Should "wetsuiting" be its own category of fishing

[flyvice11787]

DJ, are you wearing a 5mm one piece suit, or a farmer john, which may be slightly warmer?

[numbskull]

I used a 5mm full henderson suit, under armor cold gear beneath (top and bottom), a wool hat and a windproof top this fall (on the upper cape). Can't say I recall being warm or comfortable. Wetsuits are a useful tool, but you are still wet in them and when it gets cold and windy you will struggle to stay warm when wet....at least at my age.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by numbskull

I used a 5mm full henderson suit, under armor cold gear beneath (top and bottom), a wool hat and a windproof top this fall (on the upper cape). Can't say I recall being warm or comfortable. Wetsuits are a useful tool, but you are still wet in them and when it gets cold and windy you will struggle to stay warm when wet....at least at my age.

Don't feel bad, George. The young guys get cold too....that why I got a 7/5 suit. In the off season I suggest you do some acclimatization training with us. Next year you’ll be at the head of the pack...don't worry about the "cashew" jokes either, its all in good fun.

[shadow]

IMO wetsuit are great for certain fishing situations yet have not replaced my need for waders.To me they are a pain to get on and off,I feel fatigue much sooner when casting for long periods with a w/s verses when wearing waders
also when wearing a suit and not getting in the water much because of big surf or what ever I have gotten very itchy.Also like numbskull come a cold night in late oct I am cold even with my 5/7 and a dry top not to mention having to get undressed in the parking lot.If I need a wetsuit I will grab it,if I can get away w/ waders then thats what I will grab first.

[steve]

I've fished in a wet suit on and off(no pun) for about 20 years now and started using them way back then when no-one ,save for Montauker's, used them for surf fishing in RI. I originally bought my fisrt suit based on the recommendation of a RI surf fisherman friend who was a transplanted New Yorker who routinely fished Montauk. He talked me in to getting one which I did and found it to be invaluable for fishing(comfortably) some surf spots were I always ended up getting wet when I fished them with waders.I also used it to swim to so "off-shore" spots which were unaccessable to wader fishermen. I did OK in the wet suit but can"t say it was that much more productive than "regular" surf casting in waders or hip boots and splash pants. Although I didn't really "push the envolope" like some do. It was safer though and easy to pee. It was kind ofa pain to get on and off. All and all, I think every surfcaster should try it and really don't think there should be a separate division for such fishing.

[steve]

Oh, by the way, one of the best surfcasters that I've had the pleasure to know and to fish with never wore a wet suit , rarely wears waders and does all of his surf fishing wearing hip boots with golf spikes, Grundens splash pants and a waterproof surf top of varying weights depending on the season. He has 3, 50 pound bass and one 60 to his credit over the years. Like some one mentioned in this thread, a good fisherman is a good fisherman no matter what he wears. Also, wearing the hip boot/splash pant combo is very comfortable and not as restrictive or limiting as you may think. I probably do 85 % of my surfcasting in this outfit and don't believe I am "missing out" on any action.

[DZ]

Good thread Frank - I've used both methods over the years and here are my thoughts. It's a blurry line between "traditional" surfcasting (with waders) and those who fish with a wetsuit. IF you're "swimming" a considerable distance to a perch with a suit then you're pushing the definition of surfcasting - it might still be surfcasting but in my book I'd have to place an asterisk next to the term "surfcasting*". Conversely I'd still consider it traditional surfcasting if your wetsuit is primarily a way of giving you some more time on a rock or bar when you'd otherwise be filling your chest highs with green water. I had a conversation with a very good surf fisherman recently who was talking about how good the fishing has been the last few years - at the end I asked him the following question: How many of your large bass would you have taken this past season if you had to wear waders only? His answer - none. My point - many surfcasters think that fishing for big bass in the surf has been pretty good and some may even say that this year was the best year they've ever had - but many of them have really expanded their horizons by "swimming" to areas normally in the domain of boats (in some areas swimming up to 100 yards offshore in water depths over 15 feet) - I label these guys as "Wanna be a boat". In many cases when they tell me how good the fishing may have been I know I have to discount it because a traditional wader clad fishermen simply has no shot at the fish they are catching - "e.g." "Surfcasting*"

Use of wetsuits is here to stay and becoming more popular each season. What I see happening is that many of those new to surfcasting are going directly to a wetsuit. When they do this many tend to always want to get out to deeper water and while doing so swim right through the shallower areas where bass normally could be. I'm fine with this as long as these guys don't swim through this "skinny water" while I'm actively fishing.
But by not starting out with waders these new casters haven't learned the "when's, why's and where's" of a large part of the striped bass puzzle - fishing the shallow littoral zone(the region or zone between the limits of high and low tides).

DZ

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by DZ

I had a conversation with a very good surf fisherman recently who was talking about how good the fishing has been the last few years - at the end I asked him the following question: How many of your large bass would you have taken this past season if you had to wear waders only? His answer - none. My point - many surfcasters think that fishing for big bass in the surf has been pretty good and some may even say that this year was the best year they've ever had - but many of them have really expanded their horizons by "swimming" to areas normally in the domain of boats
DZ

I think the inconsistency of summer fishing is driving this a bit too. Spring and fall traditionally have more large fish closer to shore than late july and most of august. There are obviously exceptions.

I think wetsuiting in the summer while fish are taking up residence in certain locales is a good way to fill the "lull" that we sometimes experience.

My last point is although some guys did real well on a year when surf fishing was believed to be so-so, its only one season and could be totally different next year. Last year (2007) the wetsuit crowd didn't produce many notable fish in comparison to the wader crew. 2008 had some outstanding catches made, and I think it glorified wetsuiting to a level it may or may not deserve.

Next year there may be more people doing it, thus more fish may be taken via wetsuit. It may prove to be the increased number of people wetsuiting and not a greater availability of fish that skew the numbers.

If everyone suddenly begins to fish with rebels and excludes every other method, then rebels may get an undue amount of credit simply due to the fact everyone is using them. Wetsuits seem to be taking the same line.

[spence]

To date, the biggest thing keeping me from a wetsuit has been my weight. Being famous, I often have a lot of paparazzi hanging about ,and the thought of a candid with that belly bulging in a dark mass neoprene is simply not acceptable.

Now that I'm svelte, trim and otherwise incredibly handsome this issue doesn't present the same downside that it once did.

I doubt I'd take a serious swim, but a number of the places I like to fish are nearly impossible to access near high tide. I may look for a good deal online.

-spence

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by spence

To date, the biggest thing keeping me from a wetsuit has been my weight. Being famous, I often have a lot of paparazzi hanging about ,-spence

Just get one without a hood if you're worried about the size of your head...

[steve]

Dennis, You bring up some interesting , almost discouraging points. I guess that's not only a perception that the "bass are just out of casting range", that is for the wader clad surfcaster!

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by steve

Oh, by the way, one of the best surfcasters that I've had the pleasure to know and to fish with never wore a wet suit , rarely wears waders and does all of his surf fishing wearing hip boots with golf spikes, Grundens splash pants and a waterproof surf top of varying weights depending on the season. He has 3, 50 pound bass and one 60 to his credit over the years. Like some one mentioned in this thread, a good fisherman is a good fisherman no matter what he wears. Also, wearing the hip boot/splash pant combo is very comfortable and not as restrictive or limiting as you may think. I probably do 85 % of my surfcasting in this outfit and don't believe I am "missing out" on any action.

Good points. Prior to this year I was never convinced the wetsuit guys as a whole caught any more fish than the non, and I'm still not convinced.

I did finally get one due to the fact a guy I fish with regularly did real well with the suit this year. We were getting fewer opportunities to fish together as I wasn't too excited about wetsuiting and we always took roughly the same amount of fish using different strategies..he in wetsuit and me in waders.

This year was more lopsided between us for a couple months, so I got the suit and tried it out. My take is still the same, though, as its the angler and not the suit that makes the difference.
If you structure your fishing approach around the wetsuit, then it makes sense all of your fish will come via wetsuit fishing. Same goes for wader fishing.

[DJ Muller]

Originally Posted by numbskull

I used a 5mm full henderson suit, under armor cold gear beneath (top and bottom), a wool hat and a windproof top this fall (on the upper cape). Can't say I recall being warm or comfortable. Wetsuits are a useful tool, but you are still wet in them and when it gets cold and windy you will struggle to stay warm when wet....at least at my age.

George-
Did you submerse while wearing the suit? The wetsuit keeps you warm when the water trapped between you and the neoprene heats up. If there was no water inside-the suit would not work effectively.

What were the water and air temps this fall? I want to compare situations.

[numbskull]

Yeah, I got wet in it. Temps would have been in the 40's, water mid 50's, wind @15, several nights it rained. I did feel I suffered excessive heat loss through my feet (3mm socks over Simms wet wading socks and in lace up wading boots) and hands, and around my neck. Insulating those spots better may have helped core temps. I'm also 50+ years old, lightly built, and not very well insulated in general (bigger bodies hold heat better). I found it very comfortable in late August and Sept. I thought the under armor cold gear was a mistake (expensive and too constricting when combined with the wetsuit even though it definitely helped warmth wise....maybe I should have bought a larger size). By mid Oct I was back to dreaming about drysuits. I'm worried about using it in May/early June....but I do think it will help my fishing.....God knows I need something.

As an interesting side note, when casting in waders, a dry top, and fleece with a small bag over my shoulder, I'd often develop mid back pain during slow retrieves. With the wet suit this didn't happen. I think the friction between the fleece and the wader/top is a factor. The support a wet suit offers is also a benefit.

[DJ Muller]

Originally Posted by flyvice11787

DJ, are you wearing a 5mm one piece suit, or a farmer john, which may be slightly warmer?

fly-one piece I run warm so the cold isn't a big obsticle for me, that said I try to prep myself according to air and water temperatures. My buddy on Cutty this year suggested wearing (or at least carrying with you) a "hoody" (a 3mil. hood vest) that you can throw on and give you added protection when the the night winds blow cold.