Drifting Easy By Sue Foster

“I want to go surf fishing. Are they catching anything out there?”

Surf fishing is one of the most relaxing kinds of fishing there is.  The 
angler can stand on the beach, or lounge in a beach chair while the surf 
outfit sits snugly in a sand spike, and fish. It’s easy, it’s simple, and 
surf anglers have the advantage of having very few snags on the sandy 
bottom. Since you lose very little tackle and you don’t need a boat, it’s a 
relatively inexpensive past time.

“I want to catch a striper!”

Stripers are in the surf in the spring along with bluefish, sharks, skates, 
flounder, kingfish, trout, and blowfish.  If you are strictly fishing for 
stripers, you want to fish with fairly large hooks and no surf floats. 
Anglers fish with chunks of cut bait with bunker being the all time 
favorite. Serious striper anglers cast out a whole bunker head.

Anglers set up several different ways for striper fishing in the surf. One 
really easy way to make a striper rig is buy a heavy-duty top and bottom rig 
and attach two snelled hooks to the stand-offs. Be sure to buy the heavy 
rig. Sea Striker makes two of these rigs. One is made with heavy wire 
(1040HD) and the other is made with heavy monofilament (1060HD). The 
stand-offs on both are made out of heavy twisted wire.  If you buy pre-made 
snelled hooks, use Octopus style or Circle hooks in the #4/0 to #7/0 range. 
(Some anglers tie or crimp on his or her own hooks with Fluorocarbon leader 
in the 40 to 80 pound range.) If you buy long leadered hooks, you may have 
to shorten them up a bit.

Stripers often pick up a bait and then drop it when they feel the weight of 
the sinker. That is why fish finder rigs are extremely popular when striper 
fishing.  Some people think they are complicated, but actually, fish finder 
rigs are the simplest rigs to use!

“ What is a fish finder rig and how do you it?”

A fish finder rig is a simple gizmo made out of a plastic sleeve and a snap 
or clip for the sinker. They cost anywhere from 30 cents to a dollar 
depending upon the quality and where you buy them. The sleeve may be white, 
black, or blue.

Some rigs have a fish finder rig in the package, but you still need to know 
how to set it up.  First of all, feed your line, directly from your rod and 
reel, through the plastic sleeve of the fish finder rig. Next, attach a snap 
swivel or a barrel swivel to the very end of your line. Then attach a 
leadered hook to the snap swivel or barrel swivel.  The last step is to 
attach a sinker to the connecting link or snap of the fish finder rig. 
(Hint: If you are using a shock leader place a bead just above the fish 
finder rig so it doesn’t get hung up on your knot.)

I use fish finder rigs in the surf and the bay all the time to eliminate 
line twist. Plus when the fish picks up the bait off the bottom they can run 
without feeling the sinker at first. This especially works well with 
stripers.  Keep in mind that fish finder rigs only work with a single 
leadered rig. You can’t hang a top and bottom rig on a fish finder rig!

Some anglers buy a pre-made rig that acts as a fish finder called a Long 
Ranger or Breakaway Pulley Rig.  These pre-made rigs let the fish pick up 
the bait for a few moments before it feels the weight of the sinker.  It 
also has a little plastic cone called an “impact shield” that holds your 
bait and sinker together when you cast out so you can cast 30 per cent 
further. These rigs really work and are pre-made so all you have to do is 
add a sinker.   There’s a  video at www.breakawayusa.com/shop/rigs.htm.

If you like to “yank and crank” and set the hook as soon as the rod tip 
shakes, a simple 3-way swivel with snap for a sinker will suffice for 
striper fishing.  If you are fishing for the big stripers buy fairly good 
sized 3-way swivels such as a #1/0 or #2/0 size.  Attach a sinker slide or a 
duel lock clip to one eye of the 3-way for the sinker.  Attach a leadered 
hook to another eye of the three-way swivel.  Use a good snap swivel at the 
end of your line to help eliminate line twist. Then attach the last hook of 
the three-way swivel to the snap swivel and you have a simple rig!  Works 
for almost anything!

The whole thing about striper fishing in the surf is this. Stripers bite 
best on plain hooks without surf floats attached. BUT, the little spotted 
crabs in the surf will eat your bait off if you- 1) don’t use a large bait 
such as a whole bunker head—or 2) don’t keep it moving a little.

“How do you cut up a bunker? Do you fillet it or chunk it?”

If you are dealing with a whole bunker fish, whether it is fresh or has been 
frozen, it is best to cut the fish into chunks for stripers. Cut out the 
belly and guts, and save the belly meat to make strips for flounder or 
trout.  Take the dark upper portion of the bunker, and cut it all the way 
through the bone into chunks.  If you leave the belly meat on, the guts will 
wash out, and the belly portion will flap around in the current and cause 
resistance. If the current is strong it may dislodge your sinker and wash to 
shore.

“What about baiting a whole head?”

Some anglers cut off the lower jaw and hook the bunker head in the mouth and 
out the tough part of its snout. Cutting the lower jaw cuts down on the 
weight when casting.  Be sure to use a large hook when baiting a whole head. 
Anglers use a size #7/0 to #10/0 hook. Be sure that the point of the hook is 
clearly outside of the bait.  If you try to bury a hook in the bait, you 
will miss the “hook up!”



(http://www.hatterasoutfitters.com/faq_baitprep.htm) shows  how to cut up and 
bait bunker.




If you buy fresh bunker, do not let it lie around in melting ice, or it will 
start to deteriorate.  And if you have used it for two or three days feed it 
to the gulls. Don’t try to refreeze it!

            Some bait and tackle stores sell bunker fresh, frozen, or in the 
form of salted fillets. Fresh bunker is always good as long as it is really 
fresh and not been sitting around too long. Frozen, vacuum-sealed bunker has 
been treated as fish bait (not crab bait) and was blast frozen as soon as it 
came in off the boat. This stuff is pretty good if you can’t get fresh. 
Frozen salted fillets of bunker are also good because it stays on the hook 
the best as it has been salted.  Cut it up into strips or chunks.  (Hint: If 
you go into a bait store and ask for frozen bunker, be sure to specify that 
you want it for surf fishing as bunker is also used and sold for crab pot 
bait.)

            “How about mullet?”

            Bunker is still best, but stripers will take mullet. A nice 
chunk of mullet or a whole finger mullet on a mullet rig without the surf 
float will work.  Some anglers keep the float on, but move it away from the 
hook.  I take a real sharp knife and cut the float right off!  Works for 
flounder too!

            “Bloodworms?”

            Bloodworms are the more expensive bait to go, but they do work. 
Put a good-sized piece or even a whole bloodworm on a #1/0 to size #4/0 hook 
on a single or double rig and cast right out there.  Often times, especially 
in Ocean City, when stripers are close in to shore, they will quickly take 
bloodworms. They are more likely to be “short” but it is fun.

(If you can get your hands on fresh herring or fresh spot, that’s also great 
striper bait. But don’t go to a fish market and buy any kind of fresh fish 
like croaker or sea bass. It’s not oily enough.)

            Casting lures in the surf, especially at dusk or dawn, will 
catch you stripers. Flip out three to five inch soft-bodied lures in sloughs 
close to shore and you’ll likely get some action.  And occasionally a 
keeper! (Need a 7-9 foot rod and reel spooled with 10-12 pound test.)

            The beach?  Look for holes, cuts, sloughs, and breaks in the 
bar. Or walk out as far as possible at low tide and heave it!  The beach 
changes all the time, so always look for new holes and sloughs at low tide.

 http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/showthread.php?t=417339    Reading 
the Beach

            Tide?  Incoming to high is usually best, but time of day is also 
very important when striper fishing. Dawn, dusk, and after dark can be the 
key. But I have a very big philosophy about surf fishing when anglers ask 
when to go.  “Go when you can… If the weather is nice and you want to go 
fishing…Go! Don’t wait for a certain tide…it might start to rain or blow by 
then…. Just Go!

            Good fishing…


 
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