Surf Perch Fishing

It was the last Razor Clam dig of the season. The suitable minus low tide was now finally in the morning timeframe. The Razor Clam beaches also happen to provide good surf perch fishing opportunities; something that I have wanted to try for some time now. It’s also the perfect tide to go hunt for them.

My attempt to dig up a few Razors was becoming futile. I kept looking at the surf and wondered about the perch that cruised in it. An hour into the dig and all I had to show was one clam that I also managed to chop in half with my shovel. Rookie move. Actually, the rookies would probably laugh at me.

A look at my poor clam and with a look of confirmation from my friend’s son Clint, at least he had half his limit already, it was time to put down the shovel and try our luck at the surf.

I brought with me a standard heavy salmon spin rod coupled to a size 4000 spin reel. In my mind this was not the appropriate surf gear. Back east, fishing with my brother and father along the beaches of the Chesapeake, we always used long beefy rods capable of casting well over 150 to 200 yards. Needless to say, I felt ill-equipped but the gear I brought with me will have to do.

Nevertheless, Clint and I grabbed our gear and bait (clam necks) and trotted off to the surf. We used size 4 bait holder hooks as dropper rigs on the mainline and 3 oz. pyramid sinkers. We timed the waves so that we could cast at the lowest point of the retreating surf.

After about the third cast Clint hooked up into a nice sized perch. We both looked at each other with expressions of surprise and giddyness. We dialed in our casts and started catching surf perch in earnest.

At the lowest point of the tide and into the incoming we were getting bites and catching. I had two perch in my sack when I got bit by the biggest perch I’ve ever felt. This scrapper was actually giving me quite the tussle and even pulling on the drag which made me wonder if it was something else on my line.

After a few minutes I was able to get the fish to shore. Clint and I hoot and hollered at the size of this surf perch on steroids. I quickly got the fish off the hook and into my sack, baited up, and prepared to cast again.