Sand Spike and Long Casts.

[Everydog]

Bomb casting set up with long rods. 11-13 feet.

One thing I've been experimenting with is sending four or five ounces, or up to around 100 yards, to vegetated reef sections. I have had success with 2 ounces plus or minus, and it works well in the sand spike on shorter casts, such as to the first trough. If I cast the lighter weight far, I've found it necessary to hold the rod and fish actively, which is all good when that's what I want to do.

I am not worried about casting records, though super distance is cool. I can get enough distance for now with average gear.

My concern is more about keeping line issues simple on conventional and spinning reels.

What are some suggested guidelines for main line, shock leader knots, and actually hooking and landing fish or various species at 100 yards or so from the beach?

[HK_Supermarket]

idk anything about this... but I want to see a report when you find out what's out there

[Gotfish?]

Most surf fishing in SoCal is done close in, often even sight fishing. Described in the book https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/surf-fish ... on=7696067 . Very long casts are more common for East Coast fishing.

See https://www.wired2fish.com/fishing-tips ... ishing-101 and https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/sur ... ting-tips/ for some tips for long casts.

The go to knot for attaching leader to line is the FG knot. It is very strong and passes easily through the guides.

I have heard of people swimming out from the shore, casting and then swimming back but I wouldn't do it.

[Nelson 1]

Just get a Drone

[Everydog]

Just get a Drone

I'd lose that, and it would hurt. I have seen it on YouTube and it's cool.

[Everydog]

idk anything about this... but I want to see a report when you find out what's out there

It's just an excuse to sit down and read a book. Seriously, you can catch a lot without going to that trouble, maybe even some sheephead or bump up the Sargo count a little bit. I will let you know!

[Everydog]

Most surf fishing in SoCal is done close in, often even sight fishing. Described in the book https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/surf-fish ... on=7696067 . Very long casts are more common for East Coast fishing.

See https://www.wired2fish.com/fishing-tips ... ishing-101 and https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/sur ... ting-tips/ for some tips for long casts.

The go to knot for attaching leader to line is the FG knot. It is very strong and passes easily through the guides.

I have heard of people swimming out from the shore, casting and then swimming back but I wouldn't do it.

Thanks for the links. I will look into it tonight. I see kids fishing off of surfboards in Del Mar from time to time, and well, I do own a kayak. I have always wanted to try the long cast, and it may be a good way to get some mileage out of my second rod permit. And I have a friend in Sarasota!

[William Ritchie]

Sounds like fun . Learning something new / different . I have done a bit of dabbling in the long distance casting myself . There are some websites that go pretty deeply into it . I have been using mono main and shock lines connected by a Crazy Alberto knot . .040 mm diameter Suffix Siege or Tritanium and a shock leader of about 10lb test per ounce of lead , several wraps on the spool plus the length of drop for the casting style . You can really make the spool bearings scream on a conventional . Make some thumb protectors from bicycle tube so you can hold the spool during the cast . Bicycle shop should have some throwaways to try for size . One thing I will say , be careful , if you crack the weight off during a cast it can travel extreme distances with potentially deadly force . Looking forward to that report with a home guard Yellowtail . WR

[Mike M]

My buddy uses circle hooks and 4oz weights while his rods are spiked. The sinker provides constant resistance. When the fish bites, the circle hooks grabs as they swim away. No need for braid on the main line to prevent stretch. The weight sets the circle hook.

[Jusbigguns]

I'm a surf fisherman, Alot different then these guys though. My fish that i catch (Perch,Croaker,Corbina)are in Knee deep water. 1/2 Oz weight and a #2 hook. If i catch rays and sharks i'm too deep. Nothing better then hooked up to a spotfin with a Trifecta lite ML. 6# line.

[jwacky]

idk anything about this... but I want to see a report when you find out what's out there

This was my first thought, too. No clue, but I'd love to sit and watch, haha.

[Perch killer]

My buddy uses circle hooks and 4oz weights while his rods are spiked. The sinker provides constant resistance. When the fish bites, the circle hooks grabs as they swim away. No need for braid on the main line to prevent stretch. The weight sets the circle hook.

Mike, I'd be interested how your buddy does as far as what is he catching far out . . . sea bass, corvina, yellowtail or ??

[Mike M]

He uses crabs like me. Nothing exotic, yellowfin croaker can be way out at our beaches. He also uses the same setup to cast closer for corbina.

[camobass]

Squid beds have been around, huck a whole frozen squid out there. Never know. Big flatty, WSB or yellow

[Everydog]

Sounds like fun . Learning something new / different . I have done a bit of dabbling in the long distance casting myself . There are some websites that go pretty deeply into it . I have been using mono main and shock lines connected by a Crazy Alberto knot . .040 mm diameter Suffix Siege or Tritanium and a shock leader of about 10lb test per ounce of lead , several wraps on the spool plus the length of drop for the casting style . You can really make the spool bearings scream on a conventional . Make some thumb protectors from bicycle tube so you can hold the spool during the cast . Bicycle shop should have some throwaways to try for size . One thing I will say , be careful , if you crack the weight off during a cast it can travel extreme distances with potentially deadly force . Looking forward to that report with a home guard Yellowtail . WR

Hi William.

It looks like about 20 pounds of Siege or Tritanium for the mainline?
How many turns does the crazy Alberto have? I tried different numbers, and five turns up and five turns back looked best, but I'm not sure. I couldn't get eight turns each way to pull down right.

[William Ritchie]

The spool I have now is 17lb .016 " , 0.40 mm , Siege in neon tangerine for visibility , 5 to 6 turn Crazy Alberto and have to tie several to get a nice smooth one it seems . Wet it good when pulling . When I first got into the distance casting I studied about casting tournaments and the line requirements for safety say .35mm minimum for 170 gram or just under 6 oz. lead . The Suffix Siege mono has very little memory and really rolls off the spool at speed . Easier for me to track the arch with the bright color . The reel on my big rod , Penn 525 Mag holds about 275 Yards of .016 . Fun stuff . Tight lines .

[Everydog]

Update: With one exception, there have been too many surfers to throw the 4-ounce weight on all my fishing trips. I only had standard light tackle when I was at San Elijo, when birds were bombing on bait in the 100-yardish range. The guy who was prepared brought in several calicoes up to 4 pounds, from what I saw. He had some dead fish for bait. At times, I won't even throw a 1-ounce dropshot weight or a Carolina rig with any umph due to people in the water. Thankfully, we can still catch lots of nice fish safely in front of the surfers.

[Everydog]

The spool I have now is 17lb .016 " , 0.40 mm , Siege in neon tangerine for visibility , 5 to 6 turn Crazy Alberto and have to tie several to get a nice smooth one it seems . Wet it good when pulling . When I first got into the distance casting I studied about casting tournaments and the line requirements for safety say .35mm minimum for 170 gram or just under 6 oz. lead . The Suffix Siege mono has very little memory and really rolls off the spool at speed . Easier for me to track the arch with the bright color . The reel on my big rod , Penn 525 Mag holds about 275 Yards of .016 . Fun stuff . Tight lines .

I apologize for not seeing this until now, William. It all sounds good to me and is helpful. I am going to try the siege in 20 pounds first and possibly step down if I get rolling, using my Daiwa Slosh and Sealine SHA reels. I'll look into the Penn if time on the water with this rig becomes available to me. Unless I am misunderstanding it, from online searches, some people are also using Daiwa Lexas in some fashion for this fishing range, although probably not for casting tournaments. That would have its appeal.

[William Ritchie]

The Daiwa reels work very well for casting , they just don't have the convenience of magnetic braking . I haven't tried a Lexa but have casted with other well built level winds . Distance can be a problem due to the added friction of the level wind and the line guide can conflict with the shock leader knot . Good luck out there .

[Midnightpass]

Thanks for the links. I will look into it tonight. I see kids fishing off of surfboards in Del Mar from time to time, and well, I do own a kayak. I have always wanted to try the long cast, and it may be a good way to get some mileage out of my second rod permit. And I have a friend in Sarasota!

Two things:
1- You don’t need a second rod permit (stamp) for saltwater…
2- I was born in Sarasota.. Midnight Pass Fish Camp, Siesta Key to be exact… So now you have 2 friends from Sarasota. ….
Butch