Obviously many of you have strong feeling on what is going on with fisheries today, particularly striped bass. Why is striped bass so important and why do we put such a value on this particular species?

Because we are surfcasters, and stripers are one fish species that we can catch from the beach with some regularity. They migrate along the beaches, many take residence in our bays and therefore are within reach of even the worst casters amongst us, including yours truly.

This blog is written not with purpose of antagonizing anyone but instead to bring issues to the forefront, to make you aware of some things you might not give much thought otherwise and to encourage honest discussion of what changes need to be made. Antagonistic posts, insults and jokes are better left for internet fishing boards. God knows there are plenty of them out there were you can insult or be insulted if you choose to do so. We don’t play that game here…

Party boat captains, charter and fly fishing captains and even surf guides jobs are no picnic. They don’t have a benefit of sitting in cubicle on a cold day, no  chance of joining company health insurance plans, no hiding from elements or getting away from cranky fares. But then again, like I was told many of times when I complain about my job, no one is putting a gun to your head to do what you do. This is America. Land of the free and land of opportunity.

What strikes me as odd is my naiveté about party boats fleet and their practices. I love taking my kids on party boats for fluke and porgy fishing. It’s a nice day on the water with family, albeit pricey if fillets for dinner are your goal but still, it gets the kids away from their XBOX and me away from my PC. I’ve never tried striper fishing on a  party boat but after reading some of your posts, I doubt I ever will.

This practice of encouraging patrons to keep fish after they already kept their limit because the “boat” hasn’t reach the limit is illegal. Or at least I think it is. Or it should be…. Continue reading →

Steve Adams, the maker of A.O.K. lures knows how to dress up a hansome face with a cool headgear 🙂

Winner of Guides Choice Bunka Boy Swimmer giveaway is ……………fishinthedark…sulmac@optonline.net

get us your shipping address withinh 5 days to info@surfcasersjournal.com

I get emails on almost daily basis from surfcasters who are asking about recommendations on rod, reels, lures and everything else under the sun. I try to answer these as honestly as I can. Just like when we write our gear reviews, we only recommend the things we actually use. Yes, that might leave a lot of products unmentioned but I always felt that suggesting stuff you only read about is better for shysters and internet know-it-alls.

One thing no one ever asked me about it is what kind of roof racks I use. Unimportant, you might say, after all ,they really do not help you catch any more fish. But you would be wrong…..

Are you good enough to catch fish with your bare hands? Because that is what you might have to do if the roof rack you use is just an afterthought. I used to have a rack that I made myself out of some PVC tubing, nailed to the wood. It did its job but then the rash of robberies started and lots of Van Staal’s disappeared from trucks and ended up on EBay and flea markets.

Let’s face it, we carry more bling on the roof of our trucks the Flavor Flav around his neck. Do you really want to leave those reels and rods unattended even for a moment? I wouldn’t.

I have two roof racks, one on each side of my Suburban, each carrying two rods. They are both made by the Rod Vault. Why Rod Vault?

Besides great looking powder finish and sturdy construction, what attracted me to these racks was the peace of mind it gave me. First of all ,they are mounted in a way where removal of the rack is impossible as the hardware is located within the rack. The only way to remove the reels from the rack is to cut the stem of the reel, something not even the stupidest thief will do. They also lock my rods in place at same time. They are easy to get rods on and off the truck, always important for a blitz chaser like me 🙂

Check their website at www.therodvault.com for more information.

Our supporter Paulie’s of Montauk carries them , as does saltwater Edge in RI. Their newest dealer is one of our earliest supporters, LI Outdoorsman in Rockville Centre, NY. Don’t quote me on this but I do believe the people behind the Rod Vault are looking for retail outlets in tristate area. If you shop doesn’t carry it feel free to mention to them to get in contact with Rod Vault via their website. This is excellent product without safety consideration, when you add those, considering some of you carry gross national income of a third world country on your roof, it becomes an indispensable thing for a surfcaster.

You got three days to catch a fish and send us a picture.

Who knows, you might even win a Penn Torque…that is if Penn ever send us one

LMAO

If I hear one more time, “its on order” I’ll strangle someone. Yes, you might have to wait few weeks to get your new super duper Penn but rest assure you will get it.

In better news department, the proofs for William Muller’s updated version of Secrets of Surf Fishing at Night with Fred Golofaro, Al Bentsen and Roger Martin went to the printer. I am going to guess about 2 to  3 weeks before its printed and hopefully in stores by Mid-November

Here is a little video preview

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m77_SfkxwVE[/youtube]

I’ve read something recently that got me thinking. A fellow on one of the internet boards laid out this scenario , based on recent events

A charter boat captain went out in the morning with a 6 pack…by 9 am they limited out with 2 fish each, all over 25 lb

The afternoon 1/2 a day trip resulted in the same score.

12 large stripers for 6 customers and extra 4 stripers ,two for a captain and two for a mate

So far, two trips resulted in  28 large stripers, all over 40 inches

But they are not done, there still is a night charter to do.

Since eeling on a boat can be like fishing in bathtub full of stripers, this resulted in another 12 slobs thrown on the dock.

So, we got 40 stripers killed, all over 20 pounds, majority of them females that will obviously will never get to breed again.

So in weeks time, one charter boat can slaughter more striped bass then a commercial pin hooker can do it in A YEAR. Same goes Continue reading →

Wow, the Ebb Point Custom Bucktail Pouch giveaway was by far the most popular thing we ever gave away according to number of entries. Unfortunately, only one will be a  lucky winner….so here is

The winner of Ebb point Custom Bucktail Pouch is …

Mr. Ron Hild   … rolandhild@aol.com

You have 5 days to get in touch with us …info@surfcastersjournal.com

Thanks to boys from Ebb Point for making this possible…check out their great bags at http://www.ebbpointsurffishing.com/

People say we give out way too many goodies, they say we give you a chance to win “good” stuff. Yeah? Let others give crappy stuff away that they don’t want to use it themselves…Besides, who else are we going to hook up then readers of the Surfcaster’s Journal, the universe best surf fishing magazine 🙂

Today giveaway comes from Guides Choice Tackle…We have recently been playing with their Bunka Boy. It’s the lure in their line that caught our attention the first time we saw it….for some reason I am having flashbacks, Big O’, big swirls, big fish 🙂

So far I only used it for few days so I’ll reserve my full opinion until I use it a little more but there is a lot of things to be impressed about. Wired trough with stainless steel wire Permasteel VMC hooks, Wolverine triple spilt rings, loud rattle and a tough clear coat finish. When I tell you it cast like a dream, I am not exaggerating….how does it swim?…you judge for yourself

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bowyTJ3bL4[/youtube]

By the way, if you visit their website at http://shop.guideschoicelures.com/main.sc you will not only get to see their entire line of product but you will also find out that you can win some plugs from them for sending them a picture of their lures in use. Pretty cool.

Today’s giveaway is for this bunker Bunka Boy from Guides Choice Lures

Just say “I am in” to be eligible

I got a little favor to ask….I am thinking about beer…No, I don’t drink much if ever. My grandfather used to say that I don’t know “how” to drink. So I stay away.

But I know many of you enjoy occasional cold one after the trip, while fixing gear or while just hanging.

Since a lot of you have issues of catching, photography and thumbs 🙂 I got an easier assignment for you.

Send me a picture of beer…..Guys drinking in their gear, sitting on the tailgate, penil popping beer instead of a lure, beer chilling in surf, beer on your work bench, beer and surfcasters in background, beer and whatever…you see where I am going with this? 🙂

Maybe you have a candid shots that you already took, or maybe you have a great idea for a shot….send me your photos at zhromin@optonline.net

I’d like to do a spread in future issue of the magazine on …what else BEER and surfcasting

I don’t know about you but I am always impressed by anyone who invests their hard earned money in the surfcasting market. Say what you want but this market is smaller than most of us think, at least it is when it comes to big boys tailoring the products to us. Most of the time we get to use stuff intended for other use. Korkers were never really meant for Montauk, Yo Zuri Surface cruiser was made for offshore boys and on and on… This is why when I find a product that is designed for surfcasters, I can’t wait to tell everyone I know.

There are some products out there that are highly priced because they are handmade and I always cringed at the idea of recommending something that cost an arm and a leg. But to be honest, most of these products, like bags, are custom made for you so the price is definitely justifiable.

However, when I find a product that is functional AND priced right (in my opinion) I want to get on the roof and shout. I also have friends who would rather keep it to themselves and never tell a soul. To each its own, love me or hate me, but I get nothing out of telling you this. But you might get something out of it…if nothing else, another good affordable tool.

I been a Van Staal pliers user from the day they came out on the market and they are still on my belt to this day. They served me well for many years without a problem. Yes, I know that they don’t cut hooks. I don’t carry pliers that cut hooks, I have my Manley’s in the car. I want the pliers on my belt that cut the braid with ease, with long nose for removing hooks and still keeping my fingers away from the fish and hooks. I want a good grip, lanyard, pliers sheath. I want replaceable cutters and I want them made out of material that doesn’t rust. And I want it all for under $60

What am I on, you might be asking? 🙂

That is what I used to ask too until I I tried the pliers from Hansom Tackle in the mail few weeks ago. Scott from Hansom Tackle in NJ is a blog subscriber for awhile now..

Tungsten Carbide Cutters
Aluminum handles and center spring parts.
Stainless Steel Jaws
Aluminum split ring, carabiner and grommet.

I been using the pliers for almost a month now and yes, as it’s my habit, they have not seen fresh water yet. Neither did my Olympus camera or Boga Grip for that matter. If you are going to try something, might as well give it to the guy that will never rinse it 🙂

I am very impressed with the grip, design, style and length. I am thrilled that they come with a Layard AND pouch with a belt loop. But by far, I am the most impressed the way they cut braid and mono. I swear to you Continue reading →

 I spent one part of the day on a beach were bass and blues were chasing weakfish clear out of the water while  on outer bar the gannets were diving into what I think it was large bunker. How do I know its bunker? Because we also had bunker pushed onto sand too.

The remarkable part was that most of the fish we caught were located within 15 yard of the beach. In fact, a 100% of bass were in the last 10 yard while some bluefish were roaming on outside. This necessitated use of metal lip swimmers, casting them almost parallel to shore. Casting lures straight out was pointless and counterproductive for the most part. It’s kind of sweet when you don’t have to wear out your shoulder trying to reach the fish.

I left these fish about 5 days ago and believe me when I tell you, they are still blitzing…it is that much bait in the area

but that particular day I had to leave the blitz and take care of stuff at home. In the evening I headed to another beach, this one much closer to the inlet and featuring a curved sandbar, not a parallel that you find on most beaches. I tossed metal lips for an hour, with a strong NW wind in my back, I was getting them out there pretty far. However, no fish showed any interests.

Then I launched a 3.5 ounce Yo Zuri Cruiser, Continue reading →