how rough is to rough?

[eelman]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

If your attention is focused on the water/waves instead of the fish, it's probably too rough.
Fishing in the canal with an easterly wind and create some nice swells.
Turn your back for only a second, and WHAM, you either soaked, or screwed.
I've been nailed by rouge waves a number of times, but I always try to keep an eye out for them.

This guy makes sense, its all about common sense, yes it does get to rough to fish and water thats to rough also gets to dirty and silty and drags your plug and gets a knarled mess of seaweed on the line, gets you soaked, puts your life in danger, is stupid and most times its worthless..The truth is most guys wont admit it and say they are tough because they fish in hurricanes....most times they come home skunked , soaked and tired....Plenty of fish are caught on the better nights, there is no need to punish yourself....Bottom line is use common sense..when its to rough to fish outside, look up in estuaries..or the better option is to catch up on sleep.....

[riverrat2]

I hate fishing big surf/wind in your face. I have never done well and have actually seen fish shut off due to the swell. During the full moon in september we had good fish up to 35pounds for 3 nights in row, same conditions flat calm light offshore wind. The fourth night a big groundswell picked up and the fish were gone. Give me a good offshore breeze with minimal swell and I am happy.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by riverrat2

I hate fishing big surf/wind in your face. Give me a good offshore breeze with minimal swell and I am happy.

Me too. I hate "surf" fishing. The more like a freshwater pond, the better as far as I'm concerned.

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Me too. I hate "surf" fishing. The more like a freshwater pond, the better as far as I'm concerned.

Add me to the list. Less is more, for the most part.

If I can't cast where I want to cast due to the seas, then it's too rough. And that doesn't take long.

[t.orlando]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

Add me to the list. Less is more, for the most part.

If I can't cast where I want to cast due to the seas, then it's too rough. And that doesn't take long.

I'm on the list also.

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by t.orlando

I'm on the list also.

maybe all of us that like calm weather are just lazy...
it's all about presentation and landing them... if I cant present the eel or plug the right way; forget it!

[GonnaCatchABig1]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

This guy makes sense, its all about common sense, yes it does get to rough to fish and water thats to rough also gets to dirty and silty and drags your plug and gets a knarled mess of seaweed on the line, gets you soaked, puts your life in danger, is stupid and most times its worthless..The truth is most guys wont admit it and say they are tough because they fish in hurricanes....most times they come home skunked , soaked and tired....Plenty of fish are caught on the better nights, there is no need to punish yourself....Bottom line is use common sense..when its to rough to fish outside, look up in estuaries..or the better option is to catch up on sleep.....

welll i i'm not gonna go out in dangerous surf..i maybe desperate but i'm not stupid.. it's jsut i have a large beach two steps away from my place.. and most of the time ignore it if th waves are one after the other.. that spot produced most of my fish this year. so i would like to fish it more often. especially now that i have waders. just usually i dont fish there in rougher surf. i'll give it a shot this week see whats happens.

[Joe]

Probably never too rough for all the fish but the odds go down once the water is overly clouded and the weed gets to be too much.
If the fish are there, but you can't fish because your lure gets blown in or you pick up five pounds of eel grass with each cast, then the point is moot: they might as well not be there.

[zimmy]

As has been said... I think it is an issue of safety and water clarity. Once it is too dirty or too dangerous, time is up.

[goosefish]

I like 2 to 4 feet. Over 4 (spot depending) and I move on. Places like Beavertail or the Avenues, a 4-foot wave on a foggy or dark night can seem bigger than it is. Wave heights are easily exaggerated. Same with wind speed. Things get crazy at night.

Some of us have more agility than others. Some of us have better studs on our cleats, better balance, bigger nuts, more ambition.
It really helps to know the spot really well. How the waves break, how the sets come in.

I don't weigh enough to take a real bashing. A 300-pound surf caster responds differently to a wave, than one that weighs 147-pounds.

[jim sylvester]

Originally Posted by goosefish

I like 2 to 4 feet. Over 4 (spot depending) and I move on. Places like Beavertail or the Avenues, a 4-foot wave on a foggy or dark night can seem bigger than it is. Wave heights are easily exaggerated. Same with wind speed. Things get crazy at night.

Some of us have more agility than others. Some of us have better studs on our cleats, better balance, bigger nuts, more ambition.
It really helps to know the spot really well. How the waves break, how the sets come in.

I don't weigh enough to take a real bashing. A 300-pound surf caster responds differently to a wave, than one that weighs 147-pounds.

if your fishing the tail or the avenues with 4 fters....your playing russian roulette

[goosefish]

Jim you're right but a lot of people don't know it. The hear wave heights in the four-foot range and think, "No big deal." Then they get there and end up casting from the beach plum bushes.

It is spot dependent though, and wave direction dependent. Swells are different from a wind chop. I like a chop over a swell.

[bassballer]

Originally Posted by jim sylvester

if your fishing the tail or the avenues with 4 fters....your playing russian roulette

i was at the tail last week with over 4's and we forced it for like 25 min. I found myself just standing there trying to time waves and knew it was pure stupidity being there.