Few things in surf fishing can beat the weak-kneed feeling brought on by the first glimpse of a trophy bass as it’s eased towards the water’s edge. It’s the subject of many anglers’ dreams. Unfortunately, the sight of a truly large bass getting dragged out of the surf has been rather uncommon in recent years.
I’d like nothing better than to eat these words while writing this season’s surf reports filled with stories of big linesiders, but it’s my opinion that stripers breaking the 40-pound mark are not likely to be much more numerous in the next few years. I feel this way based on observations I’ve made while compiling the weekly fishing reports, along with my personal experiences, as well as those of other anglers. One bright spot was a respectable cluster of bass that were generally in the 40- to 42-pound class during the 1999 season. Despite the usual pressures on these fish, it’s reasonable to assume that a sufficient number have survived to give anglers a better shot at breaking the magic 50-pound mark. While this is surely something to look forward to, it’s only logical that the number of 50-pound stripers plying our waters in a few years will be much lower than the small number of 40-pound class stripers that are available now. After mortality takes its toll on the fish that are now in the mid 30-pound range, it’s difficult to imagine how the number of 40-pound class fish available in a few years will be much higher than it is today.
Luck notwithstanding, anglers who dream of sliding a trophy bass onto the sand in the beginning of this decade will have to pay exquisite attention to the details of their tackle, and have the correct large-fish mindset if they’re to stand a reasonable chance of realizing that dream.
In order to catch a fish of any size from the beach, four things need to happen — You have to get within casting range of the fish, it must take your offering in it’s mouth, the hook must be securely set, and your line must not break. What makes catching large fish so challenging is the fact that they make each of these conditions difficult to fulfill, but anglers have a varying degree of control over these requirements.
The scarcity of big fish that we’ve been dealing with makes the first condition the toughest. It’s pretty simple. You can’t catch big fish if you can’t find them. Part of the allure of fishing is not knowing what’s lurking below the water in front of us. Since big fish rarely advertise their presence, anglers have to rely on knowledge and experience. While there’s a lot to be said for concentrating on areas with reputations for holding big fish, many underfished areas also have potential. If yours is the only bait or lure in the presence of a big fish, you stand a better chance of meeting the next condition.
Years ago, a needlefish plug or Rebel would occasionally be seen hanging from the jaw of a huge bass, but almost all of the large surf-caught fish of the last few years have fallen to eels, bunker, or bucktails. In the case of eels and bunker, it takes confidence and mental discipline to stick with a fishing technique that often produces little or no action. Bunker chunkers often stand idle while nearby clam anglers keep busy with schoolies. I’ve spent many hitless and boring hours casting eels at times when small bass would readily take down plug and dropper combos.
Though bucktails generally appeal to fish of all sizes and often produce fast-paced action, the cow stripers that fall to them usually do so under the cover of darkness in the strong rips of ocean inlets. Fishing the jetties that border these inlets is uncomfortable, and occasionally downright dangerous. Hours often pass between hits, despite the frequent presence of cooperative smaller bass on nearby sand beaches. As with fishing eels or bunker, it comes down to making a conscious decision that you will sacrifice the frequent gratification of catching small fish, for the chance that there might be a big striper willing to take your offering.
While we may not have as many big bass around as anglers did during the Glory Years, modern technology has provided us with better fish-catching tools than the equipment used by surf anglers of decades past. When properly utilized, these advances can go a long way in helping us meet the next two big fish catching requirements.
It’s foolish not to exploit every edge that modern high-quality tackle provides us. If you have your heart set on catching a big striper, you must do everything possible to increase your odds of being able to convert a strike into a beached fish. The opportunity provided by successfully finding such a fish and getting it to take your offering is a rare one that you can’t afford to waste.
The next time you’re fortunate to see a large bass that someone has landed, feel how hard the inside of its mouth is. Now imagine how much force is required to penetrate a hook into that tissue. I believe many encounters with big fish end up being just a bump on the end of the line, because between the give in the rod, the stretch in the line, and the difficulty in pushing the hook in past the barb, the fish is not hooked securely. This is where recent advances in fishing equipment can help.
Hooks must be extremely sharp and kept sharp. Chemically sharpened hooks, such as those made by Gamakatsu and Owner, are hard to beat. They are incredibly sharp right out of the package. Comparing these to traditional hooks is like comparing razor blades to knives. They cost more, but in the overall scheme of fishing expenses, they are well worth the extra dollars.
If you’re using regular hooks, constant attention must be paid with a hook file to be sure that the hook maintains the sharpest point possible.
In my personal experiences hunting for large bass, the most valuable recent advancement in fishing gear was the development of the new super gel-spun lines made from materials such as spectra and microdyneema. There are now many brands on the market, including FireLine, Spider Wire, and Power Pro. The lines are very thin and have almost no stretch. Coupled with lightweight, yet powerful, graphite rods, they make it much easier to firmly hook fish because they transmit almost all of the energy of the hookset instead of absorbing it in the stretch.
The new lines also assist today’s anglers in fulfilling the last condition — retrieving the fish without breaking the line.
Since they’re so thin, anglers can fish stronger lines without paying a casting distance penalty. Many anglers who previously used 20-pound monofilament line are now using lines such as 30-pound FireLine or 50-pound Power Pro. The lines are also highly abrasion-resistant which gives enhanced protection against cutoffs when you’re fishing rock-strewn areas, such as Long Island’s North Shore or Montauk, and jetties.
When everything comes together and you find yourself staring down at a striper in excess of 40 pounds, kicking sand in your face, all of the sacrifices that brought you to the moment will have been well worth it. With your success will come confidence. With confidence will come the determination required for future successes.
While a substantial increase in the number of big bass may not be in our immediate future, the forecast will do little to cool the desires of anglers who pursue these magnificent fish. This will hold especially true for surfcasters — a group of individuals who thrive on overcoming the adversities and constraints imposed on them by their chosen passion.
For these anglers, the now familiar challenge of trying to beat the odds will only make the thrill of landing a trophy striper that much more fulfilling.
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