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Coastal and Saltwater Surf Fishing

Photos: Courtesy NOAA

Surf fishing is great. In surf fishing there is minimal expense, no boat to drag around, easy access to good conditions, and plenty of fun and action. With a minimum of effort and expense, anyone can catch Drum, Spanish, albacore, Bluefish, Flounder, Trout, and literally anything else from the beach.

Surf fishing is easy to start but very difficult to master. Very often, fish feed at the surf break line and this is a good place to start fishing. Lures need to be cast out and retrieved to look like a harried bait fish swimming away from a predator. The best days will occur when the high tide peaks in the early morning, from say 6 to 7:00 in the morning. Try to study the surf and find the better places.

Keep your bait fresh and out of the sun either in a cooler or refrigerator. Baits can catch multiple species of fish. Try any of the following: Bloodworms, Mullet cut into chunks or strips,Squid, Shrimp, Sand fleas, and even artificial lures can be good if nothing organic is working. Pick something heavy enough to fight the surf.

Perhaps more than other types of fishing, surf fishing rigs need to be easy to change. As tide and other conditions change so will the amount of weight required to stay on bottom, the type fish biting will change, the necessary bait will change, and thus the rigging will all require change. As much as practicable keep a variety of hooks, weights, and rigs to 'match the hatch'. Again like humans, fish have favorite meals and dining conditions. Use circle hooks. Circle hooks not only result in more hookups but are much better on the fish than are other hooks.