Books for Striper Anglers: The Surfcaster’s Guide to the Striper Coast, by D.J. Muller, How, why, and where Stripers Feed, Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Catching Large Striped Bass. Foreward by “Crazy” Alberto Knie, Review by John Pollock, Reprinted from MSBA “Spray”.

“The Surfcaster’s Guide to the Striper Coast” by D.J. Muller, Burford Books, 2007, www.burfordbooks.com

This is a book that should have been written 40 years ago when I was a greenhorn surfer. But the fact is, it could not have been written then because very little was known about Striped Bass, their spawning locales and their migratory routes. Young surfers are very lucky today. They have videos, maps, websites, magazines, and books to learn about the Striper, and fishing for them that didn’t exist in 1968.

This book is also for the experienced surfer. “Crazy” Alberto Knie wrote the foreword for his friend and said this, “DJ uncovers the surf rat’s mindset and digs deep into the seldom-covered practices and unspoken etiquettes of fishing.” Is there a mindset of the surfer that is different from other fishers? Yes, I believe there is, and DJ sets it up early in this book when he refers to his quest as “this great striper, this great fish.” His quest is also “rich emotions, special places and unique people” Much of the book deals with how-to items that a young surfer needs to know but much also brings up those rich emotions. For example, I had a ’Yes you’re right!’ moment in the middle of the book. It was a flash back to my realization many years ago after taking a striper from a jetty at Rockaway Beach that, By God, these fish were swimming right in among the bathers.

D.J. Muller has enough in this book to put it on any surf rat’s book case. Old rats can learn new tricks. For example, to me new moon phases meant only darker nights. The author shows how the new moon can push 2 feet or more of water into a high tide with flooded beaches, estuaries and more powerful currents which will draw stripers on both flood and ebb. And I will also be more alert to big bass swimming under smaller breaking bass. That bass will probably feed along the bottom unless baitfish bring them up. And I will never underestimate the ability of the striper to smell dinner, whether live eel or mackerel chunk. Back to basics is good.

D.J. Muller is a big man and muscular. He has a section on conditioning for surfcasting that got my empathy-- a knock-down in rough surf can be fatal. Beyond that D.J. is a foot-slogging surfer like me. He talks about beach buggies but he doesn’t use one. He talks about many fishless nights and about the hours of contemplation, preparation and planning that precedes every trip. I still lose sleep thinking about the next trip--it is part of the mindset of a surf rat and that is why I liked this book.

Review by John Pollock, Reprinted from MSBA “Spray”.

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