Surfcasting defined....

[Back Beach]

Obviously, there are a lot of ways to catch fish that are within close proximity of the shoreline. Unfortunately, true surf casting gets a bad name when results from the use of certain techniques get branded as “surfcasting.” Nothing wrong with skishing or pulling your boat within casting range of shore (I’ve done it) and literally catching fish from the surf. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut, when I see a skisher, boater, or kayaker represent their catch as “surf caught” I immediately brand them as phony, liar, or clueless.
The question is where does “true surfcasting” end and “everything else” begin?

[The Dad Fisherman]

The definition we use at the club for the tournaments to designate a surf caught fish is that it needs to be Hooked, fought, and landed while standing on ground.

I would think the same would hold true for boat caught....Hooked, Fought and landed while in a boat.

If you hook up while in a yak and then hop out to fight it on a sandbar or in shallow water the only thing it counts for is a Nice Fish....that is for tournaments though

[fishbones]

I consider myself to be surfcasting when I'm fishing from shore or wading. I consider myself boat fishing whenever I am fishing from the boat, even if I am in very close to shore. Also, I use only plugs or eels, so I'm casting and retrieving. Are the bucket brigade condsidered surfcasters? It's still fishing the surf from shore. I guess that's another part of the discussion.

[Flaptail]

Well, in my humble opinion, you need "surf" to make it surfcasting and sand sliding and eroding from under your feet with the wash trying to suck you back down the shingle in white water up to your chest while at the same moment your heaving a bait ( readlug, rigged eel, live eel, metal, or jig)that must be manipulated in some fashion by your hands which are wrapped around a rod 9 to 10-1/2 feet long.

Where knowing that one wrong move will have you tumbling ass over tea kettle in a cauldron of salt and sand and did I mention it was pitch dark?

Then you look up just in time to see the 7th wave about to break all feathery on top against the starlite, of course in a nano second the stars are gone and you instinctively double over cause here comes that monster cold green heartless wave and you find yourself parralel to the sand digging your rod butt in as the last hope and hope your surf belt is snugged up tight.

And on the other hand you have:

I do a lot of fishing Cuttyhunk style as well and standing on a rock while your corkers have a tenous hold on the slime and bubble weed encrusted rounded top of that boulder and all the while trying and holding your balance by the slimmest of margins where even the task of casting can cause you to loose that erzast balance point and it's dark plus your keeping an eye on that dark shape coming towrd you which turns out to be a roller twice the size of the ones already trying to rip you off that slimy rock and you know you going to go over, no doubt about it now. So it hits and you bail off the rock and ride it hoping for some semblance of sure footing in the ink dark swirling water. Of course you had to walk over oval shaped irregular stones for a half a mile to get to this spot where you slipped and fell twice doing that and you occasionally see the sparks from your corkers grinding against the dry rocks further up the shore.

That could be surfcasting too don't you think?

[Skitterpop]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Well, in my humble opinion, you need "surf" to make it surfcasting and sand sliding and eroding from under your feet with the wash trying to suck you back down the shingle in white water up to your chest while at the same moment your heaving a bait ( readlug, rigged eel, live eel, metal, or jig)that must be manipulated in some fashion by your hands which are wrapped around a rod 9 to 10-1/2 feet long.

Where knowing that one wrong move will have you tumbling ass over tea kettle in a cauldron of salt and sand and did I mention it was pitch dark?

Then you look up just in time to see the 7th wave about to break all feathery on top against the starlite, of course in a nano second the stars are gone and you instinctively double over cause here comes that monster cold green heartless wave and you find yourself parralel to the sand digging your rod butt in as the last hope and hope your surf belt is snugged up tight.

And on the other hand you have:

I do a lot of fishing Cuttyhunk style as well and standing on a rock while your corkers have a tenous hold on the slime and bubble weed encrusted rounded top of that boulder and all the while trying and holding your balance by the slimmest of margins where even the task of casting can cause you to loose that erzast balance point and it's dark plus your keeping an eye on that dark shape coming towrd you which turns out to be a roller twice the size of the ones already trying to rip you off that slimy rock and you know you going to go over, no doubt about it now. So it hits and you bail off the rock and ride it hoping for some semblance of sure footing in the ink dark swirling water. Of course you had to walk over oval shaped irregular stones for a half a mile to get to this spot where you slipped and fell twice doing that and you occasionally see the sparks from your corkers grinding against the dry rocks further up the shore.

That could be surfcasting too don't you think?

I love it when you talk dirty....nice words Steve.

I would think skishing would/should be included even though you are not always with feet planted.

[BassDawg]

Originally Posted by Skitterpop

I love it when you talk dirty....nice words Steve.

I would think skishing would/should be included even though you are not always with feet planted.

Right on, Skitts

this, imho, would have to be the one allowable exception to the terra firma part of the equation. doan get me wrong, i think it takes a very "special" kinda LUNATIC to decide to Skish, but they are casting and they are in the surf..................ergo, surfcasting ~to the nth degree .

as for the wetsuiting element to this thang that we do, by the '09 season i plan to be fully neopreened-up and swimming to the best of the reefs and islands that NE has to offer. there are just TOO many times that i've looked out there and seen some unbelievably feeshy water and conditions that cannot be reached from the perch that i've secured by korkers and waders alone. besides, i actually believe that wetsuiting it would be safer and more enjoyable when them rogues and nor'easters rear their ugly and inevitable heads.

VERY expensive; but most rewarding, I hope ~since the NPT contingent seems to swear by this element of our sport .

[DZ]

I think many mistake "surf fishing" for "surf casting". Two very different methods IMO. Going to sit on some bait for some blues/bass, scup, tog, whatever - surf fishing. Going to cast plugs, eels, whatever - surf casting. If you're going surf casting - you need to be casting repeatedly.

DZ

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Well, in my humble opinion, you need "surf" to make it surfcasting and sand sliding and eroding from under your feet with the wash trying to suck you back down the shingle in white water up to your chest while at the same moment your heaving a bait ( readlug, rigged eel, live eel, metal, or jig)that must be manipulated in some fashion by your hands which are wrapped around a rod 9 to 10-1/2 feet long.

Where knowing that one wrong move will have you tumbling ass over tea kettle in a cauldron of salt and sand and did I mention it was pitch dark?

Then you look up just in time to see the 7th wave about to break all feathery on top against the starlite, of course in a nano second the stars are gone and you instinctively double over cause here comes that monster cold green heartless wave and you find yourself parralel to the sand digging your rod butt in as the last hope and hope your surf belt is snugged up tight.

And on the other hand you have:

I do a lot of fishing Cuttyhunk style as well and standing on a rock while your corkers have a tenous hold on the slime and bubble weed encrusted rounded top of that boulder and all the while trying and holding your balance by the slimmest of margins where even the task of casting can cause you to loose that erzast balance point and it's dark plus your keeping an eye on that dark shape coming towrd you which turns out to be a roller twice the size of the ones already trying to rip you off that slimy rock and you know you going to go over, no doubt about it now. So it hits and you bail off the rock and ride it hoping for some semblance of sure footing in the ink dark swirling water. Of course you had to walk over oval shaped irregular stones for a half a mile to get to this spot where you slipped and fell twice doing that and you occasionally see the sparks from your corkers grinding against the dry rocks further up the shore.

That could be surfcasting too don't you think?

So I didn't get it - is the "sand" a necessary part of the equation or not? Or do the theivenous rock hoppers get a little love too? Otherwise it might be called SandCasting

Surfcasting: done by the individual, usually in an upright position, with feet mostly in contact with terra and even sometimes firma, along the perimeter separating the salt body of water with the shoreline of land. Often this zone between sea and land will have the surf built up.

When I am fishing a marsh, a riverbank, the generally protected insides of a bay, I consider that shorefishing, not surfcasting

[HESH2]

pretty much agree with john r except for fishing tidal rivers.standing in chest deep in river water fishing a rip during tidal flush for bass and blues to me is surf fishing.granted not on a sandy beach or rock pile,but not standing on shore fishing either.in some cases at the mouth of these rivers your on sand casting into the surf where river meets larger body of water.HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL.

[fishaholic18]

Surfcasting=not fishing from a boat. Simple

[Flaptail]

Originally Posted by JohnR

So I didn't get it - is the "sand" a necessary part of the equation or not? Or do the theivenous rock hoppers get a little love too? Otherwise it might be called SandCasting

Surfcasting: done by the individual, usually in an upright position, with feet mostly in contact with terra and even sometimes firma, along the perimeter separating the salt body of water with the shoreline of land. Often this zone between sea and land will have the surf built up.

When I am fishing a marsh, a riverbank, the generally protected insides of a bay, I consider that shorefishing, not surfcasting

Yes, the rock hoppers get a little love and actually I am being way more "christian" in my description of surfcasting than Numby, he won't let a live eel be included as a method of the same. I won't use them but still see them as a viable methodolgy.

Does that make me gray in Numby's black or white world?

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Yes, the rock hoppers get a little love and actually I am being way more "christian" in my description of surfcasting than Numby, he won't let a live eel be included as a method of the same. I won't use them but still see them as a viable methodolgy.

Does that make me gray in Numby's black or white world?

It was a JOKE, Steve. Please don't read more into it than that.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Well, in my humble opinion, you need "surf" to make it surfcasting and sand sliding and eroding from under your feet with the wash trying to suck you back down the shingle in white water up to your chest while at the same moment your heaving a bait ( readlug, rigged eel, live eel, metal, or jig)that must be manipulated in some fashion by your hands which are wrapped around a rod 9 to 10-1/2 feet long.

Ok Flap,

So what you are saying here is if we were fishing, say, Race Pt. with a 25KT southwest breeze, balls deep in the "surf", and skipping plugs over the tops of the waves we're surf fishing. Let's say the "surf" fishing sucks and we decide to head around to the back with eels. There's no real "surf" now, because the sou'west has flattened out the water. As I reach my feces encrusted hand into the eel bag, Numbskull suddenly appears from the dunes stark naked with an animal under each arm and shouts out, "What the %$%$%$%$ are you guys doing?"
What's your answer going to be?

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Ok Flap,

As I reach my feces encrusted hand into the eel bag, Numbskull suddenly appears from the dunes stark naked with an animal under each arm and shouts out, "What the %$%$%$%$ are you guys doing?"

Obviously I need an eel for lubrication, that fcking smelly jelly we put on plugs just doesn't do the job.

[fishaholic18]

Must be winter there...

[riverrat2]

Skishing as in fishing while swimming, no. Using a wetsuit to get out to rocks that are unreachable with waders, yes.

[Bishop169]

Originally Posted by riverrat2

Skishing as in fishing while swimming, no. Using a wetsuit to get out to rocks that are unreachable with waders, yes.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fields...478950,00.html


A good articale on skishing

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by Karl F

If it's cold outside, snow on the ground, and threads like this, then it is winter

It's just beginning Karl.
By April 1 it will be all out war.
Soooooooooo, what's your take on this?

[piemma]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

It's just beginning Karl.
By April 1 it will be all out war.
Soooooooooo, what's your take on this?

the wars will start sooner than you want, Mike. #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& and Clammer have been AWOL.

[Mike P]

We had a very lively, uh, "discussion" about this very topic back in our internet formative years, on the old WMI Wild West Show

I wonder whatever happened to Lughead the Dog

[Gunpowder]

when my feet are touching land of any sort, i consider it to be surfcasting. otherwise, i think it hard to define it as anything else.

[thortum]

Seems like a simple question and answer. Surfacing casting means casting while standing in or at the surf. See how easy that was?

[Saltheart]

Shore and boat. that's what i would distinguish. If you are in a boat , it can't be called surf fishing. If you are not in a boat , its shore fishing and may or may not be surf fishing to those who want to bother their brains about such things.

[BuckTail BILL]

What about kite fishing that's done from the sand
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