Luke Hein of Rogers Park made me start dreaming again about surf fishing.
‘‘I’ve been having an exceptional late-winter bite for browns [trout] in the surf on the South Side,’’ Hein messaged on Instagram. ‘‘It’s been amazing to see the numbers of fish.’’
That’s interesting, considering we’ve had close to a normal winter, despite the record warmth through November.
‘‘I’ve been spawn-bag-fishing surf rods!’’ he messaged. ‘‘It’s been a banger late winter, number-wise. A mixed bag of browns and smaller steelhead. I think it’s awesome to see the numbers, and, despite my lack of knowledge of the science, I can’t help but feel it’s a sign of good to come!’’
Surf fishing (basically fishing from the beach) has fascinated me since I was young and saw photos of anglers manhandling big rods to cast crashing surf for striped bass on the Atlantic Ocean.
I’ve done it in Indiana. For the last several years in March, I’ve tried to time surf fishing for the coho near St. Joseph, Michigan, without success.
Hein goes for surf fishing as an old, proven method.
‘‘Initially got into surf fishing because it’s such an old-school technique that has fallen out of practice with the flashy techniques of bobber fishing or twitching jigs,’’ he messaged. ‘‘I personally think it’s a tried-and-true method that has been proven successful by many anglers over many years. I can guarantee anyone who hooks a big chrome steelhead in the first trough off a beach will be hooked for life.
‘‘I also think bait fishing can be looked at as a lesser method of fishing, but a good bait fisherman knows it comes down to the smallest adjustments to be successful. Whether that’s fresh vs. cured eggs, leader length, leader weight or even a single split shot on your leader to assure your bait is placed right in the strike zone.
‘‘I think of surf fishing as an unspoken tradition kept tight-lipped by the guys who have put in the hours and patience to find those little nooks that produce and hold fish.’’
Hein has found nooks around Chicago, Indiana and Michigan.
Numbers have been strong so far this year, but he noted: ‘‘Nothing huge. Biggest coming in around 20 inches. It’s been like clockwork in the early morning. Running into issues of all three of my rods going off at the same time.’’
That’s a good issue to have.
He saw promise in his success.
‘‘I think it’s super-cool to see the numbers of smaller browns this year,’’ he messaged. ‘‘Really hoping to find some bigger ones come true spring!’’
Wild things
I saw my first big winter flocks of wild turkeys Saturday. Both had more than 30. . . . I’ve noticed that rabbits, despite the cold weather last week, are on time in starting to do what comes naturally.
Stray cast
Reading Maddie Lee’s notes on Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is as good as receiving the first reader’s note of catching a 5-pound largemouth bass at Braidwood Lake.