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