Winter Thread Topic: Surf Safety Tips & Tricks

[Rappin Mikey]

Never turn your back to the water.

[ecduzitgood]

If thunderstorms are forecasted don't stray far from a walled hard roof structure (tents aren't safe), there is no safe place outdoors. Wait atleast 1/2 hour after the storm has passed before going outside.
In order to determine how far off the storm is count how long between the lightning and the thunder and DIVIDE by 5, 10 seconds means 2 miles and a bolt of lightning can travel 10 miles.

[DZ]

This is a good thread – the past season saw two of my friends perish in surf fishing accidents and it weighs heavily on my mind. The way I see it is that surfcasters should learn from close calls – most of the guys who’ve been casting for many years surely have a story or two about getting knocked off a rock. I do and I definitely learned from the experience. Younger neophyte surf casters are more susceptible to making a mistake that could cause injury or death – unfortunately the first mistake could be their last. Couple youth, a wetsuit, and the feeling of invincibility and you increase your chances. And like my good friend Big Ed says, “As soon as you step into the water you’ve added the necessary ingredient to die”.

They call it an accident for a reason – accidents are unpredictable. It’s the things YOU DON’T EXPECT that could kill you. One example is a guy I know that was swimming to a rock in water well over his head. As he’s swimming the braid comes off his reel and tangles his feet and hands immobilizing him so he could not even tread water. He can’t even get to his knife/pliers to cut himself out. If not for a buddy he may have taken his last swim.

Had another friend talk about a good night fishing on a rock but getting blasted by waves on a flood tide which knocked him off his perch into deep water repeatedly. Guy is married and has a family. I’m thinking what the hell are you doing going back on that rock – it’s just a damn fish!

My friend Al Pellini was one of those killed in a surf casting accident this season – hopefully all of you have read the letter his wife Marilyn wrote to On the Water imploring that other surf casters NOT DO what her husband loved to do which was swim to distant rock perches all alone. She and her family are devastated by his death. We don’t know what caused Al’s death – but judging from his over 40 years of surfcasting experience – it was something he didn’t expect.

Just remember - the most important piece of safety equipment is between your shoulders – use it!

DZ

[agsurfr]

This has been a good read. Thanks guys

[piemma]

One more thing and not to piss anyone off but please don't drink before or while you fish. It's just plain stupid. Pop the cork after you are done and you will enjoy it more.
One night long ago I was alone out on the reef at Black Point. There were a couple of characters on Nathans Rock chunking and drinking beers. Long story not so long one of these stooges fell off the deep end of the rock. I ended up grabbing the guy by his hooded sweatshirt as he thrashed by in the current.

Plenty of time to drink once the rods are racked. You need all your wits if you are in the surf.

[Joe]

1) Most surf deaths occur within a day or two of a tropically influenced storm passing offshore and generating a big swell. Snip out those deaths, and you lose about 75% of the fatalities. Don't go on those days.
2) Realize when you are tired your judgement and balance are the first things to go and play it more conservatively. The fisherman who died at Sachuest Point, that accident occurred at 4:00 in the morning. I believe his partner was quoted it was the last spot they were trying before calling it a night.
3) Don't fish with guys who may be insane. Realize, that you will probably be compelled to help them for taking a risk you did not agree with. Or you will foolishly follow them because you don't want to them to think you don't have any balls. Either way, now you're in their s_it even though you knew better.
4) No one has ever been found dead wearing a p.f.d.

[Chubby-Chaser]

Originally Posted by Rappin Mikey

Never turn your back to the water.

I second this, in a nor'easter this fall I found myself turning towards the beach when changing lures, I got knocked down and never saw the wave.

[Fishoholic]

Originally Posted by Joe

4) No one has ever been found dead wearing a p.f.d.

If only this were true

[WoodyCT]

Good judgement IS paramount.

And it is all too easily lost when one has been living the nocturnal life and is stumbling around in the dark in the wee hours.

I recall a night at Block when we were ending a long fish less weekend at North Rip. The tide was screaming east and several off my crew headed out in ankle deep water to see how far they could get. Me, I was so tired I was imagining things, nodding off midcast, and generally out of it. I started to follow them, but soon grew uneasy with the thought of being swept off the bar ala Ben Lubell. I returned to the safety of fish less waters and hoped my buddies would be OK out there. Fortunately they all returned safely.

A bass, even record sized one, is just a fish.

NOT worth it.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[agsurfr]

Jon, that's way the rip at Wasque on Chappy can get. The ferocity of the seas is overwhelming. I tell people, "You wear waders there, but you don't get wet." One wave is at your ankles, the next looks like a moving van steaming at you. The tide screams there. Nothing but absolute, total respect. Having said all that, the fishing can be spectacular.

Keep your wits about you.

[stripermaineiac]

Waders are good to stay dry but it's good to know when not to step in the water in them. Fast currents and shifting sands are a trademark of sand bars.Wear a pfd and leave the waders off. Bring dry clothes an a towel.Several yrs back I lost a couple fishing buddies on the Vineyard when the sand turned to liquid under them at the Tisbury Pond opening.No pfds an waders killed 2 of them.
Be smart enough to stay within your abilities. What is normal to some is risky for others. What some of us hard cores do we've done for yrs and do with experience.But a chance wave can do the best without a pfd.Look what happened to a real good hardcore at the canal.Take it slow and be safe. No point in gettin killed to try to go too far unsafely.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by Fishoholic

If only this were true

I'm not referencing boaters. Sometimes they fall down drunk and break their heads on the gunwale, then go over the side with a fractured skull and a life jacket on.

You know of a surf death where a person was wearing a p.f.d.? I was researching an article on surf rescues and I spent a full day in the morgue of the Narragansett Times reading about all the surf accidents for the last fifty years - I didn't come across any. Must be pretty recent if it did happen.

[Fishoholic]

Originally Posted by Joe

I'm not referencing boaters. Sometimes they fall down drunk and break their heads on the gunwale, then go over the side with a fractured skull and a life jacket on.

You know of a surf death where a person was wearing a p.f.d.? I was researching an article on surf rescues and I spent a full day in the morgue of the Narragansett Times reading about all the surf accidents for the last fifty years - I didn't come across any. Must be pretty recent if it did happen.

No I don't know of any surf fisherman that have died with a pfd on. I do know of some that were on boats. Not saying it never happened, but I agree with your point. I'd bet less than 5% of all surf fisherman wear pfd's all the time. I fish with a lot of guys but might know one. It's just that some places like hazard ave or Beavertail that when it gets really snotty out , I think you'll need a lot more than a pfd to get your ass out of the drink. I'd be curious to see the stats for the whole east coast or US.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

I dont know what it is about wearing a pfd, its not something you see very often at all. Ive only seen one person wearing one, that was during the day time. I have an inflatable, that i wear on occasion at beavertail. It rides in my truck all year and last year i didn't wear it at all. More than once i have thought about getting into a "situation" and having it in my truck. I wouldn't mind seeing a inflatable PFD that fits on the strap of a plug bag being invented. It wouldn't be ideal since it would float all over the place but it would give you something to hold onto if you went for a float.

[agsurfr]

Not sure if this is so or not, but do you all think we consciously or unconsciously equate bigger risk with bigger reward? Does getting out to that distant rock equal more fish or bigger fish?

[stripermaineiac]

Sometimes getting out on the farthest rocks makes all the difference in the world.

[Striper_Haven_03]

In 2 of my fishing spots that are over 1/2 mile walk over rocks/boulder fields I have marked the safest "path" with a small paint brush and dab of forestry "flashlite" paint, which "shines" when hit with a headlamp. Its just a small dab of paint so its tough to see unless your looking for it and know the starting point, which I do. Very helpful on those pitch black nights when fog and/or spray make for difficult to find anything beyond 5 ft in front of you. I do this in the summer while Im out getting mussels and stays pretty visible throughout the fall, although needs to be done every year.

I also carry a "throw bag" in my back-pack which is used in swift water rescue. Its basically a rope and a little bouy that can be tossed 30-40 yards with little effort and "drag" someone in if they are caught in the surf.

[Squid kids Dad]

Abut 3 yrs ago I was out fishing Oregon Beach for blues late afternoon alone....I noticed the fog rolling in of course but was having fun catching blues on every cast..I then turned towards the beach and the fog was so thick I could not see it..I turned around knowing I was facing the beach somewhat and started in..Thankfully I heard voices coming fron the beach and aimed for them..After a while I got to the beach and was about 300 yrds to the left towards the jetty..Safely,,At least the water is fairly shallow there

[Joe]

Originally Posted by agsurfr

Not sure if this is so or not, but do you all think we consciously or unconsciously equate bigger risk with bigger reward? Does getting out to that distant rock equal more fish or bigger fish?

Yes it does.
Those far rocks and inshore reefs are superb fishing spots - that's the allure. Particularly inshore reefs where you have to either wade deep or swim with a wet suit on through a sluice-way way then up onto the reef to fish the steep drop-offs on the seaward side. They are killer spots - literally.
Traditionally, the best boatmen have been the ones that know every rock and can fish these spots in the dark with a swell on. Those no-man's land spots were the bread-and-butter of a lot of very successful rod and reel commercials. However, you needed to be highly skilled at boat-handling to even think about trying such places.
Look at this way: As tragic as it was, if Al Pellini was swimming out to a spot, there's no need to question whether or not it was good spot. Al possessed a vast, multi generational knowledge of the sport and spots that was passed first-hand and undiluted, from the legendary post-war fishermen that were the founders of modern surfcasting in our region. He had that and his own considerable knowledge and personal experience, gleaned from decades of fishing.

[Liv2Fish]

Originally Posted by piemma

One more thing and not to piss anyone off but please don't drink before or while you fish. It's just plain stupid. Pop the cork after you are done and you will enjoy it more.
One night long ago I was alone out on the reef at Black Point. There were a couple of characters on Nathans Rock chunking and drinking beers. Long story not so long one of these stooges fell off the deep end of the rock. I ended up grabbing the guy by his hooded sweatshirt as he thrashed by in the current.

Plenty of time to drink once the rods are racked. You need all your wits if you are in the surf.

X2 - This is a direct result of having a few before fishing at night.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...ing-feels.html

[stripermaineiac]

Squid kids you were very lucky. There's a big hole that forms out there at times that gets to 20ft after a good storm.I've taken a kayak over it and have been less than 50 ft from guys standing waist deep almosy 1/3 mile from shore. it's like barnstable or Monomoy. take a compass. you can't swim in waders plus an incoming tide is a bitch.

[Joe]

I was fishing the one of the breachways one night under a heavy swell, perhaps 50 feet from the end. I wasn't on the end because it was too dangerous. This dude comes bolting down the breachway all excited to have the end to himself. Five minutes later, he's missing. A wave knocked down a crevice and his foot was stuck and he is yelling for help and big rollers were coming in every third set.
He tells me his foot is stuck. I told him to take his waders off he was taken aback, so I yelled at him to take them off right now because we had no time. He got them off, which easy extricated his foot from the crevice and I yanked the waders up, and I pulled him up and got him out. I escorted him back to his car, where soaked and shaken, he profusely thanked me. I got him out of there in less than a minute and just before another roller would have taken me out also and probably broken his leg.
Now, when I encounter a person who does something like that, I warn them that they're on their own if they get wiped out. If they don't listen to the warning (and they never do) I pack up and leave. It's not in my makeup to sit bye and watch someone die or get hurt badly - I know I'd go out to help. But I don't ever again want to be put in the position of getting myself killed over a fool.

[Striper_Haven_03]

Another "safety item" I had an experience with this year, and one that I shared (and got help from) with a member of this site. Met him for the first time under this circumstance.

It was mid- September around 3am and I had just landed a nice bass in the 30lb class. The hook-set was perfect, right corner of the mouth in the "thick" part of the jaw. I grabbed my pliers to remove hook and it was stuck pretty good. I wanted to get the fish back in the water ASAP so I gave the hook a hard and forceful yank, something Ive done 100s of times with no thought. The hook came out and got buried into my thumb up to the shank. I tried to remove it to no avail, it wouldnt even budge. I started the long walk across the boulders to my truck for an early morning ER visit when I noticed someone fishing in a wetsuit fishing about 50 yards away. I asked him if he had cutters, he said no. But had 50lb mono and would pull the hook if I wanted. I never met him before so I was kinda leery but after thinking about an ER visit and missing out on some good fishing I decided to let him do it. Downward pressure on the shank, count to three and a yank the hook was out. Blood squirting everywhere I just taped it with electrical,had a very thankful conversation for about 10 min. with him and I was on my way and caught a few more, although not as big. Thanks again, you know who you are! And for anyone who hasnt tried the mono trick. It works and is pretty painless if done right.

Morale of the story. I now carry a 3' strip of 50lb mono and heavy wire cutters in my back-pack. And I think about what Im doing before I do it, even when its something as "routine" as unhooking a fish.

[basswipe]

I would say this:

If you don't have the confidence that you can fish a particular spot safely then don't fish it.

I say this because as I have become older and have some physical issues that make fishing certain places not really safe for me anymore.Does this limit the amount of quality fish that I can catch?Absolutely but I still manage to whack a decent fish once in awhile and I'm still out there enjoying my time on the water.

[cow tamer]

Wearing Korkers in rocky areas is a good idea, but wearing them doesn't necessarily mean that you won't slip and they can cause you to trip.

If you can't swim, learn or consider taking up another sport.

[DZ]

Originally Posted by Striper_Haven_03

Downward pressure on the shank, count to three and a yank the hook was out. Blood squirting everywhere I just taped it with electrical,had a very thankful conversation for about 10 min. with him and I was on my way and caught a few more, although not as big. Thanks again, you know who you are! And for anyone who hasnt tried the mono trick. It works and is pretty painless if done right.

Morale of the story. I now carry a 3' strip of 50lb mono and heavy wire cutters in my back-pack. And I think about what Im doing before I do it, even when its something as "routine" as unhooking a fish.

Just a word of caution here - similar event happend to me years ago. I thought about doing this but chickened out and went to the ER. Doc told me I was smart not to do it because the hooks barb was caught on a tendon/ligament - would have done permanent damage had I yanked it out.

DZ

[Joe]

I'm with you. My two extractions have been done by guys with medical degrees.

[pbadad]

Originally Posted by WoodyCT

Good judgement IS paramount.

And it is all too easily lost when one has been living the nocturnal life and is stumbling around in the dark in the wee hours.

I recall a night at Block when we were ending a long fish less weekend at North Rip. The tide was screaming east and several off my crew headed out in ankle deep water to see how far they could get. Me, I was so tired I was imagining things, nodding off midcast, and generally out of it. I started to follow them, but soon grew uneasy with the thought of being swept off the bar ala Ben Lubell. I returned to the safety of fish less waters and hoped my buddies would be OK out there. Fortunately they all returned safely.

A bass, even record sized one, is just a fish.

NOT worth it.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Woody I remember the night well. I'm glad I looked at the dissappearing bar when I did. The walk back definitely had everyones' attention!!
Wetsuiting: I advocated through my club articles of the possible dangers lurking into deeper waters. Your gut usually tells you should I or should I not. Use your head and stay close to your buddy.

[chefchris401]

Really good thread here.

Like most guys here I carry two lights, a headlamp and a neck light with a rescue whistle taped to it mounted on surgical tubing.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...s-whistle.html

I lost my hat and headlamp a few years ago while trying to avoid a rogue wave, ducked down between two rocks and the wash broke over me, luckily I had my neck light and was able to make my way back to shore safely.

I always try and fish with at least one other guy, if I do fish alone I will fish the "safer" spots.

Know your limits and stick by them.

When we do swim to a rock or point, we go one at a time, watching the other guy get to the point safely, that way if something was to happen were in a better position for a rescue.

Were in the works of putting a "rescue bag" together for next season. Something light enough where theres no reason not to bring it every trip.

So far the bag includes: small air horn, basic first aid kit, bolt cutters, whistle, roll of electrical tape, and a throw bag.

Hoping to put all the gear in a dry bag or small back pack, then the cell phone in a dry bag in case we need to call serious help.

The two guys I fish with are going to make the same bag so that we all have the same rescue gear, so no matter what happens we will always have at least one full kit.

The other things I always do are text the girlfriend where I am, a lot of times plans change at the last minute and you end up somewhere else, even though shes sleeping at least theres a time line of where i was last if something was to happen.

Be safe, its been said before but "its just a fish"

[ivanputski]

There was night this season that I found myself headed out to a dangerous spot requiring a swim in very rough seas... I had a bad, uneasy feeling before I even left the house, and it only grew, since I knew that with very big water, I had NO business going where I was going alone. Something just pushed me to go, as if I had no choice. I knew there would be fish there... I fished for 20 minutes, stuck 2 nice fish, but I swear that to this day, I have never actually felt a presence of near death like I did that night. it felt like the grim reaper was casting a snag hook right by my head... It was a VERY stupid place to be, in huge surf, completely alone... We all say "listen to the voice in your head"... But sometimes we dont...