We've been talking about surf fishing for the last few weeks. This will be
the last article in this four-part series about "how to" go surf fishing. If
you missed one, be sure to go back and check it out.

"O.K. I got all my gear and I'm ready to go. I've never even cast a surf
rod before. What should I know?"

First of all, if you are new to surf fishing, the first thing you need do
is "cast easy." Don't try to cast to China; just practice on your casting
technique. As your casting improves, your distance will come naturally
without trying so hard. If you run towards the water, get off balance, and
cast sideways all that energy will be lost. Carefully flip over the bail,
get the line over the "tip" of your index finger, and walk towards the water
and cast as you put your right foot forward. Like in any sport, follow
through with your motion. If you are right handed, keep your right arm out
there pointed towards the water until your sinker hits bottom. If you cast
and do not follow through like this, you will lose distance when you pull
your arm back.

Once you are ready to cast and walk towards the water, do not look at your
hands, look out at the water where you want to throw. If you look back at
your hands, you will wind up throwing sideways! Cast over your head or over
your right shoulder. Everybody does it a little different. Some people let
their rig sit on the ground before casting; others choke up and let the rig
dangle only two or three inches from the tip in the air. Try different
casting techniques to find the one that is comfortable for you. But no
matter which one you use, follow through with your motion, and keep the line
near the tip of your index finger.

"Why is that?"

When you put the line over the "tip" of your index finger, the line will
naturally glide off your finger without even thinking about it when you
cast. If you put the line in the crease of your index finger, cast, and
forget to let go of the line, you may burn or cut your finger with the line.
You could also "whip" off your rig as the tip of your surf rod tries to
fling out your rig while you are still holding on with your finger. You
will hear a "crack" as your line breaks and your rig will go flying. This is
another reason I suggest casting "easy" when you are learning. No sense
losing a handful of rigs the first day trying to cast too hard! This is
especially important in the summer when vacationers are in the water. Cast
off surf rigs found in the water by swimmers are bad PR for fishermen!
(Always try to retrieve them whenever possible.)

"How long do I leave my bait out there?"

This depends on two things. If you are using a single long-leadered floater
surf rig, you can leave it out there 15 to 30 minutes at a time without
checking it. If you are fishing with a top and bottom type surf rig with
floats that will put your hooks closer to the bottom where the crabs are,
you need to check your rig every 10 to 15 minutes. And if you are using a
rig with no floats, you need to continuously reel in slowly along the
bottom. This also depends on the tide. On an incoming tide, the crabs are
not so troublesome. On an outgoing tide, the crabs become more bothersome.
Once you start fishing, you will become aware if there is a "hungry crab"
problem and get an idea of how often to check your bait. One thing is for
certain. You can't catch fish with no bait!

"Crabs are terrible!"

If the crabs are absolutely terrible, keep your rig moving. Cast out, and
then reel in slowly towards the shore. If they continue to be bad, you may
want to make a move or try another kind of bait. For example, crabs love
squid. If you are using a combination bait of squid and bloodworm, take off
the squid and fish only with worm for a while. Or if you are going with a
double top and bottom type rig, switch over to a longer leadered single rig
with a float. This will get your bait up higher away from the crabs.

"How will I know if I get a bite?"

Some beginner anglers get confused about "how to tell if a fish is biting."
Sometimes crabs feel like little fish bites. Gone bait makes some anglers
think they are getting fish bites when in reality, the crabs are eating all
the bait. (Tip- look at your floats and see if you crab claws marks in
them.) The wave action moving the tip up and down can also feel like a bite.
Once the beginner angler has some real "bites" it will become obvious that a
fish is biting. The rod tip will go down sharply and jerk up and down
wildly for a few seconds. Sometimes a shark or skate will take the bait and
there will be a steady "pull." Always make sure your drag is set so a
bigger fish will not break the line, pull out the hook, or drag your rod out
of the sand spike and into the ocean!

"Should I set the hook?"

Every day of fishing is different. Some days the fish will hook themselves
and some days you have to grab the rod and set the hook. Sometimes when I
am fishing and holding the rod and miss fish after fish, I set the rod in
the rod holder and say: "Let the dummy do it!" And sometimes this works
best, letting the fish hook themselves! Experiment and see what works best
for you. But you must be observant. If you are fishing with the rod in the
rod holder, you have to keep your eye on the tip. (You can buy "fish rod
bells" that will jingle when your rod tip goes down if you want to be a
"lazy" fisherman. (And there's nothing wrong with that!) You can also buy
light sticks that fit on the end of your rod tip if you are fishing at night
so you can see your rod tip moving in the dark. I lot of surf anglers use
these.

"When's the best tide to go?"

Tide is not as important in the surf as it is in the bay. The best tide is
usually an incoming tide, high tide, and the beginning of the outgoing tide.
Surf fishing is also good at dawn until 10 A.M. and again from 4 P.M. until
dusk. A little east wind usually brings better surf fishing than a west
wind as well. My philosophy on surf fishing is this: "Don't wait for a
certain tide, just go when you can, and go when it is nice! You never know
when the weather is going to change, especially in the spring and fall."

"Will I catch fish every time I go out there?"

"Patience is a virtue" when it comes to surf fishing. Surf fishing is a
very pleasant and enjoyable sport but as in most all kinds of fishing, you
will get skunked some of the time. The bigger the fish you target, the
larger the hooks you use, the more time you will have to spend to catch a
fish. Smaller hooks and smaller baits will catch you more fish and give you
more action, but not necessarily the trophy fish. A lot depends on what your
expectations are and what you want to catch. It is a whole lot easier to
catch six 12-inch bluefish than to catch one 30-inch striper. And if you
are fishing in Ocean City on a beautiful calm morning, your chances of
catching the bluefish are greater than catching that striper. If you are
fishing the 4-wheel drive area of Assateague close to the Virginia line when
the wind is blowing Northeast and you need an 8-ounce sinker to hold bottom
your chances of catching those trophy stripers are better.

Fish for what is most plentiful if your goal is to have lots of action. If
your goal is to catch that one "big one" then go for it..

"Good fishing.."