Summer Beachfront Game Plan

Game Plan: a strategy for achieving an objective.

My objective is to catch fish. I want to fish efficiently, have fun, and learn something. When surfcasting this summer, I’ve decided to target striped bass or fluke on a given trip - not both. No more mid-session switch ups.

Experience got me here. Here’s my thinking.

So much of this game is mental. It’s decision making. And whether we’re talking about fishing or life, having a clear goal is key. Don’t get me wrong, there will be times when this approach will take discipline - like when I can’t find a striped bass and a fluke could beat the skunk. But as summer rolls on, if I stick to this, I’ll learn a lot and connect with fish I’d miss otherwise.

Dinner from a past summer.

Because in the past, I fell back on fluke.

I love fluking the surf. I did it this morning. But because fluke are a more dependable summer fish, it’s easy to bail on striped bass mid-trip and switch to flatfish. But when conditions are right, it is possible to catch bass throughout the summer, even on a busy beach, under a bright sun.

And it’s when I target striped bass or fluke that I run into other species.

I rarely target kingfish from the get-go. And I hardly ever go bluefishing. Instead, I find these fish while fishing for bass or fluke. And if I do, I love it. I adjust and fish for them.

A Gulp! Jerk Shad meant for fluke was smacked by this blue.

On top of that, many times while fluking I’ll hook a striped bass. Or I’ll have a fluke hammer my striper lure. Bottom line, it’s striped bass or fluke that should be the target. That’s the best starting point.

These fish attacked my fluke rig in late May 2017. This kind of stuff is super cool and happens while fluking.