SURF FISHING BY BOAT
By Rich Johnson
I received
all sorts of phone calls telling me of the phenomenal action that took place yesterday for
weakfish and bass along the local beaches using diamond jigs, so I was very excited and
anticipated a good trip today. Leaving the slip I knew it was going to be breezy and the
crisp fall air stung my face, having not gotten used to the fall weather from a long,
extended Indian summer. As I cleared the inlet I was greeted by a cold northwesterly wind
of 20 knots and not a bird in sight. As the saying goes, I should have been here
yesterday.
I proceeded
to scout the area for any signs of life such as birds, bait or surface breaking fish.
Nothing! I was marking bait on the fish finder, but not much in the way of game fish. This
is the exact scenario and reason why I carry an extra surf bag with surf fishing plugs on
the boat. With the northerly winds, I can pull the boat up to the beach and put the bow of
the boat on the beach, drifting off with the winds, as I cast away my worries and actually
surf fish from the boat.
While bass
and blues migrate east to west along the open beaches, if the weather stays relatively
calm, these predacious critters will hover the surf line before colder temperatures or
bait patterns send them into the 35 to 60-foot line where those dragging wire score best.
Those with boats still in the water can score big time while plugging the surf line from
their fishing platforms as bass and blues make raids on the beach from outer sandbars.
TACKLE. You’ll want to use conventional
tackle and if you’re not accustomed to
casting such tackle, get used to it! This type of fishing with big plugs begs for
conventional tackle, because the drag systems and the power of conventional tackle are
what’s needed to play powerful game fish this time of year. A medium to heavy rod
from seven to eight-foot that can handle lines up to 25 or 30-pound test will suffice
best. The conventional reel I use is an Ambassedeur 7000 and I use Berkley Big Game
25-pound test line. If you insist on spinning tackle that’s your choice, but
don’t blame me f you lose the fish of a lifetime!
LURES. I prefer the large metal lip swimmers like
the Atom 40 and Atom Junior. These are very slow swimmers and tease bass and blues into a
frenzy with ferocious strikes you can’t imagine if you’ve never seen one before!
These plugs swim with a seductive wide waddle that drives bass and blues wild! Other metal
lip favorites of mine are the Bob Hahn plugs in blue sparkle or the one-ounce Danny
swimmers and Beachmaster Cowboys of juniors..
Poppers work
well too, such as the Super-Strike Little Neck or Storm Chug Bug work wonders for high
visual effects when fish strike and have long been a favorite in my bag. White or blue
tends to be the best choice in one or two-ounce models.
BOAT POSITIONING. This is the most critical
element of this type fishing, all of course depending on sea conditions. When plugging a
beach from the boat, it pays to have a fishing buddy with you for best results. This
allows one to position the boat while the other fishes, then you can switch off. Safety is
the key factor in this fishing and sailing with two is better than fishing alone in the
unpredictable fall. Use common sense when you approach a beach for safety’s sake.
Northerly winds of a gentle nature make boat positioning safest and easiest, but gentle
sou’westerly’s are also a good choice.
When
plugging the beach, you want to position yourself behind the surf line far enough not to
spook fish on the move, but close enough to make your cast right up on the beach. Look for
sandbars or the cuts between them for predators' easy access to the surf line. When you
find a sand bar, you want to make sure there is a deep trough running along the beach on
the other side of it. Position yourself on the back side of the bar and start throwing!
Just as a
surfcaster throws his plug beyond the waves, retrieving it through the wave face and into
the wash, you’ll want to cast right into the wash and retrieve the plug back through
the waves into deeper water. Having surf fished for nearly 20 years, I’ve found most
strikes come from just behind the swelling wave and into the wash. However, from the boat
you find most strikes come from the area behind the back side of the wave, right up to the
side of your boat.
Sulking Fish. Usually, there’s no hesitation
from the fish when plugging this way. They either want it or they don’t and for the
most part they do. The action can be fast and furious with exciting topwater strikes and
explosive results. You’ll also notice bass or blues following your plug right to the
boat without striking. When this happens there are few things you can do to induce a
strike from curious fish.
First off,
use the stop and go retrieve. As you notice the fish following from a distance, stop and
start the plug several times. If no take, make each time you pause the plug a little
longer in duration. This is usually enough to get them to open their mouth. Secondly,
speed up the retrieve as the fish gets closer to the lure, exciting the predator into
striking. If this doesn’t work, try slowing the plug down on the follow so the fish
thinks he’s making up lost ground quickly. This can get quick results for exciting up
close action. The key to success in fishing is to experiment and try different things,
including different methods of retrieving you plugs.
With all
this in mind, I was able to score bass to 42 inches and blues to 15 pounds, turning what
could have been a nothing trips into
