I often fish with my buddy John. We usually fish very early in the morning and try to catch the sunrise, or at dusk. On arriving at the beach, we make a decision to start with setting out bait rods, or throwing lures. If there is bird activity or action in the water we will start with lures or even break out the fly rods. Otherwise, we set out surf rods rigged with bait in sand spikes.

The spots we pick to fish are based on previous scouting trips at low tide that identified cuts, bars, points etc. These are spots that will produce some turbulence from the moving water of either an incoming or outgoing tide. The edges of bars are prime spots if they are within casting range.

John will put out two rods, as will I. We usually fish with clams, but sometimes fresh bunker when we can get it. We use high low rigs when fishing with clams, and fishfinder rigs when using bunker chunks. Unless we are targeting a particular spot of structure, we will each cast one rod close in and the other further out. It is surprising how close in the fish often are. If you cast too far you might be casting right over their heads.

We pull in the bait rigs to inspect and maybe re-bait at intervals of no longer than 20 minutes. If you leave your rig out too long, and the water is rough, the sinker sometimes gets buried in sand and you have a hard time breaking it loose.

If bait fishing is slow we will take turns watching the rods while the other goes off to the side and throws plugs, metal, or some other lure. We don't move too much. The stripers are also moving. They will come by. You have to put in your time and wait for them.

We are always watching for birds, or for any activity in the water. If something develops, we are quick to switch from bait fishing to throwing lures. We keep the binoculars handy.

Sometimes we walk the beach casting lures.

On the Jersey shore we mostly use metal when casting for bluefish, and bomber or megabite swimming plugs for stripers. Other favorites for stripers are swim shads, like storms, and berkely gulp swimming mullet on a lead jighead.

On our trips to Montauk we mainly follow what the locals do. Not much
bait fishing goes on because the rocky bottom makes getting snagged a high probability. The locals mainly throw white bucktails with sizes from ¾ to 1¼ ounce, and with red and white pork rind trailers. If the stripers are on the surface they use pencil poppers, mostly yellow.

The secret in catching stripers with lures is to throw them where the stripers are. The stripers are where they have an advantage. That is where the waves are breaking, tumbling and disorienting the baitfish. Many surf fishermen try for distance, thinking the further they cast is the best. They are often throwing their lures right over the stripers, which may be where the waves are breaking, right in front of them. Don't throw your lure into a breaking wave, it will only get washed into shore. Throw a swimming lure just beyond a wave crest that is about to break, and crank the lure in a few turns.