Clicked on this by mistake meaning to watch another video of yours last night but watched it anyway. I was out this morning at 4am on a south shore long island beach and the wind and sweep had calmed down a lot from last night. I was working a bucktail but couldn't buy a hit with it and started to think that there just might not be fish near the beach if I cant get em with a bucktail. So I threw on a chicken scratch sp minnow and bam first cast I was onto a 24" schoolie. I was working a piece of beach that had similar structure to the one you were working the day u shot the video and as I reeled in I had the video playing in my mind. Almost every hit came very close to shore. A beach full of guys throwing bait and lure and I was almost the only one catching. Thanks for another great video John
Another great quality video! I caught 29 striper last weekend on the Egg Harbor River in NJ. Most of them in the 20-25" range. Between me and my friends we caught 78 striper! Big females coming up the river any day now!
SP Minnow is an absolute beast out in Northern California. Every angler I've seen pulling a striper out this year is off a minnow. True story, rolled up to a beach one evening. Talked to a couple guys, they had been there for hours without even a bite. They were using bucktails, threw my minnow and within 25 mins got tangled up with a 15 lbs striper. Thank you Daiwa and thank you John for the advice.
SP is generally the first plug out of my bag at night. they're versatile, cast well, and pull a lot of fish. they're generally not a big fish plug, but if there are small to mid sized bass at night in structure and current then there are not a lot of better plugs to throw. vary the retrieve and add pulses, sweeps, etc but if you can you want to fish them slow at night to give them a wider and more deliberate wobble. you will feel in your rod if the plug is working properly, kicking out to the sides, etc. this is another major reason why the plug is so friendly for beginners. i prefer the old sinking models but the newer models get deep enough when you switch out the hardware. 2/0 vmc or a 1/0 mustad and some strong but small splits to fit into those small eyes.
Lure manufacturers should be giving you a commission John, seriously. Your videos, have given me (& I'm sure many more) courage & know how re which lures/plugs to buy & how/when/where to use them, so we're much more likely to do just that. I also have your book on Kindle. Many thanks.
Thank you for all of your informative videos. Great to see you take time to answer some questions as well. I fish LI shores often, hope to bump into you. Thanks again
@@hansperch6182 plug casts like a bullet.. try to fill the rattles changing direction (towards the tail ) before u cast, in other words, load your cast...
hey john. your videos are very helpful, and I'm very greatful you share your knowledge with others. I'm from California about 40 mins away from San Francisco, so your tips are just as good to use out here along the suf. I was wondering if you can make a video about the new daiwa sp bullet. I just picked up a few and I'm going to try them out during the season. But I feel like you can realy give out key information of when and how to apply this lure. thanks for reading this.
Took five months before catching a snapper on this lure. Was getting so impatient with this lure until yesterday. But it has so much good rating from other fisherman.
This was my #1 producer this year. Not for biggest fish, but most fish caught (unless something changes in the next 3-4 weeks). Blurple, Olive, Chicken. All three have landed me fish.
Great videos as usual John. Whenever I go out surf fishing and fill my surf bag I watch the videos on tips for using those specific lures. Definitely has paid off. Actually going out tonight and plan on using the SP for some big blue or striper action in NJ. But Ive always wondered about something with your equipment and certainly not to sound like a smartass or anything. Why do you get a 10' Lamiglass when you end up cutting a foot from the end? Why not just purchase a 9'? Does it have to do with the action of the rod?
Hi John. I happen to be on the CT side of the sound and I'm looking to try surf fishing this year. Whats better for stripers and all around surf fishing, lures or chunking bait? Thanks a lot.
Hey John. I notice in your surf casting videos you don't use a dropper loop with a teaser. What is your opinion on teasers and why do you opt out of using them in these situations?
i live on LI too and i go to sore thumb for surf casting but the fishing is usually never good, if you do not mind and i understand if you dont want to disclose that, but what beach do u usually go to for surfcasting
Hey bro, how does this SP Minnow stack up to the Daiwa Sam Model or 4.75 inch...Saltiga at $20....??? I don't get why they would have two models...Which one is better and is lazer red head better than the regular or the regular better over there on the East????? Help me out folks..Greetings from CA.
Grand Morning Mr Skinner. Question Im not sure you have been around City Island of the Bronx NY. If by chance you have, how would you fish an area with no sand bars and has man made beaches. Thanks in advance
Hi John great videos I learn a ton from you! Could you do a video with the SP minnow and other when your fishing rips and channels? I see a ton of that in our Connecticut waters and it seems like everything is fished differently when you deal with that kinda of current and your only getting a short swing on the retrieval/presentation of the plug.
Get a joe bags swatter let it drift with current and slow retrieve with a few twitches and pause.purple is my color.from we have the same Chanel's in rhode island.
You may have gotten an answer to this over the years, but the fluro carbon is more abrasion resistant than the mono. That's about the only difference :) both are strong and nearly invisible in the water. You'd want to use fluro when more around rocks and structures that could damage your leader, or when going after toothed fish.
John, when you make your videos, do you run the camera until you hook up and then stop/restart after you land the fish? I just got a go pro and am thinking about methods for making videos. Thanks.
What do you think of the Bomber Log Shot? I find them to cast farther than the SP, have heavier duty hardware and swim very similar to a Bomber Long A. I haven't caught much with it but the few times I used it, I caught a few keeper sized bass and some cocktail blues. How are your experiences with it?
+SquirlyBringer I haven't fished it, just test cast, and thought the SP was a much better casting plug. We already know the SP is an awesome fish catcher.
Hey John - I've been wondering about the cozy looking duds your wearing in the winter. Neoprene? Where to you pick them up? Do you find it better to use a "wet" outfit than rubber waders that keep the water out? Also, while I'm quizzing you, when is the drop dead end of your season for trying to grab the slow to go south stripers? I have always heard legend of the cows that hang around here (Cape Cod) all winter, but I have never actually verified this.
I've not done much when the water temperature has dropped below 47 degrees. We used to sometimes have decent fish into early December, especially when herring were around, but it's been a long time since we've had a good shot of late big fish. I wear breathable bootfoot waders and layer clothes underneath.
Kev Z. The weight of the bucktail depends on the depth and current youre fishing, you want a heavy enough jig to keep you near the bottom but not so much so that its just dragging along the bottom. Make sure to add a pork rind or some other trailer. Match the rod to the size of the lure youre throwing. braided line is the way to go when throwing lures, especially jigs. Most importantly just go do it, experiment, thats the only way youll ever learn.
Hey John, Thank you for the book and all the wealth of knowledge over the years. Im sure it would not be but please humor me. Please. If you were to fish this Exact set up at the Canal, hypothetically would you feel comfortable potentially trying to hail in a 40+ fish?
if you notice how most of the fish are getting hooked its by the belly hook, stripers are known for getting mostly hooked by the belly hook because the way they eat is by eating baitfish head first, so i personally would just upgrade the belly hook to a vmc treble
Mr. Skinner, thank you for all the hard work you put in your videos. I'm learning a lot from them. You mentioned the rod you're using is based on the Lami GSB1201L, which has a lure rating of 2-4 on their website. You don't seem to have any issue whipping lighter SP out there though. Is the blank you're using rated lighter, or perhaps any tips for getting those lighter lures out a bit farther on rods that aren't super well matched for them? Thanks again!
The lightest floating SP is 7/8 oz right? That's damn near 1 oz which is not very light. If the rod is rated 2-4 oz then I'm guessing that it wouldn't load up the rod engaging it's "sweet spot" necessarily, but it would still cast that lure.
I believe John is saying that he bought a 10" blank and cut off a foot to keep the tip action; then wrapped the rod himself. Sometimes you find the right action, but the length is not right..... IMO.... apologize if I have it wrong.
John, could you ball park a ratio between hookups and time spent fishing? I feel that as a west coast fisherman, our fishery is much smaller than the east coast TY
Impossible. It varies a lot, and is dependent on your goals. Targeting large fish means a hit an hour is good. Just looking to bend the rod you expect a lot more than that. There are catches with dozens of fish and others without a touch.
John Nice video. Do you think this lure will work in the kelp line. I'm in San Diego Ca. Im thinking it might do pretty good, but first im gonna try the Daiwa DSPM15F Salt Pro Laser Sardine & Laser Shiner 6". What is the exact lure you had in this video. Do you have the model #. You should list everything you use in the about section. I think it would help everyone from going back to watch the video a bunch of times like I did.
It depends on how far your want to cast, what size fish you are after, and/or what size the waves are that day and how much weight you will throw according to those conditions
Probably if even a little. A side affect that it could have is If the retrieve is too fast the hooks can "swing" and carve out half-moons on the nice finish of the lure. SO the larger the hooks the more they could swing and the larger the half moon pattern would be.
You mentioned that the beach lip was the most productive structure under the fishing conditions of the day. Would it be feasible under those surf conditions to wade farther out so you could cast quartering the structure to the seaward side in order to keep the lure in the productive zone longer?
hi John, I was wondering if replacing the tail hook with a dressed siwash hook would ruin the action of a Diawa SP like that or even a bomber for that matter?
I removed the belly hook and it killed the action. I was on a gator bluefish blitz earlier this season with every cast resulting in a hookup. The belly hook would come back on the fish's head when it took a run and kept hooking them in the eye. Took off the belly hook and they wouldn't touch it. Killed 4 large bluefish that I had to keep. Ended up smoking them which came out really good, so it worked out. Was snacking on smoked bluefish for weeks!
I've read that spoons like the Luhr Jensen krocodile spoon twists a lot and can cause line twist, and some people use barrel swivels in this case. I think in cases where line twist could be a problem then maybe a rule of thumb is to use a swivel to reduce the twist, otherwise I would just tie directly to the lure otherwise it is one more thing you have to tie a knot to. More knots, more chance of failure. Also Clips as far as what I know don't strengthen your rig, but help you to change out lures QUICKLY. Also Lures like the LuckyCraft could negatively affect the action.
Hey John, are you using the floating or sinking? If you have experience on both models, which do you prefer to reach first? Although they both have their time and place. I'm kinda liking the sinking.
Hey John, need follower. Trying to fix my casting technique which produces more birds nests than anything else. Question, you said your fishing a 3ft leader, tied to braid with a barrel swivel. Does bringing that swivel back up in the guides on your retrieval and cast mess up your guides?
@@JohnSkinnerFishing I know. It was a stupid question. What I kinda realized is that, it didnt look like a 36 inch leader on the video, so that just got stuck in my brain then I thought about it. I'm just desperate to work out the bad kinks in my casting technique. hahah. Desperado
I used to ask this, but then I realized that the size of bait you use is entirely up to you and completely dependent upon your other gear. If you want big fish use big bait. If you want to hit your limit present small bait. Also the size of bait/weight you are going to throw is also dependent upon what your rod and line can handle. If you mismatch weight/bait when you go to cast your line can snap and you'll lose your lure. Unless you have the same exact rod and line as John, then don't ask what size his lure is. A good rule of thumb is 10# of line strength for every oz casted.
What pound leader and main line would you suggest? I'm thinking 20lb braid main to 40lb leader. I'm that guy that's likes the thrill. But what do you think.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing and may I ask what would you recommend to be best rod length to be? You said 10ft(or 9ft) medium heavy or medium. I am looking at the 10ft penn prevail spinning rod. I've got the 9ft with a 3500 with 20-30lb braid(I forgot which) and love the setup. But a 10ft rod maybe with a 6000 spinning reel and 30-40lb braid and 30-40lb mono or fluoro leader. Do you think that would work or may be a bit on heavy side with a penn battle(first gen) with that pound test?
I have been surf fishing for only 2 years which isn't anything g to brag about. During the 2 years I ha e purchased a lot of different rods and reels and have not found a set up that I am satisfied with. Can I ask your opinion on a good rod and reel with an action made for a plug that is not going to break the bank. Thank you!
For the ocean beach I'd suggest either of the 11-foot Tsunami Airwave Elite rods paired with a Penn 706Z. For a 9-footer you could check out the Tsunami 9' 6'' or St. Croix Mojo 9-foot medium and a Penn 6500SSV
I like the heavier one just because it casts farther if i knew the fish in my spot that i go to on a daily basis were all up close i would buy the 3/4.
alright I need help i have been surf casting for all of 3 months but I not had a single hit while surf casting, I understand that it hasn't been that long and I still need to learn but i could use all the help i can get, I understand all the reels rods and lures but what are the best tides and conditions for stripers
+Jack Farley During the winter the stripers and bluefish migrate south, therefor your chances of catching fish in the winter are miniscule. I would try again in late april/early may
