Going to be retiring soon and would like to explore some jetty's or possibly break into surf fishing. Have never done either but have party boat fished and done a good amount of freshwater fishing. I am not a stranger to a rod but how do I locate spots from Atlantic City to Cape May? I hear Wildwood has a section of beach for surf fishing that is nice.
Jersey fishermen where can I get a map of fishing jetty's and piers?
- Thread starter SEPATOPTEN
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I have fished the Cape May jetties for 60 years. The best are at Cape May point. Spring and fall are the best times.
As mentioned above Cape May has a lot of opportunities. Most of the Jersey shore towns have public access locations and fishing is allowed. Any local tackle shop can point you in the right direction.
I fish the LBI surf and Barnegat Inlet for two weeks in September and access is never a problem. Also all winter in Florida from NSB south to the Kennedy Space Center.
One of my favorite surf rigs is an Okuma Rockaway 11' surf rod, Medium action (RA-S-1102m). Good strength but very light. I matched it with the new Okuma Surf 8K spinning reel which has an elongated spool with a taper forward that literally throws the line off with almost no friction. Great for distance casting. To get a reel of this design previously you had to go to the European or Japanese market. Okuma now has one for the U.S. market. Both the rod and reel have reasonable pricing.
Since you already have lots of saltwater gear you probably are not in the market for more but when that time comes check this system out.
I fish the LBI surf and Barnegat Inlet for two weeks in September and access is never a problem. Also all winter in Florida from NSB south to the Kennedy Space Center.
One of my favorite surf rigs is an Okuma Rockaway 11' surf rod, Medium action (RA-S-1102m). Good strength but very light. I matched it with the new Okuma Surf 8K spinning reel which has an elongated spool with a taper forward that literally throws the line off with almost no friction. Great for distance casting. To get a reel of this design previously you had to go to the European or Japanese market. Okuma now has one for the U.S. market. Both the rod and reel have reasonable pricing.
Since you already have lots of saltwater gear you probably are not in the market for more but when that time comes check this system out.
Ct. Lion thank you. I own a 10 foot 2 piece 50/50 Tsunami Air Wave extra heavy surf rod model TSAWSS1002XH that I have never used. It seems pretty light in weight. It calls for 20 to 40 lb. line and lure weight ranging from 3 to 6 ounces. Would you say I am OK with that rod? Also I have a Shimano 8000 OC baitrunner reel that I have been using with my 6'-6" Tiger Lite rod for fluke and sea bass on boats. I am thinking that reel would be good also for the 10 ft Air Wave. What do you think?
I have an 11' Tsunami surf rod configured for conventional casting reels. I have a Penn 525 mounted on it. Tsunami rods have been good to me and I think it will work well for you. The Shimano 8000 will fit it well and give you good service. The baitrunner feature is usually not useful in the surf because there is usually a current depending upon the tide and weather/wind creates it's own currents. So the baitrunner feature gets overwhelmed and defeated in these circumstances.
I would spool the Shimano with 30lb braid. I use Sufix braid since I find it does not throw air knots like some of the other braids. Attach a 20' fluoro-carbon leader in 30lb. as a shocker leader to start the cast. Easier on the fingers. Google up "knots to tie braid to mono" and learn how to do one well.
Every rod/reel combo has a sweet spot for casting. My Tsunami rod does not load up like my 10' St. Croix AVID blanks do or my 12' Penn Power Sticks so my guess is your sweet spot is closer to 3oz. than it is to 6oz. 3oz. weights would be a starter size for fishing the surf with bait unless it is unusually calm conditions. Most of the metal you will cast is in the 3oz. range and even big plugs aren't too heavy. So I think you will like this setup and it is already in your inventory.
Regarding fishing on boats, conventional reels give you better line control v. spinning reels for most bottom action and they are more sturdy. The 6'6" rod is fine but it probably has guides for a spinning reel and the camber may be off for a conventional reel. Consider getting a new rig. I use a heavy duty musky rod at 7'6" or a freshwater Flippin Stick at the same length. I have a bunch of Daiwa and Penn conventional reels in different sizes to mix and match for that kind of trip.
If its stripers and blues I step up to a Penn Jigmaster on a heavier stick.
But there are so many good rods and reels out there now you really have to look around to find something you really love.
Hope that helps.
I would spool the Shimano with 30lb braid. I use Sufix braid since I find it does not throw air knots like some of the other braids. Attach a 20' fluoro-carbon leader in 30lb. as a shocker leader to start the cast. Easier on the fingers. Google up "knots to tie braid to mono" and learn how to do one well.
Every rod/reel combo has a sweet spot for casting. My Tsunami rod does not load up like my 10' St. Croix AVID blanks do or my 12' Penn Power Sticks so my guess is your sweet spot is closer to 3oz. than it is to 6oz. 3oz. weights would be a starter size for fishing the surf with bait unless it is unusually calm conditions. Most of the metal you will cast is in the 3oz. range and even big plugs aren't too heavy. So I think you will like this setup and it is already in your inventory.
Regarding fishing on boats, conventional reels give you better line control v. spinning reels for most bottom action and they are more sturdy. The 6'6" rod is fine but it probably has guides for a spinning reel and the camber may be off for a conventional reel. Consider getting a new rig. I use a heavy duty musky rod at 7'6" or a freshwater Flippin Stick at the same length. I have a bunch of Daiwa and Penn conventional reels in different sizes to mix and match for that kind of trip.
If its stripers and blues I step up to a Penn Jigmaster on a heavier stick.
But there are so many good rods and reels out there now you really have to look around to find something you really love.
Hope that helps.
Local store in Avalon called the hodge poge lodge on ocean drive is a good place to get info and bait etc.sp on the name
Thank you Ct. Lion. So the airwave and reel are good. I really don't do much boat fishing so I probably will stick with the tiger lite since I rarely do that type of fishing. Can you recommend a good combo for jetty fishing and I would like to ask if you would mind fielding some questions from me from time to time on surf and jetty baits and technique. I really appreciate your help. Thank you.
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You can use the surf rig on a jetty. It is a fairly long cast to get out beyond the rocks. It also depends upon what you are fishing for. If it is simply casting plugs and metal then the surf rig works or anything down to a 9 foot rod and a reel not much smaller than the surf reel. But if you are fishing in the rocks for blackfish, sea bass, sheepshead and fluke when they are in the rocks feeding on bait schools then a 9 foot heavy action rod with a stronger reel. Actually a conventional rig would work better here since you are not casting that far and you want the muscle.
Baits are clam, crab, strip baits of fish like sea robins and bait fish like killies, mullet, spearing and sand eels.
Fluke, sea bass, stripers, blues want meat. Most will eat clam but fluke not so much. Live killies will catch them all.
Blackfish, sheepshead, sea bass and northern kingfish eat sand fleas, fiddler crab, asian crab, and green crab. They will also eat shrimp and clam.
No problem asking questions. Lots of site members surf fish and fish the jetties.
Baits are clam, crab, strip baits of fish like sea robins and bait fish like killies, mullet, spearing and sand eels.
Fluke, sea bass, stripers, blues want meat. Most will eat clam but fluke not so much. Live killies will catch them all.
Blackfish, sheepshead, sea bass and northern kingfish eat sand fleas, fiddler crab, asian crab, and green crab. They will also eat shrimp and clam.
No problem asking questions. Lots of site members surf fish and fish the jetties.
Greatest thread ever, this coming from a guy who’s caught one fish in his life, a catfish from Silver Lake in Rehoboth, fifty years ago.
