In The Wash

As I’ve mentioned many times on the podcast, I’m not a big “match the hatch” guy. But when herring are around, I’ll soften that stance a bit—though I still can’t say it makes a huge difference in my overall success.

It’s another layer of spring prep that could pay off months down the road.

No, I didn’t walk through a field of poison ivy—well, not yet, anyway.

This is why, on most nights, I have a pouch packed with 15-20 soft plastic options (of various brands) so that I’m never in the situation Toby asked me about.

On this week’s episode we revisited a fan-favorite theme with another installment of Surf Scenarios. For one of the questions I posed to Jerry, I asked what he would do if the paperclip style snaps were no longer available. Would he tie direct, use another existing snap, or figure out a third option?

We’re experiencing a truly freaky warm-up right now, with highs in the upper-60s and low-70s, which is nearly 20- to 30-degrees above normal. It feels great, but what had me really excited this week was the prospect of some moderate south winds. These winds generally bring with them one of the first signs that spring is around the corner: red-wing blackbirds.

I often think of the saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none,” when considering an angler’s prowess. Even the most gifted and accomplished fishermen rarely extend a high level of success beyond a handful of disciplines—rocky beaches, deep water, jigging, and the like. While a skilled angler can certainly translate lessons learned in one area to another, true specialization demands such a deep investment of time and experience that success seldom transfers laterally.

In this week’s episode we were talking about the definitions of “deeper water” within the context of our surfcasting spots. A tip I thought of after the episode probably won’t help you this spring, but you should file this away for the fall.

About a week and a half ago I was driving my son to baseball practice and we passed by one of the more prolific local herring runs. Despite there being nearly 2 feet of snow on the ground, my thoughts immediately jumped to herring and the striped bass that would soon be feeding not too far from where I was driving at that very moment. I mentioned the passing thought to my son, and he too was thinking about herring and asked if we could start checking for them soon.

In episode 2 of season 3, the Atom Junior Challenge was born. The idea was simple: make a conscious effort in 2026 to fish vintage original Atom juniors at least once every outing and review the findings at season’s end.

Welcome to a new chapter in The Surfcast Podcast, In The Wash. This is the space between the tides — the place where conversations drift, ideas spark, and the thoughts that don’t always fit inside a full-length episode finally get their moment.