The surf is a varied and wild arena. Completely different environments span from the Northeast to the Carolinas to Florida, Texas and California, but some rigs can be ubiquitously applied. Varied surf rigs can confuse those who don’t understand their applications. Pick out the right rig for your species: Hi-lo, pill float, fishfinder, chunk rig, mullet rig for all fishes from stripers to redfish to pompano and sharks.

No better way to talk about bluefishing then starting out with the timeless quote from Schwarzenegger because spring bluefishing is an all out battle. Choppers, slammers, gators, gorillas – whatever you call ‘em, bluefish certainly earn their nicknames. When roving packs of blues invade the backwaters, bays and surf, nothing is safe. Blues maniacally rip through the waters with knife-wielding maws equipped to shred, tear and destroy baitfish and lures alike.

When people think of blackfish, usually images of shipwrecks and reef sites offshore come to mind, but a secret lies in the backwaters. Springtime brings the spawn and tautog will move back into the shallow water areas right off the coast and more importantly, breach the inlet areas and station up around backwater structure.