Need advice for the surf

[matthoff]

I recently moved down to Emerald Isle and I am pretty new to surf fishing. Me and the kids have been having a great time fishing everyday. Things have really been picking up lately. Catching alot of sea mullet, snapper blues, pompano, blowfish and a remora. I need some advice on setups, techniques and bait to get into some bigger fish from the surf. Chopper blues, drums, cobia would all be great. Thanks for the help.

[Drumdum]

Cause I have no clue when it comes to fishin down that way.. I know HERE in Hatteras we are catching all of what you mentioned and then some..

PS Hopefully someone from that area can help ya...

[Washer]

Im still learning the surf myself, so really cant help much. I can say that with all the beach replenishment that has gone on some areas are fairly flat.Check with the guys at the Reel Outdoors should be some good advice there.

Im heading down Wed. night shoot me a pm

[flathead]

Head to the north end,fish the inlet and Fort Macon jetty.Throw Gotchas,red/white,chartreuse/white with gold front treble and single rear feathered trailer or gold rear treble,also Stingsilvers,2 oz,pink/white,green/white and crank fast.Use a standard drum rig with 8/0-13/0 hook,cut those blues in 2-3" chunks,and cast as far into the inlet as you can for the cobes(you'll also catch some of the biggger blues this way).Have one rod with reel loaded with at least 300-350 yards of 20# test,and rigged with a 3-4 oz bucktail,chartreuse/white or even pink/white or chartreuse,watching for rays in the breakers.cast ahead of the rays as cobes are usually following.

[Drumdum]

I had hoped some Emerald Isle folks would chime in,but after re-reading and your pm to me,I see you want to see a set up for big fish,not how to fish a specific area.. DUH..:rolleyes: :p

OK,first you need a rod and reel that will handle the task of a bigger bait,and a heavier sinker,if there is current involved.. Say 9ft plus spinning rod with some "beef" to it and a reel that will hold 250 plus of 17 mono.. OR a conventional set up.. Say 10ft plus rod with "beef" and a reel that will throw without backlashing every cast and will hold the same amount of line..

Next,actually this is very important.. You MUST LEARN knots that will do the job,you can tie fairly easy under all conditions.. Reason is you should have a "shockline" attached to the 17 or 20lb running line you will be using.. The shockline will not only prevent breakoffs when casting but will aid you in landing a big fish in the suds or around the pilings of a pier.. To attach it you can use a variety of knots. I recomend a double line knot tied to the running line then tied into the shock with another knot. Actually a two knot system.. A lot of folks use single knot systems,and they work,but IMO a two knot system is stronger.. There are many sites that show knots that can be used sucessfully for doing this..

Last the terminal tackle>>>

http://pierandsurf.com/photopost/data/500/11915jhooksmall.jpg

This is just one of many hooks that can be used with this. It's a J hook there are also circles. There are many types of each style hook. You will have to experiment and see which works well for you,as with the knots.. As you can see,the hook is snelled with one hundred lb test mono to a swivel,then attached to the shock. On the shockline a swivel and a bead right next to the leader,have been attached. Purpose of the swivel is to slide up the line with the sinker attached. Purpose of the bead is to stop the sinker from riding over the knot during the fight and causing a tangle with other lines. If not fishing in a crowd of people the bead is not necessary.

Hope that helps... Now go catch something..;) :D

[matthoff]

thanks for all the advice guys. After reading the site for a while I knew flathead and drumdum would have some great advice. another question, how long should the shockline be? Heading out again today, hopefully the winds died down.

[malcdncva]

thanks for all the advice guys. After reading the site for a while I knew flathead and drumdum would have some great advice. another question, how long should the shockline be? Heading out again today, hopefully the winds died down.

I'm sure you will get different answers/preferences, but mine is bascially double the distance between the reel seat and the rod tip (or double the rod length, whatever your preference), plus about 5 to 8 wraps around the spool. Oh yeah, most rules of thumb say 10 pounds of test per every ounce of lead you are throwing for the shockline leader.

[FishRung]

malcdncva - exactly right - 8-10 wraps on the reel plus reel to tip plus whatever drop length you feel in control of.