SUP is the best fishing invention of the century. I am posting this to the general forum because if you have ever had any inkling to catch fish from your board then hopefully these videos will motivate you to 'Go out and Catch Some.'
The first clip is from Striped Bass fishing on the East Coast. The second is a bit more evolved tackling rockfish off the Northern California Coast.
Striper at Magics (http://vimeo.com/29124431)
Lingcod, Vermillion (an Octopus) and Waves Oh My!
Lingcod, Vermillion and Waves Oh My! (http://vimeo.com/30209811)
Lessons learned:
1. Everything has to be tethered to your body. Fishing rod, paddle, tackle bag, fish gripper, pliers . . .
2. Wear a board leash. The wind can pick up quickly and if your board gets away from you, and you have all the gear tethered to your body, you will have no chance of catching the board.
3. The board can be anything big and stable. In the East I was on a 12' Windsurfer I bought for $50 fifteen years ago. On the West Coast I am using a 12' PSH gun. No need to add crates or mar up the surface. If you plan ahead and focus on keeping things simple everything can be attached to the angler.
4. Your SUP should be treated as a boat. I originally marveled that the SUP was the ultimately "mobile casting platform." I would travel from point A to B and then fan-cast for fish. A local East Coast fish monger then observed that my board was simply a 'boat'. I changed my tactics and started trolling from the SUP. Covering far more territory I immediately tripled my catch.
5. Use a hip pack to hold lures. Attach 2 (two) loops of rope, one on each hip, with PVC tubing over each loop. The loops serve 2 purposes: 1) The loops can hold your paddle by passing the T-Handle grip through the PVC loop on either side of your body. 2) The loops serve as a rod stop. When trolling the fishing rod may be passed through the belt of the hip pack with the butt of the rod secured in one of the loops. This mechanism allows you to set the hook on fish with your hips. Before I discovered this technique I lost several fish when they slammed a limp rod in much need of Viagara rigging.
6. Wear shorts, even over a wetsuit. The pockets help to quickly store and access lures and bait.
7. Use some sort of gripping tool. Striped Bass and some Rockfish may be grabbed by the lip. Toothier fish like Lingcod and Bluefish can remove digits. I have been using a Boga Grip, but these are heavy and I am currently looking for an alternative. As you see the Boga Grip doubles as a means to bring fish to shore. Once gripped it doesn't let go. As a backup I have discovered that the mesh bags (often used to hold soft roof racks) work spectacularly well to collect fish. The 'Cornucopia of Angry Fish' were all stashed in a single mesh bag tethered to the waist, resting on the deck of the board.
8. Balance is not a big issue in flat water. As the wind picks up or in rougher conditions balancing can be more difficult. A huge advantage that SUP has over Kayak fishing is standing up. Jigging, casting, setting hooks and fighting fish are all more natural from a standing position. 2 discoveries here;
a. The paddle is your best defense in rough conditions. The paddle should be tethered to your waist. (See the mechanism used to attach the paddle) The benefits of this are many. The paddle can be dropped immediately without fear of loss. This is necessary when a fish hits a trolled lure. The tether also permits you to pick up the paddle and move without leaning over or detaching the paddle from your hip. The paddle may also be picked up one-handed if you need it for a bit of control while catching fish.
b. A short loop of rope can be pulled over your head and passed under your left shoulder (if you are right handed). In rougher conditions the paddle can be held in your left hand and be used to help stabilize. The T-Handle can be slipped inside the loop of rope and it will gently lock against rope. With practice you can significantly increase stability and even slowly move the board in all directions with one hand.
Once you have hooked a fish balance become less of an issue. The pull of the fish on the rod serves as the third leg of the stool.
It will be interesting to see how far SUP fishing can go. My biggest catch has been a 42" Striped Bass. The sky is truly the limit when the oceans bounty is just a paddle away.
thanks, do have couple pic of your body fishing setup? I want go surfing in the morning and when the condition get rough, go out and try to catch a dinner or two.
Thanks for the vid and suggestions.
Yes, post a pic of how the gear is rigged to your body.
When trolling, what do you have the rod attached to?
Where are you on West?
Here in SoCal, I suspect with a little trolling, kelp will get snagged.
thanks
Beasho
x3. I'm keen to see your connection(body) set up. .
pb12
That sure looks like you're fishing at Mavericks, are you?
Look out for sneaker waves!
Good tips. Love fishing from my big ole 12 ft cruiser.