saltwater pier, beach fishing...no clue

Question
Hey man. Im an avid freshwater largemouth fisherman and i just moved to Long Island, New York. Yesterday i went out to a pier close around and realized that saltwater fishing is a way different world than freshwater. I need a couple tips. I have access to a beach and a pier. I am fishing for whatever bites man. I have a big surf rod with 20 lb. test, some squid and a couple lures. I need some tips on: the best time to fish, how to rig a bait( hooks and weights and all that) where to fish what to use , tactics all that. YOur help would be so awesomely appreciated. Thanks a lot man,

Evan

Answer
Saltwater bait fishing is quite different, however, you would be surprised that fishing with lures for a lot of saltwater species has their roots in bass fishing, especially fishing with soft plastics in saltwater.

You can search the net for resources on the illustrations of most of the rigs you can use for surf fishing and pier fishing.

Here抯 one that you can start with http://www.combat-fishing.com/basicusefulrigs.html it has some clear diagrams that could prove useful to you.

A basic rig you should check out is called a "fish finder rig". It is basically made with a sliding egg sinker threaded on your main line, a swivel and your leader tied off at the other end of the swivel. The advantage of this rig is that when a fish grabs your bait, it would be able to run off with it with out feeling the weight of the sinker, when you cast out, leave a bit of slack on the line.

Another basic rig is a dropper rig; made with a three way swivel, a pyramid sinker tied to one eye, your mainline tied to another and the leader attached to the third eye. The nice thing about this rig is that you can add another three way swivel via a short line on top of the other one and rig another hook leader giving two or three hooks soaking on the bottom. A good trick is to use a variety of baits; one hook would have squid, the other cut pilchards or herring and cut crab or shrimp on the other, just check which bait gets the most hits and rig all your baits with that particular bait.

If you can cast it far enough, my favorite rig is the 揻lyline? which is nothing more than a single hook tied at the end of your line, I let it drift with the current close to structure or deeper water.

I prefer to pass my hooks on the bait twice and I always leave about a one inch to one and a half inch section dangling; I slice my baits (like squid) in a long triangular sliver to mimic a small fish, I hook it on the wider section, this would make the bait flutter in the current as if it was alive. I use small whole crabs and hook these crabs on the side, you would need to really push the hook in and out the other side if they are hard shelled crabs, so please be careful, a pair of piers would help.

In almost any type of fishing, live bait is best, so check your local tackle shops if they sell live bait, you can also ask for a 搒abiki?rig, you can use this to catch live bait, to use it, you just have to jig it up and down near the surface to catch small baitfish; you can hook fish in several ways, I nose hook the fish to keep them alive longer.

Spoons, poppers, subsurface plugs and soft plastic baits have taken root in saltwater, you fish them a bit faster in saltwater. I love casting poppers in the surf. I look for places where deep water meets shallow water, rocks, points, pilings and other man made structure, cast around these areas and you will find fish; pretty much the same with bass!

Be on the look out for birds diving for baitfish, this is one indication that predatory species are pushing the bait up onto the surface, when you see this?it抯 almost always a sure thing.

Best times to fish would be a couple of hours before and after a tide movement. I closely watch the tide charts for days with an incoming tide at dusk or dawn; this is prime time for predatory fish as they adjust to the light variances faster than baitfish.

I hope this helps and is enough information to start you on things. Please update me with your progress, and if you need any more help, feel free to drop me a line.

Thanks,

Kit