I still work lures and present rigs with conventional baits most of the time that I am fishing but sometimes I use sand crab baits to put fish up on the sand when all other options disappoint. Given this new perspective, I tweaked my surf fishing approach somewhat. I was not matching the hatch but I was matching what the fish were eating. The sand mole crabs had appeal because that was what most species of fish were feeding on in order to survive. Imagine my surprise when I started catching some short stripers, mixed-size fluke, and even a scattering of bluefish, sea robins, and other less glamorous fish on my new bait. Eventually, I decided to gather up some of these crunchy morsels and see if I could catch anything on them. I remember that in previous years, some of the bass and fluke that I caught often spit up these miniature crabs. However, I did notice how plentiful the sand mole crabs were on just about every beach that I fished. On several occasions in recent years, all my time and effort in presenting lures and packaging bait on rigs in the surf produced either little or nothing. Use a sinker as light as possible to let the baited hook move with the wave action. They attach quite well and can be cast normally with a minimum of crabs falling off during flight. When targeting striped bass, put as many crabs on your hook as possible, leaving the hook point exposed. The forage that fish used to feed on oftentimes simply is not available anymore. However, beach replenishment has seriously altered the dynamics of surf fishing: long-established seasonal patterns of how gamefish feed вЂ“ and what they feed on вЂ“ have been transformed. Gulp swimming mullets and other soft plastics have taken precedence in the slow summer months. During the spring, though, when there is a cold water bite I typically have opted to fish clams, fresh bunker chunks, and worms for stripers. Given a choice during my long fishing career, I have always preferred to throw and work lures for striped bass, bluefish, and fluke вЂ“ anywhere, anytime. In our waters, they are most attractive to striped bass and fluke but bluefish, sea robins, skates, weakfish, blackfish, blowfish, croakers, kingfish, dogfish, and other species will feed on them as well when they are available, and especially in the absence of other forage sources. They are the most effective bait in Florida for pompano they are also effective down south for redfish, sheepshead, black and red drum, and other less celebrated species. Sand crabs are much more popular for bait in southern waters than they are here in the Northeast.

They are abundant along Northeast beaches from the late spring through the fall with summertime their peak season during the winter months they can be located on low-lying sandbars offshore. On the Atlantic Coast, they are especially plentiful along southern beaches like those in Florida but also in somewhat lesser numbers all the way north to New England. Some form of sand crabs are found in many parts of the world they are found on both our Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. Ironically, sand mole crabs have found these new sandy environments to be a boon to their species and their very existence. Although beach replenishment has been popular with shore communities and homeowners, it has negatively impacted surf fishing wherever and whenever it has been applied.Д¬oastlines that used to harbor clams, mussels, small baitfish, crabs, and other structure-lovers are reduced to vast sandy underwater deserts with virtually little habitat in which marine life can settle and flourish. One of the biggest tasks for surfcasters to manage in recent years has been the imposition of beach restoration projects along our coastline to rebuild storm-ravaged beaches and to protect them from future coastal storms. Although the sea is eternal, its personality and landscape evolve continually thus challenging anglers to embrace those changes and to adjust their angling tactics accordingly. If the only real constant in life is change then that truism certainly applies to surf fishing. A sand crab or two impaled on a smaller 5/0 or 6/0 circle hook is about all you need to score at the shore this summer.ДonвЂ™t tell anyone, but itвЂ™s probably been the most effective tactic for catching surf stripers all summer long.

Munchies for your bass