[scoob]

Hello this is my first post on P&S. Looks like a great community, I hope to learn a lot.

I just moved to the east coast from California about two months ago, and went on my first fishing voyage about a month ago. I got hooked, pun and all.

My first trip out, I used a 9ft surf rod and cut bait. Afterwards, I bought a 10ft Tsunami Trophy Series surf rod and a Penn reel to accompany it.

On my second trip, I discovered that I enjoyed hardbait/soft plastics much better than I did distance casting with cut baits. I used a friend's 6'6" with some kind of pink soft plastic bait rigged to a hook to catch rockfish.

I went out and bought a 7ft St. Croix and a Quantum reel. I guess the question that I have is what kind of baits do I need to be using? I'm not too familiar with fishing terminology, but I'm trying to read up and research as much as I can. I'm just getting lost in all the trolling, sinking, swimming, suspending, etc. Then there's the different sizes of the baits, crankbaits, soft plastics, shads.. It's all so confusing.

I'm fishing for rockfish, catfish, stripers, etc. in the MD Chesapeake area. I usually go with friends, but I only recently met them as well, and havent found time or the means to ask them. What kind of baits or lures do I need for shortcast fishing?

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Welcome to P&S, scoob. There are lots of folks here from VA and MD who will REALLY be able to help you get started. There's a wealth of info on this site.

 

[Danman]

Yes.. Welcome to pier and surf....you will find all your answers in the forums etc...Enjoy this great website!:fishing:

 

[RuddeDogg]

welcome to the family.

 

[Fishman]

Welcome to the madness. For lures look at the sting Silvers for stripers, Berkley Gulps for pups, specks and flounder. Mirrolures are great for specks and pups also.

I 'd look around and ask plenty of questions. Use the trial and error thing that’s the only way to learn .

Good luck and fair fishing

 

[parkstreet1234]

Hey Scoob,

I am in the same boat. I bought a 9' and 10' rod recently, along with a ton of lures. I think you will need a variety of rods based on how crowded the area is you fish. On day you might do surf, another day you could go to a crowded bay peir, you never know.

I used to fish as a kid, spend many summers at LBI. We used 1oz weight, and a hook, nothing else. Since then, I didnt fish, but now I am really getting back into it. I guess I am not totally naive, but I gotta get with the times. Also, the area I fish now, is North NJ, different From LBI.

Anywho, Check Half.com, Ebay and Amazon for fishing book that were written by people in your region. There is even a DVD on Netflix about Fishing in CHesapeake. There are also Magazines, but the ones I know are for my region, not yours. Although there may not be that much difference in the technechs of the fishing books, the help on the location and maps will be different.

You also gotta get some experience. Go out the the fishing areas, Look at what other people are using, what kinds of rods and rigs. I saw like 10 expert fisherman last time I went, each of them using a different rig. You gotta figure out what works for you. Also, what kind of fish you like to catch, what evironment you like to fish. Personally, I like the bay, but I also like the big fish, so I have to balance.

I know you want to go buy gear, but take your time and ask questions here first. It may save you alot of money. I bought the wrong kind of gear, and basically need to use something else which is a waste.

let me know if I can help, and welcome to P&S. This is a great forum with some really knowlegeable people.

 

[scoob]

thanks guys.

i went up to kent narrows a couple of days ago to wet the lines. first time using the quantum cabo reel, and the action on the st. croix was really nice. it was really windy and the tide was really low, so there werent many fish out and the wind kept tangling my line on casts. it was annoying, but a good learning experience.

the channel killed us. wind was blowing left to right, water was moving with it, and we all lost our lures on our first cast. we had to move to the marina.

i got a chance to test out some of the baits. the rapala xtreme action slashbaits just weren't working. it was too windy, and the cranks were too light to be cast far, so it was useless. i'll have to save those for better weather.

my best casts were with plain old mister twister curly tails with 1 oz. jigheads (1 oz. is perfect, thanks parkstreet) and slow bumping retreats. got a few nibbles, and surprisingly got a bite reeling in for a recast. it caught me off guard and i lost the rock, but he was too small anyway. he popped out of the water, hit the pier and flopped back into the water.

1am-5am. skunked. had lots of fun though.

 

[chesapeake_kid]

Welcome to the madness. For lures look at the sting Silvers for stripers, Berkley Gulps for pups, specks and flounder. Mirrolures are great for specks and pups also.

I 'd look around and ask plenty of questions. Use the trial and error thing that’s the only way to learn .

Good luck and fair fishing

welcome to the site:fishing:

and remember experimenting is half the fun but if u get stuck this place is like the real fishermans hall of fame from rod builders to reel mechanics to lure builders theres alot of info here don't try to suck it all up at once theres always answers to question. Tight lines.:fishing:

 

[Fish'n Phil]

Lighter lures you could try would be Rat-L-Traps (1/2 to 3/4 oz.) and Mirrolure 52MR series. Heavier lures would include Storm shads and bucktails. If it ain't chartreuse it ain't no use.

 

[rattler]

welcome. always keep a castmaster or 4 in the bag.