The Spots are Alive Again

This spring, something happened that I haven’t seen in five-seasons.

I have a spot that I worship that’s multifaceted. It is one of those “spots within a spot within a spot” situations. There are various different rocks to stand on that provide access to different slices of water, and as you move along the shore you unlock all these little microcosms. There’s “darter rock” and “fly rock” and “my rock” just to name a few whose name origins are obvious. Using these- and others I won’t name- I used to be able to pull apart this relatively small section of shoreline and pick up fish in all these little pockets, holes, bumps, and around submerged rocks.

That all stopped in 2020. Suddenly, spots that I used to virtually guarantee a slot-fish at minimum and 39-pounder at maximum (the largest from one of these little micro-spots) dried up. The overall shoreline still produced fish- at times dramatically, and with jumbos- but all the little spots became deserts. The only way to produce fish from this stretch over the last five-plus-seasons was to fish the “big structure”: an obvious current line that I always start and end on each night. But after two-and-a-half-seasons of still giving it a go at all those little pockets, the last two seasons, I didn’t even try. I just fished the rip; and it gave me twinge of disappointment every time.

Then this year, conditions and tides lined up for me to go to the spot earlier than I normally would. It felt like a gamble, but I used the excuse that I would take the time to fish all the little zones again, just to check in and be thorough. Over that stretch of four tides, I ended up with a decent pick of early season 15- to 23-pound fish and then some schoolies and slots. Nothing banner, but the places I caught them in were something to get excited about. While I pulled a few fish out of the main current, all the other fish- including the two largest in the low-20s- all came from the micro spots!

They were in all the small places again; every single one held a fish or two. It was like magic. Frankly, I couldn’t have cared less the size, I was just thrilled they were there again at all. It was like the fishery was thriving again, and if I blocked out reality for just a few tides, I could relive it again. Finding fish in all those miniscule honey-holes is one of my favorite things about surf fishing. It’s pulling apart structure, and owning every nook and cranny. It’s almost like being a part of the shore itself. It’s a dying art I think- both because the fish are in such tight schools that anglers chase, and because anglers have no attention span to take the time to learn and fail.

That’s ok. I’ll still do it anyway.

I don’t know what the majority of the 2026 season holds for me- we’re just getting started. But I’ve already experienced something I was afraid I’d never get to see again. And for that, my spring is already a roaring success.