Surf Fishing

Pittflyguy - I didn't buy a line yet and was going to ask for line type advice at my local fly shop. Great trout shop but not sure how much they know about saltwater fishing. Thanks for chiming in - I'll go with a clear intermediate line. May have to order it online though, doubt if I can get one locally but will check around. Would you stick with an 8 wt line for a stiff 8 wt rod or overline to 9 wt?

Will also pickup a stripping basket. There are days I get tangles trout fishing so can see where having line floating around your legs in the surf would be an invitation for disaster. Will watch out for joggers!
 
If you are fishing De, i.e. Indian River you do need a license, 7 day pass is 15$ and remember to call and get your FIN#
 
Kilwell,

That is a bit of a "loaded" question. As far as over lining your rod by one wight depends much on the rod, your casting abilities and the casting situation. I think over lining works really well when you need to load the rod quickly especially for site fishing. I am don't think at the end of the day that you will be throwing all that much more line. Having said that, I have a Redington CPX 8 Wt that throws a 10wt line beautifully and I think the rod is far too stiff for 8wt line.

If I were you, I would head up to your shop and throw a 9 wt line in the parking lot on the rod and see how it feels compared to the 8wt line. Not sure if anyone else has a better answer to that one, but for me it is much about how the rod feels when it loads and how I can shoot line for the circumstances I am trying to fish.

One mistake I have made in the past in the surf is thinking that I had to throw 90 feet of line to get to the fish. Often they are practically swimming around your feet picking up bait in the wash.

Good luck and tight lines!
 
I am don't think at the end of the day that you will be throwing all that much more line. Having said that, I have a Redington CPX 8 Wt that throws a 10wt line beautifully and I think the rod is far too stiff for 8wt line.
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2 line sizes over will put a lot of strain on a rod. You might have to change your casting style to cast it with the proper line..
 
You'd probably want an intermediate sinking line, helps keep it from getting moved by the breakers.

Sandy up there suggested using a much faster sinking line, but that'll increase your difficulty in casting and limit it to only the surf, plus be even harder to find.
 
Pittflyguy- my 8 wt rod is also a Redington. It's a Redfly which I believe is a less expensive model than your CPX, not sure if it's a saltwater model. I don't have much experience with the heavier weight rods but it also seemed very stiff when yard cast with a friend's 8 wt line and reel. Didn't take long for me to get it seriously shooting line though.
Hope to get a line this week, intermediate if available or sinktip that can double up for bass duty. Don't intend to tie up a whole lot of money in specialized gear till I see how I like it. Just found out my hunting buddy who lives in Delaware has a friend with 30+ years of saltwater fly fishing experience and he's going to try to get us hooked up.
I learned a lot from everyone's input - tight lines to all of you as well 🙂
 
I use a 350 grain sink tip setup on the beach and back bays. easy to find all companys make them or go to a shooting line setup with different weight heads. not hard to cast either. best way to fish inlets is a sink tip. best way to get fluke is a sinktip and a white/chartreuse clouser with salt and pepper flash-a-bou.
 
Sandy up there suggested using a much faster sinking line, but that'll increase your difficulty in casting and limit it to only the surf, plus be even harder to find.
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Gfen
how do figure that ?? 350 grain sinktips are easy to get, and the casting is just opening your loop slightly. One way to fish crease flies since that is how they were intended to be fished behind sinking lines, run 3 foot leader with a crease fly in the back bays great on all kinds of fish.
 
I play in the surf like at least three days a month all season
from the end of march till the second week of Dec.
Now the rods I use are 8 wts fast actions , 10wts.
350 tips are good also keep an interm. line on hand.
Clausers are the game now till Sept. then things will change
up some. There will be Sand Eals and more Rain fish about.
heck even the pan fish are fun in the Surf.

wet
 
Fishin in the salt has always interested me , if i was to just jump in the truck and go what would it cost me say for a three day , weekday adventure , after Labor Day , gimme a range if you can like campground compared to hotel etc. Also , how about access is that a problem?
 
Osprey not sure of prices for campgrounds and such but to go to I.B.S.P. in Seaside Park it will cost $4.00 a day for car or if you have a 4x4 50.00 for a 3 day permit. Must carry safty equip. and watch a 15 flick on beach driving. There is a few good motels in the sea side park area that cater to fishermen too. do a search for either sea side park NJ. of Island beach state park. over 7 miles of beach to explore plus the back bay also.
 
Sandy is right on the park.
I fish Sandy Hook a lot also.
After Labor day no fees, unless you are staying overnight then you need an after hours parking pass $50.00 yearly
Can fish both the bay and the ocean front.
There are a couple of areas closed now for Bird nesting,
should be clear by Sept.
Will check this coming Friday -next trip over there.

wet
 
I have a copy of the specific regs for the Hook, when I was down there I was checked by an NJ WCO. Spermaceti Cove and the USCG base are closed full year, according to what he told me, but everything else is open.

The fishing beach is free to park, but parking is limited before they "close" it. Afterwards, there's a nominal fee to park at a bathing beach lot, but the guys I went with and I are of the belief most people just lie abotu parking there and goto the bathing lots.
 
Fish the point at sandy hook, long walk but worth fishing the drop off there, also around plum island area has always produced some nice fish on the backside. I used to fish above area "G" alot too.

Used to go to montauk too, but have stayed away in the last 10 years cause of traffic there and to much robberies and thefts.

Around Lavalette is good to, and you might bump into Bob Popivics there. Shark river is another place to try as well.

Sept. brings on the mullet run, then the bunker, rainfish and finally sand eels in nov/dec.. In between the sea herring come along and will hit small clousers after dark, fun on the fly rod..
 
FWIW, next week starts my OC NJ trip, right for the hottest part of the summer...but, whatcha gonna do?

Figure I'll soak bait off the beach while the kids play during the day, and then hopefully work Corson's Inlet and the back area in evenings and mornings.

Is it worth my time trying to hike back into there and work the actual salt creeks, or just the mouths of them?
 
If anyone is interested in heading down to fish the salt this fall, let me know. I would be interested in going along. I have been down to the Barnegat Bay area several times and have fished the surf, jetty and the back bay in my kayak. I am not new to saltwater fishing, but I am still learning how to get them on the fly. I have managed to get several snapper blues on occassion, but I really want to target the stripers this fall.

Rob
 
Rob for decent stripers watch for when the peanut bunker are running, good time to get into stripers and big blues on the beach at I.B.S.P. Watch the reports at betty and nicks.com
 
Sandy,

I do check out Betty & Nicks website each spring and fall for their reports. I have yet to hit the peanut bunker's though. What time are they usually around? I tied up a 1/2 dozen of those patterns last year and I can't wait for the opportunity to be able to use them!!

I also tied a bunch of sand eels (weighted and unweighted). I need to learn the proper times to use each of them. I heard at different times of day the sand eels can be foraging on the bottom or close to the surface at other times.

Each time I have been down there it has not been worth while to just blind cast for the stripers on the beach. I need to time my trips so I can find a feeding school or maybe just target the smaller ones in the channels and inlets feeding on the PB and Sand Eels.
 
Rob
In sept. is when the mullet start to run and the snapper blues out of the bays. late sept. through october is when you see peanuts, sea herring and rainbait (bay anchovies) then late in the year nov. through dec.(Brrrrrr) the sand eels run. I have seen fish on some years into January, cold then for sure.
 
Rob
In sept. is when the mullet start to run and the snapper blues out of the bays. late sept. through october is when you see peanuts, sea herring and rainbait (bay anchovies) then late in the year nov. through dec.(Brrrrrr) the sand eels run. I have seen fish on some years into January, cold then for sure. sand eels are nocturnal feeders and come out in the evenings.
 
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