Hi everyone, I was thinking about some tips I’ve learned that have helped me in the surf. Not directly fishing related, but more prep for the surf. I usually spend about an hour the night before getting ready to hit the surf. After driving to the water and being in the surf in total darkness, there is not too much room if I forget something. Anyone have any tips for being in the surf? Things that have worked for you? Heres a few examples

1. I wear glasses and they always fog up or get misty from the waves, so I bring a paper towel , torn into small pieces in a ziplock bag and keep it in my wader pocket. I use that to wipe my glasses clean.
2. I always have extra batteries in my car in case my flashlight batteries die.
3. I have a spare car key which I wear around my neck, this way I don’t have to take my waders off to get into my car.

Anyone have any ideas to share?

Hi RIJimmy, one thing I never forget is a 5 foot piece of rope in case I catch "the big one"! Alot of the beaches I fish require a lot of walking and if you do land a nice fish, this makes it easier to drag, carry, hang over your back, whatever. The best part of this is that I do not buy rope! When I am fishing, walking the beach or driving, I keep my eyes open for rope that has washed up on the beach. I find some pretty long pieces of rope, some as long as 50 feet, almost brand new. I cut it up into 5 foot lengths and I always tuck one in my waders when I am fishing. I wrap it around my wader suspenders and I never even know it is there until I need it. I help the environment by picking up all the rope I can find and it comes in handy for many things, not the least of which is stringing fish! After I cut a piece of rope, I wrap both ends with electrical tape so that it does not unwind....good to go!:kewl: :kewl:

I've been thinking of having my eyes zapped with a laser. I've heard some good things about it--except the money. I heard it was about $2000 an eye. Maybe it will come down some.

My glasses are my number one problem in the night surf. I wear croakers so when the glasses get too fogged I just hang them around my neck and cast blind.

carry in the truck-bandaids, electrical tape, zap a gap, xtra headlite, spare doughnuts, and a reel repair kit in a zip loc baggie.
and if you bring your cell phone/cigarettes/stuff you don't wanna get wet but gotta bring-put them in a zip loc baggie-u can talk on the phone thru it-and it sucks to have your full pack of smokes douched five minutes after you get int othe surf. I killed two cell phones and countless packs of smokes last season before I learned my lesson.


to piggyback on the rope-I cut a piece off a beached lobster pot on the cliffwalk one morning. I doubled one end about 10 inches and taped it up with electrical tape and left a loop at the end just big enough to slip the tag end through. now I just wrap it around my waist twice and run the tag end thru the taped loop and tie an overhand to keep it secure.
aren't I a friggin genius?

One thing I did that has made my trips more productive is write a list and tape it in a visable place, ooor..... keep the area where you store your gear tighty.....its easy to come home late, throw half your chit in the corner then when you get that next chance...well ya know what happens. That list has saved my a$$ many a time on the hunting side.

Vehicle: extra... rags, nife, two garbage bags to wrap her in and sweat top to change into.

On me: *pretied leaders, pumpkin seeds and water...ect.ect.

I carry extra kleenex in the sand sled so that I don't have to pick my nose. :gf:

o ya pumkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

also like to have one of those tiny radios with headphones. nice to have.

extra pair of pliers ducktaped to inside bottom of bag. extra batteries ducttaped to flash light. some duct tape wrapped around flashlight incase i need it. makes good band aids.

Christian.....do you keep any duct tape duct taped into the plug bag also?:laugha: :huh: Just curious!

I dont bring anything....
that way I dont forget anything...
I'm out of the truck and in the water in 4 minutes flat.
less is more :D

No fishing rod? No plug bag? No eels? Nothing?:laugha: I think you are forgetting something....."You are fishing dammit"!:huh: Kidding!

Originally posted by RIJIMMY
I usually spend about an hour the night before getting ready to hit the surf. After driving to the water and being in the surf in total darkness, there is not too much room if I forget something. this is easily solved by packing your beach rig in april and unpacking it in december. i actually still have surf stuff in my truck as well as a small beach on the driver's side floor.

A list of the stuff you need for a trip is real smart idea.

Try to keep two fish totes...one for clean stuff and one for dirty/broken/empty.
Keep the stuff that needs attention away from the stuff does not.

Try to always dress into and out of your fishing gear in a lighted place - everything goes faster in the light. That goes for tying leaders and terminal tackle too...Korkers go on faster in the parking lot under the light than on the jetty.

Get ready first, then look at where you want to fish. If you look first and see fish breaking you're more likely to make mistakes getting ready.

Concentrate on the task at hand....the most important thing is not falling down or doing something stupid that cuts your trip short.

Ritualizing your fishing trips is a good idea - do everything the same way, each time.

Originally posted by BigFish
I always tuck one in my waders when I am fishing

Is that your fish rope, or you just happy to see me :laughs: :laughs: :laughs:

Lapinski- Good, I thought I was the only one. Time to clean the car floor. And the tackle room is, more or less, how I left it the day I caught my last bass. Time to clean and put some order into the tackle room.

I want to reminisce for a second: my last bass, six of them, all fat beauties, feeding on macks off a certain lighthouse in Rhode Island, gannets plunge diving from above and loons from below-- great action the day before thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!

When the surf season is on, the back of my truck is not a pretty sight. But back there I've got what I may need. Jigs and plugs rammed under the seat, spare spools, sweatshirts, wool caps, extra lights, electrical tape, more tape, spools of leader material, paper, pens, etc., etc., etc.

lapinski, I keep everything in my truck too. I take an hour to get ready to check my line for knicks, stock my surf bag with the plugs I'll need, wader and raincoat dried off and put back into truck and bucket, ice and eels. restock my truck with any plugs I lost last trip
I like to get from my truck to the water in a few minutes. Its about an hour an ten minute drive to the beaches so I don't like to waste any time.

Eben, you have no worries cuz you live in Gansett!

nope I also pack my truck in may and unpack it in Dec . in April and early may it has all freshwater gear . this way there is every thing I need . I always carry band aids , extra batteries , pack of smokes and an extra lighter in a plastic bag . I also place my wallet in a plastic bag . always have a few extra parts in a repair kit and oils for my bearings . no kleenex I need a late night snack .

Originally posted by t.lapinski
this is easily solved by packing your beach rig in april and unpacking it in december. i actually still have surf stuff in my truck as well as a small beach on the driver's side floor.


that's cuz you ain't married with kids :smash:

I am the same as ChrisL I ahve all my stuff in the truck all the time. When i need to go fishing from the beach I just grabe the tackle box from the boat and the surf rod.
As for dragging the fish off the beach, Well lets say that i don't have my truck with me I am not fishing!!
Fat guys don't walk in sand good!! :laughs:

I too use fish totes. Make a lockable lid for it. Flip your tote upside down over plywood and trace over, cut out with a jig saw,
you can routor the edges or use 3/8's plywood and just heavy sand the edges. I gave mine a heavy coat of poly. attach hinges and holes for a lock. For more security I drilled hole in the bottem where a bolt is threaded through into truck. What I realy need is an industrial size tote for fast food garbage and coffee cups:D

Man, I carried a 30 or 50 qart of cooler to walk on a beach to gfet to where I fish.

Originally posted by Slipknot
that's cuz you ain't married with kids :smash: that's right! :D :happy:

i stopped unpacking my truck a few seasons back after i got a little over half way to the beach and realized that my waders were still hanging up to dry from the last trip. i live about hours from the shore so you can imagine how happy i was. the only things i really take out of the truck now are the things that need to be rinsed off after each trip. they go right back into the truck when they are dry, though.

Stainless Baker Hook Out tucked into top of waders.

Extra headlamp in bag.

Getting contacts this year because of the glasses problem.
(backup contacts)

Snips in bag in case of hooking myself.

Bottle of water in surf bag.

Extra loaded spool for reel.

White sandspike (leave on shore) good marker for point of reference when wading.

and other stuff

cept for a few rods my truck looks like it did the last day I went fishin.(lazy)I always Have a good pair of diagonals to cut hooks with in there.there is almost nothing I fish with that i don't have several of.gotta have backups.:D

You guys that wear glasses I would highly recommend trying contacts. I made the switch about five years ago and you will not believe how much better you can see with them.

kids what do they have to do with it ? I have 2 and a wife . my truck is my truck ! you can ride but you cant stay !

T Lap,
My truck has ya beat, my gear (minus rods and reels) are still in the back, the beach still exists on the driver side, racks are still on the rook AND it still smells like my last Bass :D
This cold weather makes me smell codfish in the air... maybe next month.....?

As far as must haves etc.....
braid for live eels, started this year with PP and LOVE it mostly for hook setting power, didnt miss many fish this year...

trout rods and bluefish are a great mix in the middle of summer...

I need a A'skinz, but dont wanna give up my old trusty rain coat....

Started wearing hipers and splash pants almost exclusivly except for da Narrow.... much more comfortable....

Realized I need a bumper rod rack, I hate having to climb to put rods on the roof....

Big Wood catches Big Fish.... but my go to is the 7" silver/black rebel... just retired one that caught a bunch of mice fish and burned through 3 sets of VMC's.... it's on my wall now......

My rule of thumb is two bring at least two of everything. Especially in the Fall. It sucks taking a few hour cat nap and then have to slide into wet gear.
I had the radiocaratotomy done so I don't have to worry about glasses or contacts. I think it was 5,000 an eye back in 1993. However my vision has since declined, so maybe switching to contacts is the best bet.

Another trick I like to use is to help people out as much as possible on the beach. ie: help someone get unstuck, lend out tackle, or maybe give a helpful tip or two. I have found that the good Karma comes back to you in the form of big fish.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I am not a deeply religious person but I have found if I say a quick Hail Mary as I pass the statue of her on the side of the MA Pike, I always have a more productive trip. And I absolutely swear by that one.

extra tip for fishing rods already filled with tip cement.

extra bail spring

small 1"Calyume stick attached to my eel Bucket or plugg bag, So if I leave it on the beach at night I can find it easier.

I leave it all in the truck from the spring to well , its still all in there. i also believe that you should have spare evrything and a spare for the spare too.

Since we use mostly jigs , I like about 200 or so on hand , just in case!! :)

I try to get multi duty from everything. The pliers got to cut hooks and line and pull hooks , etc. No seperate scissors or hook remover , etc. Just a good pair of pliers.

I also keep plenty of good cloths around. warm cloths , dry cloths , foul weather gear , boots etc. Always a couple of extra sweatshirts too. Being dry and warm will make the difference in how you feel and therefore how long you last fishing. Being tough against the elements is one way to handle it but i think being smart against the elements is a better way.

I like to try to figure out what I'm going to do so i can minimize what's in the surf bag. Its all in the truck but i like to load a bag with just what i expect to use that night.

Another tip is to always buy the best gear you can. I have never found that buying cheaper stuff saves you money in the long run. Good reliable stuff , even though expensive at first , lasts longer and oerforms better and is really where you get the economy , not from buying cheap.

holy crap sounds like a lot of you would drown if you fell in with all that stuff.Maybe a tackle bearer for the surf-fari----NO Stringing Stripers without a commercial liscense--whats that 500 per fish plus gear and vehicle you drove there in?

I generally take a waist pack with eels and/or a backpack with plugs/rubber/jigs, extra leaders, swivels & hooks in a photo wallet, tape measure, leatherman, camera and phone in a ziplock, extra spool and extra batteries. I also take a plastic grocery bag to pack out trash. A couple paper towels in a ziplock bag can be a help (not for the glasses though).

Around my neck is a lanyard w a little mag light, nail clippers and a key.

Whatever I can't get in a backpack or waist pack generally stays in the jeep.

In the jeep is an extra rod(s), tacklebox(s), trashbags, liquid soap, papertowels, gallon jugs of water and dry clothes. I also use a plastic snow sled in the back to keep fish slime and wet waders off the upolstery. It's also useful to drag chit across the sand rather than carry.

fishin pole, waders ,and alot of plugs--oh yea some smokes and lighter in ziplock,every thing else is a bonus:D

Hooked - Liquid soap and paper towels is a great idea my hands always stink after fishing and then I get that smell all over the steering wheel. I also like the plastic sled idea because my truck still has a damp feel and smell to it. Good ideas, I think I will use this coming season!!!

I posted this last year and got a couple "Daddy, my sled smells funny" jokes.

I bought new sleds for the kids this year.

Hooked, where is the ice?

I usually don't get the ice until the ride home.

I gotta tell ya this is a great thread...A lot of info here that you won't find anyplace else.....Just stuff you never think about until you need it

Hooked--your photo reminded me of something I always forget. Water.
Can't say how many times I've gotten back in the truck dehydrated as all hell. I should keep a gallon in the back.

Originally posted by Rappin Mikey

Another trick I like to use is to help people out as much as possible on the beach. ie: help someone get unstuck, lend out tackle, or maybe give a helpful tip or two. I have found that the good Karma comes back to you in the form of big fish.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I am not a deeply religious person but I have found if I say a quick Hail Mary as I pass the statue of her on the side of the MA Pike, I always have a more productive trip. And I absolutely swear by that one.

I always try to give guidance too. I've given bait and tackle out nearly every time I've gotten to the surf this past season.

As to the religous Icon along the Pike, I always say a prayer also. As a matter of fact, I didn't go that way to Plugfeast 04, but made sure I went past on my way home. Weird, cuz I haven't attended church in years. :eek:

FACT: Prayer works!

I try and keep it simple. Small hip pack for plugs, plastics etc. Have, one larger gear bag that feeds into the hip pack usually in back seat or car or trunk. In turn have monster gear bag in my utility room at home that feeds the pack in car. I lose stuff etc... I need to tie leaders I go from the larger bag in the car. If that is running low I pull from the utility room, stock the car:D I always try to keep a couple leaders etc in the change drawer in my car just in case. I usually have some in my hip pack but you never know if someone will need some etc. I keep an extra spool loaded. Two back up rods, 9' & 10' boat rod just as well. No truck here so my civic looks like a tackle shop come the middle of august. Still have half a beach worth of sand in the car.

I'm not sure if you guys use them but when you buy batteries they have those little plastic boxes to store your batteries. I kept one of these as a back up to the back up in the gloe box and it saved my arse on a couple of trips.

Originally posted by Eben
I dont bring anything....
that way I dont forget anything...
I'm out of the truck and in the water in 4 minutes flat.
less is more :D

This IS a great thread and my post above was a bit of a jackass satement...
This is what I do on my missions into the unknown.....
Firstly, what I said in my above qoute is what I carry on me. hardly anything.. I dont like a lot of gear hanging off of me. In my waders I carry a power bar or 2, an extra bail spring, and a tiny tool kit for my reel incase I do snap a spring(only happened once and I was into fish).
In my plugbag I carry all the bells and wistles I will need, plugs, tins, a full spool of flourocarbon leader,etc, and an extra spool for the reel.
If I'm going far from my truck I'll bring a backpack with some other stuff like food (granola bars, water, a couple apples) an extra reel, , waterproof windbreaker, extra batteries...and any other extras

In the bassmobile I usually keep a small toolbox, reel lube, a scale for the big one, binoculars for spotting distant blitzes, a weather radio, extra rod/reel, a plethera of plugs, cooler..A.k.A the cow coffin, sunscreen, a bunch of bottles of water, more granola bars and apples, and sometimes a digital camera.
I actually dont live in narragansett, I live in Kingston so it is about a 15 minute drive to get down to the water, so I d try to be prepared...
I also bring a book with me incase I find myself waiting for the tides to be in my favor...

Eben, If I'm ever hungry in the surf I know who to look for! Power bars and granola!
My routine is to get the coffee ready the night before, I turn the pot on when I get up around 1:30am, get dressed (leave a pile of clothes in front of the door) make coffee in a to go cup and split. All the clubbers are going home when I race through Providence one my way South. I usually eat a power bar on the way down. I keep a few cans of soda in the car for the ride back.
One thing many of us have in common is zip lock bags. I store everything in those. I ruined a few disposable cameras, not sure why, the water seeped through. I always get pretty wet, one wave always finds its way into my waders.

Here's a tip, fish Carpenters bar on a night when a good band is playing at the Ocean Mist. You get to hear tunes and fish!!!

I can't believe nobody had mentioned bug spray!
I also kept my gear in the back of the truck all year, and must admit a 6' tackle box is nice. :D

Originally posted by RIJIMMY
Here's a tip, fish Carpenters bar on a night when a good band is playing at the Ocean Mist. You get to hear tunes and fish!!!
You sly dog you... I'm gonna do that all the time from now on...
wearing my new aqua skinz:happy:

I got a smoker there in the spring on a big squid. Rasta band playing Bob song after Bob song. Then a group of fans comes down on the beach and smokie the ganja.
I packed up my stuff and fled the scene; didn't want to get mixed in with the wrong crowd.

Alright, RJimmy, when I began my first striper fishing, I usally carry my grandpa's grocery cart, a red screened one, and it was rigged with strings around, two rod holders tied in the front (corners), three or four plastic shoeboxes filled with assecories, terminal tackles, leaders, and WD40. Plus, I included a bendable pier net and rope, and a small bucket with ice for my baits. I placed three or four heft plastic bags on the bottom of the cart if I happened to manage a keeper.

As for now, I carry a bucket and a lot of gears and you can name it. From now on, I am going to try to minimalize it to what I need to bring. One thing, don't buy a plano surf bag. If you have a large plug and a big hook, it can go under the bottom of it and get stuck. Plus it rattles when you walk. It isn't mobile. However, it's far cheaper you can go. Not far cheapest, though.

Like Vic just said (Hi, Vic), try to keep things simple. If you are a bait fisherman and have a car (keep your monster-loaded gear bag in the truck). Carry a bucket, a couple of sandspike, a surf bag for your two or three rods, a box with properly balanced terminal tackles, a few of rigs, a spool of leader of your preference, baits and ices, a bug spray or a cigar (I can't concentrate on smoking to ward the bugs off and fish at the same time), a hat, and a few basic assortments of plugs.

I do what Notaro does

the grocery cart, krispy? i didnt get a girl, but a cute girl waved to me when i was fishing at rockport...:D :heybaby:

got mine from Stop n' Shop. Fits most of my stuff, but sucks dragging it onto the breachways

:laughs: your bad

I'm like a lot of the guys who've posted they keep most of the junk in the trunk for the season, and re-supply the trunk from the stockpile in the basement or the tackle store.

I find it best to keep everything in the SAME spots within the car, so that when you get ready to go, you know exactly where it is and if its missing its obvious.

Just kidding, I know some of those Jersey guys use carts with over-sized tires on the beaches. :)

Originally posted by Krispy
Just kidding, I know some of those Jersey guys use carts with over-sized tires on the beaches. :) yeah, jersey guys. :smash: what did RI charge you for your sand sled permit this year.......

Hey Krispy,


Funny.... I had heard you were only mean....nice suprise.


Happy New Year Man! :D