Guiding

The type of surfcasting promoted by SRI has been practiced in Rhode Island for many seasons. Simply put, it is fishing with live eels or fairly good-sized lures, at night, or under the low light conditions of dusk and dawn. But while I agree with the traditional methodologies, I won’t hold you to the practices. We’ll use spinning rather than conventional tackle, and release a good percentage of the catch. Those are minor points though – the mechanics of surfcasting remain essentially unchanged.

Soon, you’ll realize that surfcasting is at odds with the modern world. In a time where most demand instant gratification; surfcasting bestows its secrets and rewards slowly. Though there have been advances in tackle; surfcasting remains a low tech sport.

While the mechanics of the sport have remained unchanged, how we learn it has. Whereas past generations learned by personal instruction – many fishermen now learn the sport from books and magazines. With surfcasting, the importance of “hands-on” instruction cannot be overstated. While some excellent fishermen are self-taught – most have either come from fishing families, or were helped by someone. Finding that help has become increasingly difficult.