What is your comfort level....

[Back Beach]

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?

[RIJIMMY]

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.

[RIROCKHOUND]

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
On rocks, if there is a good surf I don't want water over my knees, too easy to get knocked down...

[riverrat2]

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.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

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 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.

[chief10]

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

[Pete_G]

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...

[NIB]

[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..

[caumsett]

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….

[afterhours]

Originally Posted by chief10

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

yup....

[fcap60]

Originally Posted by chief10

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.

[reelecstasy]

Originally Posted by chief10

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...

[tynan19]

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.

[Rockport24]

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.

[nightprowler]

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.

[t.orlando]

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

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by t.orlando

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!

[spence]

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

-spence

[piemma]

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

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.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

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.

[vanstaal]

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

[decksweeper]

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..

[technologist]

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!

[Joe]

Big Surf.
Numero Uno killer of surfcasters.

For boaters, it's alcohol.

[Pete F.]

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...

[GoFish]

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...

[BassNuts]

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.

[FishermanTim]

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.)

[Diamond Tackle]

Originally Posted by BassNuts

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.

[Slipknot]

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.