I would like to announce that I have opened up my 2021 dates for Summer Fluke/ Flounder Surf Fishing Guided Trips on Long Beach Island N.J. >> *Daily starting 6/1/21 and running until 9/6/21 The last few seasons the fishing has been great and I expect that to continue this year and I’m really looking forward to hitting the beach again with everyone. I will once again be providing all tackle, bait and gear needed for a fun day fishing on beautiful LBI. *I would suggest if you are interested in joining me to Book as-soon-as-possible as I expect it to be another busy season with prime dates/days going fast. You can contact me for more information via email at [email protected] – Cell # 609-276-6983 or Direct Message me on my FaceBook and Instagram pages. Thank You,, Steve George / Nightstrikes Surfcasting Guide Svc. LLC
The all new Shimano Vanford Reels are Shimano’s light tackle spinning reel for finesse fishing applications. It was born from its predecessor the Shimano Stradic CI4, which was a great reel in its time. The Shimano Vanford is everything and much more!
Here’s some of the great advancements, Shimano Flagship Technologies that put the Shimano Vanford Reels at the top as one of the best light tackle spinning reels.
Vanford’s Carbon Body & MGL Rotor
In your hand the CI4 carbon body and MGL Magnum Lite Rotor offer a feather light feel. The MGL rotor is significantly lighter and has 48% less rotational inertia which stands out with a touch of the handle.
To slow down and stop fast racing fish the 3000, 4000 & 5000 models have Shimano’s Cross Carbon Drag System. The smaller sizes (500-2500) have felt drags.
Vanford’s Micro Module Hagane Gearing
The Vanford has Shimano’s Hagane (cold forged) gear for durability. The gears features Shimano’s Micro Module Gearing. This new advanced gearing has smaller and more gear teeth for seamless engagement, power and the ultimate free functioning “smooth as butter” feel.
Shimano Vanford Reels have Silent Drive which highlights their ability to use precise tolerances so the reel has no internal play. Its worm gear driven oscillation system with Long Stroke Spooling gives a beautiful line lay and smooth operation even under load. The improved line lay also offers better casting distance.
Vanford’s X-Protect
X-Protect offers durability and water resistance without sacrifice. Shimano’s use of labyrinths offer water resistance protection like a seal BUT with the ultimate smooth and free turning performance.
Shimano Vanford Reels
Light tackle saltwater anglers will appreciate the advancements Shimano has made taking the Stradic CI4 series to another level with the all new Vanford. Here in our local NJ waters this reel is an amazing choice for backwater fishing lures and small jigs. Great choice for fluke, weakfish and striped bass.
Striped Bass Circle Hook Regulation & Implementation
I held off posting my circle hook blog in hopes Wednesday’s (Feb 3rd) Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board (SBB) Meeting would have clarified major concerns raised by recreational anglers in regards to the new circle hook mandates.
This striped bass was caught aboard Fish Head Charters on a live bunker fished on a circle hook. Circle hooks drastically reduce the rate of deep/gut hooks when striped bass fishing with natural baits.
After listening to the entire 5 hours and 15 minutes meeting, I’m disappointed to share that there was no outcome. Literally what started and could have ended in short fashion went ‘Round In Circles! Yes I get it, parliamentary procedure via Robert’s Rules Of Order must be followed. But there had to be a better way. All 280 in attendance (for the most part) went unheard and unanswered. Why? Because public comment was cut out due to time constraints.
What was done? They created a new ad hoc committee (created for a particular purpose) established to develop a definition of “BAIT” that would require the use of circle hooks and method of fishing that would require the use of circle hooks and how to handle incidental catch. The committee will report back to the SBB at a special meeting in early March, hopefully sooner in. This group will clarify for the States the intent of the circle hook provision. Maybe this is and will be the better way? I sure hope so.
So we wait until then for clarification.
Updated Block of Info (March 16, 2021) The ASMFC approved guidance for state implementation of circle hook measures for the recreational fishery, “Circle hooks are required when fishing for striped bass with bait, which is defined as any marine or aquatic organism live or dead, whole or parts thereof. This shall not apply to any artificial lure with bait attached.”Here’s more information on the meeting.
If you didn’t know… yes the rules are set!
2021 Circle Hook Regulations For Striped Bass Fishing With Bait In NJ
Are You Fishing For Striped Bass With Baits? If so you must fish an in-line circle hook. J-hooks are prohibited when bait fishing for striped bass. Snag and drop fishing with weighed treble hooks is history!
For New Jersey Anglers – Circle Hook Regulation As Per NJDEP In-line (non-offset) circle hooks must be used when fishing for striped bass with natural bait in all state waters.
Effective January 1, 2021
This new regulation is Part Two of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) management plan which started in 2020 with cuts to the Striped Bass bag limit and minimum size. It’s purpose is to decrease release mortality.
So What Are The Major Concerns?
Long story short, recreation anglers do not want new regulations to destroy historically productive and sustainable fishing methods.
There’s a very specific style of fishing that this new circle hook mandate was intended to regulate… Stadic Fishing to prevent gut hooking events. Anecdotal evidence from many experienced anglers up and down the “Striper Coast” all agree, when natural baits (fresh or live) are dead sticked for striped bass with traditional J-hooks, deep hooking or gut hooking is highly likely. However, with inline circle hooks these risks are almost eliminated.
On the other hand with Active Fishing, when anglers engage in trolling or fishing with rod in hand (cast and retrieve), fishing a J-hooks is different and poses little risk to fish with regards to deep hook or gut hook situations. Anglers trolling tube and worm rigs, jigs tipped with a pork rind strip or a surfcaster swimming an eel skin lure rarely if ever gut hook striped bass. These new rules punish some classic and sustainable approaches to striped bass fishing.
This striped bass was caught aboard Fish Head Charters actively fishing a bucktail.
A LOT of time was spent presenting the tube and worm fishery’s case but little to no time was spent discussing the topic of incidental catch. I already know the situation here on the Jersey Shore with surfcasters fishing fresh mullet on mullet rigs come fall. While these rigs are made for bluefish and the angler intent is to target bluefish, striped bass and fluke are occasionally caught. Do these striped bass have to be released? If not addressed this debate will rear its head time and time again. Another common incidental is spring clamming for black drum in the bay. For this reason I was very happy to see the last minute addition of incidentals to the motion for the new committee to address.
Diving In Deeper
The clear oversight is obvious when looking back at the last ASMFC meeting (10/21/20) when the coast-wide circle hook mandate first released. One, a lack of comprehensive knowledge of the striped bass fisheries methods of fishing. Two, a poor definition of bait. Due to this each state moved forward with their interpretation which varied from state to state. Some states like Maine and Massachusetts asked for exemptions in order to save their classic and popular modes of fishing, tube and worm.
What is the definition of “BAIT”?
Maryland has published, BAIT is “any item that emits an odor or scent such as worms, minnows, crayfish, insects, and food items. The addition of any scent to an artificial lure or fly to make it smell like bait, makes it bait.” That’s very broad reaching!
Here in New Jersey, the state spells out “natural baits” and separately released their interpretation… “Natural bait is anything whole, living or dead organisms (animal or plant) or parts thereof.” Thankfully artificials/synthetics like plastisol grubs/shads/eel (imitations), Gulp and Jig Strips among others are not considered natural bait.
This gets hairy!
Again no pun intended and very concerning. Natural hairs and hackles/feathers are a mainstay in the fishing tackle world, dating back to the 13 century!
Striped bass love to eat flies and it’s a blast catching ’em with this mode of fishing. Could lures like flies that feature natural hairs be in jeopardy?
In Conclusion
As one can see due to the ambiguous nature of the law there’s a lot that can be discussed, debated and extrapolated. The bottom line is, there must be clarification and it must be done soon. We all need to embrace the new laws and work together as a unified Striper Coast to safeguard striped bass.
Windmills are coming to Long Beach Island and the surrounding areas in NJ. This should not be ground breaking news.
Hot off the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Zoom meeting I figured it was right to share my feelings of the situation. This is not to detail the entire situation, project or debate fine points. There’s lots of information available with some simple searches on Google. I encourage all to do it and read up on things. Might want to start here… AtlanticShoresWind.com
The Jan 28th Recreation Fishing Meeting And Listening Session was the second of its type. It started off bumpy with tech trouble but then took off and was really good. I don’t think it could of went any better. Why? Some great public comments were made and Atlantic Shore (AS) was listening.
This is a photoshopped image modified and give a possible hint at what the windmills off Long Beach Island could look like.
The Atlantic Shore Lease is located approximately 9 to 20 miles off the New Jersey coast, between Barnegat Light and Atlantic City, encompassing approximately 183,000 acres.
Offshore Wind Farm Key Concerns:
The reason for the meeting was to list out the concerns and hear public comment/concerns from the recreational fishing community with regards to the Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) and the AS lease site. Here’s the list that was presented…
EMF
Habitat
Transit Lanes
AIS
Radar Clutter
Access
Cable Burial
Anchoring
EMF – Electro-Magnetic Fields
This is the hottest and most debatable topic and needs its own individual meeting(s). The quick and dirty… Some species of fish like flounder and sharks are affected by the EMF from the cables. The “Flounder Fence” issue is very concerning and possibly detrimental to NJ’s fisheries.
There will be a large network of cables, more on them below. There’s talk that an EMF study is being finalized but so is the plans of the OWF project. Seems like someone is putting the cart before the horse. Also there is major concern that information from the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF) will be used to speculate about the AS lease site and project. The five wind turbines at the Block island Wind Farm are totally different than hundreds of turbines off the Central Jersey Coast. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.
Habitat
Areas were discussed and shown on a chart detailing the lease site and sensitive areas that were brought to the attention of AS by recreational and commercial fishermen. Most of the areas detailed were at the southern area of the site off of Atlantic City.
There was positive discussion about building structure around the base of each foundation to both protect from erosion and also help build a habitat to hold fish. I hope more discussions develops on this topic as it could help anglers. Possibly we could ask (who knows what they will give us) for a few (if not all) special locations which would have extra high rock piles 10-20″ tall, maybe some piling of clean construction materials (concrete) to help build small or large artificial reefs throughout the lease site.
Effect On Existing Artificial Reefs
Good news for anglers, “The Lease Area and export cable routes are planned to avoid artificial reefs and wreck sites. These artificial reefs will also be avoided during construction and maintenance of the project. If new artificial reef locations are established, these will also be included in our project design planning.”
Transit Lanes
For transiting vessels the offshore wind turbines will be placed in a uniformed grid layout that has transit corridors of no less than 1 nautical mile. The number of wind turbines and their distance between individual ones is still not known. These rows allow for safe transit of all marine traffic and will take into account existing vessel traffic patterns and hopefully will take into account recreational fishing vessels heading offshore to the deep.
A major concern to sport fishing vessels out of Barnegat Inlet would be heading to the Spencer Canyon or any waters to its south. If there isn’t a transit lane offshore sport fishing vessels will be dealing with an excessive route. Unfortunately Beach Haven Inlet vessels they will have a much harder time choosing a route with minimal detours heading to the Baltimore or any waters all the way up to the MudHole. Obviously there will be a way to get through BUT, this is an area that anglers need to speak up and voice their opinions. What are your needs for transit lanes and exactly where! To the best of my knowledge the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association is in communication with AS representatives but I did not hear a public comment. I’ll be looking for more clarification about this.
AIS – Automatic Identification System
Yes wind turbines will be marked and illuminated to meet the needs of mariners and requirements of the USCG and FAA. However that is not enough. In my opinion each turbine must have an AIS transponder for the utmost in marine navigation safety. This way each and every turbine’s position is listed or overlaid as a point on GPS plotters. At busy times marine traffic could bottle neck as vessels transit through lanes. Especially in bad weather and times of limited visibility AIS will be very helpful to mariners.
Radar Clutter
How will the wind turbines display and clutter on a radar screen? This is especially important in foul weather situations which is why AIS is crucial. I’d like to see a screen shot or hear from a mariner with experience navigating by the Block Island Wind Farm.
Fishing Access
There will be no restrictions once constructed. Fishing will be allowed right up to the piles. However vessels can not tie off. Rhodan GPS Anchors are game changers!
Here’s Captain Greg Cudnik long arming a hump head black sea bass one fall day. While it’s up for debate there is potential the AS OWF will offer structure that holds a variety of species. What species will benefit and what species will be hurt? Only time will tell.
Cable Burial
Two types of cables will be used; inter-array cables network the wind turbines and export cables will go to substations. All cables will be buried 6 ft (2m) and some areas will need rocks to protect/support the cable.
The concern about the soft sandy bottom type which is predominantly found in the area was mentioned. Sand shift with currents and especially with storms. As per AS, “All cables will be monitored for burial throughout project operation.”
Details On The Cable Were Shared
The main core of the cables will be made of up of three inner cables, surrounded by insulation and shielding. Then a chain mail armor jacket with a thick plastic outer covering. Obviously designed for the marine environment
Anchoring
Anchoring is a common practice by bottom fishermen. The topic was listed but was not discussed in detail. Will anchoring be allowed? I assume so but maybe this needs clarification.
Public Comment On Windmills Added
I felt strongly and commented that the first and foremost list of concern should be Recreation Fishing Opportunities. This three word phase is broad and wide reaching, but is the utmost importance!
Statewide Contributions By Anglers In NJ
In 2018 the American Sportfishing Association along with data from NOAA published (link here) $1.3 billion in economic output was contributed by New Jersey’s anglers and it supported close to 9000 jobs. As noted in the report from 2018 to 2020 there was a 66% increase in excise tax collected therefore 2020 contributions are significantly higher. The graphic below details some trends on the U.S. Recreational Fishing Economy published in 2016.
With regards to the high risk of the project to the states important fisheries, Bob Rush Charter Captain of the Starfish and NJ Marine Fisheries Council member commented, “If/when the fisheries are ruined as a result of the OWF will there be mitigation? Subsidies?” Not much of a reply back.
What Took Me By Surprise
This was a public meeting for the recreation fishing industry and community to air our their concerns and comment to AS. With only ~70 in attendance I thought it was a poor turn out considering the timing and convenience of Zoom. WTF!?! How was not one other tackle shop on the call!?! Pathetic! Maybe because the Orsted (another separate OWF project taking place off of Northern NJ waters) meetings went so poorly there was a lack of interest? Huge thanks to our Recreational Fisheries Industry Rep Captain Adam Nowalsky (also from Recreation Fishing Alliance) and Fisheries Liaison Officer Captain Kevin Wark (from Barnegat Light). Without these two well respected captains the situation could be a lot different.
Offshore Wind Turbine Foundation Type
The style of foundation was touched on briefly and it sounds like the exact type was not chosen yet but they are leaning towards the monopile style (single column is lowest cost). With that said the jacket style (BIWF) might not be out of the question. The jacket style’s lattice framework offers the best habitat for fishing structure.
Read Up!
I encourage all interested and concerned to read up on the OWF topic. I’m diving in to learn more as I’m new to this new world of wind. Although distinctly different information on the Block Island Wind Farm is a good start. The Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm is another project in the Irish Sea. Construction will start soon about 10km off the coastline of Dublin Ireland.
In 1984 NJ’s Division of Fish & Wildlife officially began the NJ Artificial Reef Program. Currently today there are 17 reef sites where one quarter of all fishing trips in NJ occur.
NJ has 17 reef sites. 13 are in federal waters. Four are in state waters.
All would agree that fluke, black sea bass, tautog as well as many other species benefit from the structure and the habitat artificial reefs create. As these sites age they evolve. Some materials collapse, shifting sand covers pieces and some sink into the sand. To keep the state’s network of reef vibrant and prospering new deployments are vital.
Due to funding and staffing, the Reef Program was dormant for a number of years. Then the program started up again. Between 2015-2019 there were 209 deployment with the majority (182) focused on the souther sites (Cape May, Ocean City, Townsends, Wildwood). But the sites local to Long Beach Island have had little to no enhancements in 15 years.
“Teenagers in the Association’s Junior Mates Program learned of the situation and asked what could they do. This humble beginning sparked a grass roots campaign which snowballed into an intensive campaign by the BHCFA. These efforts attracted the attention of concerned individuals and groups on the local and even national levels.” Jim Hutchinson Sr shared and continued.
“The group’s original reef replenishment goal of $100,000 was reached thanks to the efforts of the mates, local community involvement, and matching funds from the Ann E. Clark Foundation and the Sport Fishing Fund. The Sea Shell Resort & Beach Club’s Striped Bass Derby generously donated $50,000.”
Three New Vessels Added To Little Egg Reef
Finally! After two years of hard work from the captains and mates of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association (BHCFA), there’s new materials on the Little Egg Reef.
On Thursday January 14, 2020 Captain Pete Clark (NJDEP Fisheries Biologist & Reef Coordinator) and Captain John Lewis (BHCFA President) oversaw the sinking of three vessels; a 140-foot barge, a tugboat and a push boat.
This photo shows the beginning of the deployment. All three vessels are shown in this picture. Photo courtesy of The Fisherman
The tug boat and push boat were towed up from Norfolk, Virginia on the barge. All of which were cleaned twice and cleared by the US Coast Guard prior to sinking.
The final piece sinks. Photo courtesy of The Fisherman
Now with the new substrate on the Little Egg Reef native species of epifauna and flora will grow. Soon they will be home to crustaceans, mollusks and bait fish. Once established predatory/game species will move in and support recreation anglers for many years to come.
Photo by diver Rich Galiano detailing a flourishing wreck.
Lewis gave special words of praise to the Junior Mates for the efforts and participation. “Kids today take a beating for various reasons. Our kids have adopted a ‘can-do’ approach and worked their tails off to implement their ideas and dreams.”
This article contains content provided by Jim Hutchinson Sr & Jr, the Fisherman Magazine and the NJ DEP Fish & Wildlife.
This will be the last fishing report of 2020. Thanks to our fishing community for following along all year and sharing reports.
We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and Great Holiday stretch. From the entire team at Fish Heads Happy New Year!
Off The Surf
Some anglers are still trying and a few are catching. No spectacular report but we have heard of some surf side linesiders on tin and teaser as well as bait.
Gary Thorp caught and released a 26″ bass Monday at the beginning of the incoming tide with his five year old son. Gary and son were using bunker on a hi-lo CIRCLE HOOK rig Gary reported, “I think he’s hooked on surf fishing for life!”
Camrin Ruffin sent in this photo from a recent fishing session on the surf.
Ben Morris reported on Sunday, “No better way to spend a cold late December morning. The surf was calm and clean. I pulled one about 21″ at sunrise. Had a few bumps after that catch but wasn’t able to hook up.” Joe Grey got one off the surf on Sunday too.
A number of skunked out reports came in from anglers fishing all over the LBI beach from Barnegat Light to Holgate.
Dead Whale Washes Up On LBI Surf
If you didn’t hear the news yet… there was a 32′ humpback whale that washed up on the beach in Loveladies on Christmas Eve. The southerly wind and waves moved it up to its final resting place in Barnegat Light on Christmas Day.
Photo by Melanie Cassie Photography
Word from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center is that a definitive cause of death could not be determined. Due to the size removal would have been difficult so it was buried on the beach, back away from the water’s edge and covered over with a large mound of sand.
Bottom Fishing
The hardcore bottom anglers are catching fish from tog to sea bass, porgies, ling and cod. Most of the action is taking place at the deep water offshore spots.
The tog fishing has been hit or miss. Some anglers are having a banner day followed up by a dead day. Those putting in the time are finding catches and some are putting quality fish on the deck.
Not sure if you heard yet… Angler Chris Sullivan from Waretown caught a 25.8 pound tog recently, potentially a new New Jersey State Record Black Fish. Chris was fishing out of Cape May with Captain Tom Daffin on the Fishin’ Fever. The story we got was he fished the day before out of Barnegat Light on the Mary M. They had left over live white crabs from Fishermans Headquarters so they brought them down for the next day’s trip. Baited up on a Centruy Pro Togger the bite came and Chris put the screw to ’em. Epic Catch Sully! Congrats!!!
Maintenance Matters
Here at the end of the year it’s time to clean things up and responsibly put them to rest for the winter hibernation. Now’s the time to clean and lube reels, wipe down rods (clean blank guides, grips and seats), warm water wash lures and organize things. I give a quick light spray of CRC656 to my terminal tackle boxes to prevent corrosion. A little maintenance now saves a much larger project in the spring!
We are open daily all winter long with all of the essentials for reel service and repair whether dropping off or DIY. We have parts and lubricants in stock.
Fishermans Headquarters is a Factory Authorize Penn Reels & Van Staal Service Center
Things have settled down from the recent blow. The ocean water today was still a little churned up and dirty but improving. There’s bass on the beach if you are looking to go. We did not hear many reports but we did get a couple. There’s also anglers catching fish in the boats.
Paul Karner caught his first striped bass off of the surf today, three in total. All were caught on his DIY teaser fished with a diamond jig. There’s no better way to target the schoolies off the surf right now that fishing a teaser!
Here’s Pual K with one of three striped bass he caught today off the Long Beach Island surf.
Another report came in from Paul Lindsey. “Finally back on the bass! Bunker was washing up on the beaches down on the south end of the island this morning. There’s still plenty of life here!”
Here’s a striepd bass that was caught and released by Paul L. today.
Here’s a photo from Sloane on the LBI surf a few days back.
Sloane Endick caught this LBI surf side striper a few days back, before the most recent storm.
UPDATED SUNDAY 12/20/20
Paul Michael reported, “Today was a very weak day for me. I worked from Holgate all the way up to Cedars. Only caught tone fish. My buddy Dave got two fishing the mid island surf. Only heard of a couple fish. I’m hoping Monday is better.”
Captain Steve Purul from Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters was out today for the his last trip of the 2020. “Wrapped up the 2020 fishing season with my favorite salty bunch of pirates! It was a slow start but gave way to a busy dec and action packed end to the 2020 season with doubles, triples and quadruples on every drift!”
Black Fishing
Paul Haertel reported another great day on the tog grounds with a boat limit plus to 10.39#. Store staffer Grey was aboard and reported having a fund day. Paul shared he is loving his new Rhodan Trolling Motor. He said it’s so good it’s cheating, “They should be illegal!” The Rhodan GPS Anchor/Trolling Motor is a total game changer for so many different fisheries. They really shine for locking up (virtual anchoring) over wrecks.
Here’s Grey with a pair of good ones!
Black Sea Bass
Sloane stopped in the shop a geared up on Friday for a black sea bass trip. Today she was out fishing the deep water grounds with Capt Nick Perello. They murdered ’em!
Here’s our most recent video report from Wednesday Dec ember 16th…
Let It Fly Fishing Charters is staying warm with hot fishing recently.
Saturday repeat client Drew Fialko was aboard for a fun day of fly fishing. We fished the near shore waters of Long Beach Island. At daybreak the birds and bass were active and fishing was strong for the early morning.
Drew caught ten striped bass on the fly. Three were slots and seven shorts. Also missed a few bites and caught two big herring. We tagged and released seven of the ten fish
Warm temps, no traffic, calm seas & willing fish.
Others are hanging it up but we are still fishing. With unseasonably warm temperatures so far this month and much less traffic in recent trips we will be fishing it out… calm seas and fish willing.
Are you looking to get into late fall light tackle fishing? Give Let It Fly Charters a call 16093771299
By: Steve George / Nightstrikes Surfcasting Guide Svc LLC
Boat’s out of the Water? Go Fish The Beach!
It’s December and the weather outside is delightful here on Long Beach Island NJ. Even though you may have pulled the boat already there’s still plenty of striped bass to be caught.
In late fall we usually see abundant waves of striped bass as they make their way down the New Jersey coastline. When the time is right and the weather cooperates they cross over Barnegat Inlet and into the waters of Long Beach Island. If the conditions are right and bait is present, striped bass stage up on the beaches of LBI. Most years anglers have consistent light tackle fishing on just about any beach right into the New Year.
Birds and bass getting active at sunrise. Photo: Paul Boardman
Well this year is no different. The fish are here right now! We are fortunate to have the sand-eels in the surf zone attracting the interest from striped bass in the 20”-30” range. Just about every morning (the hour or two round sunrise) has been productive for surfcasters.
Go Light For A Better Bite
This time of the year it’s best to bring out lighter surf fishing tackle to have even more fun. Catching late fall striped bass is a lot more fun on light tackle. For me personally I like throwing a 9’ surf rod that’s rated up to 2oz. The rod is matched up with a 4000/5000 spinning reel to balance it out. Filled with a 20-30# braid and the outfit is ready for lots of light tackle surf fishing fun.
Match the Hatch
Sand-eels are long, slender and usually run around 4”-5” in length. It’s important to use a lure presentations that mimics them in order to have the best success. Here’s a couple of my favorites sand eel lures, all of which are proven stand outs over the years.
Needlefish Lures
The Super Strike “Super ‘N Fish” Needlefish has a slender profile, it casts great and catches fish of all sizes in both the day and night. So many anglers are intimidated by needlefish because they don’t know how to fish them. They are simple and effective… The hardest part is choosing the right size/weight for the conditions. [More On This At End] Cast out, catch up your slack and let the lure settle, sink. Slowly retrieve adding a twitch. Sometimes add a double twitch and/or a quick crank or two. As with most lures on the surf, fish them all the way to your feet. Needlefish are very effective in low light and at night with a simple cast and straight slow retrieve. Bumps, pickups, bites on needles are a no-doubt-about-it hits and ones you will remember!
Sand Eel Soft Baits
The rubber weighted Tsunami Sand Eel is a great lure to use when the fish are in tight to the beach. It’s especially productive during calm conditions. While rubber soft baits offer the absolute best realistic imitation look and action they are the least durable. But Tsunami Sand eels hold up good compared to other soft baits possibly due to their inner holographic foil.
This late fall striped bass fell for a Tsunami Sand Eel soft bait lure. Photo: Jim Hutchinson Jr
Metal
No one can fish a sandeel bite without some sort of metal lures! If you do you are missing out. Metals/tins offer the ultimate casting distance to reach out where fish are running and feeding. They are my go to lures because they cast a mile and with either a fast or slow retrieve can be worked off the bottom or just off the sand to drawl strikes. It pays to mix up retrieval speed to dial in how the fish are reacting and feeding on that particular day.
Two of my favorite metals for surfcasting when sandeels are around are…
Deadly Dick Lures – These (nickel plated solid brass) slender metals have a slender thin profile with a unique tweak on the ends. This character gives the lures their action both on the retrieve, jig and fall. The added prism flash tape helps catch the eye of fish too.
Striped bass love AVA Diamond Jigs Photo: Jack Keating
AVA Diamond Jigs – These (chrome plated lead) jigs are thin and long just like a sandeels. Their distinctive two-piece construction is made up of a metal body section and a latex tube dressed limerick hook. Fished slow in the sand the body puffs and makes a disturbance while the tubed hook swims with an erratic spin. One of the only lures that resembles a sand eel’s natural borrowing action.
Slender Minnow Swimming Plug
You can never forget a Daiwa SP Minnow! SP’s are a must have in every surf bag. These slender minnow profile lures cast great and have a special knack for triggering strikes in just about any conditions. Especially when sand eels are around, SP’s outproduce most other plugs due to their cast-ability and action. I’ve yet to meet a striped bass who could resist taking a bite when crossing paths with an SP Minnow.
Tease ‘Em To Increase Strikes
Add a teaser/fly above your lure to add extra attraction. I feel you will catch only half as many fish unless you use one. A teaser rig is easy to tie… With some leader material (mono or fluoro) tie a dropper loop. Then loop on the teaser/fly of your choice. Next add a swivel on the top terminal end and a Tactical Angler Clip on the bottom. Just clip on your lure and cast it out.
My favorite teasers are made by BuzFly Custom Flies. When you first see one you will know why. They beautiful and made right on quality hooks. Fish BuzFly teasers to up your success rate with life-like teasers.
Striped bass on the teaser!
So the fish are here! Get out early and watch for birds picking on the water. These birds are feeding on sand eels. Start casting because as the sun comes up the bass will be feeding shortly. Now is the time to get in some late season fishing before winter sets in.
Good Luck Out There!
[More On Needlefish Lures]
Needlefish come in many different sizes and weights made out of many different materials from plastic, wood and epoxy. Super Strike lures are plastic so they are durable and consistent. Currently Super Strike Needles come in three sizes (NF5 5″, NF6 6″, NF7 7″ ) and two weights (W Weighed “Black Eye”, HW Heavy Weighed “Red Eye”). There’s a size/weight combo for every situation. The most common option is the NF6W (6″ standard weighed 2.5oz). Choose the red eye heavy weight versions when fishing rough conditions or when there’s a stiff side wind or sweep.
247 Lures (in stock at Fish Heads but not listed online) offers a great wooden needlefish lure that shines in calm to moderate conditions.
