I hope all of you are enjoying the Labor Day weekend.

The winner of Super Strike Heavy needlefish never contacted us, however, with the storm and all, maybe he could not. So we will give him few more days to contact us

the winner is Scott Crabtree… bigc_45638@yahoo.com

Ok

The Winners  of West End Tackle Tin giveaways are

• ·       Eugene Pasternak
• terry.bhagan
• rschenkewitz@optonline.net

Each one will receive one lure, courtesy of our friend, Ralph Votta , maker of Charlie Graves lures

All ,please contact us at info@surfcastersjournal.com and send us your shipping address

Congrats to all the winners

For you that are tuning into SJ blog this weekend, we are going to give you a chance to win a 300 yard spool of Western Filament TufLine XP 50 LB test, green. Courtesy of folks from Western Filament…you can visit them at  http://www.tuf-line.com

Fall run is just around the corner…besides buying more tins, what are you guys buying? I kind of went the “other” way last few years. I only have one VS reel, I fish with two piece rods, I wear cheap Grunden pullover and I toss a lot more plastic than wood. I could use another jacket , another splash top perhaps. I am not into rubber gaskets at the moment. What I really could use is another reel. My VS has been a remarkably problem free reel other than one very, very bad night at Cuttyhunk few years ago. For what we do, including occasional foray in a wetsuit, our choices are limited. VS, ZB and now Penn Torque. Granted, the Penn is brand new to the market, especially the bailess model which is just hitting the stores but the price differential is substantial comparing to the other two. I probably couldn’t swing it now. Who am I kidding, right now after this trip to Europe I cringe when I put gas in my truck.

I’d love to do a trip to Cuttyhunk, even if it was a commando run but again, I think I pushed my boss to the brink with this trip. So much that even Montauk feels like it’s much further away then it is. I must admit that after two year hiatus from Montauk I am starting to feel the itch to get reacquainted. If nothing else then to go with the camera. You got to admit, when it comes to pictures, few places photograph as well as Montauk.

So what are you buying, where are you going? Nights are getting longer and bait is starting to congregate in the back of the inlets…it won’t be long now for us here…in some places the run has already started.

Have a nice weekend while we work feverishly  to put together another issue of your favorite surf fishing magazine

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For the first time in many years, I am excited about a  prospect of Montauk fall blitzes. Which is kind of convoluted because when I had a time to get onto them I ended up in other places. Now when I yearning to go, I have very little time to do it. Life can be a series of confusing events. 🙂

Seriously, I really hope that white bait blitzes dominate September in Montauk like we’ve experienced it in the years past. It’s good for the soul to get in on one, and catch fish on every cast while enjoying scenery and the camaraderie. Besides, the blitzes are great for those of you who like to snap few photos and capture the moment for eternity. I have been known to snap a picture or two myself,  I do have to admit.  I might be the most “confused and conflicted” surfcaster in the history of this sport. I have the GoPro camera in my bag, regular Olympus on my belt, the Nikon DSLR and big HD camera in my truck…and rod in my hands……and I want to do it all. Unfortunately, you know what happens, you end up doing a little of everything but nothing great.

Few years ago, in late August, we had about eight or nine days of east winds. This is obviously not a regular summer weather pattern. You were probably sitting on your couch and cursing the wind and begging for rain to stop. But as someone much smarter then me said” for every action, there is reaction”….And hard, sustained, prolonged east wind can do wonders for Montauk surf fishing. Yeah, you will get wet, and you might get beat up by building surf, and yes, the bucktail will be the lure of choice but you will catch… and catch plenty in most years. If you get so lucky that mullet feels a need for an early departure, you might be in for some of the best tides of the season. Yeah, I know, we all guard our days for later in the fall, when fishing is suppose to be better, when the fall run is already on the way….but this late in August, with ton of fish in Montauk rips, if you get some preferable winds, they might charge the beach…Of course, you can always call Paul at Paulie’s Tackle of Montauk to get latest info on what is going on. For you that are making your first trek to Montauk this fall, stop by and say hi to Paul…he is expecting you.

bring it on….hope to see some of you there

 New Issue of  Surfcaster’s Journal coming up in a week or so

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This is a first, SJ blog post via Droid
no power, the town looks like a war zone on some blocks, trees still blocking the street. I guess I should have prepared better and would not have to aimlessly look for ice last night, unsuccessfully .
I hope most of you have came out of this ok, as always, as long as no one got hurt, everything else can be replaced.
So after I get home from work , I will be on the hunt for ice. That is if LIRR runs better then this morning.
not worried about the food or frozen squirrels, but RIGGED EELS!
lmao
Ok, that is it, my thumbs are starting to hurt 🙂

It is time for us to announce a winner of Super Strike Preloaded Small and Medium Needlefish winner. We are sorry we only get to pick one out of 266 entries but look at it this way, whoever wins is one lucky sob.

Ok , so SJ SuPeRcOmPuTeR is on …….. spitting out one name (actually a nickname and an email address if you want to get technical) Scott Crabtree… bigc_45638@yahoo.com

Scott, you have to furnish your address to info@surfcastersjournal.com so we can get this out to you

Congrats

They say that pattern is a pattern until its broken.  NJ has their bunker pattern in the spring, Canal rats rejoice when the cash in on their mackerel fishing around Memorial Day. And most of the surfcasters will cash in on the sand eel pattern this fall. As much as some like to complain about lack of peanut bunker, baby weakfish or herring, we should be happy that sand eels provide us with some of the most consistent fishing of the year. Yes, long and elongated lures like needlefish will be most effective as will bucktails worked close to the bottom but you can’t beat a tin for quality and quantity. There are many good tins of the market, from Point Jude, AOK Tackle, Kastmaster, Hopkins and many other manufactures. But in my opinion, no one tin maker make as many models and makes them longer then West End Fishing Tackle, maker of Charlie Graves Lures.

Ralph Votta has been making the Charlie Graves lures for a long, long time now. If you ever get a chance, sit down at one of his seminars when he talks about how to work a tin. Or watch him fish on the South Shore of Long Island. I guarantee that you will learn a lot about how to increase your caches with these simple yet insanely productive lures. We also love the fact that there are no fancy names like “bassslayer”, “bluefishkiller” attached to these lures. Instead they are marked like D7 or J6 and trust me when I tell you, they all catch fish

Visit his website at and check out all the models that he makes and you will realize that he has not only sand eels covered but larger baits like peanut bunker and herring too. http://charliegraves.com/ 

While I was working on Doc’s new book, Surfcaster, this spring, I went to Ralph’s house to snap some pictures. To my knowledge Doc only uses his tins and insisted of using  the picture of only them in his book. What was supposed to be a quick ten minute photo shot turned into hours long conversation about tins, the history and late Charlie Graves himself. It’s a fascinating story, and I hope someone writes it one day. Upon leaving, Ralph gave me few of his lures. But I can’t keep them all for myself so I will share some with you.

Here are three of Charlie Graves Tins we will give you a chance to win

 We will pick three lucky winners in few days ,who will each receive one of these lures. Good luck and I hope all of you get trough this storm unscathed.

Life before Tactical Angler clips…yeah, I am not ashamed to admit it. I tried clips few years ago and hated them. I couldn’t understand what the hype was all about. One night I lost 4 plugs for no apparent reason. They just slipped off the clips. I am also not ashamed to admit that I possibly tied on the clip the wrong way. This was a long time ago, when only Breakaway and Fast link were around. What really turned me off why when I straightened out a clip on a fish. That was it for me. I went back to Duo Lock and forgot about the clips. Then Crazy Alberto came out with his Tactical Angler clips. Although I love the dude like a brother, I still wasn’t inclined to use them. That memory of losing four expensive plugs in one night was deeply etched in my memory bank.

Then one night I left my leader wallet at home and I need to borrow a leader. Someone handed me a leader with a Tactical Angler clip. Beggars can’t be choosers so I reluctantly cast the cheapest plug I had in my bag, fearful of losing it the whole time. Not only did I keep using the clip but looking back, I can’t believe I been this stubborn and short sided not to use clips before. I have yet to lose a single plug and I have never lost a fish due to clip failure. The eye opening experience for me was an epic night (for me) at Cuttyhunk last year when we bailed cow after cow on rigged eels attached to the Tactical Angler clips. I was always told that to properly retrieve an rigged eel you have to tie directly. I was also told that zip ties wouldn’t work to rig an eel. None of that proved to be true. I know it is difficult to look at any clip and feel confident it won’t fail on you. After all, they look like just a glorified paper clips. Yet they work remarkably well. Certainly there are few lures, tins in particular from some makers which will give you a fits when trying to attach clips to them. The only sane way of doing this is to ad a split ring and then attach the clip to the split ring. But there is no denying that these clips work well, much better than my Duo Lock ever did. I don’t feel the need any more to put on a flashlight at night to change plugs, I can do it by feel. There is no need to make sure that the Duo Lock or Cross Lock is “snapped” in place. But best of all, there is a piece of mind, knowing that they work , and work well. If you hadn’t tried clips, buy yourself a pack and give it a shot. I think you will be amazed at just how much simple lure changing can be. Breakaway clips have been around for a long time but for me, Tactical Anglers is all I will use. They are bigger and stronger than others and it doesn’t matter that Crazy Al is the one who brought them to the market. The only things that it matters is that they work.

on to other things

Occasionally we ask for your opinions on what would you like to see in the pages of the Surfcaster’s Journal Magazine. I am looking for general suggestions, like old time plug maker, history of the sport, how to fish a particular plug and specifics too. Like which person would you like to see interviewed, who’s artwork would you like to see featured or whose spot would you like to see blown out. Ok, I am kidding about the last one. I think we’ve done a pretty good job staying away from specific spots.

I have some ideas, like talking to Ralph Vote from Charlie Graves Lures or some of the old timers if I can get them to cooperate (this for the most part has been a tough nut to crack). Speaking of old farts I would like to wish my friend and local legend Vito Orlando speedy recovery from his wrist surgery. Vito caught so many fish in his life that he had to have work done on his wrist. Or at least that is the story we have heard. All kidding aside, I was just told about it, not sure when he had it done but we all wish you a speedy recovery. The Montauk surf would not be the same place without Vito’s infectious laugh and his zingers that he throws at one and all comers.

So let’s hear it, tell us who and what you want to read about it. The new issue of the Surfcaster’s Journal is only few weeks away.

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Another blog  post , courtesy of our guest blogger and SJ reader Jason Gribschaw

Enjoy it

Zeno

By Jason Gribschaw

So we touched on the highly attractive bass, tried some crabbing and maybe even a houndfish, now let’s hop back out front and hit the surf. 

For the bait crowd, summertime sharks have become a high target species.  So widely targeted, that paddling out baits has made its way north over the years and is drawing more attention than those who have been doing it for a long time would like.  I have not heard of any injuries reported due to paddling out nighttime baits, but it looks like the state of Delaware put a ban on it, and I could be wrong, but they may have even banned shark fishing from the surf altogether.  Oh well, now those guys will just have to say they are after bass, rays and skates and, in reality, become light tackle shark gurus. 

So what are you going to need to try your hand at sharking?  Well let me get you started.  If you are truly interested in this or want to become better, I strongly suggest looking further than what I have to offer.  In fact, my nighttime sharking adventures have been few and far between, but I have had some fun with it. 

First of all, many of the sharks you will encounter are small, and for that reason alone I have often used the same gear I do when I chunk bunker or fish clam for bass in the surf.  (Your hook of choice: an 80# leader, a little bit longer than normal, on a slider rig.)  This way, the bigger fish, that I do not necessarily want to handle alone, will eventually cut me off. 

Now, if you are interested in more than the 5’ brown sharks or the countless dogfish and skates, you are going to have to beef up the rigging.  Try crimping much heavier mono, or use a haywire twist on some wire to make more tooth and hide resistant leader.  I would still advise adding a good section of mono above your wire as well.  Think about the length of the shark you wish to tango with, and that should be the minimum length of your leader.  The problem here becomes casting, so if you go shorter, just remember to stay even with the shark as it makes a run along the beach. 

Other things that will help are tossing a chum bucket into the surf to draw them in.  If you start at high tide this is much easier, because as the tide goes out you will be able to retrieve it.  If the tide is rising, you are going to have to run a rope from the bucket up the beach and risk getting tangled or losing the bucket all together. 

Part Four

Bass, crabs, houndfish, sharks, skates, rays….what else can we get before the sun pops up and the beach becomes hot and crowded?

Well, if you are dead sticking for “shark week”, you may as well bring along a light outfit and bucktail or fly fish the surf, cuts, bars, pockets and inlets for some fluke.  Yes, fluke hit at night, and some of my better fluke have been taken around bridge pilings in the dark, but don’t stop when the sun pops up. 

Well, I take that back, as the sun rises you may want to put on a popper and try and stir up some action from a bass or blue roaming the area.  After all, some of you may have had a chum bucket in the surf all night drawing in the sharks and more skates than you planned on. 

Now if Big Rock steered you right and you are in the beach buggy gang, you are good to stick around for a bit longer, but if you are like me, it is about time to pack up some stuff (bait, rod, spike….) and start hiking it back to the car.  Don’t worry, I am not done; I just want to get that stuff off the beach before the sun is going to punish me for waiting too long.  And if you notice me walking the beach, I will likely take you up on a lift to or from an inlet or point (I do not like sand that much). 

Bass, crabs, houndfish, sharks, skates, rays, fluke and blues have all been added to the list of summer species at night and early morning.  What else is in store? 

The sun is up and it is getting hot on the beach, so I head for the jetty where I will stick out in the water, take a few splashes and stay cool.  The beach buggy crowd, that can travel with the “kitchen sink”, may want to hang around on the beach for a bit and try for some kingfish.  When they are around, these little guys are good for dinner.  They are found on the edges of bars, snacking on bloodworms or the fake stuff.  I am sure many of you have other baits, but those are two of the most common seen on the beaches around me.   You may even pick up a few blowfish this way as well. 

Our northern friends may be after some scup or porgy, depending upon where you live, but the NJ and south crowd may have to hop on a boat for that species.

Part Five

Bass, crabs, houndfish, sharks, skates, rays, fluke, blues, blowfish, kingfish and scup keep our list growing, and since the summer beach buggy gang is out in full force with multiple rods spiked, and children swimming in-between them, you can find me down at the jetty.  I am only kidding.  Multiple rods and kids in the wash do not bother me in the summer, I took off for the jetty a long time ago to avoid the heat. 

Down at the jetty I may be picking away at fluke, but if I was in NY, you are probably wondering, what is the point?  I feel bad for you guys and your 20.5” fluke regulation, but what are we to do?  Remember way back when the limit was 12”?  We had no problem catching big fluke back then.  So how about instead of pissing and moaning about the regulations, we go grab a lighter outfit or try the fly rod for some fluke.  Many of you release a lot of your bass and most of your blues, why not take that same attitude with other species as well? 

If I am not fluking, odds are I have scrounged up a bunch of tiger crabs and am tangling with tautog.  Once thought of as trash fish, tautog is now highly sought after by many people.  The shore based angler has a good shot at some very nice tautog, the boat guys try to win big pool money with the monsters in deeper water and some Asian markets are crawling with illegal tautog.  Tautog may be one of your best fish to put on the table, and pound for pound they put up one hell of a fight, especially if you are fishing from a jetty. 

This next fish is sometimes taken when targeting tautog, but if you truly want to target them, grab some smaller hooks and hope the triggers are passing by.  Or better yet, grab a spear and go for a swim.   If I said tautog were tasty, then I would be doing you a disservice if I did not mention how tasty triggerfish are. 

Since I have taken up enough of your time already, I will wrap up. 

Summer is a fun time down at the shore for both beach goers and fisherman alike.  Truth be told, it was summer time fun that my grandfather used to introduce me to fishing, and I have been hooked ever since. 

The choice is yours.  Rest up for the fall and stay in town, or take family and friends down to the shore and introduce them to some of the easiest fishing you can find.  Cook them up a good meal, and, who knows, they may take up fishing as well.  If not, at least they will have a better understanding of what the hell you are doing come November, when you are out getting a bass for Thanksgiving dinner to serve along with the turkey.