Getting geared up for october

COming down the 2nd week on OCtober this year and hoping to stay for about 4-5 days. I was down last year for a short trip in september and really liked it. Hoping to get a little more fishing in this year with the extra time.

Few things i was wondering about.

Last year of the pier had a lot of problems with getting bitten off when fishing with sabikis and light tackle. Any advice on this?


Also planning to try a little surf fishing in the early morning and evenings. We will be staying at the surf and raquet club condos again, is that a decent area to surf fish or should I be looking elsewhere? With miles of beach I really dont know how to decide what area would be more productive than any other.

We also have access to a small dock on little lagoon behind the condo. Lat year there was a light on it from the sounds of other report this should be a decent place to fish at night. Any thoughts?

Dock on the lagoon will usually be productive at least 2 hrs after dark, most productive 2 hrs before dawn. Use light tackle and be very quiet.

Cutoffs with sabikis are just what happens when Spanish are numerous and feeding. As far as light tackle, use fluorocarbon leader, 20-60 lb depending on size and aggressiveness of the Spanish. If you are still getting cutoff with 60 lb fluoro then go to a short, light, single-strand steel leader with either a small spro swivel or an Allbright knot.

BTW, my experience with the Allbright is that one should be careful when breaking the wire off after the knot is tied. Breaking the steel can generate enough heat to seriously weaken the bottom of the knot, resulting in failure, especially with light line.

Can you buy heavy line flourocarbon sabikis? Or should i look into tieing some of my own. These are about the easiest and most productive thing for my soon to be wife to fish with, and she doesnt much care what she catches as long as it is something.

From the now extinct ECPFF archives...
How to Tie a Gold Hook Rig ;-)
Panhandle Pier Fishing - Gold Hook Quick Tie (Ecpff Archive)

From what I have looked up tiring a dropper loop and cutting one side of the loop seemed to be the easiest. Just have to test and see how that know holds up. I use a heavy double dropper loop for catfish all the time but i always leave the loop intact and tie a palomar knot. I dont know that i could get a doubled over piece of 30 or so lb mono through a small hook eye though.