Well that convinced me.

NEVER listen to the voices in Pete's head! ;-)
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Or to an ex-wife.
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hahaha Woody... I cant tell you how many times I have looked at nasty conditions, and said "aaahhhhh... should be alright!" I need to cut that crap out!

When we used to go out of nauset inlet, just circling around inside waiting for the swells to lighten up a bit. You'd get your window and blast over the bar. . . . scary stuff standing a boat on it's tail. :eek:

If you're driving home after an all nighter and start to nod off. Get off the road and either catch a couple zzz's and/or get something in your system to keep you alert.

Back in the day my partner and I use to drive from No. RI to P-Town, fish the Back, drive home, sleep 2 or 3 hours and spend some time with the family. Then do it all over again that night.

A couple of times I fell asleep at the wheel and RJ was asleep in the passenger seat. The Cranberry Highway is very lonely at 5 AM on Sunday morning. We finally wised up and started stopping at the rest area right after Bass River. Catch an hour sleep and be good to go.

Don't try to be a hero. If you start nodding off. STOP and sleep a bit.

Plain and simple: Don't fish Hazard or East side of Beavertail in a big swell. There are experienced guys on this site who have gone down or been swept off the rocks at both places and are lucky to have come out alive. There are better, safer alternatives near both locations anyways...

Ive came closer to death driving home from fishing more often that i was in serious danger in the surf. I have a place in RI that i stop at if im tired and another place on 495 if im coming home from the cape. One year i got a real scare and put my blazer in 4 wheel drive and made a rest stop on 495. I just drove down into the ditch on the right side of the road and got a few hours of sleep. Caffeine doesn't do the trick for me at night.

The Unitarians of the Transcendentalist Movement of the early-mid 1800's like Emerson, Alcott, Thoreau, Parker, etc., they believed that God spoke to us through intuition.
It was a radical notion to put forth at the time because it undermined the power of the clergy to act in intercession. However, I believe in it and always heed my intuition.

Agreed on the driving thing... This is the most dangerous part of surfcasting for me...

For some reason allot of people say that, fine with me though "sometimes its best to be a loner"-Frank D. What year was that trip John? We didnt catch much, but between the group of guys we had and franks cooking we certainly had allot of fun and never went hungry.

Hi Pete. The trip was 2009. Yes sir eats were great. Fishing was slow to say the least. Good time.

Anyone ever use one of these?

Spot 2 Satellite GPS Messenger

Attachment 49891

I have one I bring out on the boat and on the kayak. Thankfully haven't had to use it yet. I think I need to renew my subscription to the service soon, though.

I think the spot gps requires a monthly fee.

I would also suggest when wading you should test your forward foots stability before moving, The wave action can create a sudden dropoff that can be very dangerous.
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I'm pretty sure it's $100 a year. Not bad for something you can take with you wherever you go.

If anyone has a spot device how does it compare to an epirb device that doesn't require a fee, is the an advantage having one over the other? How about a vhf radio that has gps and wil lbroadcast your position in an emergency? I suppose it depends upon how far off shore you go, I really have no idea which is best. Perhaps I should start another thread so the most important tips are easier to read for those who might not read through all the tips that have been posted, maybe a sticky could be put together that covers the most important safety tips.
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I wrote this story on surf rescues. What makes for a well executed surf rescue is not technology but leadership and planning.

There is oviuosly a degree of common sense that comes into play when removing a hook and just "how bad" the impalment is and location. As with anything common sense rules.
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No fish in the sea I'd trade my life for.
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I would vote wholeheartedly against the spot- We had one when our boat went down. Too many buttons with extraneous features (do you really need to send a text message, or update facebook???), and a double press cancels the distress signal, with no notification.

Nice to think that you'd be rational and calm in an emergency situation, but the truth is that at first you're going to be panicked and pressing everything. Even worse if it's night out.

I'd recommend something like this:

McMurdo Fast Find 210 Personal Locator Beacon with GPS - Free Shipping at REI.com

No fee, waterproof to 33', strobe incorporated, but most importantly- ONE BUTTON. When it's on, you know it, and it stays on. Food for thought.

Maybe if you are driving a beach buggy, along a stretch of beach without landmarks, but other than that, I don't think a G.P.S. is necessary for surfcasters. Once you walk into a spot and fish it, if you catch anything substantial, the spot is burned in your memory.
If you don't catch, I think the simple act of walking in, and the fact that you can only really hit so many spots in one night is enough to familiarize you.
I only had one spot that I kept taking the wrong turns into, so I stuck a small piece of electrical tape on those standup boxes they have for underground phone and power lines. Horizontal for left, vertical for right. That was like 11 years ago and the tape is still there

Thanks for your input and the link.

I walk out pretty far on some damn foggy nights, 20 yard visibility and my garmin has kept me on track, not getting messed up in a guzzle or two. Bars everywhere , the compass shows me direction the gps lets me follow a track in and out. Lifesaving knowledge.

I think the point of the McMurdo an others like it is that if you get in trouble or hurt they call for help.A compass is best for surffishing as the batterys don't wear out.