Article by Sue Foster
“Sue, What took my rod into the ocean at 142nd Street? It was Friday night and the sun had just gone down. I had just re-baited for the last time. After 3 hours, and only one sand shark, I was contemplating calling it a night when I left the rod in the holder for what I thought might be a school of bluefish a half block away. I couldn’t have been gone for 30 seconds when I got back to find a twenty foot trail my rod made in the sand. Rod and fish were gone. The 20-foot trail in the sand went perfectly straight in to the ocean. Straight to deep water. Darn! Please let me know if anyone catches a fish with a brand new rod and reel attached!”
How often have we heard this story in our tackle stores? It’s good for business when we have to sell someone another brand new rod and reel, but it’s not how we like to do business. We say it over and over again, “Set your drag when you put your rod and reel in the sand spike!”
Not every drag works as good as another. A $20 or $30 special deal reel is not the quality of the Penn Battle Reel. The drags can be finicky. Loosen the drag knob and pull the line until you are able to pull some off with some resistance. With inexpensive drags, they can be either ON or OFF with no in-betweens. Play with them until you find the ON position. If you are using your own reel (one of grandfather’s old favorites) the same is likely to be true! If the drag doesn’t work at all, you may consider buying a new reel.
“I have a good Penn reel!”
Then you are set. Twist the drag knob and pull the line until you can pull line with some resistance. That way, when Mr. Fish grabs your bait and runs, the line will pull out against your drag instead of taking your rod and reel to the water!
“I’m using braided line on my reel so I can pull in a big shark!!!”
This is another consideration that anglers do not think about. If you buy a brand new $39.99 reel at the bait store and fill it with 50 pound test braided line so you can catch and release a big shark, you will be putting a lot of stress on that reel. There is no “stretch” in braid, so when you pull back on your rod, and drag a big fish on the beach, it is like winching in a 100 pounds of weight. There will be the possibility of ruining that reel. For serious shark fishing, it is best to spend the money on a quality Penn or Shimano Reel.
There’s another thing that happens when surf fishing, and it’s happened to me a lot. You shove the sand spike in the dry sand and the rod and reel is standing tall. In a little while, the tide comes up and then there’s a little water pooling around the spike. This softens the sand, and when a nice fish grabs the bait, the rod leans forward. Be careful! Or it may fall in the water. When water comes up around the sand spike, it’s time to move it to dryer land!
So what are these big fish that drag the rods and reels into the ocean? You would like to dream that it was a big striper, a lone cobia or a big drum. Most of time it’s a giant ray or big shark. Rays can be upwards of 80 pounds. They suck up the bait and start a slow steady pull offshore. They can suck onto the bottom when you try to turn them around, putting lots of stress on your rod and reel. Anglers have been known to fight them for hours. (What’s fun for some is not fun for others!) If I get tired of the fishing game, I simply put my hand on the spool till something gives. Usually the hook in the ray’s mouth.) Fighting an 80-pound ray for hours can be fun, but it can be damaging to your rod and reel. I’ve seen stripped drags and guides popped right out of the rods. It’s amazing how strong these fish are.
If you are fishing after dark, and the fish makes a run after it’s been hooked, it’s more than likely a shark. Since a shark can swim and not sit there and suck the bottom, it is less damaging to your equipment.
“Does it matter what size sand spike I use?”
The longer spikes go into the sand deeper and keep your rod tip up higher. For serious fishing, I’d suggest the longer spikes. The main thing is to keep your rod in the spike, and not let your rod fall over into the ocean. It’s as simple as that. Keep your drag set and your eyes open. If your rod starts leaning a little, re-anchor your sand spike. It’s just a piece of plastic. You’re the fisherman! You are the brains behind the plastic! There’s nothing worse than getting your brand new reel full of saltwater and sand when it falls into the drink! If that does happen, take the reel off and rinse it out with fresh water. Pull off the spool and get the sand from under there as well. You don’t want to start cranking a reel that is full of sand. That’s definitely bad for the reel! You could cause serious damage cranking a reel that is full of sand so be sure to clean it first.
Surf fishing is so much fun. I think it is one of the most relaxing sports there is. It’s easy and there’s rarely a snag. Put your rod in a sand spike, set your drag, and wait for the fish to bite!
Good fishing!
Sue Foster is an outdoor writer and co-owner of Oyster Bay Tackle in Ocean City, MD and Fenwick Tackle in Fenwick, DE.
