Surf Fishing tips

[Gfish]

Great and informative thread, Shellbelly and contributors. The beach ain't just the beach, and the surf ain't just the surf. "Ambush points" I like that'n.

[Shellbelly]

The beach ain't just the beach, and the surf ain't just the surf.

So true!  The beach actually moves inland.  That's how dunes are formed.  If you come across a 30' log at the waterline, most likely this same log will be several feet inland in a month.  In six months it will be much farther.  Water pushes and pounds the sand and the entire surface migrates inland.  Look closely at that picture of my boys.  That buoy had been embedded on the beach for 2-3 months and was about 30 feet from the water.  That's not where it landed.  That thing made it to the dune line in less than a year and rotted away.

Storm surges do move things around, but these surges also recede and take things back out, so don't be too quick to discount beach migration.  Entire recent tide lines of sea vegetation lay in their original positions 50 feet from the current high tide line.  Like the water, sand has to go somewhere too.  The stuff laying on it and embedded in it moves right along with it.  If this wasn't true, then all the stuff of all time would be piled up at the various high water lines.  It's like a hand-off of stuff from water to sand to dune.  Impossible to see this happen on a manicured beach and many will never see it or know it happens.

This is needing some pictures.  I gotta go back now so I can show what I'm yakkin' about.

[Shellbelly]

Here's a photo of low tide and rods out at a hole.  Look at the water line.  In front of the farthest rod is a point.  That's the beginning of a bar that goes out and curves around toward your point of view.  Now look down the beach.  You see the "scalloped" edge of the water and another longer point farther down?  That repeats itself at varying intervals all along this beach for 23 miles.  These are pretty close together here.

The farthest rod is cast in the space between the point in front and the end of the bar to the left.  The middle one is cast just beyond the bar in front of it, into the 2nd gut.  The closest one is cast at the drop-off end of the bar in front. Basically, they are covering two bar breaks and the middle of the gut.  I'm looking for fish running the edges...you see, it's simple, tactical, and makes "fishing sense". 

Where I'm standing will be 2-4' under at full high tide.  Slide the photo to the left and behind the rods you see the exposed shell bottom of what will be the 1st gut.  Hopefully full of bait.  Look more to the left and you'll see the high tide line where wet sand meets dry sand.  Notice how the "scalloped" edge of the high tide line corresponds to the current water line?  Now, to prove my earlier point, look in front of the Toyota and in the distance you see large debris...in the vicinity of these holes.

So, in one snapshot you get to see a bunch of clues and subtle structure.  You can walk along and throw lures at it, park lead in it, or do both.  Also, you can load up and run the length of this beach in 2WD while looking for more drastic curves, gouges, drop-offs, snags, and other dynamics that get covered up at high tide....when you'll need 4WD.

The whole beach doesn't look this tame.  It gets real interesting farther down.  I love this stuff! 

[JasonGotaProblem]

I love this thread. My family.is gonna be annoyed by how specific I suddenly become about our spot, but...

[Shellbelly]

My family.is gonna be annoyed

I can relate.  "DAD!!!! When are we gonna stop???"  If I had a nickel for every time I heard that....

[Shellbelly]

Sometimes the surf says, "You ain't fishin' here today, son."  Don't even try because it's a line-fouling mess.  Instead, walk it and find other people's tackle.  You can't forecast this.  It's just part of the deal.

You might be able to run top water stuff over it if the surf is flat.  I usually look at it in disgust and try to "make lemonade".

[JasonGotaProblem]

Sometimes the surf says, "You ain't fishin' here today, son."  Don't even try because it's a line-fouling mess.  Instead, walk it and find other people's tackle.  You can't forecast this.  It's just part of the deal.

You might be able to run top water stuff over it if the surf is flat.  I usually look at it in disgust and try to "make lemonade".

I bet that's what my beach looks like today. 30mph sustained winds all day. Great day to get some yard work out of the way.

[Rancanfish]

I am four miles inland from the coast.  I want to learn how to catch perch from the beach.  I was told by a neighbor that you have to know where to go, and I don't yet.

I heard they are good eating.

[Gfish]

Yeah. A Springtime surf-fishin reality on the P. Coast. The best I ever did was steeper beaches where warmer water was flowing in. But never got after it enough in favor of anadromous river fishing, or going off the rocks. Getting sand crabs for bait was the thing and wasn't always easy.

[Shellbelly]

I was told by a neighbor that you have to know where to go, and I don't yet.

That's the reason to go....cause you want to!  Don't wait for someone to point at a place.  The "finding" is part of the deal in learning.  Pick a stretch of beach and learn to own it like your yard. 

[Shellbelly]

I caught this fish the other day so I remember how it came about.

I located a hole and studied it for a few minutes.  At the break between the bars, there was a convergence of two currents from the left and right.  Where they merged was some turbulence that created a little foam in a line.  This foam was moving straight out into the second gut and beyond. 

I imagined there was enough flow to suspend and flutter a bait above a 3oz spider.  I head-hooked a 4" finger mullet and parked it in the hole and it held on the target.  Then I similarly rigged two more rods and set those out about 30 yards on either side.  Both of those drifted toward the hole and had to be reset several times.  This confirmed what I was seeing.

The target rig got the hit.  Random luck?  I don't think so.  That redfish rounded the corner and found what he was looking for....a mullet fighting against the current and not going anywhere....easy meal. 

It was a plan that increased the odds and it worked.  The other two lines didn't get a hit.  Drifting isn't always a bad thing because it covers more ground.  Just gotta keep from fouling other lines.

It was the only fish I landed that day.  None of the other spots I fished gave up this strong of a clue.   

[Breadfan]

About the only fishing I do is surf fishing, and it is hard. I look at it like the ocean is a desert with little nooks a crannies (sandbars, small holes, eddies, and runouts) and the fish will only be in a very small percentage of that area, IF it's feeding time. If the water temp is correct. If the water clarity is correct. It is up to you to do the scouting, starting at low tide is ideal as it reveals the structure. People planning to go on vacation to the beach and wet a line is where surf fishing gets its bum rap because its so much harder than it looks. Much like hunting, and to me it is harder than that because you cant see the bottom. It takes a dedicated amount of time and everything continually shifts and changes with the tides and more so from storms. I have found if I get on it, do my scouting, mark what I think are good spots on my GPS, I will eventually find the fish. IF I get away from doing (like, a two week break) that and just go to where I think they have been, it becomes a stroke of luck, and usually, its bad luck and I go home with nothing. Big storms, more than anything, change everything and you then have to pretty much start over. I have a good commercial fisherman friend who hands down slays the pompano here in Florida. He will humble me every time we go, sometimes not standing more than 50 ft from me. I mean, a 10 fish for him to my every one fish type of humbling. Last year we went one day and I counted, he had 40, I had four. Now, 6 would be the limit for me so it was a good day, but you see what I am getting at.He knows the beach, knows what the fish are eating, knows what rig to use and he knows where and how to present said bait/rig. Sometimes I get really mad when I go with him because he makes me look like a fool, yet I pick up a little from him each time and I get better. To me, surf fishing is just difficult and yet very rewarding when you catch your limit of pomps, and go home happy. But, one must dedicate ones self.

[Jenx]

I am four miles inland from the coast.  I want to learn how to catch perch from the beach.  I was told by a neighbor that you have to know where to go, and I don't yet.

I heard they are good eating.

I've never been a fan of eating surf perch. The taste isn't bad, but the meat is too mushy for me. I know a lot of people who do like to eat them, though.

The simplest way of catching them, IMO, is a 2500 spinning reel with a 7' light to ML rod. C-rig with an arms length leader of 6-8lb mono. You don't need fluoro for perch as they aren't line shy.

2" Gulp sandworms in CAMO color absolutely slays perch. If they are around they will bite it. Perch are notorious for biting the tails off of these lures, so I like to use a longshank #6 hook so I get the barb closer to the tail of the sandworm. Another trick I like to do is to lay the sandworms out on a paper towel over night and let them completely dry out. They will turn into hard little nubs, but if you put them back into water they will rehydrate.They will only return to about 90% of their original size when you rehydrate them, but it also makes them a little tougher so they won't come off of the hook as easily.

To fish it just cast out and do a slow and steady retrieve. Fan cast a few times in one spot and if you don't get any bites after a few casts then move on down the beach a little ways. Eventually as you spend enough time fishing different spots you will start to understand the surf better and notice what spots produce more than others.

[Bryan Young]

@Jenx I agree, surf perch is mushy.  I like catching them and eating them as they are tasty.  I'm trying to figure out how to firm up their flesh...salt?  Wait a day or two to dry them out a bit?  I don't know.

[Shellbelly]

perch from the beach

I'd like to see a picture of a surf perch.  Are they soft and mushy after freezing or when fresh?

Sometimes I catch what we call Sand Trout.  Think speckled trout with no spots and no green tint.  These are only palatable when fresh...I mean the day you catch them.  Straight from the cutting board and into the corn meal.  If frozen, they lose all texture.  Also, if they're handled roughly, or you fill the cooler with a hundred, they bruise easily.  I usually toss 'em back.  I don't want to "manage" the fish cooler.

Some years ago, I was getting bait with a cast net when an elderly couple stopped by.  The gentleman asked if I was catching any large mullet.  I did have some that were over 12".  He asked if he could have some and I gave him 4 live fish.  He and his wife were going to sit on the beach and enjoy smoked mullet.  I shuddered at the idea, but they were very pleased and told me I didn't know what I was missing.  They were from Maine, I think.  Very pleasant people.  I fished close by and enjoyed their company.