Article by Capt. Lance Smith
Before we get into this weeks column, I want to correct something I wrote in last weeks issue. I incorrectly stated that you can have 30 collapsible crab traps in the bay. This is correct if you are crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay, but in our Coastal Bays you are limited to 25 collapsible crab traps. Sorry for the mix-up.
Well, unless you are prepared to run your boat to the deep of the southern canyons, or shell out the money for a charter, the recent yellowfin bite may be a bit out of your range this time of year. Luckily, there is a much more cost effective form of fishing that has been producing quite well so far this summer.
If you have been keeping up with recent Coastal Fisherman issues, or you happen to be an internet fishing forum junkie, you know that surf fishing has been about as productive as you will ever see it. Being an offshore boat owner (and my flounder pontoon!), and only visiting the beach for surfing in recent years, fishing from the surf is not my expertise. That isn’t to say that I have never caught fish off the beach. In fact, I’ve spent many days casting from the sand. I just prefer running my own boat most of the time.
While most of the local sharpies have 4-wheel permits for Assateague Island, and they may drive all the way down to the Virginia/Maryland border looking for that perfect spot, there are other options if you are strapped for time or just starting out. To begin with, surf fishing can be a great activity for the entire family. While the wife gets a tan while enjoying a book in her beach chair, and the children are splashing around in the waves, you may actually find some time to yourself. While Assateague does allow you to drive along the beach with a special permit, if you don’t own a 4-wheel drive vehicle or feel like paying for a pass you may only use once a year, there are parking locations on Assateague where you can walk to the shorebreak and stake out your own little slice of heaven. As a side note when visiting Assateague Island, always bring your bug spray and be prepared for the worst, especially the black flies on a west wind. It makes me shiver to think how much blood I have lost to them and the mosquitoes that are reminiscent of Piper Cub airplanes. I have seen horse flies on this island that measure at least an inch and when you get bit by one you will wish it was a yellowjacket or a wasp.
Blood sucking bugs aside, Assateague is perfect for the honest fisherman because you can fish all day. When fishing off of the Ocean City beaches proper, you must stop fishing in the morning when the life guards arrive and cannot cast out again until they leave in the afternoon. Regardless of which barrier island you choose to fish from, differentiating a productive spot from an unproductive one can be hard for the novice. Growing up surfing, I can recognize the difference in water depth along the shore by simply looking at the waves. As much as I loved surfing and still get out on occasion, my favorite line to my die hard surfing friends is that, “surfing is for hippies that are afraid to get their hands bloody!” While you often hear about tide stages being so important when fishing in our Coastal Bays, nowhere is tidal stage more relevant then when you observe it throughout the day while sitting on the beach. This is where catching fish from the surf or not catching them is decided.
On a low tide, at a certain section of the beach, you may notice people or your children standing in about two inches of water, even though they are 50 yards from the shore. This is the inner bar. Often times the water between the shorebreak and the inner bar can be well over your head. Baitfish get trapped in here and predators feed on them, right up into the suds. Rockfish (striped bass) have absolutely no problem running into the shorebreak at your feet. Imagine those Killer Whales (Orcas) on the Discovery Channel that pick seals right off the beach. The predators we are after know that they can swim against a harder current and in harsher conditions than their prey. For this reason, they often wait for sand fleas and baitfish to get disoriented in the white-wash while they gorge themselves on bait that basically has vertigo. Now, on either side of these shallow bars the water trapped inside will need to make its way back east. This occurrence is often known as a rip-tide.
Where this deeper water, trapped within the inside bar makes its way back out to sea, is where you should often concentrate. One of the rules that I live by is that waves will break in water half as deep as the wave is high. Oftentimes, you will see sections of the beach where the waves are crashing offshore with gusto, but only yards up the beach, these same waves fade into ripples before ever having a chance to curl over. This is the deeper water.
Where these two phenomenons meet is where most fish concentrate to feed. Just like trout in a freshwater stream, oceanic predators will wait in the calm water closest to the rougher outgoing current. This allows them to expend less energy remaining stationary while bait is flushed by them.
Okay, so now you may have some idea of where to start fishing, but how do you get started? Well if you are determined to surf fish more than a few weekends per year, you will be much more satisfied buying a relatively expensive rod/reel combo that is meant for the job. If, you plan on just giving it a shot once or twice in a summer, there are tackle shops in the area that sell PLENTY of cheaper surf rod combos that will get the job done. Just talk to an employee and explain what you are trying to accomplish. While most surf rods are in the 8 to 9-foot range, this doesn’t mean that you can’t catch fish on a much shorter rod. In fact, when I do surf fish, I often bring three rods. Only one of those is a “true” extra-long surf rod. The other two rods I bring along are typically my flounder fishing spinning rods or a lightweight baitcaster that I can cast a mile. Oh, before we get to bait and what-not, whichever rod/reel combo you use you should NEVER let it get dropped in the sand. Many of the more expensive reels can handle a dip in saltwater if they are rinsed off with freshwater afterwards, but all reels will fail if repeatedly (or even once) filled with sand.
Once you have located a “fishy” looking spot, you are going to need the proper bait and terminal rigs for your line. For making longer casts with a lengthy surf rod, pyramid sinkers tied on a fish finder rig is the way to go. Depending upon the prevalent wind and the longshore current, you may need anywhere from 6 to 12 ounces of lead to hold bottom. This rod, baited with either a fresh piece of bunker or a cluster of sand fleas should always be set out first. Because of the stretch of monofilament and the drag caused by waves, even if you are using braided line, you should always use circle hooks on this rod. When your line has a 100-foot bow in it because your bait has drifted 50-feet down current, it is almost impossible to set a J-hook. Instead, all you have to do when a bite is detected is to begin reeling in and your quarry should be hooked right in the corner of the mouth. These longer rods, meant for larger fish, produce the best when placed into a sand spike (a PVC rod holder sold at tackle shops for keeping your rod vertical and your reel out of the sand). I like to use baitcasting reels for this larger setup because I can set the clicker to “on” and I can hear it when I have a bite.
While this rod is sitting in its holder, you can attempt a much simpler form of summer fishing. As the spring progresses into summer, fish such as northern whiting (kingfish), flounder and big Norfolk spot will invade the deep water of the inner bar. Utilizing a 6 to 7-foot spinning rod or a baitcaster you are comfortable with, you can prowl the water around your main rod with various baits and lures. In fact, I have caught far more quality fish while surf fishing with my small rods than I have with my 9-foot beast in a holder.
Tandem rigged bucktails with GULP! or squid trailers, small green colored drone spoons (they look just like a sand flea) or a bloodworm/squid combo on a smaller #6 hook, can catch some of the most delicious fish in the ocean. Even casting large lures such as Bombers or Mirrolures can produce striped bass while you wait for “the big one.”
Once you begin casting smaller lures into the surf you will be amazed at the variety of fish you can catch, especially keeper flounder! The secret to this is in allowing your bait to hit the bottom before you begin retrieving. Once it has, you can start a slow, erratic retrieve that will drive fish nuts. Your lures will tumble about in the waves just like the real thing. And ALWAYS, ALWAYS, remember, don’t stop winding until your lure or small bait rig hits your feet. Most hits will come right in the shorebreak, in water so shallow and rough you couldn’t believe a fish could possibly survive there. Once again, this is where the predators gain their advantage over the smaller and weaker baitfish/crustaceans that they are after.
Surf fishing can be awesome, and it can also be a total heartbreak. Talk to your local tackle shop owner and see what is biting. Most importantly though, learn how to read the water. From far away, I realize that it all looks the same. Take your time and watch where larger waves break and smaller ones fade away. Think like a fish and determine where you would sit in order to ambush the most prey while expending the most energy. It’s very similar to where you choose to eat dinner while on vacation in Ocean City - where can I stuff myself for the cheapest price that will get me back to my room the quickest!
Lance Smith is an outdoor writer and Captain of his family’s boat, ‘Longfin”.
