TIGHT CLAN

[osprey]

why are most of you saltie so tight lipped? i have a few chances to get to the salt and it sure is hard to get info. Erie wasn't like that folks were glad to help. I can understand if you make a living from the salt but not otherwise.

 

[hunter1]

I'm new to the salt also, Every question I've asked on this forum has been answerd. I think it's one of the best out there, Members are helpfull. Some other forums they answer what they want.I thank the members here for all there help. They even told me were to get started were i was vacationing. salt fly fishers were i fished were very helpfull in DE.Poeple i met at cape henlopen were nice. What info do you want them to tell you.

 

[sandfly]

what do you want to know ??

 

[geebee]

i think most people are happy to help with general areas, flies, lines, techniques etc. but they're not going to tell you a specific spot on a specific tides.

thats a throwback to the commercial and moratorium days i guess.

also a lot of holes are handed down generationally, in terms of fishing them on certain tide stages in certain winds, and people do chase fish on the net.

 

[Fishidiot]

osprey wrote:
why are most of you saltie so tight lipped?.

Are you referring to PAFF forum members.... or have you been talking to other salt anglers in other places to get info?

If you're seeking more info from PAFFers here on this forum, it's worth remembering that the number of PAFF guys who fish the salt are a small number of our community - although growing. Ours is largely a trout fishing community. In recent years, the number of forum members who are talking about warm water and saltwater fishing has grown substantially (with some encouragement from some of us who have tried to steer the conversation more toward fish other than trout) but just compare the number of bass fishing and saltwater reports, pics, and threads vs trout threads.

A single thread about stocking vs wild trout, just by itself, can draw hundreds of replies which is more activity than the entire Warm Water forum sees in weeks. If you're really looking for a lot of information about salt water, there are better places on the internet.

 

[marcq]

if your are referring to me. yes I am tight lipped when it comes to sharing information about spots on public forums. I wouldn't be apposed to showing guys my spots. shoot me a pm I can give you spots to check out or lets get out on the water together. I did give another guy on the forum a good deal of info last week. ask any question and I am sure some one here can answer it.


marc

 

[Fredrick]

Or you can just come to the jam

 

[osprey]

Yeah Fred the Jam is a little foggy for me but............i don't mean you folks on here i've never had ant problem with questions. I'm talking about the folks at the fishing destinations , mostly jetties cause of my leg but no one seems to even want to even make eye contact and folks say fly fishers are tight lipped .....sheesh.

 

[evofly]

Salt fishing is a WHOLE different animal than freshwater. When I first started out I found it extremely frustrating just trying to get any info out of anybody. I just said screw it and hit the beach as much as I could. With the time I've put in I've learned it the hard way but, my way.

Marc and I fish a lot together and have started to dial in some areas but, its still tough. Either one of us will be happy to lend you a hand. We are just not going to go posting all of our hard earned info on here (or anywhere else for that matter) for those that just lurk to grab that info. Than next time we go fishing we'll find 20 guys at those spots.

I've found most guys jetty jumping will help you out if you ask but, most are just there throwing meat and hoping something bites. The guys you want to talk to are the guys fishing at night (through the night sometimes) like Marc and I. There is a reason we fish mostly at night ;-)

 

[osprey]

evo.......i didn't do the surf much , mostly a jetty journey so far but you make a great point , i finally just said the heck with it and hit it and hit it and hit it and learned what i've learned on my own and in the end , bottom line , IT'S MORE FUN THAT WAY anyhow. The folks on here are great and i've never had anything but positive results with questions but out there on the rocks in Jersey , even to an old one legged , harmless old fart , it's pretty cold.

 

[sandfly]

Osprey its like moving up here have to get to know the locals. once you do then your in and will be helped a lot. I was lucky enough to grow up at the beach and got to know the locals at an early age. met Bob pop. and Lefty in the late 60's / early 70's for the fly fishing part. before that learned from the locals on spin fishing. I started there in the early 60's.

 

[Mike]

Osprey,

Perhaps it is where you are asking the questions. Jetties, piers, and some more accessible areas of the surf expose anglers to all kinds of questions from the general public, many of whom have no clue about fishing or any real interest. The tourists just want to strike up a conversation and kill some time, while wasting that of the angler. Anglers get tired of it and depending upon their tolerance get tight mouthed around anyone but their friends or individuals they recognize, unless the newbie happens to be wearing a bikini. The less the angler speaks in response to questions the quicker the intruder leaves (hopefully). Many anglers fish for peace, quiet, and relaxation...not to yack it up.

Perhaps you should switch tackle at least until you become better known by the locals, particularly if they are not fly fishing. If the anglers are fly anglers on the jetties and you have not had any luck getting info from them, then I can't explain it.

Some anglers just don't want intrusions or the conditions on a given day or at the moment you approach may be such that the fishing takes 100% concentration to keep from tangling in the rocks, tangling with a neighbor, or missing the less than frequent hit. I wouldn't take it personally. The same anglers in a different situation or at the end of a successful day might have completely different personalities.

 

[marcq]

one thing that mike brought up was switching tackle. although I love fly fishing I have learned everything I know form spin. I have been a surf fisherman since I was a little guy going down with my brothers and dad. I am the only one who really fly fishes in the family so it came second nature. learn how to cast and go to everywhere you have caught fish before.

the problem being that we spent a lot of time bait fishing. I do love throwing a big smelly bunker head out in the spring. but its not the same as fly fishing. then again the fish tend to be much bigger in the spring and big fish want big bait.

stay north the beach structure is different then down south. I am not saying that the south doesn't produce on lures and flies. north is just better suited for lure and fly fishing.

regarding jetties. I like the jetties. it a little more dangerous then surf but it much easier to control your line. no need for a stripping basket. all those jetties in north jersey I would usually only fish twenty feet out. I throw up along the jetty and I throw at the beach. there is a deep spot that runs about ten to 20 fee out on all those jetties. any further the beach is featureless. so if you don't see fish you fish the structure.

stay away from guys its my theory with all fishing. get out of the car and walk a mile up or down the beach then start fishing. a easy spot to get to usually means some one who know how to fish and can consistently catch fish has been there.

my advice is go out with the spinning gear then dial it in and then switch to the fly. its easier to cover more ground and get into better fish. most those jersey fly guys still bring the spinning gear out every year. its much easier to get a 40 pound bass to hit a pencil popper then a fly for some strange reason.

 

[Fishidiot]

marcq wrote:
one thing that mike brought up was switching tackle. although I love fly fishing I have learned everything I know form spin. I have been a surf fisherman since I was a little guy going down with my brothers and dad. I am the only one who really fly fishes in the family so it came second nature. learn how to cast and go to everywhere you have caught fish before.

the problem being that we spent a lot of time bait fishing. I do love throwing a big smelly bunker head out in the spring. but its not the same as fly fishing. then again the fish tend to be much bigger in the spring and big fish want big bait.

stay north the beach structure is different then down south. I am not saying that the south doesn't produce on lures and flies. north is just better suited for lure and fly fishing.

regarding jetties. I like the jetties. it a little more dangerous then surf but it much easier to control your line. no need for a stripping basket. all those jetties in north jersey I would usually only fish twenty feet out. I throw up along the jetty and I throw at the beach. there is a deep spot that runs about ten to 20 fee out on all those jetties. any further the beach is featureless. so if you don't see fish you fish the structure.

stay away from guys its my theory with all fishing. get out of the car and walk a mile up or down the beach then start fishing. a easy spot to get to usually means some one who know how to fish and can consistently catch fish has been there.

my advice is go out with the spinning gear then dial it in and then switch to the fly. its easier to cover more ground and get into better fish. most those jersey fly guys still bring the spinning gear out every year. its much easier to get a 40 pound bass to hit a pencil popper then a fly for some strange reason.

+1.
So many guys who have FFed for trout for many years decide to try to learn warm water or salt water fishing by jumping right in with FF gear. This is a mistake in my view (or is just making things harder to learn than they need to be). Salt and WW fishing in freshwater is much less about insects and drift and is much more about impression of baitfishes and with more seasonal fluctuation. Starting out with spin gear will definitely shorten that learning curve and provides some valuable perspective on how game fish like stripers, smallmouth bass, or bonefish behave and how they react to different presentations.

Also, on the topic of being tight lipped.....I think salt anglers who fish from jetties and shoreline (like me) tend to be more sensitive to crowding and perceived issues with sharing information (real or imagined). I sometimes read popular salt water forums and they are very tight lipped about places to fish and many old school surf guys are even tight lipped about what type of lure they use or how they fish it. It also seems to me that many folks in the coastal areas of NJ, NY, and New England are just a bit more frosty toward strangers than people here in PA or points south or west. This is not a knock on northeasterners......it's a bit different culture in my view.

 

[marcq]

IMO the further north you go the more tight lipped they get. you go to the bait and tackle shops up there and they kinda give you the cold shoulder. this is what has happened in my experiences. now I did go out with one of the best guides of my life up there to. was in Martha's and my guide herb basically taught me everything about the salt. when we were done he gave me like 30 flies that would be good to use the rest of my visit up there. he even offered to take me out the next time I get up there for free.


I would also consider hiring a surf guide. its much easier to learn from someone in person who is there saying cast here because there is some sort of difference in the beach structure and it should hold fish.

 

[PhilC]

This is basically the same issue of spotburning we have for our trout streams but it is much more intense and sensitive. On the popular surf sites you can only post what county you fished in a report anything else will get deleted...same as pics that can give up locations. Apparently there's a lot of Internet and cell phone "fishing" going on and spots get blown up quickly. During peak runs it brings out the circus mentality and crowd...where you were by yourself, you hook a fish...blink...and you're surrounded by 25 goons. You try to get back to your spot and some guy is literally standing in your old boot prints and might not be polite about giving it back.
That said I've met some good people on the beach. I've been offered rides to the jetty in IBSP...I guess when all you have is a fly rod and are walking you look like you could use some help. That said I agree with the above about spin gear, most times you have no advantage with a fly rod...but I haven't been lucky enough to site fish for stripers....snook is another story.
I figure it doesn't hurt to engage in conversation but don't get bent if people aren't too friendly...