It has been an extended evening within the water and it’s nearly time to swim again. I’ve been fishing “the skin” because the surf is lastly flat sufficient. With daybreak approaching, I understand I’m to this point out that I can solely see the bluffs. Each few waves, the trough is sufficiently big that I can simply make out the shore, the place I can see a few surfcasters approaching. The dawn crowd has proven up, however they’re simply standing by the bluffs watching me and pointing. They’ll by no means imagine the fish I caught earlier tonight, so I simply backstroke in, smile, and hike again to the truck.
That’s the magic of fishing a tide on the “outer rocks.” Those you may’t see, those that appear nearly unattainable to succeed in. When onlookers see you fishing them, see you standing, seemingly on the water, with the swell parting round you. It raises numerous questions.
“How do you know there was a rock on the market?”
“How did you discover it?”
“How do you get again to shore?”
I realized the craft of rock-hopping in a wetsuit in Montauk, New York. It’s south aspect is made up of a number of consecutive rocky factors with deep coves in between. A number of the reefs there are shallow sufficient {that a} wetsuit-clad angler can enterprise out fairly far earlier than swimming is important. The outer boulders are normally within the neighborhood of the ideas of those reefs.
The north aspect of Montauk additionally has its justifiable share of deep rocks, however the quicker rips that arrange there could make it troublesome to go exploring for rocks with out some steering. With its robust present, you get one shot at climbing on the rock, so for those who miss, you need to swim again in and begin over.
Areas like these are commonplace from the boulder fields of Maine to the deep drop-offs of Block Island and Massachusetts, so surfcasters all through the Northeast use particular methods to seek out and fish outer rocks. It takes a sure diploma of method, bodily capacity, and willpower simply to find them. I’ll go over the fundamentals to assist get you additional out.
Step 1: Discovering a Rock
Earlier than you may really fish one in every of these outer rocks, you’ll want to discover it first. With situations trying good, the easiest way to begin exploring is to simply attempt it. More often than not, these submerged boulders are off the ideas of reefs. In addition they happen in the course of coves, however that’s not the place I might begin. As an alternative, take into consideration these far rocks you all the time see—those generally uncovered however not often fished. Now, take into consideration what’s in entrance of them. I decide a degree, push out till I can barely really feel the underside, and begin “poling” my manner round. I take advantage of the butt of my rod to keep up contact with the underside and assist me push off so I can transfer round, which is feasible in water as much as about 8 ft deep. Any deeper than that and also you received’t get the leverage or power you want off the underside. By the way, for anglers critical about fishing deep-water rocks, this is without doubt one of the causes you want a stout, one-piece rod. You’ll be able to’t push off the underside with a flimsy two-piece setup. My go-to is a Lamiglas GSB 11MH.
Previous 8 ft, I’ve to swim. If the present is gentle sufficient, I can transfer forwards and backwards in both route, but when it’s too robust to swim towards, I’m going with the present. To find rocks, I seize the highest half of my rod and swing it in sluggish circles beneath the water, ready for the butt to make contact. Since I take advantage of an 11-foot rod, that’s roughly an 11-foot radius I can cowl. I steadily use this strategy to seek out rocks I already know are there.
Searching for rocks along with your eyes alone is ineffective. If it’s nighttime, a light-weight will compromise your imaginative and prescient and replicate off the water’s floor. In daytime, you received’t see a lot even when a rock is definitely there. The aquatic progress makes them laborious to see in regular water visibility, except a rock is closely fished and has been scraped clear of vegetation by different fishermen’s spikes, leaving its whitish floor simply seen. As an alternative, establish the “swirl.”
Ultimate Situations
When first exploring new waters for rocks, go in the course of the day as a result of it’s safer and simpler. Additionally, time the journey round a half moon, when currents are at their weakest, and head out round slack tide for a similar motive. You may assume a useless, flat-calm surf day can be supreme, however I want mild chop and really small swell within the water—perhaps a 1-foot onshore wind swell—sufficient that there’s some semblance of a peak-and-trough cycle within the swell the place the “boil” or swirl of a rock may be uncovered.
The swirl, as I name it, is the way in which the water acts when there’s a big, submerged piece of construction considerably near the floor. Search for a spot within the water that deviates from the water round it. It’s generally very refined, however with a tiny little bit of a swell, you may make out a potential piece of construction. If the present is minimal, float or pole in the identical spot for a couple of minutes, ready for it to indicate once more.
Study from Others
One other technique of discovering a boulder for the primary time is seeing different anglers fishing it. As an example, for those who fish a well-liked space, you could steadily see some anglers on sure rocks. Don’t “mug” anybody, by crowding them on the rock, however be aware of the place they’re on the reef and use that to your benefit at a later date. After I was new to Montauk and fishing tournaments there, I noticed a selected rock at a sure reef the place different rivals fished very often. Earlier than that, I by no means knew it existed; I’ve since received tournaments from that rock.
Storm Finds
One other efficient manner of looking for new rocks goes out throughout a storm when the surf is heaving with 6- to 10-foot waves. This technique helped me discover just a few of my rocks on the north aspect of Montauk. Exit round low tide, when the water stage is at its lowest, and stroll the seashore. The acute troughs of storm-driven waves reveal distant rocks which might be by no means uncovered beneath regular situations.
I keep in mind fishing one in every of my first Montauk nor’easters on the north aspect. I used to be there early and claimed a coveted “storm rock.” I used to be hitting fish persistently as my bucktail swung from 11 to 1 o’clock. When the solar had totally risen, I may see why. There was an enormous boulder straight out on the finish of my solid that I’d by no means seen earlier than, however I noticed it that day within the trough of a 10-foot wave. Fishing it will have been unattainable in these situations, however I famous it in my logbook, and returned there beneath calmer surf to money in massive.
Step 2: Approaching the Rock
So, you’ve discovered rock and are amped up, so that you fish it for the evening and swim again in. Now, how do you discover it once more in your subsequent outing, and the way do you finally get to it simply and persistently. There are some rocks in Montauk which might be all the time be a ache to get to, regardless of what number of instances I’ve fished them, however there are some tips I take advantage of to make it simpler to find and climb atop rocks at midnight.
If of a rock in an space of typically weak present and you may freely float round, use the panorama above the seashore to your benefit. Whenever you’re on that rock, observe precisely what’s behind you. For Montauk, there are primarily clay bluffs with some timber and shrubs, so search for a definite reduce within the bluffs or an extra-large tree. Subsequent time you’re poking round, to be consistent with that shoreline function.
I additionally like to make use of what I name “staging rocks.” As an alternative of blindly going straight out to the rock I need to fish, I start by hopping round on nearer rocks, utilizing them like steps till I get to the final rock, the place I do know I’ll have to begin swimming. Right here, I normally stage, observing what the present is actually doing on the market, ready for a lull between wave units or simply ready for the rock to disclose itself with that signature boil.
If I’m fishing an space close to a rip or throughout a moon tide, it’s a little bit of a special sport. I want to begin on the seashore a good way up-current and time it in order that once I get out far sufficient, I’m passing the neighborhood of that rock. Poling received’t assist in a nasty rip, so it’s higher to swing the rod to attempt to find the rock.
Don’t underestimate the velocity and energy of a rip. You by no means understand how briskly water can transfer till you miss your rock and are getting dragged down the seashore. As soon as, I used to be on an epic dawn chunk throughout every week of calm seas and even fished a brand new rock that I’d by no means seen anybody fish earlier than—the furthest rock I’d discovered. Standing on high of it, the water was all the way in which as much as my chest, with the encircling water about 15 ft deep.
I used to be anticipating a big crowd of casters the next morning, so I bought there three hours earlier than first mild. There have been one or two guys on the outer rocks already, so I made a decision to go deeper. It was towards the tip of the outgoing tide, so I felt snug going for the brand new rock I’d discovered. I greeted the fellows on the outer rocks, and proceeded to swim out additional, seemingly towards nothing. I hadn’t realized the flood tide had simply began, and it was pitch darkish, so I couldn’t use the casters behind me as a reference level. I simply swam within the route of the rock, nervous that I would lose my bearings in a short time that far out at evening. The present wasn’t ripping, so I used to be swinging my rod round, poking round in each route, looking for the rock. Finally, I gave up and determined to swim again earlier than I misplaced a spot within the lineup. After I lastly returned to the surf zone and will begin strolling my manner in, I had a quick “The place the heck am I?!” second. I’d been taken east with the incoming present and ended up within the subsequent cove and reef down.
Step 3: Holding the Rock
An enormous a part of the rock hopping sport, other than discovering rocks to fish from, is holding onto them. Many instances, I’ve been far out and into massive fish, solely to be forcibly put out of the zone by elements I couldn’t management or overcome. There are lots of totally different situations that make holding a rock troublesome, requiring stamina and a few method.
If there’s a good swell with an extended interval, one of the best strategy is to “duck dive” because the wave approaches, placing your head and physique ahead and pushing off the rock in such a manner that the swell lands you proper again onto the rock. This takes little bit of expertise as you need to time it proper, although it’s a wild feeling and a sight to see … launching your self ahead right into a 6-foot wave and getting positioned proper again on high of your rock standing upright, nonetheless reeling in like nothing occurred. On the flip aspect, nonetheless, it’s not so superb if it’s simply a type of nights when each different wave is sweeping you off the rock. My buddies and I joke about how annoyed and offended we get on the waves themselves, particularly after getting pummeled time after time, solely to get proper again up and get Ric Aptitude slapped within the face by some white water.
After you get wiped off a rock, leap proper again up, even when a wave goes to slam you once more straight away. When you’re nonetheless within the wash and one other wave hits, you’ll be pushed even additional again, making it harder to get again onto the rock. Nonetheless, don’t let white water or close-in waves discourage you from pushing out. Typically, when you’re previous the breakers, you solely should cope with swell, and you may really preserve your footing higher than the casters nearer to shore.
Present may make holding a rock troublesome. With a moon tide or robust present, in case you are greater than waist-deep on high of your rock, it begins getting dicey. In contrast to in regular situations when you may leap proper again up, as quickly as you fall off into heavy present, you’ll be swept away. If fishing a big rock beneath these situations, place your self on its most up-current portion. This fashion, with any small swell or a fish that makes you lose contact with the floor for even a second, you’ll have a buffer to catch a chunk of the opposite aspect of the rock. And, if it’s a type of pointy, simply barely fishable rocks the place you need to stand like a flamingo—good luck.
Remaining Issues
Not all situations favor exploring for or fishing these rocks, so it’s necessary to take advantage of swimming situations when you could have them. Begin with the fundamentals of seashore construction—factors and coves. Select a degree and see what you could find. Use ways like poling, swinging your rod, and staging. Take detailed notes of all the pieces you study and what landmarks you need to use for help. Observe extra skilled casters or take a scouting mission in the course of the subsequent storm. When you’ve bought your deep rock, fishing it with consistency and success goes to require stamina, method, and many dedication. There’s simply no manner round it with regards to this sort of fishing.
Don’t get discouraged as a result of spending a tide or two on these deep rocks, duck diving and preventing present goes to be exhausting practically each time. Whether or not you’re new to surfcasting in a wetsuit or simply trying to take your surf fishing to the subsequent stage, attempt it out.
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