Post by Fins 32 on Aug 22, 2012 20:07:50 GMT -5
heres what you need to skish
taken from my blog... skishnj.wordpress.com
Essential Skishing Gear
By: Peter Douma
Wetsuit: So lets start with the basics. The wetsuit does many things for the skisherman. First off is the obvious it keeps you warm while submerged in the water. Most importantly is the fact that the wetsuit keeps you afloat. Do to the lack of pfd, the wetsuit gives you buoyancy so that you wont have to tread water. Because of this a 7mm or 7/5mm wetsuit is preferred.I personally use a Neosport 7/5mm suit. Its a fine suit and does what its supposed to and best of all it was fairly inexpensive. I am looking into some new suits though for this year.
Boots, gloves, hood, jacket: In addition to the wetsuit I have other gear that I wear to stay warm. In the early spring and late fall, i usually wear a 5mm hood with the wetsuit, as well as 5mm neoprene dive gloves. I might also wear a jacket. Some guys like to wear a 7mm vest, others use a neoprene jacket when its colder. that would be up to the angler. When it comes to my feet I wear a pair of 5mm dive booties w/ soles for walking to the water, and keep them on even when i put on my fins. Under the booties I wear NRS hydrasocks. They are 1mm, and keep you warm. in the summer months i might not wear them
Fins: Fins are a very important aspect of the skisherman’s gear. they get him out past the waves and beyond. For NJ I use and really like Force Fins. You can’t break them and the heel strap is very durable. You really can use any open heel dive fin. On some of the cheaper fins though, changing the standard heel strap to spring strap is recommended. In other places where rocky shores are around, studding your fins can really be helpful.
Rod: As a rod builder myself im a little picky with my own rods, but generally any 9′-11′ 1-4 or 2-5 oz rated rod should work fine.earlier and later in the year with smaller fish i reach for the 9fter, it does compromise some casting but the lighter rod is more fun to handle small fish with. My favorite though is a 10’6” Rouge SU1064s-2 that i built for myself. It casts well out there, handles the plugs I want to use and has backbone. Remember too short of a rod wont cast well enough, and too long becomes more of a hassle then it worth.
Reel: here is the expensive part of it. I use the same reel that many other skishermen use and that is the Van Staal VS200. Most importantly it is fully sealed, but it can also hold plenty of line. Any size van staal (vs or vsb series) is fine out there though. 150-250 being the most popular sizes. Another popular choice is the ZeeBaas. People like these for the same reasons as Van Staal. Penn currently has the Torque spinner out, and only time will tell how that holds up in this environment. There is another option though if you don’t want or can’t spend $700 on a Van Staal or $900 on a zeebaas. That option is an older penn spinfisher, such as the 704 or 706z. These packed with grease will work fine, just makes sure they are cleaned well after each use. I used one for most of 2011 with few problems.
Accessories: As with any fishing there are accessories that are nice to have. First is pliers. I use a pair on Hansom’s kept in a Commando Surfcasting Sheath and they are connected by a lanyard. next on my commando surfcasting belt you will find a knife. I carry gerber rivermate knife on my belt with a lanyard to locking sheath) for two reasons one is if I get tangled in my line and two its there to cut off my line if need be. No it’s not for killing fish or scaring boaters. next thing i have is a couple of carabiners one has one end of my rod leash (the rod leash is an absolute must it allows you to drop your rod on purpose and have two hands free and it also allow you to save it if you do drop it). the other carabiner holds my knock of boga grips from Cabela’s attached to a lanyard, for bluefish if i was to catch one. I also keep have a small watertight pelican case slipped on, in which i can keep extra batteries for my lights and/or camera and a spare light. I also keep my bag on my belt which I’ll discuss later. On my wrist i keep a watch to help figure out what the tides are going to do. Around my neck I keep two things, one being a waterproof flashlight held around my neck with a piece of surgical tubing. I also keep a whistle and a compass, even if you aren’t expecting fog, you never know and better safe than story. around my head besides a hat and a helmet cam, I prefer to have nothing at risk of it getting washed off.
Bag: A bag in skishing is often overlooked because you don’t carry a lot, but it’s important. I personally use a custom ordered 3 tube bag from commando surfcasting. It is stripped down with just the main compartment, a small internal pocket and 4 bucktail slots. This allows for maximum room with as little bulk as possible. Tom added extra drainage and velcro making it the ultimate skishing bag. It is also hookproof and waterproof. really any bag will work s long as it has plenty of drainage and plenty of velcro, or clip and velcro. Inside I like to have a few things. First is plugs 1 bring 2 plugs out 1 per tube and in the third tube a throw a water bottle. In the front I usually have 2 sluggos and maybe a swim shad. I’ll also have 1 or two bucktail in their slots. Finally I have a small air horn for boat warning if deemed necessary and a wrist spool of leader. other than that.
taken from my blog... skishnj.wordpress.com
Essential Skishing Gear
By: Peter Douma
Wetsuit: So lets start with the basics. The wetsuit does many things for the skisherman. First off is the obvious it keeps you warm while submerged in the water. Most importantly is the fact that the wetsuit keeps you afloat. Do to the lack of pfd, the wetsuit gives you buoyancy so that you wont have to tread water. Because of this a 7mm or 7/5mm wetsuit is preferred.I personally use a Neosport 7/5mm suit. Its a fine suit and does what its supposed to and best of all it was fairly inexpensive. I am looking into some new suits though for this year.
Boots, gloves, hood, jacket: In addition to the wetsuit I have other gear that I wear to stay warm. In the early spring and late fall, i usually wear a 5mm hood with the wetsuit, as well as 5mm neoprene dive gloves. I might also wear a jacket. Some guys like to wear a 7mm vest, others use a neoprene jacket when its colder. that would be up to the angler. When it comes to my feet I wear a pair of 5mm dive booties w/ soles for walking to the water, and keep them on even when i put on my fins. Under the booties I wear NRS hydrasocks. They are 1mm, and keep you warm. in the summer months i might not wear them
Fins: Fins are a very important aspect of the skisherman’s gear. they get him out past the waves and beyond. For NJ I use and really like Force Fins. You can’t break them and the heel strap is very durable. You really can use any open heel dive fin. On some of the cheaper fins though, changing the standard heel strap to spring strap is recommended. In other places where rocky shores are around, studding your fins can really be helpful.
Rod: As a rod builder myself im a little picky with my own rods, but generally any 9′-11′ 1-4 or 2-5 oz rated rod should work fine.earlier and later in the year with smaller fish i reach for the 9fter, it does compromise some casting but the lighter rod is more fun to handle small fish with. My favorite though is a 10’6” Rouge SU1064s-2 that i built for myself. It casts well out there, handles the plugs I want to use and has backbone. Remember too short of a rod wont cast well enough, and too long becomes more of a hassle then it worth.
Reel: here is the expensive part of it. I use the same reel that many other skishermen use and that is the Van Staal VS200. Most importantly it is fully sealed, but it can also hold plenty of line. Any size van staal (vs or vsb series) is fine out there though. 150-250 being the most popular sizes. Another popular choice is the ZeeBaas. People like these for the same reasons as Van Staal. Penn currently has the Torque spinner out, and only time will tell how that holds up in this environment. There is another option though if you don’t want or can’t spend $700 on a Van Staal or $900 on a zeebaas. That option is an older penn spinfisher, such as the 704 or 706z. These packed with grease will work fine, just makes sure they are cleaned well after each use. I used one for most of 2011 with few problems.
Accessories: As with any fishing there are accessories that are nice to have. First is pliers. I use a pair on Hansom’s kept in a Commando Surfcasting Sheath and they are connected by a lanyard. next on my commando surfcasting belt you will find a knife. I carry gerber rivermate knife on my belt with a lanyard to locking sheath) for two reasons one is if I get tangled in my line and two its there to cut off my line if need be. No it’s not for killing fish or scaring boaters. next thing i have is a couple of carabiners one has one end of my rod leash (the rod leash is an absolute must it allows you to drop your rod on purpose and have two hands free and it also allow you to save it if you do drop it). the other carabiner holds my knock of boga grips from Cabela’s attached to a lanyard, for bluefish if i was to catch one. I also keep have a small watertight pelican case slipped on, in which i can keep extra batteries for my lights and/or camera and a spare light. I also keep my bag on my belt which I’ll discuss later. On my wrist i keep a watch to help figure out what the tides are going to do. Around my neck I keep two things, one being a waterproof flashlight held around my neck with a piece of surgical tubing. I also keep a whistle and a compass, even if you aren’t expecting fog, you never know and better safe than story. around my head besides a hat and a helmet cam, I prefer to have nothing at risk of it getting washed off.
Bag: A bag in skishing is often overlooked because you don’t carry a lot, but it’s important. I personally use a custom ordered 3 tube bag from commando surfcasting. It is stripped down with just the main compartment, a small internal pocket and 4 bucktail slots. This allows for maximum room with as little bulk as possible. Tom added extra drainage and velcro making it the ultimate skishing bag. It is also hookproof and waterproof. really any bag will work s long as it has plenty of drainage and plenty of velcro, or clip and velcro. Inside I like to have a few things. First is plugs 1 bring 2 plugs out 1 per tube and in the third tube a throw a water bottle. In the front I usually have 2 sluggos and maybe a swim shad. I’ll also have 1 or two bucktail in their slots. Finally I have a small air horn for boat warning if deemed necessary and a wrist spool of leader. other than that.
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