| I'm sure you've seen them there, when you | | | | |
| went to the beach: sunglass, hat, and shorts | | | | As the tide starts to come in, each wave goes |
| wearing barefoot guys with long slender | | | | a little father up onto the beach, chasing |
| fishing rods staring off to the horizon. I | | | | the birds away and dragging the newly |
| also bet you wondered about what, if anything | | | | loosened sand hither and yon. While the sea |
| they ever caught and how they know where and | | | | birds found lots to eat, they certainly |
| when to fish. | | | | didn't get everything. Many creatures |
| | | | successfully evaded the birds, but their semi |
| I know I did until I tried my hand at surf | | | | secure burrows, nooks and crannies where they |
| fishing, and after a many hours of getting | | | | hid are now in disarray and the incoming tide |
| nothing but pruney toes, I finally figured | | | | breaks them down even further. Many of these |
| out what surf fishing is all about, and since | | | | creatures now find themselves being washed |
| then, it has become an almost spiritual | | | | away by the swirling whitewater of the surf. |
| hobby, being alone on the beach, at first off | | | | |
| hours of the day staring off into the sunset, | | | | The now free creatures are now fair game for |
| truing to outsmart wily surf fish. | | | | the sea-bound predators, the surf fish. The |
| | | | surf fish follow the tide in feasting on the |
| The truth is that when the surf fish are | | | | buffet the birds uncovered and the incoming |
| running, they're almost ridiculously east to | | | | surf is now washing free. This is how the |
| catch so long as you understand the basics of | | | | surf fish make their living. |
| surf fishing. Every year, between Christmas | | | | |
| and New Years, I head down to the beach with | | | | OK, you should have learned two very |
| a bucket and a fishing rod, and half fill the | | | | important principles so far. First, is that |
| bucket with barred surfperch, a staple of | | | | surf fish are looking for natural food as |
| Southern California and the coast of Baja | | | | they hunt the surf. A piece of cut squid, a |
| California down Mexico way. Barred perch | | | | deep water denizen, is out of place in the |
| spawn in this time so there are plenty to | | | | surf line, and while a particularly dumb fish |
| catch in a couple hours to make up a nice | | | | night snap at it because it looks |
| meal for a crew of six or eight. | | | | interesting, or a fish frenzied by the spawn |
| | | | might eat it in his spawning stupor, the |
| After mastering the barred perch, I've turned | | | | average, intelligent (since it's lived this |
| my attention to other denizens of the beach, | | | | long) surf predator will view it with some |
| including Corbina, the king of California and | | | | suspicion. |
| Mexico surf fishes, and Spotfin Croaker, one | | | | |
| of the finest eating fishes of the surf. I | | | | When you go to a surf beach, look for local, |
| have friends who even target Halibut form the | | | | natural bait. Dig around in the sand at the |
| surf and have seen them land 36 inch | | | | surf line looking for small shellfish, clams, |
| California Halibut fishing with a fly from | | | | sand crabs or worms. The best time to do |
| the surf. In fact, the Halibut world record | | | | this is at low tide because you'll have the |
| holder fly fisherman in two separate line | | | | most amount of undersea surface exposed. |
| classes fishes regularly form the surf not 5 | | | | You'll probably chase the birds away as you |
| miles from my home, and it is there that he | | | | poke and prod in the sand. In Southern |
| hooked his record holders. | | | | California, the most common beach critter is |
| | | | the sand crab. |
| I have exported my surf fishing knowledge | | | | |
| successfully deep down the Mexican Pacific | | | | These pea-sized shellfish are rather easy to |
| Coast, the Gulf Coast of the US, the | | | | catch with a special rake that allows you to |
| Northeast, the Mid Atlantic States, and even | | | | sieve them through a screen that passes the |
| in the Far East. I fished along side and Old | | | | sand but not the crabs. You can also catch |
| Japanese man sitting on a beach on the inland | | | | them with a bucket and some water, just like |
| sea in Yamaguchi Prefecture on the southern | | | | you would be panning for gold. |
| tip of Honshu Island, as he explained to me | | | | |
| in excruciating detail exactly how to catch, | | | | You'll do so much better using local natural |
| handle, and hook the appropriate bait. | | | | bait than anything else. I know a well off |
| | | | retired man who surf fishes and still hasn't |
| H was speaking in Japanese of course, as I | | | | figured out this fact. He sends off to Maine |
| smiled, nodded and interjected an occasional | | | | to buy special worms that cost $7.50 each and |
| "ah so." Actually I do speak some Japanese | | | | has them Fed Ex'ed in to surf fish with and |
| but it's limited to ordering food, finding | | | | can't understand why the kids with their home |
| the bathroom, and teasing young girls, so the | | | | made sand crab rake out fish him. If you'd |
| vast majority of what he was saying was going | | | | rather buy bait, find a local bait shop and |
| totally over my head, but I would never have | | | | ask them what works best and what they have |
| let on that I was only catching about every | | | | for sale. They often do have local baits, |
| fourth word. | | | | usually live to sell to serious surf |
| | | | fishermen. |
| Ok, so much for my surf fishing exploits, I'm | | | | |
| sure you're wondering, "How DO I catch fish | | | | The second principle is to fish the incoming |
| in the surf anywhere in the world?" Well, | | | | tide. The surf fish wait for the tide to |
| I'm glad you asked. The first thing you have | | | | come in. They know when it comes in and are |
| to understand is that the fish you are going | | | | lined up waiting for it to come in. |
| to catch in the surf know what they're doing. | | | | Experience and a keen nose have taught them |
| This is their habitat. These aren't fish | | | | that the time to eat is the incoming tide. |
| that normally inhabit deeper water but just | | | | The absolute best time to surf fish is from |
| happened to wander to the water's edge, these | | | | halfway between two hours before high tide |
| fish are there intentionally. It's what they | | | | until the high tide. |
| do. They're good at it. The only reason | | | | |
| they're here is that they're hunting for | | | | This is the only time I fish - those two |
| food. They've leaned how to carve out an | | | | hours. It comes around twice a day so you |
| existence by eating what is on the very beach | | | | should be able to work that into your |
| you are standing on. | | | | schedule. While you're at the bait and |
| | | | tackle store ask them for a tide table. |
| I have to laugh when I talk to surf fisherman | | | | They're usually free, and if not there are |
| that I happen across. I was talking to one | | | | tide calculators on the Internet that will |
| particularly frustrated guy who was fishing | | | | allow you to calculate the tides on any day |
| in Malibu and was complaining that the guy | | | | anywhere in the world. |
| who had this spot just before he came was | | | | |
| catching lots of perch but he wasn't having | | | | Here's a surf fishing secret that I'll bet |
| such good luck. I asked him what he was | | | | you never thought of, but given my stories |
| using for bait and he showed me this package | | | | and explanations above, I'll bet sounds |
| of fresh shrimp he'd just bought at the | | | | logical to you. How far out do you think you |
| supermarket. Well, trust me, this wasn't | | | | have to cast to catch fish in the surf? |
| fresh shrimp, it was defrosted, and it sure | | | | Well, I'm sure you've seen guys with 14 foot |
| looked to me like the farmed shrimp from | | | | long rods that they wade into the water waist |
| Thailand. | | | | deep and hurl several hundred yards away from |
| | | | the beach - and I'm sure that there are some |
| He's have been far better off taking those | | | | kinds of fish that are caught that way, like |
| shrimp home, sautéing them in some butter, | | | | striped bass along the East Coast. |
| garlic and lemon, and pouring them over some | | | | |
| pasta, than wasting his time fishing with | | | | If you're targeting surf fish, not deep water |
| them on a California Beach. This was mistake | | | | species, though, the correct answer is, not |
| number one. | | | | very far. I catch the vast majority of my |
| | | | surf fish in ankle deep water - certainly |
| As I stood there watching and talking with | | | | shallower than knee deep. Sometimes along |
| this fisherman, I also noticed another | | | | the Pacific coast beaches, I see fish feeding |
| serious gap in his surf fishing knowledge. | | | | literally with their backs out of the water! |
| The tide was receding. A receding tide is | | | | |
| the worst time to fish in the surf. Take a | | | | I like to cast just in front of the braking |
| moment to think like a fish that lives and | | | | wave - into the white water. This is the |
| hunts in the surf. The tide recedes exposing | | | | home of the surf fish. They're in close. I |
| the beach to the other great predators of the | | | | retrieve slowly dragging my bait up the beach |
| surf line, the birds. The birds scatter | | | | slope, and if I get a hit, more often than |
| about prodding and poking in the sand looking | | | | not, it's in very shallow water, like between |
| for small creatures to eat. | | | | ankle and knee deep. Surprised? I was when |
| | | | I first started leaning about surf fish. |
| They unearth clams, sand crabs, worms, and | | | | It's now my "market' where I stop by to pick |
| ghost shrimp, whatever they can find to munch | | | | up some fresh fish any time I'm in the mood. |
| on, now that the newly uncovered seabed is | | | | |
| exposed, they find a kill all sorts of | | | | So there's my secrets: 1) fish with local |
| critters and leave a mess. They dig small | | | | bait you can collect from the beach yourself |
| holes with their beaks, scratch up the sand | | | | at low tide, 2) fish the last two hours of |
| with their feet, and do their best to leave | | | | the incoming tide, and 3) fish shallow. |
| no stone unturned. | | | | |