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#1
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Hi,
I am a complete beginner in fishing and my only experience so far was fishing in the Mosqito Lagoon in East Central Florida, close to Cape Canaveral. Using a 6 foot rod, a braided line (20lbs equivalent), a metal leader (also 20lbs) with a swivel and a snap (I know, this is a newbie's sin, but it allows me to changes lures easily) and a Jonhson's Silver Minnow (which is actually golden) I caught speckled sea trouts. I am thinking of trying to catch some fish in the surf off the closest beach. All the fishermen here use very large fighing poles and live bait so I wonder, is my idea of using a small 6 foot rod with my braided line and my Johnson spoon really silly, or might I still catch something? (I do not have the money for another rod, nor do I feel comfortable changing my line, but I would gladly use another lure if advised to do so). Any advice/comments would be very much appreciated! Kind regards, TN |
#3
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Use what you have and enjoy the pleasure of fishing. Remember its called
fishing, not catching, so enjoy the fresh air/ |
#4
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joe wrote:
The spoon is a good choice, I would probably use silver (for various reasons but mostly because it has produced many times for me). I always use a swivel/snap-swivel with a spoon to avoid line twist. I would probably not do so with a lure as the extra weight will possibly change the lure balance or action. Using a few simple knots it takes less than a minute to make the change. Good morning Joe! Thanks for the info. I have a couple of follow-up questions: 1) Spoons: mine are the "weedless" type. Is that also ok in the surf (I realize there is not much weed there, but it could save me the cost of getting another one). 2) Spoons & weight: which size spoon should I choose? I mean - the heavier, the further I can cast it, in particular in a windy day, but heavier is also bigger, which might end up being too big for the fish. Can I add weight to the leader by adding a couple of splint shot sinkers or is the entire beach going to choke to death while laughing at me :-) 3) a little off-topic here, but I still want to ask you. Is is really that bad to fish with a swivel/snap when using a lure? I use Yo-Zuri and Rapala Original Floating lures and while I do notice a difference in behavior (it takes less pull to have them go deeper) it is slight. I was under the impression that the problem with a swivel/snap is that it is too *visible* for the fish, but my (maybe mistaken) commen sense tells me that a fish seeing a lure with a lure on leader with a swivel/snap will think that the lure is "chasing" the rest of the hardware, I mean - this is a fish, not a PhD student from MIT, I am trying to catch - I am really mistaken here? On one hand, my only fishing book (-: unsurprizingly and adequately called "Fishing for Dummies" :-) says that "some anglers use snaps for changing lures or baits as well. This technique is a lazy person's way out, and is definitely NOT the way to get the best action out of your lure" while, on the other hand, local fishermen had told me that this is simply "techno-snobism from purists" (and quote here). What do you think? Again - many thanks for everything! TN PS: please let me know if I should maybe get another type of spoon/lure! |
#5
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I fish the surf on the west coast of Florida.
Here's my take on your questions. 1) Spoons: mine are the "weedless" type. Is that also ok in the surf Sure. You don't need the weed guards, but they won't hurt. 2) Spoons & weight: which size spoon should I choose? I mean - the heavier, the further I can cast it, in particular in a windy day, but heavier is also bigger, which might end up being too big for the fish. The lures should be selected to match the rod you have. You want the whole setup to be comfortable to use. You will be doing a lot of casting Can I add weight to the leader by adding a couple of splint shot sinkers or is the entire beach going to choke to death while laughing at me :-) Not a good idea. Use the right weight lure. 3) a little off-topic here, but I still want to ask you. Is is really that bad to fish with a swivel/snap when using a lure? I use Yo-Zuri and Rapala Original Floating lures and while I do notice a difference in behavior (it takes less pull to have them go deeper) it is slight. I was under the impression that the problem with a swivel/snap is that it is too *visible* for the fish, but my (maybe mistaken) commen sense tells me that a fish seeing a lure with a lure on leader with a swivel/snap will think that the lure is "chasing" the rest of the hardware, I mean - this is a fish, not a PhD student from MIT, I am trying to catch - I am really mistaken here? I use a snap swivel almost all the time. Those fish out there are predators. They attack things that trigger some signal that says "eat that". If they will attack a metal spoon, they will not be put off by a little extra metal. I know that some will argue with that. Don't bother. I have discussed this with several fish that I have landed and they agree with me. On one hand, my only fishing book (-: unsurprizingly and adequately called "Fishing for Dummies" :-) says that "some anglers use snaps for changing lures or baits as well. This technique is a lazy person's way out, and is definitely NOT the way to get the best action out of your lure" while, on the other hand, local fishermen had told me that this is simply "techno-snobism from purists" (and quote here). What do you think? PS: please let me know if I should maybe get another type of spoon/lure! When you are out there fishing and some one is catching and you are not, just go up to the guy or gal and after you say "Hi" ask " What are they hitting today?" 99% of the folks out there will be happy to help. Best of luck. Charlie |
#6
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Charlie Bress wrote:
When you are out there fishing and some one is catching and you are not, just go up to the guy or gal and after you say "Hi" ask " What are they hitting today?" 99% of the folks out there will be happy to help. Hi Charlie, Thanks for the advice. The only problem over here (in the New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, area) is that 99.99999% of the people fishing in the surf are using live bait whereas I am *only* interested in using artificial lures (I probably dont' want to troll here explaining why). Most books are about bass fishing or fly fishing and most people use some kind of boats. Fishing with artificials, from the beach with a 6 foot spinning rod does not seem very popular around here :-(( I have also been looking for anyone willing to show me how to fish in the Intercoastal River, but the prices are simply beyond my means: they are all one day boat charters, and nobody seems to be giving lessons from the river banks, fishing piers, docks, etc. Lastly, I try fishing off my kayak, which very few people seem to be doing around here either. So again - I do trial and error - most of which seems to be in the "error" category judging by the meager results (although the weather here has been so cold and windy that this might (maybe) explain why fish are not too tempted by my clumsy efforts...) Pretty much everybody here is on boats with live bait whether on the StJohns River, the Intercoastal River, the docks or the beach. Anyway - while I still enjoy myself tremendously every time (-: yes, it is called "fishing" not "catching" :-) making all the newbie's first steps without much advice is not easy... [sigh] Any ideas? Cheers, TN |
#7
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if you try the soft plastics in various sizes from your kayak, you will
do ok with your 6 ft rod. problem from the surf down there is that you need to find structure and cuts, I don't know your area specifically but from Jacksonville down through St. Augustine, the regular ocean front is flat making it very tough for artificials because you can't place the lure in a good feeding lane. the other thing for trout/weakies/specs or whatever you know them by, early morning (meaning first light) is best in the shallows. And they typically need to be ambushed by some structure unless you are just going to drift and jig. with a kayak, there is no reason why you can't fish the backwaters and hit some fish. for flyfishing try rec.outdoors.fishing.fly for some suggestions. |
#8
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Here on the Pacific Coast, we use short spinners and small grubs for surf
perch. They run up to 3#. You do not cast out that far. Bill wrote in message oups.com... Charlie Bress wrote: When you are out there fishing and some one is catching and you are not, just go up to the guy or gal and after you say "Hi" ask " What are they hitting today?" 99% of the folks out there will be happy to help. Hi Charlie, Thanks for the advice. The only problem over here (in the New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, area) is that 99.99999% of the people fishing in the surf are using live bait whereas I am *only* interested in using artificial lures (I probably dont' want to troll here explaining why). Most books are about bass fishing or fly fishing and most people use some kind of boats. Fishing with artificials, from the beach with a 6 foot spinning rod does not seem very popular around here :-(( I have also been looking for anyone willing to show me how to fish in the Intercoastal River, but the prices are simply beyond my means: they are all one day boat charters, and nobody seems to be giving lessons from the river banks, fishing piers, docks, etc. Lastly, I try fishing off my kayak, which very few people seem to be doing around here either. So again - I do trial and error - most of which seems to be in the "error" category judging by the meager results (although the weather here has been so cold and windy that this might (maybe) explain why fish are not too tempted by my clumsy efforts...) Pretty much everybody here is on boats with live bait whether on the StJohns River, the Intercoastal River, the docks or the beach. Anyway - while I still enjoy myself tremendously every time (-: yes, it is called "fishing" not "catching" :-) making all the newbie's first steps without much advice is not easy... [sigh] Any ideas? Cheers, TN |
#9
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Calif Bill wrote:
Here on the Pacific Coast, we use short spinners and small grubs for surf perch. They run up to 3#. You do not cast out that far. Bill a guy in a shop around here reccommended to me the following lures for surf fishing: 1) Nemire Red Ripper Lure (silver color) 2) Nemire Spoon Buzzer Sr 5/8 ounce lure Any opinions on these two? Thanks! |
#10
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![]() wrote in message oups.com... Calif Bill wrote: Here on the Pacific Coast, we use short spinners and small grubs for surf perch. They run up to 3#. You do not cast out that far. Bill a guy in a shop around here reccommended to me the following lures for surf fishing: 1) Nemire Red Ripper Lure (silver color) 2) Nemire Spoon Buzzer Sr 5/8 ounce lure Any opinions on these two? Thanks! Not familiar with either one. Bill |
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