Although many of the surfcasting pictures I have , show me in waders....rarely do I have my belt on ...etc.  The reason for that is because I know my fishing grounds very well and they consist mainly of sand bars.....which DO NOT PRESENT AS MUCH DANGER as other surfcasting haunts.  People have died from surfcasting...........alot of the years of this ancient sport.  The ocean is not forgiving.  Rocks can crack your head open and are like oiled floors when breakers break over you.  Undertow can suck you down and the next wave can keep you there.  Add to it the fact that much of this is done at night and the danger can be foreboding.  But that's why we like it!  None the less, don't be a fool.  When you don't fish sand bars...and use piers and rocks etc, in my opinion the single most important piece of equipment for safety .................KORKERS.  If you don't fish sand.....get them. Even slight slips ruin your equipment and elbows!!.  Please remember safety.  Encourage your friends to do the same.  Wear korkers for a great grip....Wear your belt for a few valuable seconds when you go in,     Have a PFD on, when you ARE in....and a water proof light to aid in assistance etc.  BE CAREFUL.  We have all been banged around  as surfcasters........Bruises make for good stories..........Obituaries don't!!!!!

1623 the settlers at Plymouth mass sustained themselves through the whole summer on stripers............that were caught just in ONE NET!!!!  In fact Capt John Smith said in 1631 that "a thousand bass were taken with the single draw of their nets!! In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colony forbade its valuable resource of striped bass to be used for fertilizer even though it was so plentiful.  Much of the survival of the pilgrims in those early days was surely due to the catch ability and abundance of our Beloved striper....I still think it should be our National Fish

A common problem many surf casters have when using a plug or lure when fishing for bluefish and especially stripers, is that they attempt to set the hook too soon.  Let the striper bite down on it before you lean back....I t first inhales it with alotttt of water..expells the water. and then bites down. Granted, this is only a sec or two...but your instantaneous yank can pull the plug free instead of burying the trebles.....Remember don't ever set a hook. bait or plug. unless the line is taunt.  Tight lines up your odds for a hook up................immensly.

Even though we all have our favorite times to surfcast for our prize, what do you use to determine WHERE you will surf cast?  Here is how Striper Mike and most of his fellow hot shots pick their spots.  Choose a high spot, they are hard to find on beaches...but any incline will do.  Go to that spot at DEAD LOW TIDE and look at where you will be casting to later in the tide.  Even though the beach or area may seem to be all the same.....low tide will tell you different.  Subtle rifts and structure may offer you the key to that days high tide.  Don't just cast to the horizon......cast to where you think your trophy will be.  Add intelligence to your luck.