Should "wetsuiting" be its own category of fishing

[Nebe]

wetsuiting to far out rocks that are unobtainable from shore is like kayaking out to small islands or areas that have zero public access to surf cast..

Its a loophole IMO..

where do you draw the line??

I know most of you do not follow sailing or the americas cup, but a few years ago, Dennis Connor showed up with a catamaran and blew away the other team... "Hey it was legal"

[BassDawg]

lots of good thoughts here as always,,,,,,,,,,,

IMHO, still surfcasting ~~~

BUT with not only bigger cohones, a
decided advantage of access to the "unreachable rocks",
and what i would classify as ULTRA surfcasting.

for me, it remains surfcasting until one introduces;
fiberglass, rubber, or aluminum and you drive/steer/navigate
yerself into position to fish,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

rock hopping, wave riding, island reaching ~~it's ALL the same~~
so long as it's still just you, our beloved prey, and the mighty Atlantic
out there matching wits wit each other. many say that it is INFINITELY safer, as well.

now, tourney fishing is sumthin' completely different!!
the wetsuiters/island reachers/skishers last year CRUSHED
the shore division in the Striper Cup, with us wader types stuck in the
high 40's, for most of them that was the cellar and they bailed fiddies
all season long,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,GREAT for them, MTK is right for categorizing this new breed of surfcrazies~~~

and one day i hope to join them for the ultimate in comfort, access, and adrenilyn!!!

[Grapenuts]

Time to break out the old innertube .They call them waves when upon the water,only after those waves HIT the beach is it called "surf".

[Clogston29]

the line is too blury to make it a separate category. too many "what ifs" can be applied. To me, swimming a hundred yards out to a rock = surfcasting, swimming 1/4 mile and bobbing in a rip = skishing.

the way i see it, fishing in a wetsuit doesn't give one an advantage that anyone cannot have if they want it. there is no real economic demand to it, like a boat for example, and no use of electronics, like a fishfinder. if you made fishing in a wetsuit a different category, then why not fishing with waders a separate category over fishing without them.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Clogston29

the line is too blury to make it a separate category. too many "what ifs" can be applied. To me, swimming a hundred yards out to a rock = surfcasting, swimming 1/4 mile and bobbing in a rip = skishing.

Pretty much my thoughts and just an extension of going from barefeet to hip boots to waders up to a wet suit. It is "apparel tools" to enhance your fishing from the ground/shore. When you start to use the wetsuit to emulate a boat, that's a different story, and IMO, the line when it extends beyond surfcasting.

[Joe]

I hope it does not end up like the Sunni/Shiite schism - could make for a 1400 year flame war.

[Slipknot]

If given only 2 choices = surf or boat, then I'd have to say wetsuiting or skishing is surf fishing since you certainly are NOT standing on a boat.
who cares? why catagorize it, it's fishing

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

why catagorize it,

Because its winter.....

Eels versus plugs to follow.....Numbskull and I will be hosting the main event at some point..

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Eels versus plugs to follow.....Numbskull and I will be hosting the main event at some point..

2 men enter, 1 man leave










Can I get points?

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

If given only 2 choices = surf or boat, then I'd have to say wetsuiting or skishing is surf fishing since you certainly are NOT standing on a boat.
who cares? why catagorize it, it's fishing

Categorizing it shouldn't be about what you're wearing....its what you're doing. wetsuiting could be surf-fishing....as long as that is what you are doing while wearing it.....standing on a rock/ground while fishing.

Skishing is neither.....

[maddmatt]

wetsuiting its extreme "surfcasting".......

.......but "surfcasting" it is.

[maddmatt]

skishing isn't surffishing, feet are not on the ground.

i have spoken

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by maddmatt

wetsuiting its extreme "surfcasting".......

.......but "surfcasting" it is.

What if you're standing next to a guy in Waders and a drytop.....is it still "Extreme"? or better yet a guy in a bathing suit....Still "Extreme"?


once again....doesn't matter what you're wearing its what you're doing.

[schererw]

Take a look at Paul Melnyk's revised web site. Has lots of brief newer articles (some about skishing) that you'll probably enjoy. Read them all this past weekend. Fun to read. Google Paul Melnyk.

[Joe]

Guess it comes down to who is wearing the suit.
If you use the wetsuit as a better set of waders, then there really is not much difference.
If you use the wetsuit to its full potential, there's enough new skill sets, new places to fish, different techniques, and new concerns, to support a manual.

[Swimmer]

As long as the wet suit crowd is catching the fish by lure its all o.k. with me.

If they are using Revlon water-proof makeup and coming on to the fish in a manner that might be considered alluring in order to catch a fish then I have a problem with that.

[Rockport24]

oh man, this is a good thread!
I gotta say, if somebody has the sack to swim 100 yards out in the dark, in decent surf, and perch themself on a rock in hopes of landing a trophy, then they deserve whatever they get and that is surfcasting, I don't care if they do it buck naked (which is George Constanza's stage name by the way).

I think this kind of behavior is the most prominant around our parts. Skishing is another story altogether and should be another category in itself in all touneys.

[gottog?]

ok when the situation calls for it ,rocky shoreline waiting out ,ok .......but if i see anyone wearing one in jersey im calling ....homo

[rizzo]

Wetsuiting is definitely surf fishing.

The guys who are successful with the wetsuit put in a ton of time and know the right conditions to catch large. They are dedicated. Ask them how many times they strike out. Many guys I know have been wetsuiting for a long time, but they have more exposure to NY. The MA and RI scene is finally catching on to NY sharpies.

Quite a few guys I know have continued to bank on late October to produce trophy fish and have failed miserably. You gotta learn to change and adapt to whats working and what is not. The only way to do that is time and experience.

I bet if the 2 striper cup surf leaders from this past year fished from waders ONLY, they would still be prime competitors.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by rizzo

I bet if the 2 striper cup surf leaders from this past year fished from waders ONLY, they would still be prime competitors.

Obviously these guys are very, very good fisherman, but I suspect their fish were taken on eels in the rocks. Other than bluefish, the only handicaps to fishing eels are distance and depth. A wetsuit makes both irrelevant. Hence its real advantage and likely a crucial factor in both guy's WELL DESERVED success.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by numbskull

Obviously these guys are very, very good fisherman, but I suspect their fish were taken on eels in the rocks. Other than bluefish, the only handicaps to fishing eels are distance and depth. A wetsuit makes both irrelevant. Hence its real advantage and likely a crucial factor in both guy's WELL DESERVED success.

I know at least one of the guys would tell you the wetsuit helps tremendously. In fact, he busted my chops for the better part of two seasons for not owning one while he was bailing fish. Keep in mind he's an outstanding fisherman without one, but an even more effective fisherman with one. I don't know the other guy real well, but I would sumrise the wetsuit helps his success rate too.

[Flaptail]

What is your opinion of wet suits for beach fishing?

[Tagger]

This seems to be a new thing in the north east ,, wetsuit fishing (swimming to rocks) has been going on for a long time on the west coast .. Maybe this question better asked over there ,,where they have a longer history with it . I think its a good idea as long as the sharks don't bite ya .. your in thier world .

[schererw]

Copy and paste the below hyperlink. It takes you to Paul Melnyk's article on his first "winning" fish via skishing in Montauk that may have helped create the skishing category for some tournaments in Montauk:

http://www.surfrats.com/montauk/view...ghlight=locals