 No Boat? No Problem!
Keep it simple for successful surf fishing.
If you’ve ever walked the beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina along the Maryland/Virginia coast, there’s a good chance you’ve seen surf fishermen using outrageously long rods. These 12’ to 13’ poles are designed to heave large baits close to a hundred yards out where giant redfish and striped bass are commonly found cruising the shoreline. To help reach these fish, sinkers from 6 to 8 ounces are routinely used. It’s hard to imagine hours of continually handling these mammoth rod and reel combos!
That was my first introduction to surf fishing as I grew up in that region of the country, where lengthy surf rods are the norm. As a kid I watched people using these massive poles and assumed everyone fished the surf this way. As I got a little older, I tried surf fishing with my brother’s equipment and found it extremely complicated. Just heaving the bait with a pendulum cast took a monumental effort. To make things worse, the rod had about the same sensitivity as a telephone pole.
Only later did I realize that this sort of equipment is not necessary for most surf fishing applications. Contrary to my expectations, big fish and big thrills are not difficult to find on the sandy beaches close to shore — especially in the waters paralleling both coasts of Florida. With well over a thousand miles of shoreline, our beaches are routinely visited by many popular species. Mouth watering whiting and pompano are often caught right in less than a foot of water right in the wash. From May through September, it’s common to see monster-size snook cruising along the breaks, especially in the Sarasota-Manatee County area. These are just a few of the many accessible species that patrol our coastal shorelines.
Each month of the year can be extremely productive for surf fishing although not each location is worth the effort. You can’t fish crowded beaches for safety reasons, though you might be surprised how many fish are present in these populated areas—particularly late in the day when the beaches are relatively void of swimmers. In addition, be sure to check local fishing regulations. A number of beaches do not allow surf fishing or delegate it to only specific areas.
For example, for years anglers have tangled with sharks in the surf at Anna Maria Island off the Bradenton coast. However, because of media-induced fears concerning shark attacks, there have been recent attempts to ban shark fishing from that beach. What would happen if a fisherman incidentally caught a shark while looking for other species is still unclear? This logic seems silly as sharks are almost always present where people are swimming. A few years ago, I landed two dozen small sharks during an afternoon of surf fishing and I was less than a hundred yards down the beach from a large group of bathers.
It’s important to keep in mind that all beaches are not created equal. Just because a sandy stretch is isolated, does not mean it will be productive. Uniformly flat beaches without sandbars, sea walls or outcroppings are generally poor places to fish. Predatory species tend to congregate around structure and that’s no different along our shorelines. Focus your efforts around deep troughs and naturally formed channels between sandbars. Look for pockets on the inside corners of jetties and breakers. These are areas where baitfish concentrate and where the receding waves expose crabs, shrimp and other tasty morsels. It’s a good idea to scout a stretch ob shoreline during a mid-day low tide. Take a relaxing stroll up and down the beach. The sun will be high and you’ll easily be able to pinpoint appealing areas. Make a mental note of these areas so you fish them when they’re submerged.
When it comes to beach fishing, you probably already have all the equipment you need—at least for the casual surf angler. Both big and small fish can be caught in water only a spitting distance from shore. Typically all that is required is a medium action 15 lb. test,
7 ft. spinning outfit. A longer 8 ft. to 10 ft. outfit wouldn’t be a bad investment if you plan on surf fishing regularly, though relatively short casts are all that is usually required. This is not a hard and fast rule throughout the state as Captain Dave Borries (captdavidborries@aol.com) recently wrote an article recommending fishing for pompano in the Jacksonville area. He mentions fishing beyond the incoming waves with the use of an 11’ surf rod. The area you are in, the species you are targeting and the conditions you’re facing will dictate the ideal equipment to use.
One quick word of warning based on my own experiences. Be very leery when purchasing a ‘surf combo’ from a local tackle retailer. I have bought many different outfits and found in every case that I got a decent rod paired with a reel that couldn’t stand up to repeated use in the sandy and salty harsh environment—particularly if I caught any big fish. I’m not saying you need to break the bank or that quality surf combos are not out there, but an investment of a few more dollars in a higher quality spinning reel will likely be more cost effective in the long run.
Apart from a medium action rod and reel, there only a few other necessities you really need to pack as surf anglers generally lug a minimum amount of equipment. Try walking down the beach with a heavy tackle bag, large cooler, a few rods and a beach chair and you’ll quickly understand why.
If you plan on keeping any fish, a small cooler with a single bag of ice is an excellent idea—particularly one with wheels and a handle. While wading, I occasionally use a stringer or floating fish basket but this is not very practical for the surf. You often go in and out of the water and keeping fish alive and fresh is difficult. Second, it can be a bit more dangerous keeping wounded fish secured to you as there are often small sharks cruising the murky surf and an accident is simply more likely to occur.
This reminds me of a beach trip some time ago when I landed a few very large Spanish mackerel and all I had was a stringer. I wasn’t about to clip these toothy fish to my waist, so I secured the stringer to a dead palm tree that was protruding into the surf. I continued casting down the beach and returned later for the fish. Surprisingly, the stringer was gone. After questioning several nearby sunbathers, they told me they saw a guy walking away with the fish; to top it off he was telling everyone what a tough time he had catching them! Not surprisingly, that was the last time I took a stringer surf fishing with me. If you happen to find yourself on the beach with no way to secure your catch, dig a deep hole and bury the fish in the sand. This will protect the fish from cooking in the sun. Just be sure to mark your grave so you can retrieve your catch.
Along with a small cooler, it wouldn’t hurt to bring along a couple of extra rods and some sand spikes. Sand spikes are typically PVC tubes with a pointed end that is driven into the sand to hold your rods. You’ll often find yourself using only a single outfit when surf fishing but casting an extra baited line or two isn’t a bad idea and does increase your odds. I’ve seen people use as many as half a dozen outfits at a time this way. However, I try to fish during peak times when fish are actively feeding and using more than one rod can be a hindrance in these instances.
Most surf anglers use natural baits, though in a few cases artificial lures can out-produce bait and we’ll talk about that in a moment. In the meantime, the most commonly used bait is live shrimp. They’re fairly easy to keep alive and are excellent for pompano, whiting, snook, ladyfish, trout, black drum and redfish. Live baitfish such as greenbacks, threadfins or pinfish can be equally productive but of course you’ll need to lug along a small cast net to catch the bait in the surf. It may be worth it though as bluefish, Spanish mackerel, snook, cobia, sharks, tarpon and even grouper readily eat baitfish in the surf. Yes, I do mean keeper-size grouper. Conventional wisdom says that to catch grouper you need to be on top of a reef or wreck well offshore, though during much of the year you can catch them right in the surf — particularly if you’re fishing near a deep pass such as John’s Pass in St. Pete or New Pass in Sarasota.
Additional options for bait include sand fleas (aka mole crabs), fiddler or blue crabs, sea cucumbers, squid and clams. All these offerings can either be fished whole or in pieces, just use the freshest bait possible. Bait shops will often recommend that frozen bait works just as well, but I’ve noticed they only seem to say this when they’re out of live or fresh bait. I’ve rarely done well with frozen bait.
There are a wide variety of rigging techniques for surf fishing. In the past I always used a rig that consisted of two snelled hooks ranging in size from 1/0 to 5/0. The tandem rig sat above a sinker weighing 1 to 4 ounces, depending on how far I needed to cast and how rough the surf was. However, over the years I’ve evolved and have had much greater success implementing two different rigging techniques when it comes to fishing with bait. One is a basic fish-finder rig consisting of a single hook suspended a few feet or more below an egg sinker. I use this fish-finder rig particularly when I’m seeking larger fish such as snook or cobia and it’s an excellent choice when fishing large live baits.
The other rig which I use most often is a tandem rig consisting of two small jigs tied directly to my leader without additional weight. The jigs range from 1/16 to 1/8 ounce for whiting and pompano, º to _ ounce for Spanish mackerel, bluefish, jacks, trout, redfish and ladyfish and 1ounce or more for cobia, large redfish, sharks, small tarpon and grouper. Important for either rig, is to allow for some movement. In other words the current should slowly carry your bait in order to achieve a natural presentation. An occasional hop or slow, erratic retrieve will usually encourage more strikes than baits that are stationary.
In general, other than jigs there are only a handful of other artificial lures I use when surf fishing. Shiny metal spoons work wonders on bluefish, mackerel and jacks and top water stick baits and swimming plugs can be extremely effective in calm surf conditions, although my experience has proven that coastal predators are a little easier to entice with an artificial lure when the surf is a bit off colored. Additionally, soft jerk baits, shallow diving crank baits and D.O.A. shrimp work reasonably well. Overall though, small jig heads tipped with bait are my #1 choice as I can’t think of a single species that roams the shoreline that won’t readily take one.
We are lucky to live in a geographical region of the nation where at least some fish bite throughout the year. Each season several species are readily available up and down the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Regardless of when you fish, you’ll need to remember sun protection and some sort of footwear. Florida’s surf abounds with stingrays and sharp shells.
Overall, the winter season is probably the most difficult time to fish the beaches as temperature and wind fluctuations have a major impact on the bite. However, don’t assume that this means it’s a bad time to fish. Given a few straight nice days, winter can be amongst the most productive time. You’ll not be encountering snook or tarpon but the largest trout and black drum are often caught in December and January. Last winter I recall a particular beach trip in early December where I caught bluefish, redfish, black drum, trout, pompano, whiting and flounder in a single outing. It’s important to point out that even here in South Florida, if you intend on surf fishing on a regular basis, you’ll need to invest in a quality pair of waders. Even in the most southern parts of the state, during the cooler months water temps can feel downright chilly.
On the flip side, the present summer season also has its down-falls. Blistering hot days necessitate surf fishing early or late in the day or even at night. Just as we wither in hot weather, predators tend to rest during the hottest parts of the day and will generally seek cooler surroundings in deeper water. Focusing your efforts during the cooler hours of the day will greatly increase your odds of success. Plus, surf fishing is a great way to kill a couple evening hours, even if you do own a boat.
Once your surf fishing trip is over, it’s important to thoroughly clean your equipment. Saltwater and sand will destroy reels, guides, lures and hooks unless they are thoroughly washed and allowed to air dry. It also would be a good idea to grease your reel and periodically take it apart and clean it. Otherwise, your surf equipment won’t last.
Finally, a word of advice to all parents with young children: Consider surf fishing, as it’s a great way to teach your kids about this wonderful sport. When they get bored, which is almost a given with young children, you can all take a break and go for a quick swim. That way you’re a hero, everyone has a good time and your wife doesn’t feel like she’s become a widow to your sport. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get some sand between your toes!
If you have any questions, comments or just want to talk fishing, please feel free to contact me at wadingfool@earthlink.net.
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