By Bill Wetzel

It was recently opening day of the striped bass season here on Long Island. To many this is a very significant day, but for many different reasons.  For me the fact that I can legally catch and take home striped bass to eat for dinner is meaningless.  It is difficult to put into words, but the beginning of the season is a stressful time for me yet a very exciting one.  Before I had a family, a house, and mouths to feed it was not that way, but now it can be overwhelming.  Before I can start fishing there is the lawn, the deck, the power washing, the retaining wall, then there is all the fishing maintenance that I should have done over the winter but didn’t. Indeed late March and the month of April is a time to get in the fishing when I can, and to bust ass the rest of the time so I have from May to December to hunt for stripers. I tell myself that it is all worth it, but sometimes I feel like I am one of the few who know why it’s worth it. So for those of you that either don’t fish or are trying to figure it here is some food for thought as to why or why not our sport is worth it.

Through our sport you can learn about yourself in the way of discipline, self reliance, respect of nature, determination, and your physical mental capabilities.  These lessons usually do not come easy, but nothing worth doing does.  How many of us have came home from work played with the little ones, caught an hour of sleep or so to hit a 1am tide? You know the drill. The alarm rings at 12am, or perhaps you do not want to wake anyone so you put your cell phone alarm on vibrates right next to your pillow. You have both your work clothes and your fishing clothes ready near the door as to not to wake anyone. You quietly slip into your fishing clothes and sneak out the door to your buggy. You’re sure to pull out of the driveway with the lights off, and then it’s the moment of truth. “Why am I going out in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping in their cozy beds”?  The reality testing of yourself may or may not happen, but if it does it comes with an immediate answer of complete justification, and then you push on.  Upon your arrival you do not see another buggy in sight and spend about 10 minutes making sure everything is perfect. It is a moonless rainy night with the demons of darkness making a valiant effort to intimate you to stay in your buggy or go home. “What’s the difference between walking in the day or a very dark night” you ask yourself. “Nothing except light”.  You push on through the a dark narrow one half mile path that snakes it way though the pitch black woods.  The surf gear attempts to keep you dry, but the sweat builds as you hustle to the shore line.  Your eyes begin to sting from the rain water mixed with deet (used from the back bay trip the night before) dripping from the brim of your lucky hat. The shadows of the trees look like monsters swaying in the night. “Plataweasels”?  The closer you get the more you can hear the roar of a five to seven foot heave that has developed from an off shore storm. NOAA did not predict the big water, but you have enough salt running through your veins to not only except it, but welcome it. Suddenly your heart begins to pound, your skull begins to tingle, and the bumps on your skin begin to rise. Big water can do that to ya.  You quicken your pace and before you know it you are through the woods and at the surfs edge, with rolling white water dumping over your favorite point into a deep inviting striper cove.  You buckle up your surf belt and enter the roar of the ocean using your rod as a cane to rock hop to your favorite rock. Through the dark surf you can barely make out the rock which is about a foot in diameter and getting pounded by waves. “Yeah it’s a small rock, its big water, and it’s very dark out, but damn it that’s the rock that is going to put me into the best lane, and I’m hitting it”, you scream out loud to allow the surf to know you to know your intentions.  As you get smacked around on the dropping tide you get up on your rock, yes your rock because there is nobody but you, at least not that you know of that has ever stood,  much less caught a striper on it. The waves begin to seriously beat the hell out of you and threaten to knock you in deeper water, but you tell yourself “the tide is dropping, I’ll be alright”.  You try to pick your first cast between the waves, but it is so dark you are having a tough time timing your cast. You lean back and let the first cast fly. The sweep takes your plug for a few seconds, but you reel quickly to regain contact. Suddenly you feel a hard thump and your line goes tight. Your rod bends in half and your drag begins that slow peel. You’re a surf caster.

Please consider joining http://www.surfratsball.com/ and enter our annual East Coast June striper tournament. The tournament is free for all members, supports catch and release with all proceeds going to Camp Adventure to help kids with cancer.  The tournament is in its eighth year covers the entire east coast, has some of the best casters anywhere, and has thousands of dollars in prizes from our sponsors.  Thank you,  See ya there—Bill Wetzel

Editor’s note;

Bill Wetzel is what we like to call “The Hardest Working Guide in the Surf”. A quintessential Montauk Regular Bill works hard at teaching his clients the secrets of Montauk coves and consistently puts them on the fish. No wonder most of his customers come back for more year after year. Bill also runs a Surf Rats ball, Subscribers only forum at http://www.surfratsball.com/There he exchanges ideas with his subscribers and of course, logs each and every one of his trips for all to read. Check it out at http://www.surfratsball.com/

I will admit that sometimes we get carried away with stuff that could be described by some people as “over the top”…. Except if you fish long enough you know well that ZeeBaaS or Van Staal are not as big of a luxury items as you originally thought. After you kill half a dozen “good” reels in the surf you will kick yourself in the butt for not getting a waterproof one. So if we seem like we write about, Torque, ZB or VS is because we are trying to tell you not to make the mistake we made. If you are going to get your reel wet only on occasion and you will take care of it, you don’t need a waterproof reel. If you are going to dunk, swim, wade to rocks or wade on a sandbar you will regret the non waterproof reel sooner or later. Not saying everyone can afford one or must have one but if you are wondering why so many do it..its because they learned the hard way

Now if someone can explain why so many wear wetsuits at Montauk but only get their ankles wet??? hmmm…ha-ha

Anyway, the point of my post is that sometimes we overlook the simplest things. Like these KVD pliers by Mustad. It will cost you all of $10. But they will take of a split ring in a hurry…and as a bonus it will cut the braid like no one’s business. Maybe better than any split ring pliers you ever had

Take a look at this video

[youtube]http://youtu.be/jtHjZm9-gKU[/youtube]

So today we will give away this pair of these 5 inch KVD by Mustad Split Ring/Braid Cutter pliers combo we tested. One winner, one pliers, courtesy of Mustad

As Ricky Ricardo would say ” Lucy, you have some spleaning to do”

The Surfcaster’s Classic Catch and Release Tournament that you have seen on our blog yesterday…I got numerous emails asking why we have not reach out to this guy or that. Some people wanted to be involved.

Please contact Dave Anderson at danderson_nef@yahoo.com. This is HIS brainchild, HIS tournament. We are just helping him get a word out. Of course we support ANY catch and release tournament but this is not a SJ tournament but instead his own. I guess people are confused how he can run SJ and then have his own tourney. Guys, Dave also writes for The Fisherman and provides content for them and other publications.

He is a multitalented dude that can’t be roped by just one publication..ha-ha

Seriously, this is Dave brainchild and he did offer  to do it under SJ umbrella but we felt that we were up to our armpits of re-launching SJ in new format at the time and did not want to take our eyes from the magazine.

So if you are a manufacturer or want to get involved as a sponsor or as participant contact Dave at danderson_nef@yahoo.com

Now for today’s entry..

You know, its not the craziest idea in the world. I might try this in the inlet this spring…only my rig will be a “clambella” rig with 6 clams futtering in the water 😉

and no, after watching the video, i am not joking

04/09/2013

By: Lawrence Taylor (photos courtesy bassmaster.com)

For the first time in history a major B.A.S.S. tournament has been won by an angler throwing a castable umbrella rig (CUR), specifically the YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr. Georgia’s Patrick Bone weighed in 65-pounds, 4-ounces over the three day Southern Open tournament held April 4-6 on Tennessee’s Douglas Lake.
These rigs, which feature multiple arms for the attachment of up to five jigheads rigged with swimbaits, have come under fire by many pro anglers as being too effective. Like spinnerbaits, crankbaits or any other tool in a bass angler’s arsenal, however, there is a time and place that the rig shines. Catching tournament-winning stringers doesn’t come from simply tying one on and catching three fish per cast all day long.
Plus, as Bone proved, there are differences in the many versions of CURs available, and just like with any other lure category, size, action and other lure characteristics make the key differences that catch fish. Bone threw the diminutive Flash Mob Jr. all three days of the tournament.

“I caught every fish I weighed in on the Flash Mob Jr.,” he said. “The size and those flashing blades were the deal. Just about everyone in the tournament was throwing some type of umbrella rig.”
In the Douglas Lake Open with most of the approximately 180 pros throwing a rig, 21 anglers did not weigh in a fish during two days of fishing, and 51 anglers brought less than 6 pounds to the scales. Seventy-five pros brought in less than 10 pounds.
If all an angler has to do is tie one on and fish jump in the boat, wouldn’t everyone have caught 25 pounds a day?
There is no argument from anyone, however, that the CUR is a highly effective bass lure when fished at the right time and place. Like a spinnerbait, however, for best results the angler still must select the right size and action, as well as rig it with the most effective soft plastics.
The YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr. is a downsized rig with five stainless steel lure arms. No. 3 willowleaf blades are positioned at the mid-point of each of the four outer arms to provide extra flash and vibration. With no extra weight in the head, shorter lure arms and a lighter overall weight, the Flash Mob Jr. is less strenuous to cast than a full-sized version, yet creates the image of a full-sized school of baitfish.
Refining any lure to make it more effective than your competition is essential no matter the technique. Bone used 4- to 5-inch swimbaits in two different color patterns to catch his winning bass. “I had two rods on the deck during the tournament,” Bone said. “One was for stained water and the other for clearer water. For clear water I like swimbaits that are somewhat translucent, and for the dirtier water I use the more solid colors like white.”
Bone threw the clear-water rig on 20-pound fluorocarbon and the dirty water rig on 65-pound braid.
Because Douglas Lake is in Tennessee, a state with a 3-hook restriction, Bone used hookless swimbaits on the top two lure arms, two ¼-ounce jigheads on the bottom lure arms and a 1/8-ounce jig for the center lure arm. The two heavier bottom jigheads provide the balance needed for the Flash Mob Jr. to run straight in the water.
He caught his bass in water 8- to 10-feet deep, targeting transition areas the fish were using as they migrated into spawning areas. He positioned the boat so he could cast parallel to the bank (or at most a 45-degree angle) so he could keep the rig in the right water depth the maximum amount of time.
“I started reeling as soon as it hit the water,” Bone said. “I retrieved it at a slow, constant pace, just ticking the rocks but not letting it get down in them or it would get hung up. I didn’t use any twitches or add any rod action.” Bone didn’t catch tremendous numbers of fish each day, but his Flash Mob Jr. did catch the right ones. He boated 11 keepers on Friday, eight on Saturday and just 6 fish on Sunday, but all of the fish he caught were quality 3- to 5-pounders.
Mark Hicks, a Bassmaster.com columnist and tournament angler, fished the Southern Open as a co-angler and said that most competitors he saw were throwing smaller-sized CURs with willowleaf blades. Hicks said the two boaters he rode with did land a few fish on different versions of umbrella rig, but that he never really got the bite going.
“I may have messed up,” he said. “Most of the guys were running dummy rigs on the top two lure arms, but I cut off the top wires, and I think that was a mistake. There is no doubt that the rig catches quality fish, and this was not an easy bite at all. Patrick (Bone) had something going, though. He was fishing behind guys and still catching fish.”
The Flash Mob Jr. has become the most-popular CUR in YUM’s extensive lineup of rigs and is available everywhere fishing lures are sold — including Wal-Mart – for less than $13. Bone said he’d tried a variety of CURs from different manufacturers, but threw the Flash Mob Jr. at Douglas for one major reason.
“It was the confidence factor,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence in that

[youtube]http://youtu.be/6sH1ApqR228[/youtube]

By Dave Anderson

I’m a conflicted surfman. On the one hand I love to fish tournaments, I find that they make me fish a hell of a lot harder than usual—but on the other hand I always feel like I’m not respecting the fish when I hang it’s stiff, washed out carcass on the big hook at the weigh-in. I have not joined any of the more famous year-long tournaments because I feel bad enough about extinguishing one big fish never mind five! Some of you might think I’m being a drama mama and in a way I probably am and please don’t mistake this as me trying to get all preachy. I’m not a catch-and-release Nazi, I’m just against the unnecessary killing of big breeder fish. The will to win sometimes overrides our morals as anglers and I do know the feeling of having your personal best in your grasp and not wanting to let her swim away—but it’s better when you do, trust me!
I’ve been working on this tournament concept for over five years, I wanted to add a team aspect to the sport of surf fishing and I wanted to make it possible for striper fishermen to be able to compete and to remove the need for dragging a dead fish to the scales. After a lot of tweaking, re-tweaking, a five day test run and some more tweaking I was finally able to unveil the fruits of my labor earlier this month.
The tournament works on a catch/photo/release concept similar to the Striperthon run here at Surfcastersjournal.com last year. The big differences are that you will be fishing in teams of two and that there are 15 “mini tournaments” or qualifiers of which your team will need to compete in a minimum of six to qualify for the playoffs in the fall. Each week is named for one of our amazing sponsors and the team with the highest five fish score wins a prize package that, for the most part, is either comprised of their products or includes at least something from the sponsor of the week.
So far we have amassed almost $8000 in prizes including a pile of Century Rods, a Van Staal 250, bags from MAK Surfcasting and tops from Stormr. In addition we have plugs from Guppy, Afterhours, Super Strike, J. Stirpe Woodworking, Linesider69 and Couch’s Cedar Works. We also have a myriad of gear, lures and gift certificates from The Saltwater Edge, M&D’s Cape Cod Tackle and Rivers End Tackle. And last but certainly not least we have great support from The Fisherman Magazine, Surfcaster’s Journal and Striped-Bass.com who are helping us get the word out.
Some other things that will make The Surfcaster’s Classic unlike any tournament you’ve ever fished are the regular updates and the angler stats. The updates will be made several times per day throughout the duration of each qualifier tournament so you’ll be able to follow the progress of your team and of the teams that are challenging your spot at the top! The stats will allow you to track your effectiveness in seven categories and these stats may help you win the coveted MVP award. It’s going to be a whole new tournament experience and it’s going to be a blast I can promise you that.
For those of you who prefer to fish alone or if you just don’t have a fishing partner that can keep up with you. We have a secondary tournament that runs right alongside the Surfcaster’s Classic. The Coast-Wide Cow Hunt is for individual anglers and there are categories for boat and surf. The rules are very much the same as the Classic but it’s just your three biggest fish of the season added up to create your score. There are monthly big fish prizes in this event and the top four anglers in each category win great prizes, the top prize for the Surf Category is a Van Staal 250, second place nets a Century surf rod, third bags a Stormr Typhoon Top and fourth, well, fourth gets a box of Twinkies! Yep, you read that right.
To read up on exactly how the whole thing works visit www.gotight.net. Entry into The Classic is $60 per two-man team and includes free entry into the Cow Hunt for each angler, the Cow Hunt cost $25 per angler—everyone who enters gets a free tournament t-shirt. I hope you’ll all join up and maybe we can change the face of amateur competitive fishing—catch and release is the only way to go.

The winners of a Cotton Cordell Redfin lure

all three of you have 5 days each to contact us at info@surfcastersjournal.com with your shipping addresss

buckhuntin@optonline.net

Lee.Edward.Y@gmail.com

Dynorep1@aol.com

Yeah, its that time…

There is a bit of a sad news that came out of Florida this week. Bob Hahn, one of the most influential lure builders in last 20 years passed away. I know that if you are just getting into the sport today you will ask “Bob who?” but take my word for it, Bob touched many lives, including mine.

Here is what Bill Wetzel, one of his biggest fans wrote on Surf Rats Ball at http://surfratsball.com/

“I have been a big Bob Hahn fan since the late eighties or early 90’s when I saw his plugs in a local bait and tackle shop. I noticed three things about his metal lips when compared to the other metal lips hanging on the shops wall. His lips were different, they had indented eyes, and they were the cheapest. I think back then they must have been about six bucks. I quickly learned that his plugs were some of the best if not the best swimmers on the market. I also learned that a Hahn did not need a fancy paint job to catch fish. The more paint peeled off his plugs the more mojo they seemed to have. I cannot begin to tell you how many stripers I have caught on a Hahn. To this day whenever I throw his plugs I shout his name at the top of my lungs “Bob Hahn!”. In some weird way it seems to give his plugs a little extra mojo. About 10 or 15 years ago Bob stopped making his plugs. Some of us that did not have dozens and dozens of his plugs, or were looking to fish them for the first time were devastated. Then about 7 years ago Bob began turning wood and somehow the surf casting community again seemed whole. Bob only ran these plugs for about another year as his health was failing. That is when I first had the opportunity to talk to this plug making legend. Bob sent me some plugs for the SRB’s tournament to raise money for kids with cancer. I remember being in awe as I was speaking to the man behind the name I had been crying out for years. From that point on I spoke to Bob via phone every few months or so. Sometimes he would go on for hours telling me about the “old days” of plug making. From those conversations I got the sense that Bob was a kind gentle soul and one of the best damn plug builders that has ever lived. May you rest in peace, Mr. Hahn. “

in other news…some of you who know me can probably feel that something is up. I wish I could tell you it’s not but I have never been that good at hiding feelings. I lost last season due to inflammation in my elbow. Months of therapy did not help but the cortisone or whatever shot he gave me did…too bad the relief only lasted few weeks.

Unfortunately the elbow pain is back and its worst than it was. Back to three times a week therapy and I assume another shot after that. If that does not work the only other option is a surgery and few months out of work. With my son getting ready for a senior year in high school I doubt that will happen. Maybe I will just learn to live with it. But casting is out of the question. Shit, opening a jar or a soda bottle is out of the question. The fish are trickling in, I am sure many of you are jonesing to get out. I will see you there, with a camera in my hand, yet again

Our managing editor Dave Anderson is launching a new kind of catch and release tournament at http://www.gotight.net/

Visit the website by clicking on a link and get all the details. He is writing a post that will explain why, what and where and he will answer any  questions you might have

http://www.gotight.net/

They back! Who you might ask?

Your little tailing striped friends are trickling into the harbors and bays in the northeast as we speak. Yes, it’s that time of the year, when the expectations are high and anticipation is reaching a fever pitch. Even the weather seems to be getting better although too slowly for my taste.

Many are sharpening their hooks and tying new leaders. They are carefully stuffing their surf bas with poppers, shads, bucktails, swimmers, darters, needlefish, metal lips, tins. And  any lure you can think of its probably found somewhere on the surf coast in someone’s bag.

Is there a lure however that should be in EVERY surfcasters bag most of the time, depending on the conditions of course?

I’ve meet a lot of so called “experts” over the years. And your definition of expert might be different than mine. And that is fine, that is what makes this world go around. You can be an expert with a chunk and a great guy and have everyone’s admiration. I know a few and they are incredible fishermen. But I am talking about plug and eel fanatics, amongst all my “experts” , they hold one lure in very high regard. In fact, one of my favorite experts has landed more than half a dozen fish over fifty pounds on this lure over the years.

What is this “magic” lure?

It’s a lure that will crush schoolies in early spring, that will cull big cows in June and hammer all types of fish in the fall when conditions are right. A mighty Cotton Cordell Redfin

And today, thanks to generosity of our friends at Pradco and Cotton Cordell we will give three of our readers a chance to win one Redfin each.

for those of you who are not current subscribers to the magazine..

There is a special free, two day subscription to the Surfcaster’s Journal. Everything that we have done, current issue, all videos, all past issues..all yours at zero cost for two days

All you have to do is follow this link

https://surfcastersjournal.com/amember/signup

and choose “2 days of free access” option

No strings attached, no credit cards, no payment. Offer expires in two days so take this chance to check out the magazine for free

Number two, those of you that live on Long Island finally are in for a treat over your neighboring state surfcasters this weekend. Why? Because you have a chance to attend Bill Wetzel seminar this weekend for free. And you got to meet the  Hess brothers, makers of Guppy Lures who are traveling from Massachusetts . And you get  free coffee (my favorite), free raffles. Did I mentioned that all this is happening, Guppy, Wetzel, free seminar, coffee, raffles, at same spot this Saturday?

yup

Mr. Wetzel will be giving a free seminar At Cow Harbor bait and tackle and the Hess brothers will be traveling from Cape Cod Canal to Cow Harbor to meet and greet the customers. Not only that but bring your rod because there is plenty room behind a shop to cast a Guppy and see how it works. Wish I could join you but I will be at UConn or UMass or Usomething or other. I dont even know where the hell my head is anymore. But you guys enjoy it

Any questions call Mark at Cow Harbor 631 239 1631

Check off Saturday April 6th on your calendar to hear Bill Wetzel, “New York’s Hardest Working Surf Guide”, as he shares tactics on fishing Long Island using a variety of strategies & lures. With limited access along South Shore beaches during 2013, this is a great opportunity to visit Cow Harbor Bait & Tackle located on Long Island’s North Shore only 20 minutes away from Cold Spring Harbor, Caumsett State Park, Sunken Meadow, Smithtown, Stonybrook & other productive fishing spots. Visit the shop to say hello and learn more about opportunities our north shore beaches provide for catching fish during the season. Tightlines, Mark M    “Guppy Lure Test Day” Wayne & Peter Hess, makers of Guppy Lures, will be driving down from Massachusetts with a large collection of plugs. The idea is to meet surfcasters from Long Island, let us try out their awesome lures in the water located behind the Cow Harbor Shop & sell them at cool prices. This will be a special day for surfcasters on Long Island…please join the fun! Many types of plugs will be available to purchase in a large variety of colors & at our Seminar Special rate of 10% off list price. Parking Notice: Because of the outstanding success of our Seminar Series, please use the main parking lot located behind the tackle shop as a courtesy to our retail neighbors during special events. This courtesy ensures the 15 minute parking spaces located in front of Cow Harbor and shared by other retail shops remain open during the day.

By Dennis Zambrotta

Old School Tactics for new school surfcasters?

What if I told you that you could use an old school tactic to improve your surfcasting performance without too much of an investment – would you believe me?  Well, let me try.

Back before the advent of using braid on spinning reels surfcasters “in the know” would use a specific tactic to improve their scores when bass were finicky because of gin clear water or during a bright moon.  The technique was to “tie direct” to your monofilament running line – we wouldn’t use a leader.  The idea here was to make your offering appear more natural when bass could be spooked by a normal 50-60 pound leader and associated terminal gear.  Most guys back then fished with 15-20 pound mono as running line and tying direct to it allowed for a more subtle presentation.  We used the technique when bass were just nudging our plugs, dropping our eels, or when phosphorescence (fire) was present in the surf during the new moon periods.  This tactic at times was the major difference between getting skunked or having a tight line most of the night.  I’ve noticed that with the prevalent use of braid nowadays the “tie direct” technique has almost disappeared except by those still using mono (like me).  If you use braid you can also get the same tactical advantage by using mono leaders that drop down in pound test.  Instead of using a heavy leader drop your leader strength to 20 pound test.  You’ll be amazed at how it can make a difference on finicky bass.  Just be aware that using the lighter line will require that you to take more care when landing bass, especially from jetties or rocks where you would normally grab a shock leader.  Just remember the next time the bass are ignoring your offering, or your 60 pound leader looks like rope when there is fire in the water, go old school by tying direct to lighter line or leader to improve your odds.

Editors note :

Dennis Zambrotta is well know Rhode Island surfcaster and friend of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine since our humble beginnings. Dennis is also a very popular seminar speaker and he will be speaking at Surf Day this upcoming Saturday. He was fortunate to be one of the major players during the great Block Island Giant Striper Blitzes in 1980′s and he has recently wrote a  book about his experience,  Surfcasting Around the Block. You can find more information about the book by clicking on the cover. You can also purchase it from Dennis at Surf Day and other shows this winter