Saltwater Rod and Reel Info

Salt Water Rod and Reel Information

Below are descriptions of common saltwater fishing rod and reel terms and what you need to know about each to make an informed decision. Take your time, do your homework, and you can find a rod and reel combination that will become a trusty friend for a long time.

Common Saltwater Fishing Rod Terms

Action
Action refers to how much the rod deflects or bends when you put pressure on the tip. A fast action rod will bend in only the top 3rd or less of the blank, a medium or moderate action will bend in the top half or so and a slow action will bend starting in the lower 3rd of the rod. Fast action rods are great for short to long casting distances and where single hooks are the rule, such as worm and jig fishing. Medium action fishing rods provide a little more casting distance and still offer good responsiveness for setting your hook.

Power
Rod power is the rod's strength or ability to lift weight from the tip. Power ratings are mostly reflective of the rod's application, a heavy power rod would be suited for offshore trolling and a medium power rod might be designed for surf casting. Power is closely tied to the reccomended line weight.

Responsiveness
Responsiveness refers to the kenetic energy stored in the rod when it is bent, or how fast the rod snaps back during the cast. Responsiveness and power are closely tied, a rod with a lot of power will be less responsive. A rod that is highly responsive is best suited for casting and can improve casting accuracy dramatically.

Common Saltwater Fishing Reel Options
Ultimately your first choice with a reel has to be between a baitcasting reel and spinning reel. This choice is mostly determined by how you plan to use the reel and your personal preferences.

Drag Systems
With baitcasting reels, anglers have the choice of either a star drag or lever drag system. With a star drag system, drag pressure is increased or decreased by turning a star shaped wheel just inside of the handle. While star drag systems are simple to operate and are fine for most applications, lever drag systems typically supply smoother, significantly more consistent performance. Most lever drag reels also allow for drag to be adjusted in more precise increments than star drag systems and are therefore preferred for most trolling applications.

Spinning reels have two options as well, front drag and rear drag models. As it sounds, the difference between the two is in the location of the drag system. Front drag spinning reels generally feature larger, multiple disc drag washers that deliver a higher level of performance and durability and as a result are better suited for larger fish.

Gear Ratio
A fishing reel's gear ratio refers to how many revolutions the spool makes with each complete turn of the handle. Reels with high gear ratios are better for working lures briskly back to the boat, or quickly gaining line when a fish charges the boat. Reels with lower gear ratios provide greater cranking power for bottom fishing and trolling.

Level Wind Mechanisms
Lever wind mechanisms work back and forth across baitcasting reels to evenly re-spool the line as it is retrieved. While this may be convenient, these reels are usually more prone to mechanical failure and are often not capable of handling very heavy line weights required for offshore fishing.

Ball Bearings
All fishing reels use ball bearings to maintain smooth fluid movement of the spool. Typically the more bearings a reel has, the smoother it will be.

Chincoteague in October

So this past weekend, I loaded up the family and fished Assateague Island in Chincoteague, VA from approx 5pm 10/8 - 2pm 10/9. The winds were E/SE turning NW late Sat evening, at about the same time the tide changed...then back SE Sun morning. This was fishing 3 days prior to the full moon, so there was plenty of light with the moon as bright as it was, and the sky as clear as it was. The pics are posted below.

Well the evening of 10/8 yielded nothing but a skate, and a small dogfish shark. The morning of 10/9 however, was much more productive. The small bluefish were thick and would clean a hook in a matter of minutes. Amidst them was a blowtoad, and 1 small rock (striped bass).

The fun part of the trip was during the low tide Sun morning, it exposed the deep holes right close to the shoreline. When the tide receded, we found a couple small live starfish that were trapped in these holes. Also, we found a small flounder that had also been trapped in these 1-2ft deep holes that the children were playing in. Very cool...and the kids LOVED it!!  Out on the horizon was an aircraft carrier, with jets taking off flying out to see and then coming back and landing on the carrier! Very cool to witness. All in all...altho the fish (Red Drum...as if I had to say it) we were after never showed, it was still a great time had by all.  The hour meter keeps on ticking...

A few pics from this past weekend. Fall surf fishing for red drum on Assateague Island. The elusive red drum....still eluding me.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

It's a place out on the ocean.....

Assateague Island

Just another day at the beach! No luck today..but these pics are from the the trip I took with my dad a week or so ago.  Sorry about the poor quality of the pics. These were uploaded using the Blogger app for my phone. The ones I email to my blog turn out much clearer. I will do that from now on! Thanks.

The Drum Rig

This is an example of the drum rig that I use and make myself. I use a 10/0 Mustad circle hook snelled with 5 inches of 125 lb test leader material, that is crimped to a swivel. The running line (of which I use a 50lb shock leader that is approx 10 -15 yards long) is run through the snap swivel and tied to the swivel. This is known as a fish finder rig. The sinker is allowed to slide freely up the running line, and some slack is left in the line so it allows the rig to "find" the fish. Being as how drum are bottom feeders, this is one of the best rigs that I've had the most success with. Unlike the store bought rigs that you have no idea of what type of leader material is used, or type of conditions the rig has been subjected to, this rig is made up of quality materials and is one that you can have confidence in. Also, there is a satisfaction you get when building, using and being successful with the fishing gear that you, yourself, have created.  

Tight lines!!

Intro to Equipment used while Surf Fishing

The basic idea of most surfcasting is to cast a bait or lure as far out into the water as is necessary to reach the target fish from the shore. This may or may not require long casting distances. Basic surf fishing can be done with a fishing rod between 9 feet and 18 feet long, with an extended butt section, equipped with a suitably sized spinning or conventional casting fishing reel. In addition to rod and reel, the surf fisherman needs terminal tackle and bait or lure. Terminal tackle is the equipment at the far end of the line: hooks, swivels, lines and leaders.

Dedicated surfcasters usually possess an array of terminal and other tackle, with fishing rods and reels of different lengths and actions, and lures and baits of different weights and capabilities. Depending on fishing conditions and the type of fish they are trying to catch, such surfcasters tailor bait and terminal tackle to rod and reel and the size and species of fish targeted. Reels and other equipment need to be constructed so they resist the corrosive and abrasive effects of salt and sand.

Surf fishermen who use artificial lures, cast and retrieve them to entice a bite from the target species. There are hundreds of different lures effective for surf fishing, such as spoons, plugs, soft plastics and jigs. Most can be purchased from local bait and tackle shops, online tackle retailers, at fishing tackle expositions or specialized surf fishing catalogs. Most surfcasters carry with them a “surf bag” which holds a selection of lures to facilitate fast changes of lures appropriate to current fishing conditions, saving trips back to the beach or vehicle to change equipment.

Several other items of equipment are commonly used by surf fisherman and surfcasters to improve comfort, convenience and effectiveness. Among these are waders, used to wade out into the surf to gain distance from shore when casting the bait. Full length, chest-high waders are most popular, in order to provide a measure of protection against a pounding surf that could easily swamp hip-length wading boots. In addition to the extra reach provided by wading out from shore, waders provide improved footing, protection for feet and legs from sharp bottom objects and stinging/biting fish and crustaceans, and protection from cold water temperatures. Most surf fishermen prefer integrated booted waders to stocking-foot models, which eliminates the tendency of sand and rock to find their way in between boot and wader. In areas where the bottom consists of slippery rocks or when fishing from mossy and slimy rock jetties, cleated boots or attachments are utilized to improve footing and enhance safety.

Surf fishing is done often at night to follow the nocturnal feeding habits of many target species. Many surf fishermen add items such as flashlights, headlamps, light sticks and other gear to facilitate night fishing.

The countdown has begun...

September 14, 2011

On the back side of the recent full moon on Sept 12, my dad and I decided to take off early one afternoon and head down the beach to try our luck at surf fishing for the Fall run of Red Drum!!  Or Sciaenops Ocellatus for you latin guru's. The weather conditions were favorable as was the tide. The wind was from the S - SW at 10-15 mph, the tide was dead low when we arrived and we fished most of the incoming.

Well I had no longer got my poles baited up and tossed out when I look..and my dad is playing around with something on this little 9 ft spinning pole that was thrown in close and meant to catch bait or anything trying to sneak by. After about a 20 min fight, it came to the surface...and what had our hopes up was nothing but a big ol'ray! Oh well...it was still early. About an hour or so goes by and one of my dads poles goes down hard. If you fish with a conventional style reel, you know the clicker will grab your attention and even make your heart skip a beat!! It was only a 10 minute fight or so when the fish revealed itself..as being a small frisky sand shark. That was it for the rest of the night...not another bite.

But with this trip...the countdown has begun. The hour meter has started until the time comes when a Red will creep by and take my offerings. This drum waiting meter, if you will, can end at the next trip, the 3rd trip, a trip next year, or a trip that will happen in a couple years! It may never end for that matter. These fish are elusive, and it is a privilege to catch one. Some folks spend their whole lives in search of these fish and are never graced with their presence. Hopefully....the meter for me is about to expire!

Reading the surf..

Reading the Surf

Successful Surf Fishing Techniques for Trophy Red Drum and Striped Bass

By Poppy

In today’s world of saltwater surf fishing, much has evolved in the way of gear development and how fishing information is disseminated. With the advent of long casting lightweight graphite rods, the enormous selection of terminal tackle, advances in reel design and engineering, innovations in fishing line and the extensive information readily available from the internet, the terra-firma fisherman is now poised to succeed more than ever before in catching fish. But for all these advantages, there still are basic surf fishing fundamentals that can only be learned by spending time on the water and paying special attention to and understanding the existing conditions below the surface of the water. For purposes of this article, the discussion will be confined to bottom fishing with bait in the surf of the Atlantic coast of the DelMarVa Peninsula from Cape Henlopen to Cape Charles.

The Atlantic coastline of the DelMarVa Peninsula is approximately 140 miles long, running north and south and stretching across the three states of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The coastline is part of the Mid-Atlantic bight that extends from Massachusetts to North Carolina. Typically, the DelMarVa coastline has sandy beaches that gently slope down to the water. This area of water adjacent to the beach is known as the surf zone and generally is made up of a series of incoming parallel waves that spill or break, resulting in the foamy white water as seen up and down the coast. The crashing waters, also known as breakers, are to the untrained eye, nothing more than a bunch of noisy tumultuous waves that beckon the call of summertime swimmers and surfers.

To the surf fisherman, however, these breakers in the surf zone mean something completely different. They reveal the underwater “lay of the land,” where migratory game fish such as Red Drum and Striped Bass roam.

There could be 1 to 3 sandbars that run parallel to the beach. A sandbar (bar) is a ridge of sand formed along a shore by the action of waves or currents. The location of the bars is revealed above the surf waters where incoming waves initially crest and break. The outer bar (farthest from the beach) has larger breakers, while the bar closest to the beach has smaller breakers. The areas between the bars are called sloughs or troughs. The sloughs also are revealed above the waters where there are no breakers. Of importance here is that the slough is well defined with boundaries—sandbars on each side—and also holds the deepest water in the surf zone.



The slough in effect acts as a major thoroughfare in which game fish like Red Drum and Striped Bass cruise most times. It’s here were the game fish feel most secure and comfortable because the deeper slough water provides extra stealth for them to hunt for prey. Although game fish will cross over the bar seldom do they stay or cruise on top of it for any length of time.

With the knowledge of how the underwater surf zone is structured and understanding the nature of how and why fish cruise this zone, the surf fisherman’s natural inclination would be to place bait by casting his/her offering directly into the slough. This would be the first step to increase the odds of catching a fish. But there’s more to consider than simply dropping an offering somewhere in the slough.

Take note of the following drawings:





The reason for the distinction of 3 different lanes is that a slough on the order of 25 yards wide (75 feet) has a lot of territory for a fish to cruise. Typically migratory fish will travel the slough swimming parallel to the beach and may very well stay in one lane for a given amount of time. This observation is especially true for giant Red Drum which tend to prefer lane 3. Surf fishermen who can accurately cast a chunk of bait into this lane will note a better or increased hookup rate with these splendid trophy size game fish. Trophy Striped Bass on the other hand seem to prefer lane 1 and/or 2. Although not hard and fast rules, these patterns have been noted by more than a few surf fishermen.

But how does a fish hunt for or find the surf fisherman’s offering of bait? Obviously, game fish can detect bait by sight. But keep in mind, typical turbidity in the surf makes visibility about 1 foot. Although some game fish have very good eyesight, such turbidity makes it physically impossible for fish that are cruising, say in the outer lane (3) of the slough, to see an offering sitting in the middle (2) and/or inner lane (1). The more important hunting tool that game fish possess in locating a surf fisherman’s bait offering is their olfactory sense (smell). A game fish’s sense of smell is outstanding and infinitely greater than that of a human. But surf waters are obviously voluminous and rather dynamic, moving in a chaotic fashion at times with currents being dictated mostly by wind direction. So, the direction and rate of dispersion of the scent from bait in the surf zone could be hard to determine.



Optimally, if the surf fisherman could set up 3 surf rods in sand spikes, he/she could place bait offerings in all 3 lanes of the slough. Maintaining 3 rods while surf fishing may require a little extra work, but doing so covers much more area and certainly increases your odds of catching fish.

Project

So I finally got around to starting a long awaiting project this weekend. It all started about two years ago...when I received two surf rods that weren't in the greatest of shape. Most of the guides had been busted and the poles needed to be given new life! Here is a picture one of the Rods.  These poles had belonged to a late surf fisherman, who had fished many years with my late grandfather, dad and late uncle back in the 60's, 70's and early 80's. My late uncle was the one who somehow obtained these rods and gave them to me to rebuild.  Yes, I am faced with the regret that I didn't get these poles done before my uncle passed, and that is something I will live with. You just never know when the day will be your last.

Both of the honey colored blanks had been setup to be used with conventional reels with one being 12'4" and the other slightly shorter at 11'4". My guess is that the blanks are old Lamiglas blanks, but because there is no identification on the blanks, there is no real way to know.

The original plan was to build them exactly as they were when I got them, with the same (new) guides, guide spacing and even thread color. Well after a short visit from my parents yesterday..the plans have changed. I'm now going to make them both 11' spinning surf poles. My moms thread color choice ended up being metallic pink and metallic teal. My dads thread color choice ended up being metallic royal blue and metallic red. I'm going to wrap the butts with cork tape, and install removable reel seats along with a nice butt wrap using the respective colors. I'm also going to do a nice Chevron butt wrap with a Red Drum decal and will scribe "In memory of Roland Wainwright" in the butt wrap section of the blank as well.

I'm really excited to start making progress on these blanks, and will post pictures of the progress as it happens.

.

Bay Fishing

The 2nd annual half day bay fishing trip with the family was today, on the Bay Bee Charters, out of Ocean City Fishing Center in Ocean City Maryland.  When we arrived to the boat, the crew was getting prepared for the second half of their day. Their fishing trips are two 1/2 day charters, and the first trip of the day ended up being pretty decent with the crew catching close to 100 flounder.  That's great and all...but out of all of those flounder, not one met the size limit of 18", that it needed to be in order to keep the fish.  Still...my wife and I were there more so to let our boys (ages 6 &4) just do some catching...and if we caught a keeper than great. If not..as long as the kids had fun...that's all that matters.

Everything from fishing pole to bait was supplied by the Bay Bee, all we needed to do was show up! If you're in the area, and looking for a couple hours to spend with the family on the bay without much hassle...highly recommend - Bay Bee.  The bait for the day was a strip of squid with a shiner or silverside minnow. The bait is simply lowered to the bottom..and bounced or dragged along the bottom in hopes that a big daddy doormat flounder will come along and find it!

So after waiting a few minutes or so...we load up (ended up being about 15 of us) on the boat, and head out into the bay just behind Assateague Island National Seashore.  The weather was about as good as it could get. Not too hot...nice breeze blowing from the south...a beautiful day.  A 10 minute boat ride..and we arrived at our first location to start a drift in search of the elusive flounder.  The first drift went by with not much happening, except for the high catch rate of crabs! I've never caught so many before in my life from a boat with a bottom rig. I couldn't believe it. So we set-up to drift again...and the fish start biting. About half of the people on the boat caught throwback flounder, none for us this drift. We head off to drift again...when luck happens to find me. It was a flounder (little guy) so I unhooked the fish, let the kids touch its scales and fins...as well as some of the crew who don't frequently get to fish, then released the flounder to grow and be caught another day. My wife too catches a small flounder. Still not one keeper caught yet on the boat.

So we move to setup and drift again in a different spot. My oldest son has his pole ready, that he baited himself, and lowers the rig down to the bottom. Patiently waiting...we were having a conversation about what a fish (specifically a flounder since that is what we were after) feels like when it strikes. Just then I get a hit. I easily bring it to the top and there is another throwback flounder. I unhook the fish and release it back into the water. Looking over at my son..I can tell the intensity is building. Not a couple minutes later...he yells out, I got a hit...and starts cranking the fish to the top. By the bend in the pole I can tell that it's a pretty decent fish. He gets the fish to the top...and I grab the line and whip the fish in the boat. It wasn't huge, or otherwise I would not have done that. We measure the fish..and it fell just short of the 18" minimum length. So...he got the usual treatment..touching the scales and fins..and is released to swim another day. My son was so proud of himself, but I don't think he was as proud as his daddy. He did it all by himself, and I couldn't have been more proud.

Do yourself a favor...and take a kid fishing. The reward is nothing like you've ever had before.

Skate....it's what's for dinner!

Skates and Rays

Skates and rays are frequently caught. Unfortunately, their appearance is so unusual that they are commonly killed and tossed overboard. They are, however, established in the European and Asian culinary traditions. They can be used interchangeably, although some species are considered superior to others.

Skates and rays are related to sharks. They are Elasmobranch fish; that is, they have skeletons made of cartilage instead of bone. Skates live in salt water and differ from rays in certain physical and biological characteristics. Most skates have rough, thorny skin. All rays have smooth skin. Rays have distinct barbs or spines at the base of their tails, and skates do not. Poison glands are attached to the barbs of some species of rays. These rays, called sting rays, can inflict painful wounds. Skates are generally sluggish and less active than rays, which tend to group into larger schools and hunt for food. Skates reproduce by laying eggs enclosed in horny capsules that often wash onto beaches. Rays do not lay eggs; embryos develop inside the mother.

Common skates in mid- and northern Atlantic waters include the big skate, the little skate, the clearnose skate, and the winter skate. Sting rays are most abundant in warmer waters south of the Chesapeake Bay, but some species range as far north as New England. Common rays include the bullnose and cownose rays.

Skates and rays are strong swimmers. It can take considerable effort to land them. When using a gaff or pick, avoid puncturing or damaging the wings (the edible portion). It's a good idea to stun rays and skates as soon as you land them. This is especially important with rays, which can cause injuries with their sharp spines. Use heavy gloves when handling them. Cut off the tails and spines of rays to prevent injuries.

The wings are the only edible part of both skates and rays. Remove them promptly and discard the rest of the body or use it for bait or chum. A sharp knife and a flat surface are required for removing the wings.

Pack the wings on ice in a cooler and then refrigerate or freeze them later. If you plan to refrigerate skate or ray wings for several days, leave them whole and packed in ice in the refrigerator. Some sources report that skate actually improves if left in the refrigerator for forty-eight to seventy- two hours. The texture is said to get firmer during this aging process. Skate can, however, be eaten earlier with good results.

To prepare skates or rays for cooking or freezing, fillet the meat from the whole wing. A sharp knife and cutting board are the only tools you need.

To freeze skate or ray, leave the skin on to keep the fillet intact. Wash each fillet carefully and freeze it as you would any other fish fillet. If the fillet is large, skinning will be much easier if it is first cut into strips two or three inches wide. Another way to skin the fillets is to poach them for several minutes in a solution of three parts water to one part vinegar. The skin should peel off easily after poaching.

Some cookbook authors suggest soaking skate and ray fillets in chilled salt water or vinegar water for several hours before preparing them. This will remove any ammonia or other off flavors that may have developed. If you have handled your catch properly, however, ammonia flavors should not be present. If you do wish to soak your fillets, use a solution of one cup of salt or one- half cup white vinegar for each gallon of water.

Skate and ray fillets are lean and light colored. An unusual delicacy, they have a firm texture and can be prepared by any cooking method used for fillets from fish with similar characteristics. Poach them, bake them, bread them, or fry them in the oven, a pan, or deep fat.

Reading the water...part 2

Lets look at another surf structure that probably accounts for more "fishy activity" than any other - the out-suck aka rip current aka hole aka riptide aka break in the sandbar, etc. Here is a drawing that depicts an out-suck...for simplicity purposes only 1 sandbar is shown...



Note, not all "breaks in the sandbar" are out-sucks... This picture shows a wide break in the outer sandbar on AI...but there was no out-suck.



Remember, Stripers like moving water and current...here they are masterful and powerful swimmers, using their broad tails to maneuver about in the surf... So the area around an out-suck from the feeders, through the neck (channel) and out into the head is prime Striper habitat... Why? Because at the out-suck water is swirling about, forming a current to and past the outer sandbar wherein small bait fish can get swept up or caught in the dynamics of the moving water and ending up as easy prey for the Striper.

The place where Stripers will congregate the most at an out-suck of course is at the head or just outside the outer sandbar. Here they lie in wait to ambush their prey...sort of like a feeding station. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to place (cast) an offering beyond the outer sandbar as the distance is too great. However, the Stripers will come into the neck and even the near shore feeders of the out-suck when they are hungry (which is all the time) looking for prey... So optimally, you want to place (X) your offerings perhaps as follows...note, a very good area would be the ends of the sandbar which are sometimes called a shoulder...

Out-sucks are hard to see at times, especially at water level... I'll climb a dune or stand on my truck to see better the water conditions. Also, out-sucks are more pronounce at or near low tide.

Finally, here are some pic's of out-sucks... Standing on a beach they could look rather subtle and therefore easily overlooked...

Reading the water

The following was written by a fellow surf fisherman "Poppy," who frequents the Delmarva peninsula.

Why is this important? If what lies below the surf waters was thoroughly understood and embraced, the more success the surf fisherman would have at catching fish! Sounds simple, but truth is reading the water is difficult.

So what is below the surf waters? Well, certainly there are fish, we already know this...and for many of us that is all that needs to be known. So, for those so inclined, I guess reading the water is not a prerequisite to successfully catching fish. There is some truth in this, a surf fisherman can totally disregard what the water is telling him, make a cast, and put a fish on the beach, it happens all the time. Why? Because the fisherman more than likely, but unknowingly, had put his offering into the surf where there happened to be a fish. The question though is why was that fish there? Was it by random chance that the fish happened to be swimming by at that exact moment? Well yes maybe, but the fish may have very well been there for other reasons. One of those reasons is what I will call the physical environment or "structure" of the surf waters or more precisely the structure of the sandy bottom of the surf waters that attracts game fish.

I'll address bottom fishing w/ bait along the sandy beaches of the the DelMarVa coast. Fishing the inlets, rock groins, piers and backwaters of the DelMarVa peninsula is another subject all unto itself.

Our beaches for all intended purposes are typically very flat w/ a gentle incline. This beach structure is rather common up and down the east coast and is deceptively uninteresting at first glance. The following is a simplistic drawing of a cross section of the beach and surf.

Note, there are "generally" 2 main sandbars that run parallel to the beach. In the drawing they are labeled the outer and near shore sandbars. Also, there are "generally" 2 main sloughs (troughs) that too run parallel to the beach. The location of sandbars is revealed above the surf waters where waves initially crest and rollover, these crashing waves are called "breakers." The outer sandbar of course has larger breakers, while the near shore sandbar breakers are smaller. The sloughs also are revealed above the waters where there are little to no breakers. The next image is a picture of a typical looking surf on the DelMarVa coast.

The above picture I took not for the waves but something else, let's see if any of you sharpies can identify what is going on.

Now that this basic surf structure is understood visually the next step is easy. Fish will frequent the sloughs in the surf, especially Stripers. They like to get as low as possible w/ their bellies virtually touching the sand as they cruise the sloughs. It is here they are most comfortable plus the slough gives them a certain degree of stealth as they move about looking for food. So, placing your offerings in the slough would be optimal as shown in the next image.

A less viable option would be to place the offering on the sandbar. If the slough does not produce fish I would considered placing the offering on the sandbar, but only during high tide and not at all on the near shore sandbar at low tide. The water would just be too skinny at that time and location.