How-To: Shore Fishing on an Open Beach #158

Open Beach: There is often more than meets the eye at an open beach. Structure-wise, you have gradual drop-offs, fast drop-offs, sand bars, deep troughs, rocks and boulders. 

Approach: Work the system at hand. Bounce along the bottom, fish along the top.

Tide: Varies by structure. 

"IF I JUST HAD ONE" with SHELL E. CARIS
LOCATION: New Jersey
TARGETED SPECIES: Striped Bass
LURE: Slow Tail Series
COLOR: Bone

1. "This lure has tremendous action. It casts great and I have been fishing for over 60-years in the surf and the way it swims in shallow water (2 to 7-feet) is unbeatable."
2. "It tracks incredibly well because of its weight. Normal soft baits are 1.5oz to 2oz so they may not track as well but because the slow tail is 1.25oz, you can use it on a steady retrieve without it dragging along the bottom or looking unnatural."
3. "The barbarian hook is great. There's a slot on top of the soft bait where the hook has more wiggle room which is a key factor because it's not embedded into the soft bait which gives it a lot more freedom to move for better action." 

Steps:

1. Fish a gradual rise at low tide, incoming. You can wade out to get in deeper water where fish will be running along the edge. All water column levels. Fished fast and slow. 
2. The other side of the surf rolling on a sand bar fishes best on a dropping tide. A weighted soft bait or bucktail bouncing on the bottom is ideal here. 
3. Deep-water troughs between the beach and sand bars have probably produces the most 50lb bass for shore anglers throughout the northeast. A dropping tide is ideal. This is the perfect place to fish lightly weighted or unweighted soft baits. A light entry to the water is good. Also, since many of these bars and troughs are close to shore, lighter tackle is suitable. 
4. If you're lucky enough to find a beach with a good feeling, you can fish any style here. I generally like to fish the 180-degree span between the two structure points. A paddle tail makes a good search bait. 
5. Boulders are simple and easy to fish and are great places for eel shaped soft baits such as the Hogy Original 10-inch or 14-inch. Fish them fast, like you would a rigged eel. Boulders can be super effective at slack high tide. 
6. Often, fish will be breaking outside of reach from a second set of bars. A long range mental like the Hogy Sand Eel Jig will help you reach those fish.