On the Water: July 22 - 25, 2011

This is a whole new version of an "On the Water" report, normally it is  a post about me running up and down the river banks. That's not what's happening this time, this time I am thigh deep in salt water. I have been a little busy fishing the last few day as well as laying on the beach and just relaxing, since I am on vacation, haha. But I will get everyone caught up with a quick overview of each day I went fishing as well as a few pictures.

July 22, 2011

This day went great and horrible all at the same time, it was the first time I set foot in the water attempting to be a surf fisher. It went well I hooked up with two whiting, but the managed to get off roughly, five to ten feet from me. This was due in part to the fact that I was using store bought rigs, and not the homemade ones JM had instructed me to use when he was giving me advice early last week. This instilled the confidence I need to know I could catch fish, and the need to start tying my own rigs. Since I started using my own rigs, I haven't lost a fish.

July 23, 2011

My First Surf Fish

Armed with my own rigs I gave it another try the next evening after a day on the beach. I wasn't expecting much as the other fisherman around where not catching much, but I was hopeful.  Apparently all I needed was a little hope and dumb luck, I managed to land my first fish only a few casts in that evening. It wasn't a beast, it wasn't even the hardest fighting fish, but it was my first. It was a seven to eight inch Whiting (See picture left). I was ecstatic, yes even for a little fish like that, but what I was about to catch next would put a smile on my face you couldn't wipe off. As the second wave of people came to the beach they slowly started pushing me away from where I was fishing. I decided walk down the beach to avoid the swimmers and surfs and it paid off. I cast in and was starting to wonder how a larger fish would feel if it hit, luckily I didn't have to wait long, I felt something tug on the line, it wasn't much of a fight, but it was a 15 inch Sand Shark (my largest thus far). It was only a baby, but for a redneck from West Virginia it was amazing to catch even a baby shark.

July 24, 2011

First Catch of the Day

Sunrise

After catching my first fish and shark while surf fishing, I was hooked (no pun intended). Cassie and I decided to get up and early and head to the beach for some early morning fishing. It paid for itself, just with the sunrise and calm of getting to sit on the beach with no one around you. I did manage to catch three Whiting and another Sand Shark, nothing very sizable, but it was fun to be catching fish in the ocean with some amount of regularity.

July 25, 2011

Another morning, another beautiful sunrise and another round of three whiting and a sand shark.

First Cast and First Catch all in one.

Another sand shark

My Largest Whiting to date, 13".