When fishing an area with heavy current it is important to know how to fish a lineup. This is the one thing I see out there fishing inlets being done incorrectly. And it's just a matter of education.
What I see often is people casting to where others are hooking fish. The people hooking fish are doing so more times then not, because of their presentation and doing it the right way, not solely their location. If you are casting down current trying to reach the fish you perceive are in front of someone else, your lure in never getting to the zone where these fish are sitting. Cast up the tide from you and let it swing into position.
So what to do as a new surf angler when you come upon a crowded jetty with the tide moving. Don't just jump in and start casting. First try and take a good look to see what everyone is using (most times it will be a bucktail or jig or some kind). Guage the weight everyone else is using. And try and fish using a similar weight. Some people mind if you ask them, I never mind, because its gonna cause me way less aggravation than people constantly wrapping me up because their jig is flying over mine. Next pay attention to the casting order, The person furthest down current should be casting FIRST. Then the next , then the next, ect. Everyone should be casting up current allowing their offering (plug, bucktail, jig, whatever) to slide down the current. Everyone's offering should be moving in sequence and you'll have virtually no tangles. And if someone does hook up, don't just cast over them and their fish. Give people some room and time to land there fish. Thats just being a good sportsman. Its hard not to yell at people sometimes, but I find if you just a take a few minutes to explain this and why people pick up pretty quick and are thankful for it. Everyone starts somewhere, and lets face it some jetties are easy to access. You'll have a lot of inexperienced anglers, and it just seems that the surf fishing scene here has exploded in popularity over the past 3 or 4 years. The same holds true not just for inlets, but also anywhere else you have a side to side fast moving current and can even apply to fishing sand beaches during a sweep.
Less tangles = more fishing time= more fish.
FISHING A LINE UP
1,318 views·10 replies·by In The Wash
Ah, the days on the jetties......................................
Deep into the night and always bad weather and big seas. The fish were hungry and usually you fished alone or with a few experienced folks.
I went on fair weathered nights only if my patience level was high. 🙂
Deep into the night and always bad weather and big seas. The fish were hungry and usually you fished alone or with a few experienced folks.
I went on fair weathered nights only if my patience level was high. 🙂
AdmiralOriginal Crew20,411 postsSince 2019
Ah, the days on the jetties......................................Those days are over...
Deep into the night and always bad weather and big seas. The fish were hungry and usually you fished alone or with a few experienced folks.
I went on fair weathered nights only if my patience level was high. 🙂
Mate156 postsSince 2023
For me, I stick to my town's open ocean beach. Tickets issued to non-residents at night, substantial daytime fee for non-residents Memorial Day through Labor Day. Nimbyism at its finest but until there is reciprocity between the two counties and all the townships within, I like my usually deserted beach despite it never being a really good place to catch dinner. In The Wash, have you ever seen the mugging going on at Jones Beach ? Courtesy ? Sportsmanship ?
CommodoreOriginal Crew7,027 postsSince 2018
For me, I stick to my town's open ocean beach. Tickets issued to non-residents at night, substantial daytime fee for non-residents Memorial Day through Labor Day. Nimbyism at its finest but until there is reciprocity between the two counties and all the townships within, I like my usually deserted beach despite it never being a really good place to catch dinner. In The Wash, have you ever seen the mugging going on at Jones Beach ? Courtesy ? Sportsmanship ?This wasn't really a "mugging" centered post. That's another issue altogether. This post was pretty much to address and educate about the casting order when there is a substantial current. And how to keep from spending half the the night untangling lines. But yeah I've seen plenty of mugging everywhere. Open beach, back bays, jetties, ect...
And your "usual deserted town beach" is a great place to catch fish. I fished there growing up and that's one of the three locations (front side) that I fished A LOT!! Haven't fished it in a few years, but the times I have its been at night and that bar on the eastern side always hold fish. Also a long walk west to that point that also almost always hold fish is usually worth it. There's always something on that point day and night. 99 percent of the times I've driven by it there are birds working it.
Mate156 postsSince 2023
Yeah, its a nighttime beach. I don't do nights anymore.It's a night time game. Unless its a sandeel bite.
Mate156 postsSince 2023
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