Sharpie Secrets - Real secrets? Or plain common sense?

[Karl F]

The ability to read water, senses are fine tuned... can see, smell, and understand what will work, and what won't... without running through the plug bag first. Can tell what fish are there, bait,etc., what to throw, right off. If nothing, moves on quick. Often can tell where to go next, from reading the first stop.
A. and B. yep.

[Saltheart]

Head in the game all the time. No plug in the water and mind lost in space.

[likwid]

luck.

[RIJIMMY]

Keeping it simple, you don't need 1000 plugs in your bag.
Also, if what you're using is not producing, change lures. I consider my Dad a sharpie and he's told me of dozens of times he would be nailing fish, guys next to him would be pluggin harder and faster and getting nothing. Thye never changed their lure. Common sense and oberservation

[Back Beach]

All of the above, plus they fish alot. I've seen even average skilled fishermen who fish quite frequently that can outproduce so called sharpies who fish a little. In my case, I caught a lot of fish in my earlier days, especially real big fish, but had only a fraction of the wisdom I posess now. The problem now is the available time to fish is minimal. You become sharp by being there alot, which develops your ability to anticipate things the average guy cannot. It is more commonly referred to as having the "edge."

[Fisherwoman]

Back Beach has that right about being on the water more. You do have an edge over the average fisherman or fisherwoman who can't get out there as much.

One other thing that helps me is totally concentrating on whats happening out there, wind, tide, movement on the water, anything differnet from the norm. Most people just don;t pay attention.

One other thing you need to do is think about how the fish is seeing your presentation under water, not just the way you are looking at it. this will increase your odds tremediously.

As I say alot, shut up and fish!!!!!!

[Fish On]

I'm not a sharpie.....yet, but I think that another advantage would be in location. The locations that they choose are more productive than what a lesser expert might choose.

[eelman]

Some people just have "it" I have no idea what it is but they have it.

Other people who are succesfull know there locales intimatly, Just as Piemma said. They also know winds and tide and even how the wind affects tide in the spot they are fishing, which wind and tide combo produce white water on the structure ther fishing..etc... Some people have that ability to just look at a beach they have never seen before and know exactly where to fish.

Good fisherman never rely on fishing reports from magizines or the paper, they know this info is enflamed and usually a week or more old. Good fisherman create there own success! Sharpies keep logs and watch patterns develop over the years and can almost pinpoint when fish should be at point A or B . They know for instance that such and such a hole has fish usually on the new moon in june etc..or between certain dates.


They dont fish with junk! all there equipment is top notch and always ready for a trophy, they change line aften, check knots, sharpen hooks etc.. Sharpies know when to walk away form school bass, they dont stay in a dead place to long, they move, they have considered every possible thing that can go wrong and try to be ready for any situation, As john said they dont make fishing a social hour, they talk but they are always fishng and aware of whats going on. Save the social hour for a club meeting. They find fish if there not here they hop on a boat and hit an island or they drive to the cape or rhody or wherever else......They take the good with the bad.They dont blame lack of this or lack of that or the moon or the wind or anything else for not getting fish, they just accept that its "fishing" and not catching.

A sharpie catches fish consitantly, the occsionall big fish does not a sharpie make but catching on a regular basis means he or she is doing something right.

Common sense? yes but, you have to give a good angler his due, surf fishing is hard, long hours, tons of time on the water and a way of life...There are sharpies and it takes years to become that.

Surf fishing to me was never casual, Its different from any other fishing there is, its not a lazy day on a bass boat tossing shiners to largemouth in the lillypads.I have no problem with the weekend warrior but that guy will never become a sharpie or have the success they look for, its a special kind of fishing and it should be because its a special kind of fish

[piemma]

Great post, Bill. Fishing is not what we do, it's part of who we are.

[Sweetwater]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

Some people just have "it" I have no idea what it is but they have it.

I agree. I don't know what that "it" is either. I do a lot of surfcasting with the same group of 5 or 6 guys. Virtually every trip, the same guy(s) will outfish the other guys. Same water, same time, same lures/bait. But every time the same guy (or guys) will always out fish the others.

I consider a couple of them to be "sharpies" or "near-sharpies." I'm probably in the middle of the pack somewhere. But the guys who catch the most fish seem to have the following traits.

- they concentrate on what they're doing
- they know how to use their gear and tackle (i.e., present a needle fish differently than a mambo or a danny)
- they keep their lines in the water a high percent of the time
- they cast far (if needed) and pick their water well (tide moving across a sand bar)
- they are willing to pound the sand and move up and down the beach as needed
- they don't waste time and have an idea of what they're going to do when they hit the beach (and tackle is organized).

But most of all...they have "IT"

As a side note, I've done a lot of boat fishing with these guys, and even trolling two rods identically, the side of the boat they are standing on always seems to get the most take downs. It must be something genetic.

[piemma]

I don't consider myself a "sharpie" I do consider myself a good surf fisherman and I catch a lot of fish. There are no secrets that I can share but there are a couple of things that I do that have helped me.

I know the water I fish. I have studied the places I go and I know exactly what tide and wind I need to be successful at any given spot so I don't go to a low tide SW wind spot when the tide is on the way up and the wind is NE.

I sharpen all my hooks all the time.

I do little things like after I tie an Improved Clinch knot, I always throw an overhand knot on just in case...

I always strip back about 10 yards of line everytime I fish. There are always nicks.

I fish plugs, eels, rigged and live, sloooooowly. I read someone said that they do a 10 count for every revolution of the reel handle. I do also. Try it sometime. You will not believe how slow it really is.

Lastly and most important if you fish rocky places, always pick where you will land a fish before you start fishing. More good fish are lost because guys don't have a place to land a fish. All IMO