surf perch & clam digging

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bennysbuddy

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Anybody else playing out at the beach ? I'm getting into the surf fishing scene with bait gear for now. does everybody use a high /low rig or something else ? I bought a fancy clam gun (claminator) & found it's a real back saver after years of using a PVC clam gun.
 
I've had some ok days with surf perch, but have still yet to dial it in. I run the bottom weight rig with the "dropper" hooks with some berkeley gulp! sandworms. i always get a few, but not consistently in the bigger fish.
 
I hate surf perch. I've tried multiple times and can count the number I've caught on 1 hand. It's a hate thing whenever I try for them nowadays, which is rare. Its one of those fisheries where I've yet to hit the jackpot day.
 
Evan Burck said:
I've had some ok days with surf perch, but have still yet to dial it in. I run the bottom weight rig with the "dropper" hooks with some berkeley gulp! sandworms. i always get a few, but not consistently in the bigger fish.
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that's the same type of rig I'm using, I seem to due better with the tip of a clam neck than gulp
 
I've always wanted to catch surf perch, but never tried. Seems a bit silly considering how much time I spend on the coast. Always heard they were tasty. A handful of years ago we ended up with some in our bait tank and I'll be damned if I could get a lingcod to eat one. Really surprised me.

I'm always a little ashamed to admit that I've never dug or eaten razor clams. Never had interest when I was younger, but I've had an increasing desire to try them the last few years.

Sure seems like this should be the year if a guy was gonna give it a try. Just about everyone I know has been out there digging them with all the open days lately.
 
Nick Clayton said:
I've always wanted to catch surf perch, but never tried. Seems a bit silly considering how much time I spend on the coast. Always heard they were tasty. A handful of years ago we ended up with some in our bait tank and I'll be damned if I could get a lingcod to eat one. Really surprised me.

I'm always a little ashamed to admit that I've never dug or eaten razor clams. Never had interest when I was younger, but I've had an increasing desire to try them the last few years.

Sure seems like this should be the year if a guy was gonna give it a try. Just about everyone I know has been out there digging them with all the open days lately.
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try a combo trip surf perch on the top of the high tide clams on the low tide, that's what I do otherwise theres alot of waiting on the tide. just down from the candle stick in westport has been a good spot for sea perch in my limited experience so far
 
I do well on surf perch on sandy beaches because I fish heavy. If there is structure I'm kind of out of the game.

Whatever rod you want. I have a 13' 10lb special
1/2oz barrel weight
plastic bead
swivel
2-3' of 5-8# maxima
#4 snell hook with the smallest motor oil grub you can find.

Chuck it into the biggest rip edge you can find.

If you want to get crazy I throw 20' of T17 on amnesia running line on a 1hand spey rod. Surf has to be super low for that shit or it just aint fun.
 
I love fishing for surf perch! Have not done a lot of it though. I use a 9'.6" Steelhead rod and the high/low rig.
20# braid to swivel and 12# flouro leader. Been using circle hooks too. You can do a Carolina rig also.
 
I'm a surf perch addict, way down the coast in Morro Bay CA. We get up to AK once a year, but the rest of the year, I'm grinding away at the beach several times a week. I love fishing for barred surf perch, especially on the fly, but the surf has to be under a certain size to be fly-fishable so I use a coffee grinder too. For spinning, I always use a 10' light steelhead rod, Carolina rig with 3/4 oz egg sinker, and my favorite plastic is the Zman Crusteaz. On the fly, I use a two hander, 12.5' 6w, sinking line. My favorite flies are orange and red buggers, chartreuse clousers, and sand crab imitations. Favorite recipes are crab cakes, fish sticks, and ceviche. Perch can be tough to find out there but when you do, it can be nonstop fun until they move on.
 
Bennysbuddy or whoever else is willing, would really appreciate if someone could point me at a spot or two to try for surf perch around Westport. I’ll be there for a bachelor party in late June but might bring a rod and make an attempt or two. Google offered no guidance as to what the “candlestick” is..
 
NRC said:
Bennysbuddy or whoever else is willing, would really appreciate if someone could point me at a spot or two to try for surf perch around Westport. I’ll be there for a bachelor party in late June but might bring a rod and make an attempt or two. Google offered no guidance as to what the “candlestick” is..
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Candlestick = lighthouse
 
Should have a little window to get after em during the afternoon low tide tomorrow in Westport.

Sounds like I’ll be better off with a type 7 sink than type 3 (although I’ll bring both)?

How do these flies look? Just robbed my src box…

image.jpg
 
I gave it a solid try yesterday for a little over an hour. I was pleasantly surprised with how well it went, other than getting skunked. Found a nice trough and very pronounced side current and was able to pay out pretty much all the type 7 almost to the backing. Still not sure I was down deep enough in the zone. Actually saw one perch swim right by super shallow. Will try again Sunday!


NRC said:
Should have a little window to get after em during the afternoon low tide tomorrow in Westport.

Sounds like I’ll be better off with a type 7 sink than type 3 (although I’ll bring both)?

How do these flies look? Just robbed my src box…

View attachment 19571
Click to expand...
 
The classic heavy surf outfits definitely work but not what I would call fun. I transitioned from those to steelhead drift gear, then to a noodle spin rod with light gel-spun. Like 20# or less.

That stuff cuts the water so well you can get away with much lighter weights and the sensitivity let's you feel the lightest taps. Fishing a jig (or fly) vs a parked bait, also let's you cover more water which is the real key to finding them. A 1/8 oz jig with the Berkely Gulp sandworm works well for searching and a good sized perch will actually peel some line with that gear.

Keep covering water and you'll find them eventually ... sometimes much closer than you'd expect. Something that surprised me after I finally started having success on fly gear when conditions permit.
 
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SeaRunner said:
I hate surf perch. I've tried multiple times and can count the number I've caught on 1 hand. It's a hate thing whenever I try for them nowadays, which is rare. Its one of those fisheries where I've yet to hit the jackpot day.
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I too have hated them at times. They can be frustrating as hell. We used to camp at a state park on the N. Oregon coast every summer. Lots of days catching nothing but a salt rash. Unless you know the buckets, and timing, on a particular beach, your best bet is to keeping covering water. I don't have the patience to soak baits like I used to, so a long walk on the beach suits me fine.

Like most fishing it's a confidence thing. Getting my first on a fly rod was one of the toughest gear transitions I've done, for a species I thought I knew. Felt like a complete waste of time without a carton of sand shrimp or other bait. Fortunately, reading posts from @clarkman and @Uncle Stu, kept me trying until I finally had success. Not that I have the fishery dialed by any means, but if the conditions permit, I feel like I can probably find a few with the bug stick and a box of flies. A light spin rod with jig heads and fake baits, has a similar feel and level of freedom to fly fishing. Arguably it's also just as much fun, but more effective in a wider range of conditions.
 
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