On my last surfcasting trip, I got up a 4:00 AM. I put on my wet suit and drove my pre-packed Suburban to a sandy beach with points, bars, and troughs. I got to the my spot at 5:45 AM. While putting on my surf belt and grabbing my rod, a ranger came up to me. I thought he was going to point out the “No Parking” signs to the left and right of my Suburban. To my pleasant surprise, he offered me a parking spot in a restricted area. There is a special place is heaven for people like him!
After a short walk, I reached the water’s edge in record time. The sky was still dark. I read the water. I casted over sand bars. Nothing. I casted into troughs. Nothing. So I decided to trek a mile over soft sand to a point. When I reached the distant point, the tidal current was colliding with the wind induced current. The cross product of these two force vectors was whitewater! Whitewater!! Whitewater everywhere!!! I waded out on the sandy point until the water reached my surf belt. The waves were crashing on my chest. I had to cast between incoming waves. Not a safe place for waders! My ZeeBaaS reel cranked through it all without fail. My 7mm Neosport wetsuit kept me warm. I fished every plug in my surf bag. The Guppy pencil popper penetrated the onshore wind and out casted all the plugs in my surf bag. The “wind-shield-wiper” action in the rough surf was amazing. I fan casted the point. When the sun started to rise in the horizon, a fish engulf my Guppy pencil popper when it was only 20 yards away from my boots. The fish pulled drag against the tidal current! Bluefish? No!! It was a keeper striped bass with shoulders!!!
Surf conditions are difficult to forecast. Weather apps give me an indication of what I will face when I reach the water’s edge. But, when I am on my sandbar or rock, the conditions can change (and often do) without warning. Hence, I carry an array of plugs to fish the entire water column under all conditions. The Guppy pencil popper is now a permanent tenant in my surf bag.
