Monthly Archives: December 2015
Bomber Saltwater Grade Long Cast Minnow
I have fished a multitude of plastic minnow swimmers in the surf. None of them have found a permanent home in my surf bag. That is until I fished the new Bomber Saltwater Grade Long Cast Minnows!
These plugs come in three sizes: 5″ (3/4 oz), 6″ (13/16 oz), and 7″ (1 3/4 oz). I fish the 7″ model in the surf with my 11′ CTS S7 rod. I can cast these plugs a country mile because of their aerodynamic shape and the internal weight that rolls to the tail end during the cast.
These plugs are available in a wide spectrum of bait fish mimicking colors. Their colors are enhance by the wide-wobble action as they swim through the water column (2 – 4′ casting and 4 – 8′ trolling). Bottom line, these plugs look like wounded baitfish, which predatory fish cannot resist.
A plug that has great castability, looks, and action will hook fish. No question. But! If you want to land trophy fish, the plug needs strong hardware. Out of the box, these plugs are dressed with strong split rings and salt water hooks (4/0 trebles on the 7″ model).
When I am surfcasting, do I have Bomber Saltwater Grade Lost Cast Minnows in my AquaSkinz Cobra surf bag? Do fish swim? 😉
NOAA Nautical Charts
Many moons before the Internet, nautical charts were hand drawn by artists based on explorations by brave mariners. The cost of these charts was so high, that only a select few could afford them. Today, we have exceptionally accurate nautical charts for minimal cost from the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA).
The NOAA nautical charts, which cover “95,000 miles of shoreline and 3.4 million square nautical miles of waters within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone”, are available as a free download in PDF format. You can download an entire region as a single page PDF file or a multi-page PDF file (“BookletChart”) that is formatted for standard printing. The NOAA charts are also available in printed form, for a fee, from NOAA-certified agents. I personally find the free multi-page PDF download particularly useful. 😉
The NOAA nautical are useful for boat, kayak, and surf anglers. They are an indefensible tool for navigation and identification of fish holding structures and depth transitions. If you are motoring, paddling, or walking along the coast, you can save your self a lot of fuel, time, and energy by doing some recon via NOAA Nautical charts.
