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Fishing a beach, or surfcasting is as old as our nation. It is very peaceful and can be a very beautiful experience. The sky near the ocean at night is usually darker, so you'll see more stars. You'll see lots of shooting stars, beautiful sunsets or sunrises. You'll also experience a quietness and solitude that can actually be spiritual. Nighttime is the best time for this particular kind of fishing and the later you go the less crowded it is. I've been at Plum Island at dusk and have been shoulder to shoulder and backs to the wall. Other times I've been the only(I think) person out there. There's nothing like it. Again safety is a critical issue. It's very dark and your hooks are or should be razor sharp. It doesn't take much for a hook to become embedded in your hand ending your trip. The solution you might say is to bring a light. Not if you intend to catch anything. Stripers at night are extremely sensitive to light and will be moving speedily away from you the minute you light that Coleman lamp. You should learn to rig your lines in darkness and use as little light as possible. You should also scout the area during the day at various tides so you'll be aware of the layout of the beach. This will not only help you have a safe trip but you can also figure out the best places to fish ahead of time.
Surfcasting gear is a personal matter. Fishing rods and reels are subject to greater things than ratios and ball bearings. Your budget plays a big part. With four kids I don't have a lot to spend on ultra gear. If you can afford it, GOD bless you. If not, do the best you can. Here are some things to keep in mind. For surfcasting you need at least an 8 foot rod for ease and efficiency. It helps to have a tall rod. It help keep your line out of the surf when fishing in rough water. But a surf rod is not necessarily the rule. My daughter's 32 inch beauty was caught with a 6 foot freshwater rod with 12lb. test. She had to walk it over 200 yards of beach across the fishing areas of close to twenty other fishermen.
Your rod should have some backbone. It is more difficult to land a fish from the surf with a weak rod. The undertow and the fight of the fish will create a great strain upon your gear. Stripers are harder to land on a beach than from a boat. When hooked from the shore the fish is not only resisting the hook but it's also resisting getting beached. The striper is not the greatest fighter but it is strong and heavy and does not want to be out of water which is something it is aware of more when caught from the beach than from a boat.
Always carry a small flashlight. Those small headlamps that clip onto your hat are very handy. If you need to use a light do so with your back toward the ocean, do not shine the light onto the water. It also helps to attach those little lunker lights to your rod tip. This can be done using scotch tape. It will help you see your strike. It is always better however, to keep your rod in your hands. A sand spike will allow you some freedom but you may also miss some of the more subtle strikes. You can make sand spikes from PVC very easily and they're not usually too expensive anyway. When you need five or more its cheaper to make them.
The type of bait you use for stripers depends upon many factors. The variety of their palette is far too wide to take everything yet some baits will works better than most. You should become aware of the local habitat. The stripers will not hang out in a place that is barren, they're hanging out for easy meals. Find out what they're eating or what lives in that environment. River stripers may be more likely to eat worms, eels and herring. Ocean stripers may actively seek mackerel or shell fish?. It could be any combination. Therefore it is very important to speak to local bait suppliers. Ask them what baits are popular and where the best place to fish them. They can get you pointed in the right direction.