Tried surf fishing Huntington city beach tonight with 2" red flake and motor oil grubs. Got plenty of bumps on the grub but unable to set the hook. Any suggestions/hints on technique would be appreciated. Used #4's and #2 hooks that were sharp. Thanks.

When I get bit, I keep reeling--even speeding up a bit. This takes the belly out of the line and allows the perch to really eat the grub. When I feel the rod load up, only then do I swing. Sometimes they are real small fish that are just nipping the grub but even then, this method helps with hook ups. Good luck.

Big Hammer Swimbaits-Hammerhead Jigheads
www.swimbait.com
Pro-Cure Scents
www.pro-cure.com

Thanks Fongster! I'll try that tonight. You are probably right that they were small ones just nibbling at the tail of grub. I really appreciate the info. :-)

Hey David,

How ya doin?

Have you fished with AmishEd lately?

I've been real inactive as of late do to many projects. Hope to get out soon and maybe (hopefully) make a trip up north around your neck of the woods.

Here in Oceanside, there are just too many kooks in the water. I'm looking forward to the fall session when the beach crowds subside and we get some earlier first light with standard time.

Lots of nice sand here. Conditions look good!

Tight Lines!

Aztecwin

Hi there. Sorry for late reply, I have been busy with house projects as our baby is due soon. Then I will be real busy, lol. I haven't fished with Ed in quite a while. Fishing-wise, I have only done a tourney a few weeks back and some bay fishing in Newport as of late.

Big Hammer Swimbaits-Hammerhead Jigheads
www.swimbait.com
Pro-Cure Scents
www.pro-cure.com

Fishtropical, don't forget the Procure Calico Coctail. That stuff is deadly on the perch. I've tried a lot of different scents, including many home brewed. The Coctail always wins out.

Wendel, I've been really busy w/ work the last couple of months. I actually finished the project that was killing me 10min. before I left for vacation last week. Then I went to Idaho. I'll be posting reports on my vacation fishing in the next couple days.

Amish Ed
You can't catch it again if it's dead!

BRO , TRY A LONG SHANKED HOOK LIKE A BAIT HOLDER HOOK FROM GAMAKATSU, THREAD ON YOUR 2"GRUBS ON TO A #4 OR A #6 HOOK(YOUR CHOICE), TRY NOSE HOOKING YOUR GRUB TO THERE BOTH GOOD BUT IF YOU GET A LOT OF SHORT STRIKES WITH 2"GRUB YOU MIGHT TRY A 1.5"GRUB WITH A # 6 HOOK AND OR BITE YOUR GRUB DOWN A BIT SO ITS SHORTER.!!ANYWAY YOU GO WITH WILL BE GOOD BUT IF YOU GETING SHORT STIKES,YOUR GRUB TAIL IS CHUWED GIVE THE LONG SHANKED HOOKS A TRY OR BITE YOUR GRUB DOWN A BIT.WELL SEE YA
















until next time!!!hasta luego:* :) :) :D :)

definitely go with the #6 hooks. I use a carolina rig with a 2 foot leader. A small egg slip sinker above a swivel and the leader. I've nailed some pretty big barred surf perch, more so than with bait. If you wade out a little ways and cast with the longshore current and use a medium retrieve, with an occasional stop to let the sinker hit the bottom, you'll be catching perch left and right. don't cast out too far though cause the perch are in close, usually in the white wash. Look for troughs and sand bars and fish along the deeper edges of these. best time is at high tide right before sunup or sunset.

Unless the fish are extremely small you shouldn't have to downsize the grub. Use a #6 or #8 Mosquito hook (or Octopus hook if you can't find the mosquito) and nose hook it - that is the trick! Don't think in terms of that the hook point is further up the bait and you'll get short struck more. What actually happens is nose hooking "shrinks" the overall size of the bait around or looking at it from the front or the back. I'm pretty sure that a lot of short strikes on threaded grubs from fish with smaller mouths happen because the fish goes to suck the grub in and the hook bend hits the fish's lip. That won't happen with nose hooking.

hi leapen bass I was just wondering how did nose hooking come about,and did big hammer come up with it or has it been used for years also big hammer come up with a 1.5" grub to go with there 2"grub?
until next time!!!hasta luego

I heard it first from David Fong (Fongster) when he wrote the article for the Big Hammer site. After that I heard that guys had been doing it for quite a while.

The only grub Big Hammer makes is a 1 3/4" grub. It is slightly larger than most 1.5" grubs but smaller than a 2".

THANKS FOR THE INFO LEAPIN BASS
until next time!!!hasta luego