oh-no! i'm bored and just started a gear heavy "new hobby"

[boom]

i felt i needed to reconnect with real life.

i was watching too much TV, reading forums to much. my recent encounter with a big rock after getting tossed off my mtn bike by a wasp has been a real problem with my bowhunting. double suck; i chose NOW to try to switch to a left hand bow. so i am weak to begin with. i hurt my right elbow, and left shoulder. i shoot "okay" but not to where it would be ethical to launch an arrow at a live animal. i am staying with PT and rest.

so..hench the boredom. hiking in with buddies to watch them pig hunt is NOT the same thing.

enter; SURF FISHING!! hell, i live near the pacific ocean. 38 minutes from my home to a beach. yesterday, i went to a pay parking beach (i get a free annual pass thru my wife's work) and saw NOBODY..i had the beach to myself. it was a 45 minute drive. i started cathing surf perch right away!!

Sunday, i literally went around a fishing store with "jim" asking,..okay, what else do i need? Jim showed me some knots, pointed out some beaches on a map..talked fishing strategy, tide and swell charts and sent me away with a sizzling hot credit card.

Monday, i am a fishing fool! i have chest waders on the way..and i think i am gonna get an inflatable PFD..the swells were insane and i was solo. i want a heavier rod..my ultra light surf rod was fun..but hucking those big 1oz sinkers felt odd. i think 2oz is beyond the safely limit. fighting the fish in the swell was a hoot!! fish pliers!! fish backpack..hahah..

my poor wife. on the bright side, the fish dinner i served her last night was a total win. she asked when i was going out again.

my first perch!!

 

[slick]

I feel your pain. Just made a big move and Oregon has plenty of fishing opportunities to take advantage of. It’s all so gear intensive though. Surf fishing seems the least expensive! (No kayak, raft, drift, or jet boat in the budget)

 

[NCSU_Lewis]

Surf fishing North Carolina has been one of my favorite outings. If you get hooked too hard, make the trek, camp on the beach, and have a chance at a 50" red drum!

 

[boom]

I feel your pain. Just made a big move and Oregon has plenty of fishing opportunities to take advantage of. It’s all so gear intensive though. Surf fishing seems the least expensive! (No kayak, raft, drift, or jet boat in the budget)

Oregon is ground zero for big perch..i think.

i think you made a great move!!

 

[kicker338]

No boredom here, bought a used 1999 17ft. alumacraft boat last spring. Had a lot of great fishing out of it through the summer, now it's striped down to the bare hull and the rebuild is about to start.

 

[Antarctica]

My surf fishing "Beach buggy" (for Assateague Island) is also my "hunting rig" - a truck camper mounted on an '02 f350 crew cab dually diesel. I justify it by saying it's dual purpose and thus a good deal...

 

[WhiteOak]

I grew up surf fishing in New Jersey and that is the main activity I miss after moving out to NM. There are so many ways to approach surf fishing too. I was never one to soak bait. Get to the beach at sunrise and take a nice stroll up and down the beach jigging around cover. Stripers or striped bass for those not from NJ were coveted in my family. I mostly targeted stripers and fluke or summer flounder for those outside NJ. My cousin usually soaks clams or bunker and he would catch everything that swam from sharks to skates, drum, weakfish. But I do not have the patience for bait fishing nor do I like to put my pole in the rod holder and guess what was actually a strike. I want to feel that shit.

Godamn I miss seafood.

 

[WhiteOak]

Gear is as expensive as you make it. I walk on the beach with everything I need on me, just a rod and a backpack with tackle and water/snacks. I just walk out with my catch if i am lucky.PENN has some great offers on rods and reels you could build a great surf fishing rig for 150 or less.

I use braided line for everything surf fishing with mono is like poking in the dark to me can't feel anything.

Beside the rod and reel which could be a one time purchase the next biggest expense is probably lures. I have about 10 plugs between 12 and 20$ that spend 90 percent of the time in my bag. I have caught more fish on a zoom bubblegum superfluke than anything else. Every once in a while I would tie on one of my plugs and start fishing only to know that if I was just using the fluke I'd he catching and switch. Just a confidence thing I guess but I just knew 8 could make them do what I wanted.

 

[rbljack]

White oak..im originally from NJ also...LOL. Boom, pace yourself with the gear and let the seasons dictate which gear to by when. Different fish will turn on as the seasons go by and the water temps change. Buy new gear, bait, and terminal tackle as needed. A good place to gain intel is talking with the bait and tackle shops....but remember they are sometimes going to tell you what you want to hear (and lead you towards what they want to sell)...LOL. Piers are another great place to get intel. I hate fishing them, but you can learn from them what's biting, and on what. Most are happy to tell ya how the fishing is going, and what's working. And lastly, just like rokslide, there are good forum sites out there to keep you up to speed as well...LOL.

If you think surf fishing is gear intensive, try LBSF. That's land based shark fishing. Do some reading on it, and your gear list is going to grow for xmas. I haven't had the time to do it in the last few years, but we used to make trips to PINS (Padre Island National Seashore) a cpl times a year. Besides regular surf fishing, I kayak large baits out for sharks! Lots of fun. Enjoy your new hobby, and maybe take the MRS along too...the beach can be a great place to hang out when its calm and comfortable. Sucks when its windy and cold though. Take care!

 

[Beendare]

Perch, Aye?

DON'T WATCH THIS, until you are ready to take it to the next level...../grin
[video=youtube;K_XV5p0D9Ko]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_XV5p0D9Ko[/video]