Off Topic salt water help

buffalo

buffalo

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Sep 9, 2006
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Though I would take a chance and see if any one can offer some suggestions on fishing out of Ocean City, N.J. I have been going to Corson’s inlet chasing snapper blues and flounder. I have a 9’ for 8 weight but usually end up with spinning gear.

Thanks,
Buffalo
 
Hey Buffalo, I’m not at all familiar with NJ but I am familiar with blues snapper and flounder as they pertain to flats fishing. Although the snapper I’m referring to are mangrove etc... What specific questions do you have. I'll try to help the best I can fly patterns etc... I'm just not sure what type of situation you will be in, wading the surf, standing on jetties etc...
 
Buff:

Corson's Inlet makes for a nice fly fishing setting while staying Ocean City. However, I will say that it is very hit and miss for the shore angler. In fact it is usually miss. Best days I've had there have most definitely been there in the Spring - May/June. However, you can get into fish if you are dedicated and fish the lo-light hours.

At Corson's some of the better water is to park at the lot w/ the boat ramp, and walk our to the left. About half-way around to the point, before the grass, there is a shell bed. Work this area. Then hit the point and the straight out to the ocean. It should not be too much longer till the mullet begin to pour outta the back bays. This could possibly bring in the predators.

Jets skis and maniac boaters are a problem here, that is why lo-light is best.

Flies are your standard deceivers and clousers. Your rod you have is fine. A sink line can work well at the point, but is prolly too much weight for the clam bed area. Also, at times of high tide, or exaggerated tides the clam bed can be a tough area to cast since you can not wade far out, and your back cast can get hooked on the shrubs.
 
You want to use shooting heads for that type of fishing.Go to a flyfishing store and get them to set you up.
 
Hey Guys, Thanks for getting back to me.
Captain,
Don’t think it’s ‘flat’s fishing’ more like bay /ocean surf. But I’m gonna take some Crazy Charlie’s , crabs etc. that I used on a bonefish trip down south a while ago. I’m chasing mostly snapper blues (1 to 2 lb) and flatties with the hope of a stripper.

VC,
Will be going down with family (including three great nieces) so most of my fishing will be at dawn and I liked going out early ‘cause I’ve seen some deer and fox. Also have deceivers and clousers packed. I will be fishing exactly where you mentioned, it’s funny those spots just looked fishy to me although I didn’t know there was a clam bed there. Makes me feel good that you suggest these spots, think I’m in the right place just need to put my time in.
One question, I usually just wear sandals and a bathing suit, should I be worried about jelly fish (or anything else) wading there?

Pete,
I have wf #8 line on but maybe a shooting line would help. I’m used to Pa streams and those long lines and double hauling gets me into a lot of trouble, especially by the weed beds VC talked about. Still I see it as a significant accomplishment to catch anything on the fly in those waters.
Thanks again,
Buffalo
 
You don't need any fancy shooting heads or running line. You can pick up a pack of lead heads in about 6 and 12 inch lengths. They're 10 bucks or less. Just loop them between your line and leader when you need extra depth. If your fishing big Clousers, you might not even need them. I use an intermediate line at the beach and like it a lot but not a ton better than the heads I used with my floating line. I even made my first set of sinking heads from coated lead line I found for sale by the foot at a tackle store. The one thing I did find helpful was a stripping basket.
 
I'm not sure how well the crazy charlie's will work. Try em and let me know, I think of them as a tropical/Keys fly. I like the clouser, deceiver and if your a tier I can give you the recipe of a fly I developed that is the only fly I use a majority of the time down here. It has worked on just about every species that I have thrown it in front of, minus flounder, and I would be curious how it would work for you.
 
The best flies for Corsons are a white deceiver in a 3/0, a clouser chart./white on a 2/0, Popper (bob's banger) a shooting head 18ft. lead core with 100 ft. of bariaded running line, and floating line for poppers..On the sinking line just add a 4 ft. straight mono leader, on the floating? intermediate line a 6 to 9 foot leader with a 20 lb. tippet will work..

.fished there for 30 years....

any ??? call me....

follow the tides and fish points and holes on the back side of corson's..
 
Buff:

Me personally, would be wearing waders. First of all if it is dark, you can not see what is flowing your way in the tide, second, is that it can get cool/cold with no sun, and wind. I wear waders all the time when salt fishing here in the mid-atlantic, and NE. Then again, I pretty much fish in the spring and fall, and don't mess much with the heat of summer due to the lack of action usually.

Good luck, and try to stick with the fly rod the whole time!
 
shooting heads aren't fancy or gimmicks.They are the way to go in salt water,lakes and big rivers.You get far more distance,and they are much faster for distance.Strip in until you have about a few feet of running line outside the top guide,double haul and let it fly out to where the fish are.You can also have quick change heads to match depth and current speed.So you can do it right,not compromise.
As some one who goes back to when we used split shot to get flies down and remembers how much they hurt when they cracked the back of your head I would not suggest lead lines.lol
 
pete,
In his posts, Buffalo doesn't all that enthusiastic about going out and spending a lot of money on a whole new set-up (or even flies for that matter). Sounds like he'd like to get by with what he has. That's how I read it anyway. And actually for the majority of fishermen who have never been to the salt, shooting heads, running lines, full sink, sink tip, intermediate sinking, measuring lines in grains for sink rates and all that is rather fancy. I've used a few sinking set ups for deep trout lakes out west when I lived there and yeah, they have their place. I own on intermediate and one sinking line and use them maybe 2 or 3 times a year. So, to many of us I think they would be considered fancy.
I never said they were gimmicks.
 
Sorry Tom and others-mea culpa
I tend to be overly fanatical about fishing equipment.I wish I had the many,many thousands of dollars the bait monkey has gotten out of me.
What would I buy,hmmm???
One of those new kistler rods and a stella reel for starters.LOL
 
I bought a Kistler spinning rod back in June. Best spinning rod I ever touched.
 
The spinning equipment makers are finally doing what the fly equipment makers have been doing for ever.Selling image.You can now hit the lake or river with a $400 rod and $600 reel and $25 line.Make you a better fisherman than the guy with the $29 outfit from Walmart?No,but you can entertain yourself by thinking so.
 
Again, thanks for all the help guys.
I think Tomgamber knows where I’m coming from, I go down the shore once a year ‘cause my wife likes the beach. Got a 9' for 8 wt Diamondback (for a good price) 'cause I thought I could use it in some other waters, I have a good surf rod and a k-mart boat rod. That keeps me busy.
I am gonna’ tie up some of those Bob’s bangers ‘cause I think it would be fun to catch those snappers on a popper and I think I
could handle the rod.
Sent a PM to Captain Matt and will tie some of his specials as well.
But shooting heads and weighted line, well I think they are for you serious salts
Oh and I’m taking my waders too.

Thanks
Buffalo
 
Dear Buffalo,

Get yourself a nice medium action spinning reel about 7 foot long and a decent reel filled with 10 pound test. Spend 10 bucks for some 1/2 ounce white bucktails and a bag of purple and a bag of white rubber worms. Tip the bucktails with a rubber worm and if half the worm gets bitten off only use half a worm from then on out. Drift the jig and worm with the tide and when you start picking up fish switch over to the fly rod and a Clouser.

You should be able to catch something, I'm always able to. :-D

Regards,
Tim Murphy :)
 
TimMurphy wrote:Spend 10 bucks for some 1/2 ounce white bucktails
Click to expand...

Those are one of the most consistent fish catchers in Salt Water. Good Call Tim.
 
Buffalo- I have been just learning in the salt the past couple of years. I ended up with a Cortland Versatip line which has a floating, intermediate and 2 sinking heads. It was a bit pricey, but I have found it have a lot of flexibility out on the water. For flies, I would have to say I have caught more fish on chart. over white clousers. That is my one go-to fly in the salt. Stripers, ladyfish, snook, jacks - I have caught them all on that fly.
 
Tim
Now that sounds like a good idea, gonna' try that for sure. Mabey try some Gulp on the tip too.

Thanks,

Buffalo
 
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