Step into the surf and hook a false albacore on beautiful fall days in the Northeast and you may never need step foot on fishing boat again, says veteran Northeast surfcasting fanatic Chris Shoplock. And he’s only half kidding…
“I promise you, you’ll forget about the freshwater fish!” he says. “Albees swim impossibly fast – like 50 mph it seems. They’re not giant, but when they hit, lemme tell ya, they start screaming drag like you’ve never seen. They’ll burn off a hundred yards of line in like a second – it’s crazy!”
No matter what species Shoplock targets while surfcasting from Massachusetts to Delaware, he’s throwing baits, terminal tackle and line in the Rapala family of brands – Storm, Williamson and Rapala lures; VMC hooks; and Sufix line.
“Of course, Rapala is known worldwide for its freshwater baits, and rightly so,” Shoplock says. “But there’s a lot of things that Rapala has that I don’t think a lot of people know how good they are for saltwater and surfcasting.”
Veteran and novice anglers alike shouldn’t consider setting foot into the surf without the following go-to surfcasting gear:
Rapala Saltwater X-Rap
An “outstanding” bait for striped bass and bluefish, Rapala’s Saltwater X-Rap “work really well throughout the year, but really shine in the spring, because they imitate herring,” Shoplock says.
Built to withstand saltwater fisheries with VMC Perma Steel 3X hooks, X-Rap Salts feature an internal long-cast mechanism that allows surfcasters to get the bait to the fish. Like all X-Raps, the salt models boast prominent scales and lateral line, internal holographic foil for optimum flash and 3D holographic eyes.
Hand-tuned and tank-tested, X-Rap Salts come out of the box ready to cast. They’re available in four sizes (08, 10, 12, 14) and seven color patterns (Blue Sardine, Bunker, Glass Ghost, Olive Green, Silver, Silver Blue Mackerel, Spotted Minnow).
Shoplock targets numerous species with the X-Rap Salt in current in and around bays, inlets, islands, rock-strewn beaches, sand beaches and jetties.
“You’re always looking for moving water, you’re always looking at tides,” Shoplock explains. “It’s pattern fishing to the max. With ocean fishing, the complexity of pattern fishing is multiplied by two three times at least, because you have tides, you have tide phase, moon phase, you have time of year. The bait is always migrating. We’ve got fish that are traveling thousands of miles.”
Current breaks and structure are prime casting targets. “Surf fishing is a lot more like trout fishing than it is any other kind of fishing, believe it or not,” Shoplock says. “You’re looking for that sweep, you’re looking for that hump that those fish will sit behind and wait for baitfish to get flushed out with the tide. And you swing it in there and you hit it. That’s the best way that they work.”
Storm WildEye Swim Shad
When fishing this time of year, Shoplock favors 6- and 9-inch Storm WildEye Swim Shads in the Pearl and Shiner Chartreuse Silver color patterns.
“Those are excellent baits in the fall around inlets, where you’ve got water sweeping out with the tides,” he says. Not only do have a “great profile,” they move a lot of water that helps fish find them.
“Most of our surfcasting is done at night,” Shoplock explains. “You throw out one of those big Storm Shads in the middle of a raging windstorm and surf and with that thumping swim tail, they’ll find it.”
WildEye Swim Shads feature a built-in weight and a sturdy, yet soft, plastic body. The feel of that plastic convinces fish to hold on once they’ve been duped by its life-like swimming action. Additional features include VMC® needle-point hooks, holographic swimmin’ flash foil for added visibility and the namesake holographic WildEye I-bolt.
The WildEye Swim Shad comes in six color patterns: Baby Bass, Bunker, Pearl, Perch, Rainbow Trout and Shiner Chartreuse Silver. The 6-inch model weighs 7/8 oz. The 9-inch model weighs 2 ¾ oz. Williamson Gomame Jig.
Another of Shoplock’s favorite fall surfcasting baits is Williamson’s Gomame Jig. Start using them now and you’ll have an advantage over others casting the same surf.
Despite being an “outstanding jig,” the Gomame is under-utilized so far, Shoplock says. That, however, will likely change. “This bait could be a superstar.” A multi-species superstar. Shoplock has thrown it to catch striped bass, sea bass, bluefish, porgy and those drag-burning albees – AKA false albacore, a fish in the mackerel family that many people mistake for tuna.
“The albees were killin’ the Gomame Jig the other day,” he says. “They just love that thing.”
Featuring an S-shaped body, the Gomame Jig swims with a pronounced wounded-baitfish action. High-quality foiled finishes add flash and attraction. It comes in three sizes (0.875 oz. 1.25 oz 1.75 oz) and seven colors (Aji, Ayu, Black Purple Blue, Silver Blue Black, Silver Chartreuse, Silver Pink Purple and Silver Red Head).
VMC Hooks
No matter what lure Northeast anglers throw, Shoplock says, they “almost universally” swap out the hooks for VMC hooks, if they don’t come equipped with them. Popular replacement hooks are VMC’s 9626ps and 9171siwash open-eye.
“Those get utilized up and down the coast for striped bass,” he says. “It’s pretty much the standard for hooks for striped bass and surf fishing here in the Northeast.”
Sufix 832 Advanced Superline
To withstand the winds and what’s under the waves of the Northeast coast, savy surfcaster spool up Sufix 832 Advanced Superline in 40, 50 and 80-pound-test.
“That 8-carrier braid with that strand of Gore, it stands up well to the rigors of surfcasting,” Shoplock says. “It’s in rocks, there’s a lot of abrasions and chances for abrasions. We like to have wind in our faces, so you’re usually casting into the wind. And it holds up just beautifully – winds knots are kept to a minimum.”