Learning to read the Beach and Guts to change your hunting

[Buried Crap NJ]

Hunted this past Sunday on a NJ beach, there were 7 guys that were hunting the same beaches.
I was the second one on the beach 2 hrs before low. The first left right after I arrived. I now know why. My first 35 minutes produce not a single keeper, and only two targets. I was working a loose S pattern from the waters edge up about 12 feet and back. I have been using the Excal for about 60 hrs but have over 30 years hunting. The first think I did was stop and read the beach. What was I looking at that wasn't the same as before. I then realized the beach was sloped directly to the water. No Hills,No Scallop area's,No holes! It was a smooth transaction from the parking area to the water. What happen here? The beach was wider then it normally is, my markers were further up the beach, some were buried almost not visible. Ah the latest storm was the culprit. The upper sand was drag down and the beach grew. Where I usually hunt was deeply sanded in. Time to change my hunting today. I stopped and looked up at the beach from the waters edge. There I saw it ever so slightly but it was there, a small 10 ft area that showed a cut in the beach. This cut was so far up on the beach I thought no can't be. I worked my way up to the stairs that lead down to the beach from the parking area, and sure enough there was 10 foot long 8 in drop in the sand. Small but it was a cut.
I started to hunt this area and got my first coin a quarter at about 12 inches. I started the circle out pattern (the one surfhunter describes in his video's) and 2 steps away a dime another step buffalo nickle! I worked this area for the next 2 hrs finding over 40 coins one silver dime one half dollar, most very deep and required a slow sweep. Two other hunters came up to see how I was doing as they had been experience bad results at the water. I invited them both to join me in my little hot spot. They did but one left after a few minutes as he could not detect the deep target with his land machine. The two of us worked back and forth and there was clear line in the sand where the finds stopped, an area about 150 ft by 40 ft. This little area produce coins because the sand was pulled down to the water. The ones that reached the water were too deep. Lesson here is to use these sites and be willing to change what you normally do. Check out surfhunters video's here and on youtube. He has the best instructions on reading beaches. Oh ya I couldn't help it I try the wet sand again for 45 minutes and found not a single target. LOL! steve

 

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[bootybay]

wow, you did great..congrats on learning to read to read the beach.. excellent.. do you ever hunt OC.. I do..

 

[TXcoindigger]

Great info. Thanx for explaining your thought pattern. I have been trying to apply the same principles to the beaches in Galveston.

 

[Surfdigger]

Thanks Steve....here's something else you can try....

Ya see? That's all it takes sometimes to get the advantage over the competition.....reading the beach.....I tell folks that when they get out to bring a pair of binoculars and when you get to your beach....leave your detector and scoop in the car and take a walk out there with your binoculars first, find a highspot such as a bulkhead,or a dune.....does the beach have a fishing pier?.....it's a great birdseye view....Look for those lowspots, depressions, and cuts. many times it's hard to see them unless you have the right viewpoint. Another good thing to have especially on bright and sunny days are a good pair of polarized sunglasses you will be amazed how it will cut down on the glare revealing those subtle dips on the beach and in the shallow surf....give it a try...and leave the competition scratching their heads !!....HH...Surfdigger

 

[Buried Crap NJ]

Re: Thanks Steve....here's something else you can try....

Ya see? That's all it takes sometimes to get the advantage over the competition.....reading the beach.....I tell folks that when they get out to bring a pair of binoculars and when you get to your beach....leave your detector and scoop in the car and take a walk out there with your binoculars first, find a highspot such as a bulkhead,or a dune.....does the beach have a fishing pier?.....it's a great birdseye view....Look for those lowspots, depressions, and cuts. many times it's hard to see them unless you have the right viewpoint. Another good thing to have especially on bright and sunny days are a good pair of polarized sunglasses you will be amazed how it will cut down on the glare revealing those subtle dips on the beach and in the shallow surf....give it a try...and leave the competition scratching their heads !!....HH...Surfdigger

More good info Brian. I have picked up a lot of good info from you guys this past 6 months. I had put my beach hunting aside for other hobbies for a couple of years. I have still been hunting in the woods here in NJ for some older stuff all along. It was amazing that the other hunters refused to leave the water/wet sand even after coming way up to see how I was doing. I invited them to work the small patch of beach. But they all just went back down to the water. When we all stopped to talk after low tide none of them had anything to show for the efforts? One other thing to my advantage was this was my home court so I knew this beach since the 1980's all my markers were not in site.
I just worked my way to the only cut showing! Still want to get down to your locations soon.Tell Bruce to call me if you guys go. I am off 2/5 2/6 this week. steve