Unorthodox approach to fishing

[HanoverStriper]

So I've fished pretty much my whole life, but didn't get really serious about surfcasting until about 15 years ago. I searched this site for topics I was interested in, asked a bunch of questions to the MA forum, read books, watched videos, etc. Everything tells you about the "proper" way to fish plugs and jigs, and I thought I had it pretty well dialed in. Topwater in daylight, jigs low and slow, light colors for day and dark colors for night (which I don't agree with), etc...

 

Fast forward 15 years, and my 15 year old son is now by my side pretty much every outing. I taught him everything I had learned while he was growing up, and now he's pretty good. One night last season, we were out on some rocks throwing redfins (my go to for fish finding), and not seeing much action. I switched over to a chunky needle to get some distance, and immediately hooked up. I told him to switch over to a needle, and he did. We were both into fish. One his 3rd or 4th fish, he got taken for a ride, fish popped off, and it ripped the belly hook off his needle. He reaches into his bag and grabs a Left Hook Pilgrim (pencil). I started laughing. First cast, he hooks up. Second cast, he hooks up. He proceeded to catch 15-20 slot sized fish on a pencil, in the middle of the night. 

 

Point is, don't always listen to what you hear, read, or are told on a fishing forum about how you should do things. Getting out and trying new approaches on your own is the best experience you can get.

[Richard_the_Aughth]

When I saw the title I thought you started using dynamite

[HanoverStriper]

2 mins ago, Richard_the_Aughth said:

When I saw the title I thought you started using dynamite

Not yet...

[mikez2]

22 mins ago, HanoverStriper said:

So I've fished pretty much my whole life, but didn't get really serious about surfcasting until about 15 years ago. I searched this site for topics I was interested in, asked a bunch of questions to the MA forum, read books, watched videos, etc. Everything tells you about the "proper" way to fish plugs and jigs, and I thought I had it pretty well dialed in. Topwater in daylight, jigs low and slow, light colors for day and dark colors for night (which I don't agree with), etc...

 

Fast forward 15 years, and my 15 year old son is now by my side pretty much every outing. I taught him everything I had learned while he was growing up, and now he's pretty good. One night last season, we were out on some rocks throwing redfins (my go to for fish finding), and not seeing much action. I switched over to a chunky needle to get some distance, and immediately hooked up. I told him to switch over to a needle, and he did. We were both into fish. One his 3rd or 4th fish, he got taken for a ride, fish popped off, and it ripped the belly hook off his needle. He reaches into his bag and grabs a Left Hook Pilgrim (pencil). I started laughing. First cast, he hooks up. Second cast, he hooks up. He proceeded to catch 15-20 slot sized fish on a pencil, in the middle of the night. 

 

Point is, don't always listen to what you hear, read, or are told on a fishing forum about how you should do things. Getting out and trying new approaches on your own is the best experience you can get.

We have some things in common. 

I have been a redfin guy since the 80s. Back when there were always stripers in the whitewater, the redfin was a sure thing. So much so that I became a one trick pony. If redfin didn't work, I gave up.

 

Fast forward to today. It's a lot harder to find them alongside every rock like it used to be. You often need distance which redfin doesn't give.

Meanwhile I have my 16 year old by my side at all times. He's a dedicated video watcher and is current with all the most recent developments in tackle and techniques. He actually gets embarrassed when I break out the redfin. Especially when I get skunked.

 

My contribution to the unorthodox aspect is to mention the time I got a striper in the canal on a redfin. He swore it couldn't be done and was definitely trying to look like he wasn't with me. He knew it was a ridiculous thing to do. That's why I did it.

[HanoverStriper]

30 mins ago, mikez2 said:

We have some things in common. 

I have been a redfin guy since the 80s. Back when there were always stripers in the whitewater, the redfin was a sure thing. So much so that I became a one trick pony. If redfin didn't work, I gave up.

 

Fast forward to today. It's a lot harder to find them alongside every rock like it used to be. You often need distance which redfin doesn't give.

Meanwhile I have my 16 year old by my side at all times. He's a dedicated video watcher and is current with all the most recent developments in tackle and techniques. He actually gets embarrassed when I break out the redfin. Especially when I get skunked.

 

My contribution to the unorthodox aspect is to mention the time I got a striper in the canal on a redfin. He swore it couldn't be done and was definitely trying to look like he wasn't with me. He knew it was a ridiculous thing to do. That's why I did it.

That's funny. Hit a spot in Plymouth a couple of years back, and it was weed on every cast. Told my son we could head to the canal and take a few casts, but I don't have any "canal stuff" with me. I threw a loaded black redfin and got about 15 fish.

[FishermanTim]

1 hour ago, Richard_the_Aughth said:

When I saw the title I thought you started using dynamite

Or electric shock....

[zak-striper]

1 hour ago, HanoverStriper said:

 light colors for day and dark colors for night (which I don't agree with), etc...

I start with light colors at night. If they don't produce, then I switch to dark.

[b-ware]

2 hours ago, Richard_the_Aughth said:

When I saw the title I thought you started using dynamite

I've been using it for years..................

 

 

[HanoverStriper]

46 mins ago, zak-striper said:

I start with light colors at night. If they don't produce, then I switch to dark.

Same

[zak-striper]

1 hour ago, HanoverStriper said:

Told my son we could head to the canal and take a few casts, but I don't have any "canal stuff" with me. I threw a loaded black redfin and got about 15 fish.

The first time I fished the canal I fished a mid week, morning, breaking tide. The previous winter I read as much as I could about the canal. I put together a lure box, figured out when & where to fish, then headed down with lots of optimism. Within an hour I caught my 1st canal striper, a 32" one.

 

I used a loaded, white Redfin.

 

I was practically jumping out of my shoes I was so psyched to catch my 1st canal striper (and it was a keeper).

 

2 hours ago, mikez2 said:

My contribution to the unorthodox aspect is to mention the time I got a striper in the canal on a redfin. He swore it couldn't be done and was definitely trying to look like he wasn't with me. He knew it was a ridiculous thing to do. That's why I did it.

 

The 1st time I broke 30lbs at the canal I caught it on a chicken scratch Bomber. I caught quite a few bass between 28" - 42" on that Bomber that night. I had a bunch of big bass, during late August, stacked up in a rip right in front of me. I cast out just beyond the rip line, let it drift down current a little, then reeled it in. The Bomber was chugging really hard in the current. Once it crossed the rip line into calmer water, the bass would slam it. Tell your son that Bombers, SP Minnows, Red Fins, etc still produce quite well in the canal. I had some really good late season outings last year while casting stick baits into the rip lines.

Edited January 26 by zak-striper

[flyangler]

2 hours ago, Richard_the_Aughth said:

When I saw the title I thought you started using dynamite

me too. my Greek brethren destroyed the local shore fishing in Greece after WW2 by using dynamite. destroyed the reef structure and it has never recovered. we brought rods to Crete years ago and the local folks laughed at us casting off the beach....

[Richard_the_Aughth]

6 mins ago, flyangler said:

me too. my Greek brethren destroyed the local shore fishing in Greece after WW2 by using dynamite. destroyed the reef structure and it has never recovered. we brought rods to Crete years ago and the local folks laughed at us casting off the beach....

Tha piosome tosa polla!

[ermghoti]

I guess the bass don't read a lot of forum posts.

[PaulS]

I visited Mike Fixter in CA years ago.  He said in CA they fish pencils for SB at night.  

[zak-striper]

25 mins ago, PaulS said:

I visited Mike Fixter in CA years ago.  He said in CA they fish pencils for SB at night.  

I've caught plenty of stripers and bluefish on poppers at night. Bluefish love poppers at night.

 

I throw poppers at night when a head wind wouldn't let me throw SP minnows or Bombers very far. I switch to the popper so I can cast through the wind. One nice thing about Super Strike little neck poppers is that they have a great swimming action. I'll use the SS to get through the wind then I retrieve it like a stickbait. They swim a foot or 2 below the surface.

 

Back in 2015 I was fishing the Cape in June for blues. I started about an hour before sunset. I had a quiet bite for the first couple of hours. Once it get really dark and the incoming tide got moving, the bite turned on. I had stupid fishing for a couple of hours, all on a Gibbs pencil popper. I had to leave at 11pm 'cuz I had to work in the morning. I caught a few, kept a couple, then regretfully left an active bite where I was getting hits or hook ups on most casts.