Spot burning and surf etiquette

[choggieman]

Keep you use of your light to a minimum and try to never flash it in the water.

[lurch]

Regarding equipment: You get what you pay for! The 29.99 combo will be broken by the end of the night save your money and buy your self a decent combo. 150$ for a combo is not expensive.

[JohnR]

Show respect. Respect for the fish, respect for the environment, respect for local residents, and respect from your fellow anglers.

Surfasting has a learning curve (or reverse cliff for most - me included). It is a rare individual that lucks across a trophy bass in their first season.

Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth mostly closed.

Walk out with more than you walked in with.

Join a club!!!!!! Joining a good fishing club, be it a Weekapaug, MSBA, RISAA, Newport, CT, Salties, or Gansett. You will learn etiquette better and quicker, have an eye opening to what goes on behind the scenes. Gain comraderie, insight, and might get a couple people to point you in the right direction.

Enjoy fishing for more than just a tight line.

Show respect....

[choggieman]

johnr you could write the article your self!
makomike, if you get all your info for the artcile from s-b, why not make it an s-b backed (publicly) write up and maybe donate some of the money from the article back to s-b.com?

[Strider]

You don't step on bass to remove hooks and then kick them back into the water. If you can't hold a fish and remove the hooks, then get a lip lock device. Bottom line, respect the fishery.

[bloocrab]

"Don't even take up fishing, it's already over-crowded and over-rated"....


Drink Beer, it costs less -

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by bloocrab

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Drink Beer, it costs less -

Golf is the other 4 letter sport and its easier on the wallett and the marriage...

Choggie - I have thought of it in the past. But that is also part of the mission statement here at S-B. To allow fishers to become better anglers, more involved and more aware, and to give back to the fishing community....

I think MakoMike would be writing for another site

[striprman]

Get offa my rock

[tattoobob]

Tell them to take up golf or bowling

[chipwood]

I've seen so many guys fishing I've never seen before out there. This time of year brings 'em out anyway. There's always been magazines or books telling guys where to go and they'll always be guys or gals writing to make a buck. But being on the web I see so many guys looking for clues and spots and what to use, it's pretty unbeleivable. That's what happens with all the modes of communication and information. What ever happened to going out there and learning the hard way. Everyone wants instant gratification. It took me years before I was able to learn spots when I was younger. Meeting the right person on the water or just getting lucky and finally figuring things out. When I see guys spouting on the web or guys writing specifics in a magazine to make themselves look like they're some kind of master fisherman makes me sick. What about all those guys who've spent years learning to catch fish with their mouths shut. I'm not gonna discourage anyone from fishing because over time the people who fish to be trendy will fall to the wayside and the guys who really enjoy and respect the water will keep at it. As a person whose passionate about fishing there's a time to open your mouth and there's also a time to keep it shut.

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by choggieman

johnr you could write the article your self!
makomike, if you get all your info for the artcile from s-b, why not make it an s-b backed (publicly) write up and maybe donate some of the money from the article back to s-b.com?

It depends on where its published, a lot of the magazines, except for the fisherman, have their own web site and would probably frown on mentionig a competitor. The money ain't great, but if enough magazines pick it up, I will give some $$ to S-B.com.

John, I intend to queery more than just Nor'east on this, so it may appear in several places, including one of the nationals.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

If you show up to a place where people are pluggin take your bait bucket about a hundred yards away. We dont cast just straight out in front. And at the canal, realize that stuff tends to drift with the current, like my eels, and they drift pretty far so once again keep moving. Lastly, n matter how bad the urge if the fish start biting infront of one angler dont do the mad dash and crowd it up, just wait and they will likely head towards you and if they dont, you know I FEEL.

[labrax]

I'd say go over:

1) How to handle the fish that they are most likely to run across like stripers and blues. You can grab a bluefish behind the head to hold it - don't need to step on it. Put fish back in the water - don't throw them back in the water from any height.

2) Don't keep the fish out of the water for prolonged period of time. I have seen more than a few people on the Merrimack with obviously short fish drag the fish up through the soft sand to their bag so they can root around for a tape measure. Inevitably the fish ends up belly up.

3) If fishing from jetty - have an idea where you are going to land the fish, so you aren't banging it off the rocks up to you and if you do go close to the water you have a decent place to stand.

4) Know the regulations for your state, or the state you are fishing. Higrading fish is not legal - keeping them on a stringer in the hopes that you will catch a bigger one.

5) Don't litter - not just bait containers, but also mono - don't toss mono on the beach or in the water.

6) Don't crowd other anglers - give them some space.

7) Maybe add something about conservation. Catch and release as an option. That the older larger fish are almost always females and that they are more fecund than the smaller fish. If you don't intend to eat it - then why not consider putting it back. Also, for someone new to fishing - tell them about using proper gear to do the job. While you can catch fish on light gear - why not wait until you have more experience playing and landing fish. Get an outfit that will do the job, not overly heavy, but good enough to land a decent fish - don't want to bring a knife to a gunfight.

My $0.02

Pete

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Join a club!!!!!! Joining a good fishing club, be it a Weekapaug, MSBA, RISAA, Newport, CT, Salties, or Gansett. You will learn etiquette better and quicker, have an eye opening to what goes on behind the scenes. Gain comraderie, insight, and might get a couple people to point you in the right direction.

BEST Piece of Advice I've ever gotten here.....just finishing up my second year w/ the Plum Island Surfcasters and have met more great people and learned more than I could have ever learned on my own.

[SeaWolf]

[QUOTE=JohnR]Join a club!!!!!! Joining a good fishing club, be it a Weekapaug, MSBA, RISAA, Newport, CT, Salties, or Gansett. You will learn etiquette better and quicker, have an eye opening to what goes on behind the scenes. Gain comraderie, insight, and might get a couple people to point you in the right direction.QUOTE]

johnr, excellent point, but to go one step further, GET INVOLVED IN THAT CLUB! anyone can join a club and be a "member". sure, you learn some things from other anglers, but there's more to it than that. many clubs have committees and are always looking for new blood, ideas, and especially help! so, again, get involved! those of you in risaa, did you know risaa has about 2 dozen committees?

all of us fall under one label, "fisherman". (this can be used in your article makomike). whether you are a wetsuiter, kayaker, fly fisherman, guide, captain, "weekend warrior", scupper on wet rocks, whatever, those people and groups that fight against "us" look at us as one label, fishermen. numbers speak volumes, but money can beat numbers. clubs need your volunteerism. so, dont just join, get involved!

i'll try and add more later, busy now. this subject could easily be broken up into several part in different months. or, one summary.

[Surfrat666]

1) The first people to a spot establish the front line...if you want to wetsuit the outer rocks, better get there before anyone else.

2) If someone is unhooking a fish, do not step into their spot while they're out of the water...may seem obvious, but I've seen it time and time again.

3) DON'T kick fish back into the water...I hate seeing that

4) Match the technique...If everyone on a strong rip is throwing bucktails, showing up to throw eels or a slow retrieve swimmer (or worse yet a chunk) is guaranteed to get you tangled with everyone and pi$$ people off.

5) Take out everything you bring with you and it never hurts to pick up an extra piece of garbage on the way back to the truck...if everyone did this, there wouldn't be anything on the beach.

6) Take a kid fishing

Tight lines

[crash]

1. If I bring you fishing, don't set up right next to me, I like my elbow room. Viloate my space and you will go swimming.
2. Hook the fish, not me. If you do hook me I get to keep the plug. And you will go swimming.
3. If you go with me in my boat, bring lunch, or you will go swimming.

[Pete_G]

In regards to: "1) The first people to a spot establish the front line...if you want to wetsuit the outer rocks, better get there before anyone else."

The one time this doesn't count is when someone shows up at a spot while I'm suiting up with my rod leaning against my truck, eyeballs me, grab's his surf rod, doesn't even put on waders, and runs to the point to beat me there. I really should have just walked right on past his tennis shoe on black rocks wearing ass.

That really ticked me off and most days I would have walked on by. Luckily he disapeared 10 minutes later when the sun set and I went on out to where I wanted to be, but it still irritated me.