| After a long, cold winter the Delmarva surf is | | | | bunker, it should be firm, slimy and the eyes should |
| beginning to warm up and very welcomed signs of | | | | be clear. Keep it on ice until you are ready to use it. |
| life are appearing. Over the past few weeks I have | | | | An average size bunker can be cut into three or |
| been keeping a close eye on the inshore water | | | | more sections utilizing the head as one bait and |
| temperatures and am happy to see the surf temps | | | | cutting the body into "chunks". You should discard the |
| have risen significantly. This temperature increase is | | | | belly section as well as the tail. Other great baits to |
| not only caused by a few warm, sunny days, but | | | | consider while fishing for spring stripers are peeler |
| also several consecutive days of south wind. With | | | | crabs, bloodworms, freshly shucked clams and |
| the warmer water, sand fleas are showing up and | | | | herring. In my experience, the crab and clam don't |
| can be found in the wash. Sand fleas are often | | | | seem quite as appetizing to the skates and you also |
| overlooked when it comes to bait, but present a | | | | have a great shot at hooking into a black drum if he |
| good meal to many species of hungry fish. | | | | happens across your bait. |
| | | | For striper fishing, I prefer using a standard "fish |
| We should be seeing larger bluefish this month and | | | | finder" rig. Personally, I like using very sharp 10/0 to |
| have already seen kingfish (whiting) and blowfish. | | | | 12/0 circle hooks. I find larger hooks are easier to bait |
| Kingfish are always fun to catch and are excellent | | | | and it makes it a little more difficult for skates and |
| table fare. When targeting kingfish, I use an 8-foot | | | | smaller dogfish (sand sharks) to get the larger hooks |
| medium action rod with 10 lb. test monofilament. You | | | | in their mouths. I use 17 lb. test monofilament as my |
| can find premade kingfish rigs at most local tackle | | | | main running line and tie it to a 50 lb. shock leader |
| shops. The bait of choice is bloodworms, Fishbites | | | | using a spider hitch / blood knot combination. |
| bloodworm alternative, small pieces of cut bait such | | | | If you have never surf fished before and plan on |
| as strips of menhaden (bunker), shrimp and cut squid. | | | | hitting the sand this spring there are important |
| If you decide to keep your kingfish, make sure you | | | | factors I recommend taking into consideration. The |
| save the heads for your next trip to the surf. A | | | | first is realizing that surf fishing is very different from |
| kingfish head is probably one of my favorite baits for | | | | other types of fishing. There is no boat or captain to |
| stripers (striped bass or rockfish) and red drum. | | | | take you to the fish and guide you through every |
| There have been several very nice black drum | | | | step of the way. When you fish the surf, you are in |
| caught from the Assateague Island surf over the | | | | total control of your fishing experience from your |
| past few weeks ranging up to 49 inches. These | | | | gear to your frame of mind. Sure, being in the right |
| powerful fish can be found cruising in close to the | | | | place at the right time will definitely help, but in order |
| shore and searching the breakers looking for sand | | | | to fully appreciate a true surf fishing experience, you |
| fleas and speckled crabs. When fishing for black | | | | need to be prepared to challenge yourself. |
| drum, I use a fishfinder rig with an 8/0 circle hook. | | | | I have seen so many beginner anglers give up on |
| These fish are bottom feeders, so having a shorter | | | | surf fishing before they had a chance to really |
| leader could prove beneficial. These fish can be a bit | | | | experience the thrill of fishing from the surf. Most of |
| tricky if you are not paying attention. Black drum | | | | these people start off with very high hopes, decent |
| have been known to "mouth" the bait and can easily | | | | tackle and everything it takes to catch a nice fish. |
| steal your fresh peeler crab or clam. Keep your | | | | They rush to get to the beach, quickly unpack their |
| hooks sharp and a close eye on your rod tip. Baits of | | | | gear, bait their hooks, cast out their bait and expect |
| choice when targeting black drum include peeler crab, | | | | the fish to be right there waiting for breakfast. After |
| shucked chowder clam, sand fleas and I have heard | | | | a while they become restless and begin to |
| a few success stories using Fishbites artificial bait. | | | | second-guess everything they are doing. Before long |
| Stripers are making their migratory trip back up to | | | | those high hopes start to fade and boredom sets in. |
| the cool waters off the New England coast. In recent | | | | They wonder how in the world those other anglers |
| years, surf anglers have consistently proven that the | | | | have such great success. |
| month of May is prime time to hook into big fish | | | | There is no mystery to consistently catching fish |
| from the beach. Stripers will often swim in close to | | | | from the surf. There is no "secret bait" the tackle |
| shore feeding on smaller fish, speckled crabs and | | | | shops keep hidden in the back and you don't always |
| sand fleas. Being an ambush predator, stripers also | | | | have to cast 100 yards to get to the fish. The most |
| like to stick close to underwater structure, such as | | | | important things you can take with you are patience |
| breaks in the sandbar. Low tide is a great time to | | | | and a willingness to learn. In time, you will have gained |
| scout out good beach structure, then fish the | | | | not only invaluable knowledge but also confidence. |
| incoming tide. | | | | When you least expect it your rod will bend over, |
| Most surf anglers use fresh bunker as the primary | | | | your line will start peeling off the reel and you will |
| bait when fishing for stripers. Bunker can be found at | | | | realize the thrill of surf fishing and find the fish is not |
| most local tackle shops. When picking out your | | | | the only one "hooked". |