Want to try your hand at fishing the surf but aren’t sure how to start? Do you have questions about the equipment you will need, which rig is right, or what bait is best? In the Oak Island Surf Fishing 101 Class, you will learn everything you need to take that fish from the surf sand to frying pan. In this class, specifically designed for Oak Island anglers, we will discuss the different fish in our surf and talk about the right rig and bait for the fish you want to catch. We will even talk about cleaning and cooking those fish. By the end of class, you will know everything there is to know to fish the surf and have fun doing it. Registration Coming Soon!Registration for the 2022 Surf Fishing Seminars is coming soon! The Oak Island Surf Fishing 101 Class consists of two parts. First, we will meet in the classroom to discuss everything you will need to know to get started surf fishing. The second part of the class is hands on. We will meet at the beach and cast into the surf. Haven’t purchased your equipment yet? No problem. We can lend you a rod and reel. We will even provide the bait.
Dutchman Creek Bait & TackleWe are happy to announce that Dutchman Creek Bait & Tackle is sponsoring this season's classes! Dutchman Creek Bait & Tackle is always there to support Oak island anglers. They have everything you need to get you started fishing in the surf. Stop by, pick up your gear and tell them Sands in the Surf sent you! 2022 Class RegistrationRegistration iscoming soon for the 2022 fishing season. Registration will be available through the Oak Island Parks and Recreation Website.
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There’s the old adage, if it’s on the Internet, it must be true. What’s makes it funny is that it isn’t true. There is plenty of false information on the web. In fact, the Internet is infamous as an instrument for providing fake news. With all the information available at our fingertips, misconceptions about everything, including fishing, are bound to happen. So, we thought we would take a look at some of the most common fishing misconceptions that occur right here on Oak Island, NC. Here are the top 5: Puffers are Poisonous Starting in March, surf fisherman may find a very strange looking and what is thought to be an unwanted fish at the end of their line. All it takes is a piece of shrimp on a 1/0 hook and you’ll pull one in. You’ll feel the bite and start reeling in. at first it won’t seem like there is much there. Then it will feel like your dragging in a football. What is this strange creature? It’s the puffer. Also know as blowfish or blow toads, puffer and often returned to the sea. After all, you can’t eat those things. Their poisonous! Actually, nothing could be further from the truth and that’s why this is our first Oak Island fishing misconception. If you’ve never eaten a puffer fish, you’re missing out. Puffer is a silky, white meat. I find it similar to catfish in texture. And it is delicious! The bigger misconception; puffer is not poisonous. People assume it is poisonous because they confuse it with the Japanese puffer. Fugu, which is often served as sashimi, is only allowed to be served after chefs who have qualified after three or more years of rigorous training are allowed to prepare the fish. Next time you reel in a football, think twice before you decide to toss it back. Puffer are easy to clean. Make a cut just behind the head and peel the sandpaper like skin back. Then poke a fork into the meat and pull it out, separating the meat from the skin. If done correctly, it will look like a giant shrimp on the end of your fork. Bread the puffer and fry them up in a pan. You can thank me later! Bluefish Taste Bad There is the old joke that many fishermen apply to the bluefish. When asked how to best prepare the fish they respond, place it on a wooden plank and grill it for fifteen minutes. Then toss the bluefish in the garbage and eat the plank. It is true that bluefish has a stronger flavor that other, more milder fish. However, this stronger flavor doesn’t mean you should substitute the fish for a wooden plank. Instead, there are a few simple things one can do when preparing the fish that when done correctly will ensure you never eat another wooden plank again. First, unlike other fish, bluefish doesn’t keep well. If you plan to eat bluefish, I recommend you do it on the same day you catch it. Second, as soon as you catch it, bleed it. Removing the blood will help reduce the strong flavor of the fish. To do this, simply make a cut between and underneath the gills. Then, hold the fish by the tail and gently move it back and forth in the water. Prepping the bluefish in this way should reduce the strong flavor. However, if you want to be overly cautious, some recommend soaking the fillet in milk prior to cooking to neutralize any strong taste. A great way to cook this fish is straight on the grill. Place the clean and gutted fish on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil over the fish and then season with salt and pepper. Place whole or slice cloves of garlic on top of fish then cover with fresh spinach leaves. Wrap the aluminum foil around the fish and place on a hot grill. Trust me, you’ll want to eat the fish when it’s cooked. Cannonball Jellyfish are Venomous If you’ve walked the beach, I’m sure you have seen them washed up on the beach. Those clear, gelatinous blobs that are often scattered along the shoreline, especially after a storm. They are called cannonball jellyfish and they are fairly common. If you’ve seen one, chances are you circumvented the ball. Perhaps because you just didn’t want to step on it but more likely because you were afraid of being stung. After all, it’s a jelly fish and jellyfish are venomous. While it is true that cannonball jellyfish do produce a toxin which it releases to assists in capturing its prey, cannonball jellyfish are among the least venomous of all jelly species. While their toxins can cause some sensitivity in certain individuals, cannonball jellyfish are mostly harmless to humans. So, while it is probably best to leave them along, unlike the Portuguese man of war, if you accidently brush again one you won’t have to pee on yourself to stop the pain. Bonus misconception: There is no truth to the myth that peeing on a jellyfish sting can make it feel better. The Bigger the Hook the Better Here’s the premise. If small hooks catch small fish, then big hooks catch big fish. If this is true then in order to catch big fish, we must use big hooks. In theory this makes perfect sense and to some degree, this is a partially true statement. The truth is, if you want to catch small fish, it helps to use small hooks. At least, if you want to catch fish with small mouths. This is because big hooks won’t fit in the mouth of a fish wit ha small mouth. So likewise, the opposite must be true. Only issue, it’s not. As long as the bait fits properly on the hook, catching large fish on small hooks is absolutely possible and to some degree, preferred. To clarify, we do need to distinguish what we mean by big fish. For shark fishing for example, you’ll want a big hook as well as a strong hook. However, if we are talking about large blues, Spanish mackerel, or even bull red drum, you’d be surprised what you can land on a 1/0 hook. When teaching the surf fishing class through the Oak Island Rec Center, I can say the number one mistake I see surf fisherman making when they are just starting out is using too big a hook and too small a weight. If the weight is too small, like a one- or two-ounce weight, then it becomes difficult to cast the rig out far enough to find the fish. If the hook is too big, for example a 5/0, most fish in the surf won’t get hooked. It’s just too big. Best bet is to fish with a reasonably heavy weight. A four-ounce pyramid will work well in most conditions. Then, fish with a small, but strong hook. A 1/0 circle hook will catch most fish in the surf. Mullet! Whiting! …Kingfish Post a photo of a kingfish on any social media fishing group and ask for a fish ID. That is, as long as you want to start a war. It’ll look something like this: Fisherman 1: That’s a mullet. Fisherman 2: Not a mullet. It’s a whiting. Fisherman 3: That’s a Virginia mullet. Fisherman 4: We always called them roundheads. Fisherman 5: Not a whiting. Never heard of a roundhead. It’s a sea mullet! So, what is it? Are all these fishermen wrong? Actually, no. They aren’t all wrong. In fact, they are all right, and they are all wrong. The truth is, it’s a kingfish. Mullet, Virginia mullet, sea mullet, roundhead, and whiting are all names for the same fish, the kingfish. Which raises the question, why doesn’t everyone just call it a kingfish? I would speculate the reason that the kingfish is referred to by these other names is because fisherman use the name kingfish when referring to king mackerel. If a fisherman posted that he caught a kingfish off a dock in the Davis canal, nobody would believe him. Primarily because they would think he had caught a king mackerel. So which name should be used? I personally have always called them mullet. However, when one says mullet, it leads other fisherman to believe you are referring to bait such as finger muller or jumping mullet. For this reason, I often refer to the kingfish as a whiting. Am I wrong? Yes and no. |
Ian SandsFish along with Ian Sands of 'Sands in the Surf' on beautiful Oak Island, NC. We’re fishing the surf and surrounding areas targeting everything from puffer, to blues, to black and red drum, to sharpnose and bonnetheads. Archives
February 2021
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