“Anyone can be a fisherman in May.” ~Ernest Hemingway
That’s a 4 ounce weight, pictured above. It’s the minimum you need to hold bottom even in a relatively light surf. To get farther, and hold the bottom in more aggressive conditions, some surfcasters use heavier weights, some even as heavy as 6 ounces or even more.
And that’s a 2 ounce diamond jig – the lightest thing you can throw in the face of even a moderate headwind. Try to cast into a strong south wing with anything less and you won’t even clear the breakers.
When you’re fishing ultralight lures in freshwater for trout, you don’t need to worry about protecting your fingers. It’s easy as can be to cast these little lures.
But with a 9-foot (or longer) surf rod, and 4 ounces of weight on the end of the outfit, you can load a massive amount of energy through the cast. All of that energy is released in a fraction of a second, and the only thing holding it back is your index finger.
There might be some old salts out there with leather-thick skin that can sling a 4 ounce pyramid weight with no protection for their fingers, but your average surfcaster (like me) needs a little bit of protection.
Even with heavy 15-pound mono, there’s an immense amount of force concentrated on that thin diameter line. It’s painful to cast, at least, and in bad conditions, will slice right through your finger. If you cast thinner-diameter braid, this problem is even worse.
I’ve given myself some pretty unpleasant lacerations casting in the surf. Maybe you have too, and that’s why you’re here.
In short: you need something to protect your casting finger.
There are commercial solutions. Some shops around me sell leather finger guards, and there are some companies that sell finger armor online. There are also special casting gloves. There’s even a device called a casting cannon, that apparently makes it a lot easier to cast a heavy weight in the surf.
There’s a problem with these finger guards (I have used them) and it’s that they destroy your ability to feel the line through them.
As you know, when you’re casting with a spinner, you need to be able to feel the line. Releasing at the right millisecond is the key to accuracy and range. If not, your cast is ruined and you’ll need to cast again.
Give one of these a try if you want to, but in my experience you just can’t feel the line through them, and can’t cast with them.
And what if you’re heading out to the wash tomorrow and don’t have time to get one of these online?
Fortunately, I have a very cost-effective and practical solution, and it’s probably already somewhere in your house.
If You’re Fishing with a Spinner
The vast majority of surfcasters I see fish with spinning tackle. It’s easier to learn how to use these and there’s a much shorter learning curve. For my part, I often fish with a spinner in the surf, and when I’m casting lures, almost exclusively fish spinning outfits.
But the problem remains: the pressure you put on your finger when casting is prohibitive.
So, if you’re not going to use one of the commercial solutions to protecting your finger, I suggest you simply tape your finger with electrical tape.
Electrical tape is extremely cheap and affordable, and it’s flexible, too. You need a tight wrap and several layers in order to protect your finger.
Duct tape is no good because, despite the fact that it does offer excellent protection, you can’t wrap too tightly or you will cut off the circulation to your finger.
Moreover, the adhesive used with duct tape makes it hard to get off your skin when you’re done fishing.
I imagine that athletic tape would work well, but I have never personally used it. I just stick with electric tape because it is so affordable and comes off easily when it’s time to remove it.
Now, you may be thinking: doesn’t this also destroy your sensitivity?
Well, yes, to a degree, it does. Anything you put on your finger to protect it is going to adversely affect your sensitivity with respect to casting.
But this is a much better solution than one of those commercially available finger guards, not to mention a lot more affordable. And, you can feel through it pretty well, if I’m being honest.
One final caveat. I’ve read from other fishermen online that the electric tape method is no good. Maybe some other fishermen prefer other methods, but I’ve been using the electrical tape method for years and it works just fine for me. Try it for yourself and see how you like it. You decide.
Some anecdotal evidence: once I taped my finger and then cast a 1.5 ounce diamond jig for three hours. The tape wore a little, but it held up alright and it protected my finger pretty well.
Throw a roll of electrical tape in your bag and you’ll be prepared at a moment’s notice any time you want to go surf fishing.
Sure, That’s All Well and Good, but I Sling a Caster
I learned to cast a caster in freshwater with light lures. The first time I ever brought a caster to the shore to fish in the salt, I burned my thumb raw on the spool with the very first cast.
The amount of rotational momentum carried by a large conventional spool is nothing short of impressive. It will destroy your thumb if you’re not prepared for it.
From that point forward, I knew I needed a solution here as well.
It’s the same solution I use for spinning tackle. Just wrap your casting thumb a few times with tape. Here, you can be much more aggressive with the wrap. You want several layers and will regret it if you don’t. You don’t need anywhere near the sensitivity with your casting thumb on a spool as you need with your casting finger for a spinner. All you want to do here is prevent a spool overrun. So wrap your thumb well and good.
Tight lines.
~The Eclectic Outfitter