I know some of them as well. The real regulars are not the ones I was talking about when I started this post. It’s the self proclaimed sharpie groups that show up on occasion. I typically have very good experiences down there as well. You meet some really good fishermen too. There are a few basic rules to follow if you want to fish effectively as well as keep the peace:
Always, and I mean always wear
korkers. You can hop around the rocks in sneakers or flipflops but when you have to land a fish you stand a good chance of going down. All you end up doing without them is risking your safety and make everyone else nervous.
Learn how to negotiate the rocks in the dark without a light. I’m not sure how much a light in the water really bothers the fish but most people really don’t appreciate it. Reserve the light for handling fish and dealing with tangles and you’ll hear a lot less shit from people. Most nights there is enough light to negotiate the rocks without a lamp anyway. It also helps to check the place out during the day.
Keep in contact with your lure during a drift. Keep your fingers on the line as you drift and don’t let any out unless you feel the plug pulling it. If you just open your bail the line will pull out with the current forming a loop in the rip. This increases your chances of getting fowled with someone else and is just a poor line handling technique anyway. You might miss a fish on the drift or even worse your plug might hang up on a rock and all you’re doing is pouring line out into the rip.
If everyone is drifting plugs or eels don’t put a weighted bait out in the current. It’s not that this won’t catch fish, it’s just that if you’re fishing a spot with a chunk., I’m not going to come over an cast my plug over you. So try not to do it if someone else is fishing there before you.
Always listen to someone’s advice if they approach you in a friendly way and they seem to want to help you catch fish as well as keep the tangling down to a minimum. If they start to act like pricks about it then you can handle it in a different manner.
Use the appropriate tackle. You can get into some big fish down there and it doesn’t pay to use 15lb gear. I know some people think it is sporting to use lighter tackle but I don’t think it really is. First, it takes forever to land a fish in a rip with light tackle. You stand a good chance or breaking off. Second, is it really sporting to exhaust a fish if you are going to release it anyway? The faster you get them in the better their chance of survival. Besides if you have a light line and there is a big crowd it makes everyone else have to wait longer to keep fishing.
Sorry for the rant. Just my 2¢