Will nightcrawlers work for surf fishing?

[gavin310]

I have some nightcrawlers left over from freshwater fishing yesterday. I'm about to head out for some surf fishing and I'm wondering if there's any point trying the crawlers in the surf. I use the Berkeley Camo Sand Worms and they work really well, so maybe? I'll be checking replies on my iPhone while on the beach :D

[JSAUCE818]

i tried them before,...caught perch,...they dont last long though.....i think they turn all white from the salt...lol...i think its like pouring salt on a slug, maybe someone can correct me if im wrong though...

[tacklejunkie]

They should work for perch. Those little guys will eat just about anything that fits in their mouth when they are on the hunt. I've heard sturgeon like N/C's too, but I think that's up in the SF bay.

[gavin310]

Yep I'm catching small perch and baby striped bass. I'm trying my Berkeley sandworms now. Well see =)

[tacklejunkie]

Dang man, your gettin' stripies in the surf and reporting from the beach on your iPhone? Lucky dawg! :lol:
Nightcrawlers SLAY striper schoolies at Silverwood..

[gavin310]

hehe yeah this iPhone let's me be a nerd anywhere, any place :)

So I saw some guys at a little tackle shop in Malibu and they had some nice size surf perch. They told me where they got em, so I'm off to hunt some perch!

[Wingnut]

Yep I'm catching small perch and baby striped bass. I'm trying my Berkeley sandworms now. Well see =)

Baby Stripers out of the surf? Now why wasn't I notified immediately?!? :lol: :wink: :mrgreen:

[Ray Lopez]

Yep I'm catching small perch and baby striped bass. I'm trying my Berkeley sandworms now. Well see =)

Baby Stripers out of the surf? Now why wasn't I notified immediately?!? :lol: :wink: :mrgreen:
stripers on the so cal coast?

[gavin310]

You guys all seem pretty shocked about the stripers! I've never seen a striper in person, but I'm assuming that's what they were since they resembled the pictures and they had clearly visible horizontal stripes on their sides :) Sorry I should have snapped a picture of them. I caught two, both about 6". I was at Chart House in Malibu.

Wingnut, I'm glad your here! I had my first successful surf fishing catch on a lure!!! It was a BSP and it was the biggest one I've ever caught, although it was still relatively small compared to what I've seen other people with. All thanks to you and your recommendations! Thank you!!! I only caught one, but I was there at an awkward time and I'm planning on going back tomorrow before high tide. I was casting out as far as I could, which wasn't very far since my lure isn't very heavy. I kept thinking I'm not going to catch anything, I have to get further out and the sandy water around me doesn't have any visibility for the fish. So, I was reeling in and a wave was about 5 feet in front of me and I figured, what the hell, I'll let the wave take the lure behind me. So it went about 6 feet behind me in really shallow and sandy water and I was slowly reeling and BAM! I nailed a nice BSP. A very important lesson for me no doubt. Just curious, when you nailed the halibut and croaker on your lure in your Santa Barbara report, how far out did they bite at and how deep was it? I love catching perch, but I'd love to get me a hali :twisted: Here are some pics:

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/gavin310/malibu_2-9-08_1.jpg

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d52/gavin310/malibu_2-9-08_2.jpg

[Wingnut]

Nice to see that you caught the surf fishing bug too Gavin. You will learn something new every time that you go out. I'm still learning myself. I caught the big YFC, legal Halibut and those 12-14" BSP's on the LC Flashminnow 110 Metallic Sardine & Candy Sardine pattern. This lure dives only 1 to 2 feet below the surface. Slow & steady retrieve is the key. Very important that you learn how to look for structures or holes and drop offs. That's where most of the fish will be holding waiting for baitfish. Took me a little while to learn and recognize what to look for. Check the tide chart and go to your favorite spot at the lowest tide. This is where you can see the basic layout of the beach. Study it, make notes and come back during high tide and fish the area. Doing your homework will pay off. Keep in mind that structures and the layout will change often, especially after storms and/or extreme high surf conditions, so you may have to recon the area from time to time. Good luck!

Arthur (Wingnut) :mrgreen:

[tacklejunkie]

Nice work on the lure fish! They hammer little lures pretty good!

[gavin310]

Ya know, I forgot to say how the nightcrawlers did in the surf. JSAUCE was right about them not lasting long, but I got lots of bites on them, all from little 6" or under BSP or the baby stripers I was talking about. Some of them would turn very white, some would only get a little bit of a white tint. That's about it though. I guess just another possible perch bait :) But I've found my new love in lures :banana: http://duffmaru.freeservers.com/fish19.gif