Should "wetsuiting" be its own category of fishing

[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.

[The Dad Fisherman]

For the tourneys at PISC

A Surfcast fish is one Hooked, Fought, and Landed while feet are on the ground.

A Boat fish is one Hooked, Fought, and Landed while feet are in the boat. (this includes kayaks)

in both cases it doesn't matter what you are wearing....

If you catch a fish skishing then its a nice fish and you are more than welcome to come to the banquet and watch the other guys pick up there award.

Granted I'm pretty sure we don't have any members that skish so its not really an issue.....if it ever becomes one then we will discuss what to do.

I could see this being an issue with the Striper Cup though.....because it doesn't fall in either the boat or shore category.

[Joe]

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

[Pete_G]

I have a real hang up with the Flaptail's and Ed B's of the world too. Standing where us shorter surfcasters can't. Walking by me in hip boots while I'm almost swimming in my waders. Maybe we should implement a .8 multiplier for you guys if you were to fish the Striper Cup.

And while we're at it, the heavy set crowd. I'm taking issue with you too. Long after my Korkers give out and I get blown off a rock you're still out there, firmly attached. The extra down pressure is far too great an advantage. There's no way we can consider you to be surfcasting, either.

And the DZ's. FU guys. Standing ankle deep at the most and catching large anyways.

Seriously though, skishing is different and it's a rare sight to see someone even try it in RI or MA, I'm surprised it's even being debated here.

"Wetsuit fishing" is such a broad description that trying to define it is pointless. There's people who wear one simply because they got tired of holes in their waders. Some wear one for safety. Some to fish where they already fish in waders to be more comfortable. Some to go a lot further.

I would add that some of the guys who fished in wetsuits this year would have probably caught the same large fish had they not been in a wetsuit. They're just good fisherman.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

For the tourneys at PISC

A Surfcast fish is one Hooked, Fought, and Landed while feet are on the ground.

A Boat fish is one Hooked, Fought, and Landed while feet are in the boat. (this includes kayaks)

DF,

I agreed with you fully last time we had this discussion and agree now.

Skishing is definitely not surf fishing to me. If you're hooking fish while floating or drifting in the water its more like a boat, IMO.

A wet suit is just another tool. Same as comparing bare feet fishing to using waders. You need to cast, hook,fight, and land from terra firma to be considered surf caught, regardless of what's on your feet.

I've seen guys paddle bait out with kayaks off Race Pt., then go back to shore and hook/land the fish and call it "surf" caught. Baloney. You need all the elements.

Wetsuiting is simply extending the surf boundary a bit, but to me it doesn't need its own category, IMO.

Lots of the guys I know who wetsuit are no better than average surfmen without the wetsuits, but the willingness to take risk/go the extra mile in order to succeed is what sets them apart. Its kind of like anything else in a risk/reward sense.

[Crafty Angler]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

...
by the Way.....Kayaks are Boats.....just like canoes, catamarans, and pontoon boats

And as everyone will agree, B.F.D.C. -

Ya know, I have a couple of spots where a wetsuit would be advisable for comfort considerations given the fact that trying to get off or on at any point beyond half-tide will get ya more than moist - hey, JohnR - do ya remember that spot we fished during The Habs And that was on a FAC night -

I guess from my perspective I've gotta say it's a good way to get yourself in trouble in some instances - ask rickhern about wetsuiting to the rocks on MV. One should never be where one does not belong, as Dylan would say.

I've thought about it and nixed it - for me it's just a way to encourage myself to stay in places when conditions are starting to get too dicey to hang around in waders and at that point it's time for a smart guy to get outta Dodge.

Old Uncle Zeke put it in perspective for me in his inimitable way - the first time he saw me putting my USCG rescue strobe on during a big swell he said "Nice - a body retrieval device"...

Old Zeke is a man of few words. In other words, don't take comfort using equipment that will put ya in spot where you shouldn't be in the first place. That place is up to you to determine.

I guess it's a way of saying wet-suiting is better suited to bullet-proof sub-thirty-somethings than old pharts like me.

Not that there's anything wrong with that - I was young once myself and I've got the scars, busted out teeth and medical dossiers at several different specialists to prove it.

[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..

[emgred]

Originally Posted by flyvice11787

Maybe Paul Melnyk will revive his site and organize some of his rants into a book after that .

FYI

Melnyk just redid his sight.

http://www.surfcasting.com/

[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.....

[flyvice11787]

I knew Melnyk was in the process of doing it. Right now, it has about as much content as the old site, just newer dates.

[Crafty Angler]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

I have a real hang up with the Flaptail's and Ed B's of the world too. Standing where us shorter surfcasters can't. Walking by me in hip boots while I'm almost swimming in my waders. Maybe we should implement a .8 multiplier for you guys if you were to fish the Striper Cup.

And while we're at it, the heavy set crowd. I'm taking issue with you too. Long after my Korkers give out and I get blown off a rock you're still out there, firmly attached. The extra down pressure is far too great an advantage. There's no way we can consider you to be surfcasting, either.

And the DZ's. FU guys. Standing ankle deep at the most and catching large anyways.

Seriously though, skishing is different and it's a rare sight to see someone even try it in RI or MA, I'm surprised it's even being debated here.

"Wetsuit fishing" is such a broad description that trying to define it is pointless. There's people who wear one simply because they got tired of holes in their waders. Some wear one for safety. Some to fish where they already fish in waders to be more comfortable. Some to go a lot further.

I would add that some of the guys who fished in wetsuits this year would have probably caught the same large fish had they not been in a wetsuit. They're just good fisherman.

Pete, the first time I saw you on the Rockpile in a wetsuit I thought there was a Mime Troupe in town -

I mean, I was really taken aback by it

[maddmatt]

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

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

[maddmatt]

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

i have spoken

[slow eddie]

it's just another excuse to walk around in skin tight rubber.
i'm jealous

[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.

[Pt.JudeJoe]

Originally Posted by slow eddie

it's just another excuse to walk around in skin tight rubber.
i'm jealous

uh oh...I hope show tunes aren't coming next!

[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?

[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.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

I haven't ran into this problem yet, and dont expect to in most places where i fish in RI/MA. But Is there much etiquette involved in wet suiting? Similar to the etiquette or lack thereof, that surfers sometimes display by hitting the surf right in front of you. Is there an unwritten rule about not swimming out to a rock in front of where someone is fishing? I would think it would be similar to surfers, cool ones keep their distance and the A-Holes croud you out. There are a couple spots that i like that could be problematic for a more shore bound, ie waders and drytop angler like myself.

[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

[Crafty Angler]

Originally Posted by Pt.JudeJoe

uh oh...I hope show tunes aren't coming next!

Aaaaa coodeesh, Joe - you see thes guys heah wearing rubber sirillyesh...

Then right away, you better va pra casa and make a novena to the Blessed Mother

[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.

[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 .