal lure. But by altering your presentation, you can pick through the schoolies and find more cows. "When sand eels are thick, cast out and just let the lure sit on the bottom," says Martins. "Then every once in a while, give it a twitch. If it takes ten minutes to get the lure back on the beach, so be it." The idea here is twofold. For starters, larger bass tend to hug the bottom, so the method is keeping the lure in the cow zone. Secondly, the puff of sand created by a fleeing sand eel is a visual cue for bass to attack.

 

 

Polish 'Em Off, Light 'Em Up

 

 

Metals dull? Open the Fridge and start shining.

 

 

Got a bunch of tarnished old metals lying around the garage? Don't toss them. "If they're truly tin, like those from the '40s and '50s, you can just rub them with sand to polish them," says Martins. But most likely, they'll be plated in stainless or nickel. Noxon 7 metal polish mixed with baking soda and applied with a toothbrush is a long-time favorite of hardcore surf rats, but there are other alternatives. Apply a mixture of toothpaste and lemon juice or ketchup to a piece of synthetic steel wool and polish away. The acidity will break down the tarnish, the ingredients will keep the ocean clean and the smell won't turn off the fish. - J.C.

 

 

"It's the last thing a bass sees," Martins says. "Sometimes a fish will hover around a metal just laying there, then as soon as you twitch it and create that puff...whack!" Bottom line? Don't rush it.

 

 

The Flutter Factor

 

 

Here's a classic beach scenario: Bluefish start pounding peanut bunker on the surface, and a wave of casters chases the fray up and down the break line. Martins thinks that's a mistake. "Big stripers are looking for injured fish," he says. "If a bluefish blitz moves, stay put. All the dying peanuts are falling to the bottom and the bass will be waiting for them. While anglers jigging metal from boats are always prepared for a hit on the fall, many surfcasters overlook this critical strike time when fishing the suds.

 

 

"When you cast, keep the bail open and just let the metal fall," Martins says. "If it doesn't get nailed on the drop, let it sit on the bottom. Bass will actually watch it. After a few seconds, twitch it. That's often the trigger."

 

 

To score with this method, choose a metal with a wider profile, such as a Krocodile Spoon or larger Hopkins. Martins produces several patterns that work particularly well on with the drop-and-flutter technique, most notedly his Butterfish.

 

 

Next time you hit the suds, reach deep into your surf bag for some heavy metals and turn on the bite with big fish any time of day.

[Chigger]

Thank you. That as pretty cool. This is my first year really fishing metal, and I am having a great time doing it.