My First Surf Fishing Trip

Hooked ever since

I learned to fish as young boy. Going down to the local creek and catching sunfish and catfish was a common Saturday. When I was 11, my dad bought me a surf rod and other assorted gear for my first surf fishing excursion. We arrived at Island Beach State Park in New Jersey in the middle of the afternoon in May. My dad got my line rigged up and in the water, and all I had to do was wait.

I don’t recall how much time passed before I got my first bite, but I remember cranking the reel, as the fish on the other end fought with all he had. I also remember my dad asking me if I needed any help, to which I confidently replied “Nah I got it”. I finally got the fish to the edge of the water, as my dad told me to allow the waves to push the fish up onto the beach. There I was, with my first Striped Bass.

Later on that afternoon, my sinker got buried in the sand, and my dad snapped my brand new fishing rod trying to retrieve it. Fortunately, he had brought along a 7 foot rod in case he wanted to do any plugging. He rigged it for me, and I was back in business. I was able to catch another Striped Bass. Another fisherman had stopped as he was walking by, and asked who caught the fish. Dad proudly pointed to me and said he did.

As the sun set, we packed up our gear and headed into town for some dinner, and afterwards we called mom so I could tell her about my adventure. That night we fished the bay side. My dad caught a blow fish, I caught a lot of Z’s.The next morning we headed out early, and I proceeded to catch another 2 Striped Bass.

The picture above, is all I have of the wonderful weekend, but the memories of it will last a lifetime. I’ve learned alot about fishing the surf since then, and I’ll continue to post some of my other adventures

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