When surf casting, what is your comfort level in terms of how far/deep you will wade and on what type of structure? Where do you draw the line? What type of situation makes you the most uncomforatable?

I've found the rocks,obviously, to be much more of a hazard than sand. When I only fished the cape surf, I would wade in my shorts and bare feet most of the time because I could walk fast and cover ground. Now I primarily fish rocks, and consider myself conservative in terms of where I will wade. Despite my conservative nature, I found myself face down in the water three times in the last two seasons. None of them life threatening, but uncomfortable, and thankful for my dry top.I primarily wear wading gear to keep me dry from splashes, not necessarily to get way out.

So, where do you draw the line, if you have a line?

Im not sure I have a line, but I play it safe and factor in current and wave height.
The most challenging areas are rocky ones with large spaces between boulders, where you need to climb up on rocks. The water depth varies between the boulders and its difficult to fish. I usually dont last long in these spots.

Mike:
Depends on surf conditions, and where it is...
A shallow rocky reef that I know fairly well I can tolerate it up over my waist, especially since I usually climb out on a rock or ledge where it is shallower...
Sand=no line; wetsuit :D
On rocks, if there is a good surf I don't want water over my knees, too easy to get knocked down...

To tell you the truth I have been more scared on the back beaches then in the rocks. A lot of the parts of the cape I have fished the drop off is quick and steep. One night 2 years ago in september there was a good groundswell from one of the hurricanes long waits in between set waves. I creaped a little to close to the edge and nearly got sucked over it. To me, it was way scarier than stumbling in the rocks because I can get back up fairly easily.

I draw the line at if I can't concentrate on fishing because of the conditions then I'll move.

Being bashed ON the rocks is what scares me. If I'm on rocks where there's more rocks behind me, anything above the knees sends me running.

I much prefer using the wetsuit to find a spot to stand where there's nothing but water behind me.

There's a lot that goes into computing what is "safe" wading. I think with time you get better at it. How much foam is in a wave, how fast it's moving, etc. Lots of variables...

Chief10's decision making process is a lot like mine. I can't define what's too much, I just know it when I feel it...

It is funny, I used to not really be afraid of anything till I had kids. I would hunt in the middle of the night and the coyotes would encircle our dogs and that wouldn't faze me. But just last fall out on Squibby by myslef I really felt uneasy a few times. Almost to the point of leaving.

I think current, especially outgoing ones scare me the most. Going down to get a fish and a wave takes you off the rock into the outflow. Or standing out on the bar and making the wrong step. No thanks.

since I mainly fish rocky areas with steep drop offs, I like to restrict myself to mostly flat rock perches (not slanted toward the water) and if I get hit with spray over my head a few times, it's enough to back to me off a little.

depends on who i am with and where i am fishing. when im alone I don't push as hard as when im with others. I fish mostly rocky shores, like squibby and the north shore of the vineyard, so i like to wade out and hop onto a rock. i get uncomfortable when i feel like the waves have control of me. I dont mind getting knocked off a rock if i know whats around me. i can always hop back on....
thank god for dry tops though. :kewl: :gu:

I let Redlite go first, then see if he gets destroyed before venturing out. Can't swim too good so I am pretty timid about going way out. Plus I think getting way the F out there is overrated at most places. Also dos not take much for a wave to go over my head

well having the holy hell scared out of me this Sept I kinda rethink everything before was what ever it took to get er done was the key
I am more selective of the spot and the wave hight around knee high is good that was really too close for me. God bless the wader belt I really think it saved my life :tm:

I let Redlite go first, then see if he gets destroyed before venturing out. Can't swim too good so I am pretty timid about going way out. Plus I think getting way the F out there is overrated at most places. Also dos not take much for a wave to go over my head

Exactly..
when I fish with JoeP (who is 8ft tall)... I have to be careful when following him if I'm not in my wetsuit!

I usually just stand 20 feet behind RIROCKHOUND. It's much safer and I can easily cast over his head :hee:

-spence

I usually just stand 20 feet behind RIROCKHOUND. It's much safer and I can easily cast over his head :hee:

-spence

When you don't have a birdsnest!

It's hard to say exactly as it all depends upon the location ... as last year, I ventured out on rocks and had the tide come up and found myself trying to venture back with breaking whitewash all around me, made it tough and took a dip into the drink on three different occassions - sand banks in fast moving rivers also is a concern, as you don't want it to cave in and find yourself in a fast current with waders, etc. A regular sand beach is a lot more comfortable conditions when fishing in the dark though ... as I move carefully in the rocks ... just don't want to get dragged in.

My sister used to live on the coast of Maine near Pemaquid Point, she said tourists every year stand too close and get washed off the rocks by big waves - not sure if that was exactly true, but the water dropped down to more than 80 feet by those rocks, so it was deep water and not a place that I would put myself at risk ...

I've mainly fished in very rocky areas so it basically depends on the surf. I wear a Simms support belt, surf pullover then another belt over my jacket, so if it's calm, I'll go fairly deep to get to that next perch..

I have to agree some other posts and when I start to feel uncomfortable I move, especially when I'm alone. I can remember fishing a sandy bar that had recently formed off a point, as the tide started to come in ,certain spots on the bar became quicksand. I sunk down above my knees and had a difficult time getting out. The water on the bar was only 4" deep!

Big Surf.
Numero Uno killer of surfcasters.

For boaters, it's alcohol.

I always look and watch awhile first, even then you can get a wacko wave once in a while.
Stand on the bluffs on CH or the Vineyard sometime on a calm day and you can see the big difference between the sets of waves, pretty amazing...

Mike:
Depends on surf conditions, and where it is...
Sand=no line;
On rocks, if there is a good surf I don't want water over my knees, too easy to get knocked down...

Pretty much my limits as well.

Wading in strong current doesn't bother me and as long as there are no underwater rocky drop-offs then deep-wading on sandy or rocky bottoms, even in big surf, doesn't really bother me - except when the waves are those really powerful driving waves that have a tendency to hit you right below the belt :smash: :sick: every time. Those really really piss me off!

Rocky drop-offs are a whole different story. The knees limit is about mine as well. And even if I can fish a place up on the rocks away from the waves I don't want to deal with going down to land a fish or having to try to winch up a big fish.

I fish mostly alone on the rocks under the bluffs on BI. Managed to fracture a hip in a fall in weedy rocks a few years ago, and have become more conservative. Still get cleaned off a rock occasionally, but don't generally find that that last few yards is worth dying for. You're usually casting beyond the fish anyway.

Did buy an automatic Mustang PFD, and joke with my wife that it is so she can recover the body, collect the insurance, and not have to wonder if I wandered off with another woman...

I fish Montauk most of the time, so it's mostly rock-hopping for me. I'll hardly ever put myself on a rock where the water is deeper than my waist...I'm not one of these swimming guys. If the surf is running too high, I'll back up a bit if I can. There's no fish worth dying for. I'm double careful at night and carry both a strobe light and a manual whistle just in case I get into trouble. You'd be surprised how loud one of those coaches whistes are!!! Oh and the safety tip of the day...NEVER turn your back to the surf while perched up on a rock. Don't ask how I know.

I draw the line at if I can't concentrate on fishing because of the conditions then I'll move.

yup....

I fish the east end of the canal, and occaisionally on Duxbury Beach.
In both cases, the first rule I adhere to is: "Never turn your back on the ocean!" All it takes is a rogue wave to knock you off your feet.
The one and ONLY time this happened to me, I was fortunate enough to get slammed into a flat rock. It scare the crap out of me, and from then on, I always keep at least one eye on the surf.
The other rule is: "Keep track of the tide." This applies more when I'm at the canal, and climbing up on slippery rocks is a last resort.
I also had a "dunking" two years ago. I had waded down along the jetty, and didn't realize that I was standing on a sand bar until I decided to walk back to me exit point. I stand 6' 1", and the water was up to my armpits. Needles to say, I got a little damp. This too, happened ONLY once! (Getting wet is bad enough, but when you wear neoprene waders, you also become more bouyant, so you "bob" in the water the deeper you get. Now add in an easterly current and now you start getting worried.)

I draw the line at if I can't concentrate on fishing because of the conditions then I'll move.

Yep, that pretty much is my view.

I am comfortable on the sand to my waist if there is not much of a current out on a sandbar or whatever but usually I stand at the edge of the shore. On rocks I like to stay on dry ground when possible, in protected areas no problem getting in to my knees. I don't see any reason to swim out to any rock, if that is what is needed to fish , then I'd use a boat. At a place like Beavertail or something like that, I'd wear korkers and a PFD and choose my footing carefully when picking a spot.

I have a pair of muck boots just to stand on a few rocks in the ditch. when they get wet I move.....

I do want to get a pair of waders or a wet suit to try new spots but I do not think I will be swiming out to any boulder fields to wet a line...

The rough-ness of the water is the primary factor in determining how comfortable I'm going to be. Next is my experience with the spot that I'm fishing. You don't want to walk out to a point that you saw on a map ...at 1am. You have to know your surroundings..that will also greatly affect my level. Fishing with a friend can give you false confidence but It's definately worth having someone with you in those extreme situations. I don't worry much on the beach... you can only go in as far as you're allowed to drop your rod...I don't worry about a deep-pitched beach because If it's that steep, I don't have to enter...(a bar is a different story in itself though......hello Mr. FOG :)...and Mr. Tide....and Mr. Current :wavey: )

I draw the line at if I can't concentrate on fishing because of the conditions then I'll move.

That is the line for me as well...

Two situations have gotten me uncomfortable:

1) On the boat. I love fishing with my dad out there, but when the whales are breaking the surface and then dissapear, I always get real jittery.

2) There is a spot on the Cape (I bet everyone here knows it) where you wade out a long, long way to fish. There's been a time there when we wanted to stay out just a little longer, and I was worried about getting back. VERY uncomfortable.

On the Outer Cape I never wade into open surf. Usually I am twenty feet back. Lots of nights the fish are in the wash. It don't make sense to walk on 'em. There are bars that people wade out to at low tide as they feel they have to get outside to reach the fish. What they don't realize is the even forty pounders think nothing of wallowing over a bar in less than a foot of water to scrounge bait that inhabits the three foot depths inside the bar to the beach proper. Especially at night.

Big surf has a lot of dynamic forces that will try to drag you into Triton's realm. Looking up into a cold green wave at two in the morning that you only noticed coming as it blotted out the stars is unerving to say the least and if survived runs the whole experience.

Estuaries have there pitfalls as well. Mucky spots and my favorite the holes left by clammers who worked the low tide and down you go as you wade in the dark over the same spot at the high turn. Sedge bankings are fun and having witnessed along with Art Crago, a fisahing friend of mine, a section collapse into the creek that was where we were standing minutes before casting flies at Scorton one
day is really an eye opener. 30 feet by five feet wide by six feet high just tumbling into the creek. Scary.

I fish a lot of rocks on an island you all love in mid summer. Corkers on and out and up you go onto rocks 30 feet from shore in six feet of water. No problem getting up onto them but getting down is really hairy and when a dragger goes by and sends in a seven set of four footers where your boots are usually six inches out of the water and it's time to perspire while watching them come at you. Your going over, no question. A lonely feeling in the wee hours.

To wade safely, anywhere, you must know your turf and what can happen. Respect the law of averages and calculate the risk versus the gain and it never pays to walk through a school of feeding fish.:spin:

On the Outer Cape I never wade into open surf. Usually I am twenty feet back. Lots of nights the fish are in the wash. It don't make sense to walk on 'em. There are bars that people wade out to at low tide as they feel they have to get outside to reach the fish. What they don't realize is the even forty pounders think nothing of wallowing over a bar in less than a foot of water to scrounge bait that inhabits the three foot depths inside the bar to the beach proper. Especially at night.

Big surf has a lot of dynamic forces that will try to drag you into Triton's realm. Looking up into a cold green wave at two in the morning that you only noticed coming as it blotted out the stars is unerving to say the least and if survived runs the whole experience.

Estuaries have there pitfalls as well. Mucky spots and my favorite the holes left by clammers who worked the low tide and down you go as you wade in the dark over the same spot at the high turn. :


Yep, Well Said.. I know nothing of Rocks :D
As one of the regulars on my beach says.. we only wear waders, to keep our socks dry.:)

Yep - what Flap said, Karl - so true about the beach and keeping the socks dry. At my age anything above my knees gets hairy.
Anyone who even thinks of wading in the ditch is completely nuts. That includes the east end at low tide. I have seen a few screwballs taking a crack at Pips Rip with waders on at dead low. When a tanker comes through and you get sucked in you are going for a long swim.

depends of im catching.. if theres fish there, and my bass fever is boiling, i am more apt to take stupid chances..... if its slow and im easily distracted i take less chances.

In my mako- im ultra cautious.

I fish Montauk most of the time, so it's mostly rock-hopping for me. I'll hardly ever put myself on a rock where the water is deeper than my waist...I'm not one of these swimming guys. If the surf is running too high, I'll back up a bit if I can. There's no fish worth dying for. I'm double careful at night and carry both a strobe light and a manual whistle just in case I get into trouble. You'd be surprised how loud one of those coaches whistes are!!! Oh and the safety tip of the day...NEVER turn your back to the surf while perched up on a rock. Don't ask how I know.

Bassnuts,
I know what u mean, its a completely diff game at night. Any rock that looked easy during the day at the same tide is completely diff at night when the eyes are not so reliable. You better have an exit strategy ,a whistle and a cyalume stick is not a bad idea either. esp if you are alone.
Scariest experience late this fall was at Shagwong ,Montauk(a sand beach) late night. Wading parallel to the shoreline I stepped up to almost my chest in quicksand right where the currents converge,never expected it, completely caught off guard. Since I had waders on, 2 good waves is all it would have taken to get into serious trouble. There was not a soul around.Thats how it happens, when u least expect it.

Exactly..
when I fish with JoeP (who is 8ft tall)... I have to be careful when following him if I'm not in my wetsuit!

I agree. Joe goes where no man has gone before. I've seen him standing in water at Narrow River that is over my head.

When I was younger I had very few limits as to where and when I would fish. As I got older my limits became more defined.

20 years ago there was a rock at Watch Hill we called Widows Rock (for obvious reasons). I'd fish that in a 25 SW at high tide without reservations. Now I won't fish it flat calm at low tide.

I fish mostly a low sloppy jetty flanking a hard running narrow inlet. Basically you walk out to the beach hop on the rocks and walk east 200-250 yds until you are at the end where a big rip sets up off the tip. You are pretty exposed out there. There are two types of waves you can encounter, Boomers and Sweepers. The boomers are the waves that come in looking all big and nasty and smash into the base of the rocks and send spray everywhere. They put on a good show. The sweepers are the waves that look totally innocent and small but at the last minute they come charging horizontally across the top of the rocks and put the fear of god in you. I got knocked down hard one night in the spring by a sweeper I didn't see coming because I was fiddling with my plug. It was 2 AM on a full moon dropping tide, luckily I was left high and dry on the rocks but had I gone in I would have been 100s of yds out before I even came up for air. I don't fish there without a PFD and don't go out when the surf is really up.

When and where I fish the rocks the danger level is minimal. However there are two places where I stand waist deep in moving water that is filling up a large area that gives cause for concern. Incoming tide, if you dont keep your left foot planted and think before deciding to move and replant the foot you are in serious danger. The same with the right foot on the outgoing. Thtas why I where the sospenders. I have stumbleb a few times but never went down. Ususally when I did get wet it because I had a fish on close and wanted to land it, so I did what I had to do to catch the fish. I am amazed at some of the pictures I have seen here and posted elsewhere of fishermen completely awash under or in a wave.

I lost quite a bit of weight a few years ago and had to be far more careful stepping into the current because of that. Less weight, less ballast. Bought a new Aqua-Skinz last year and while a I wore it a few times I never really put it to the test except in heavy rain and in that regard it performed admirably. Looking forward to drenching it this year coming though.

Exactly..
when I fish with JoeP (who is 8ft tall)... I have to be careful when following him if I'm not in my wetsuit!

Yeah but when you're in your wetsuit you definitely are more comfortable being soaked in water that deep with a big surf on than I am.

I had no fear until my son was born

then my perspective changed on how productive that one rock is 30 yards out

Comfort level now depends on tide and how big the water is

A couple of sleeper rogues this past year sent me for a ride off a perch

false sunrise in gansett with decksweeper, and another unknown south of us, surf picked me up and I was swimming back to the rock...never saw it coming

wading belt is a must, with or without a surf top!!!!

Neck deep to get to a new rock on calm nights, high tide sure turned out to be quite productive, right decksweeper ;)

My comfort level isn't quite as "deep" as yours Jim so didn't benefit from that perch that night...Had fun listening to your reel whistle though...

I tend to feel more comfortable in a wetsuit vs waders whether its sand or rocks near deeper water, current is the thing I respect most. On calm nights most can push themselfs to farther points and rocks but its those fishy rough nights where you had best know the terrain and face the water at all times. Although I know there are never any garrentees, experience speaks volumes and how well you learned from people you've fished with. Something as small as knowing how to brace yourself at waves can mean all the difference in fish & ofcourse health wise. You don't have to be a surf junkie to fish rougher water just do it smart. I think to many guys are afraid to get wet. Don't get confused with...some place's you just shouldn't be in the water.

I recall as a kid surfcasting in Marshfield during an incoming tide. 1-2 ft swells were common, the tide was 75% full (about 1 hr from Hightide it was windy out of the SW (offshore). As we stood along shoreline were noticed and heard the rumbble and crackle of the rocks underneath the water being sucked out at a tremendous undertow....we were amazed as the ocean seemed to just want to go outbound...1-2-5- -6 ft out from where it was....we pulled in our lines..and as we did we saw on the horizon a black/ grey wall of smooth water rising and dancing on the horizon(probably 1 mile out)...It was an incoming huge wave appx 25 ft -30 ft high!!
we scrambled off the beach as did everone else ...across 25-30 feet of dry sand to the stairs on Hartford Road and over the seawall....about 5 seconds latter the wave broke about 5 ft from the seawall and oversplashed wall as water ran down Hartford rd,,,,we ran to wall afterward to see towels coolers and tubes all going out to sea and the ocean as clam as before,,,this happened about 1966 or so never saw anything like it before or since

I'm a bad person to ask. The best bass waters are the worst for humans.

[QUOTE=Pete_G;446905]Being bashed ON the rocks is what scares me. If I'm on rocks where there's more rocks behind me, anything above the knees sends me running.
QUOTE]

I was slammed this yr.On a T jetty in NJ.Big ground swell.Bailin nice fish..I was in a trance looking at a wall of water.
I remember thinkin to myself wow thats a big wave..
It blasted me like a 300 lb lineman an thru me back 10 ft back on the rock on my back..
I didn't have a scrape.or a bruise..Got up my friend asked me if i was alright.Looked like he had seen a ghost..The big guy was watchin over me that day..
As time goes on the legs don't have as much will to do some of the things i used to.Or at least as many of the things i used to..
Standin on a barof bowling ball rocks over my waiste in Montauk as 3-6'6" guys keep pushing out is not really as much fun as it used to be.especially when its cold an they are not biting..
There seems to be a risk reward factor I still will be willing to breach when the all is right..
I also Have way less fear at night.I look at some of the things I have done in the daylight an I scratch my head....
I had scary crossing one night to a island when there was alot more current than expected..We pushed the envelope try to get to this spot early.we had on our wetsuits but the 150 yd crossing was not going as planned..I ended up usin my pole to push me the last 30 yds..
One of my friends broke away an was only a few yds from no return..
We got up on the beach relieved an went an caught some fish..
Now a days I weigh the comfort level against the productivity.
Still getting overly abused by the waves gets old fast an keepin one eye on the water.an one eye on what I'm doing hurts my head..
So i find myself fishing spots like the oldtimers section in the canal..It's as close to Tom Mc Cann fishing as u can get..
When the surf calls I can still here it..

Those who know me know of an "incident" at an extreme east end location I fish with a couple of other guys. That scared the bejeezus out of me and although I still fish there I am more careful than ever about the tides, dead-reckoning etc. I do not want to ever go through that again...

As far as the more mundane goes, I am actually afraid of sharks. There, I have fessed up! Despite the fact that I can be found way offshore in the middle of the night on a rock, and don't seem to have a problem on the way out there, I am always apprehensive about stepping off the rock into deep water at the end of the night. I guess it’s because by that time I have had hours to think (and worry) about it. Yes, I know a shark attack on a wetsuiter in the middle of the night on Long Island has never (to the best of my knowledge) been reported but with my luck I’ll probably be that guy who breaks that long-standing record….