Month: March 2025

Proberos stick bait, the ultimate fish killer

Jerk Baiting Surf Fish

admin March 22, 2025 0

Injured minnows or other sea creatures caught in the surf are easy prey for predators in the surf. Enter the surface or shallow running stick aka jerk bait. Designed to look like a minnow that's in a lot of trouble, these baits don't disappoint. They are easy targets for predators and are quick to fall victim to fish looking for an easy meal. Jerk Baiting Surf Fish is a blast and triggers explosive strikes in shallow water.

These baits are colorful and with their internal rattler, they alert predatory to their presence. When inhaled, the treble hooks lodge in the fish and don't let go. They are designed to obfuscate themselves using color and clear bodies. Fish looking for them only see a part of the body and attack what they can see and feel. The thumping made by the rattler is a time-worn trick and helps differentiate the bait from the crashing of the waves. The erratic fast action can often trigger fish in ways few other baits can. This is especially true in warmer waters. While jerk baits are great when fish are lethargic, they excite schooling fish out on the hunt.

Jerk Baiting Surf Fish Season

Remember jerk baits are one of the few baits that are truly effective the whole year through. Even during the cold water period, when the fish are more inactive and more vertical in their location, the jerk bait can be an effective tool. Ideally, a spinning reel with a gear ratio from 6:1 to 7:1 is the sweet spot. If you use a reel that's too fast, you run the risk of overpowering the action of your jerk bait by pulling in too much line. As a general rule, clear water calls for natural or transparent jerkbait colors. When fishing more stained water, solid colors and those with a little flash tend to do better.

Since you'll be using jerk baits in the surf, the water will usually be dirty because of the sand but try basing your decision on how clear the sky is. Throwing this bait around wind-blown points, banks or pockets are all great locations during these conditions. Forage is another important factor when throwing a jerk bait. Jerk baits imitate fish such as shad and bluegill, so it's important that bass feed on similar types of forage.

There's a lot more I can say about using jerk baits in the surf so the best advice I can give you is to get out there and try it out. If the fish aren't biting, just remember that is why it's called "fishing" and not "catching". You won't be disappointed.

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Surf Fishing With Poppers

admin March 22, 2025 0

Just imagine standing in the ocean with the surf rushing past your ankles. Waves crashing, foam everywhere, and the knowledge that fish are all around looking for something to eat. What I know is I'm surf fishing with poppers and the anticipation is about to get the best of me.

This is exactly where I like throwing poppers. Water crashing everywhere and a popper struggling to make its way someplace safe. And WHAM, something inhales your bait and takes off in any direction except towards you. Seeing a fish boil on your bait, exiting the water with their mouth wide open gets your blood pumping. When throwing poppers into the surf, throw the bait out as far as you can and let it tumble in the water. A few sharp jerks when the popper is in smooth water, let it coast in, and be pulled back out with the side should get you bit. Remember to vary the retrieve because what works one day may not work the next. One of my favorite techniques is to stand in knee-deep water

In my surf fishing experiences, you should expect that you have no idea what's going to inhale your bait. And that's part of the excitement. I wouldn't recommend line weight less than 12lb test for mono or 15lb test braid. The reason for this recommendation is halibut can be caught in the surf. They can get big and are mean and will take off for deeper water in an instant. Sharks and rays are also prevalent in the surf. Rays are flat and can hide in extremely shallow surf so prepare your drag accordingly. Sharks will destroy plastic baits so consider yourself lucky if you get it back if a shark inhales it.

Scouting Surf Fishing With Poppers Locations

When preparing to go surf fishing, visit a local shoreline or beach when the tide is low and look for the shallow areas and the deeper holes. These bottom features will be much easier to see at low tide when water levels have dropped with the tide. During low tide, the typical wave builds up and crashes onto the outer bar. During high tide, waves often build without breaking and roll over the outer bar. So it's always better to scout out prime fishing locations on a low tide when the breaking waves make cuts easier to spot. Fish are more active and closer to shore at night, especially predatory species like snook, tarpon, and striped bass. To surf fish safely and effectively: Use glow-in-the-dark lures or attach small lights to your line for better visibility.

When planning a surf fishing session, look for calm conditions with wave heights of 1 to 2 feet, ideally during the incoming tide from two hours before to one hour after high tide. Wear reflective gear for safety.

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Art of Scaling Fish

admin March 15, 2025 0

As a long-time fisherman, the only thought and direction when scaling fish is to ensure you get them all. With that in mind, I went about the job of scaling fish with enthusiasm. Never did I stop to consider whether there was the art of scaling fish or not. The concern was that before the next gutting and cleaning phase, all scales had been removed.

At its core, the type of scales on the fish is the center of the art of scaling fish. Technically, there are 4 types of fish scales. They are placoid, cycloid, ctenoid (pronounced 'ten-oid'), and ganoid. Most bony fish have cycloid scales. Fish with cycloid scales have the same number of scales their entire lives - the scales enlarge to accommodate a fish's growth (scales that are lost to injury will be regrown). Fish scalers make scaling fish easier and contains most of the scales. They find it better than using a knife, fork, or spoon, making kitchen cleanup easier. The scales don't fly around as much, making cleanup even easier.

To process a whole fish, start by determining what you want to do with it. In this lesson, we are preparing a fish to be roasted whole. That means it should have the scales, guts, and gills removed. If you prefer, you can also remove the head. My preference is to remove the head so the fish are not looking at me.

Art of Scaling Fish Considerations

Almost never thought about (for me) are the four categories of fish body shapes. Those shapes are:

Fusiform (bullet, or torpedo shape)

Depressiform (broad shape and flat top to bottom)

Compressiform (tall, thin shape and flat side to side)

Vertically flattened shape that is somewhat depressiform (flat top to bottom)

The only true challenge I've confronted over the years of cleaning fish is being able to hold on. To effectively scale a fish, hold it firmly, use the blunt edge of a knife or fish scaler, and scrape away the scales. Moving from the tail towards the head, ensure you rinse off any remaining scales after each side.

In most cases, the fish scales you are likely to encounter are technically safe to eat, as long as they have been properly cleaned and cooked. However, most people prefer not to eat them due to their unpleasant texture. The potential benefits of eating fish scales are minimal.

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Preserving Freshly Caught Fish

admin March 13, 2025 0

Fish is an awesome source of healthy protein and is a part of healthy eating. Fishermen work hard to catch fish for the table. Most have their thoughts on the best way to process and preserving freshly caught fish. All post-catch processes involve chilling and/or freezing the catch. The focus here will be on preservation methods from the time the fish is caught until preserved.

There are four major methods of fish preservation and storage, namely: canning, freezing, smoking, and pickling. It is paramount to preserve high-quality fresh fish. Among all types of fresh foods, fish are vulnerable to tissue decomposition, the onset of rancidity, and microbial spoilage. Where you stand to gain more is what happens once the fish is removed from the water until it's refrigerated.

Typically, harvested fish are simply removed from water and left to suffocate to death, unconsidered. Because fish cannot breathe out of water, it will eventually die due to oxygen deprivation. However, death caused by passive suffocation stresses a fish. This stress coupled with inadequate temperature and holding protocols, robs the consumer of the full range of expression for an individual fish. Put simply, stress has a smell, and that smell stinks. Ice is the key to fresh-tasting fish.

Pack cleaned fish in a cooler of one pound of crushed ice for every two pounds of fish. Fish held at refrigeration temperatures of 40 degrees F or lower may have a shelf life of up to three days depending on refrigerator temperature and original fish quality.

Tested Preserving Freshly Caught Fish Technique

A traditional technique used by Japanese fishermen is called Ike Jime. This process is said to reduce the stress of a newly caught fish that is struggling to breathe out of the water. When this happens, fish trigger organs that inject substances that taint the meat.

This method involves severing nerves that trigger organs to do what they're supposed to do. Once severed, gutting and putting the fish on ice yields meat as fresh as when the fish was living. The tool used is called a "fish spike", "Brain Spike", or part of a "Ike Jime Kit". There are several iterations of these devices and they do address the issue of meat taint. Once home, store fish in the coldest part of the refrigerator, ideally at temperatures below 40°F (4°C). Ice: Place fish on a bed of ice in a shallow pan, allowing melted water to drain away. This keeps fish at a low temperature. Preparation: Clean and gut the fish before freezing.

Where this process is most widely practiced is in sushi, sashimi, and their derivatives preparation. Ike Jime is said to render the highest quality fish and may not fit the model of commercial or recreational fishermen. There are many species that require rapid gutting, bleeding, and chilling as fast as possible. Many sport boats have freezers that chill "prime" species to maintain freshness. In most cases, they drop the fish live into the freezer where it dies and is later removed and fileted. To reduce fish spoilage, prioritize immediate chilling (ideally with ice), and proper storage (refrigeration or freezing), and consider preservation techniques like salting, drying, smoking, or canning.

There are fish that do not necessarily taste good. Perhaps if they are processed differently before being tossed into the cooler they may make better table fare.

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