Blackfish (tautog) are suckers for baits such as crabs and clams. Author Nick Honachefsky caught this blackfish from the surf on a fishfinder rig. Nick Honachefsky The surf zone is a wild arena. Completely different environments span the Northeast to the Carolinas all the way to Florida. Texas and California are distinct too. But anglers who prowl the beaches know some surf rigs can be ubiquitously applied. Still, the many different options available might confuse those who don’t understand their applications. And surf spots in different states sometimes have different names for the same rigs ..read more

You’ve caught a mess of snapper. Now make short work of them at the cleaning station. Capt. Vincent Daniello Most fishermen can carve reasonably flat pieces of meat from bones, but pro captains and guides know tricks that cut time while also paring flesh to the bone for a variety of species. I’ve asked several professional guides and captains from New England to the Bahamas for their filleting tips. Fishing Fillet Knives Most pros have at least two fishing knives — one for filleting and one for skinning. A straight blade around seven inches long with just a bit of flex will typically provide ..read more

Ditch the live shrimp next time you hit the flats for bonefish. Jason Arnold / jasonarnoldphoto.com Armed with the knowledge that scientists who dissect large South Florida bonefish report gulf toadfish (Opsanus beta) in their bellies, my intention was to uncover a panacean soft bait to target flighty bonefish. Heck, there must be a reason certain bonefish flies like Harry Spears’ Tasty Toad, Pat Dorsey’s Kwan Fly, and the Gummy Minnow imitate a toadfish, goby, and glass minnow. But after speaking with established Florida Keys captains such as Rich Smith, of Marathon, and Dave Atkinson, of Is ..read more

This king mackerel fell victim to a four-hook double-pogy rig. Chris Woodward Anglers targeting big kingfish and Spanish mackerel by slow-trolling live baits use specialized techniques to entice wary fish to strike. One popular and proven tactic involves presenting two live baits on a single terminal rig, which creates a larger profile and more action. These double-pogy rigs can be tied in two basic designs. And while the pogy, or menhaden, is commonly used, this system works well with a variety of other baitfish. Both rig designs use extra-strong hooks and swivels, and employ haywire twists ..read more

A team effort was required to release the shortfin mako. Courtesy Travis Lucas Three anglers were standing in neck-deep water off a beach on the Florida panhandle, being circled by a 12-foot shark—the kind of shark that makes its living attacking swordfish, tuna, and other sharks. It was the next-to-last moment in a beach-fishing adventure none of them will forget, and it ended safely for all of them, including the shark. On November 12, Travis Lucas and friends Joshua Smith and Ben Brandner caught and released a very large shortfin mako shark from the beach. It’s exceedingly rare to catch a ..read more

Kona’s consistent billfish success sparked a worldwide revolution in big-game fishing. Bryan Toney Many years ago, Kona skipper George Parker made ­headlines around the world when he caught the first certified, world-record grander Pacific blue marlin. Since that 1,002-pound giant in November 1954, Hawaii’s lee eddies have churned up a stream of 1,000-pound blues that continues today. Kona waters usually average two or three granders per year, along with more Pacific blue marlin IGFA records than any other sport-fishing hot spot. That parade of records continues. In March 2013, Alex Nuttall b ..read more

All rockfishes of the eastern Pacific, including this canary rockfish, are fun to catch and superb for the skillet (if legal to harvest). Doug Olander / Sport Fishing When anglers think of pursuing saltwater fishing in Alaska, they’re usually inundated with dreams of wrestling a barn-door halibut — which sometimes get so big that anglers might use a .410 to dispatch the large behemoths. But that’s not the only species the cold waters of Northern California all the way to the Gulf of Alaska can provide. Often thought of as the “younger brother” to targeting halibut in the Pacific Northwest (PN ..read more

Fishing Success in Windy Weather Sam Hudson / Sport Fishing Gusts to 25 knots out of the ­southwest stacked 2-foot waves atop 3-footers. What should have been a beautiful late fall day was quickly becoming a misery trip as torrents of salt water blew over the bow with the frequency of a punk-rock drumbeat. My wife released her white-knuckle death grip on the console rail just long enough to punch me in the shoulder. She started to yell what surely would’ve been an expletive when she was cut short by a curtain of Chesapeake Bay brine. “Trust me,” I shouted over the wind blast. “Three more ..read more

A soft-plastic paddle tail threaded on a 3/8-ounce jighead is the most efficient way to target spring speckled trout that cling to ledge walls to feast on juvenile croakers. Todd Masson During the winter months, mama croakers spew their eggs into high-salinity offshore waters, where they’re fertilized by daddy croakers, and then, in the afterglow, both mama and daddy head off to find something to eat, leaving the youngsters to fend for themselves. Maybe it’s parental malpractice, but Mother Nature shrugs. She couldn’t care less. Along the Louisiana coast, the larval and post-larval croakers a ..read more

The moment of truth! The knot visible here connecting blue braided line to the clear fluoro leader is really put to the test in this endgame with a very large tarpon. Ross Gallagher Because braided line has such a thin diameter, the importance of knots used to connect braid to a length of mono or fluorocarbon leader takes on greater significance. Most anglers choose to use a leader with braid, but based on the results of this challenge, it would seem that many are losing 30, 40 and even more than 50 percent of the braid’s breaking strength at that knot. On the other hand, some knots retain 90 ..read more