Selecting Surf Fishing Equipment To Start Surf Fishing Is Easy

If your thinking about getting into the sport of surf fishing this is a basic guide to select the surf fishing equipment you need to get started.

Will Budget Surf Fishing Gear Work For You?

Surf fishing is very easy to get into for less than $100 if you’re willing to settle for budget surf fishing equipment. You can easily find a combo 10′ or 12′ surf rod and reel for around $50. Sometimes it will already be spooled with line. Buying a combo rod and reel will save you the trouble of selecting the proper setup. It will have the right line capacity and sizing for the surf. You can find combo rod and reel setups priced in this range at stores like Walmart and Gander Mountain.

Bear in mind that it is an economy model and will not hold up as well as an expensive quality product. The saltwater and sand environment is very harsh. As long as you take the time to rinse it off with fresh water and keep it lubricated there isn’t any reason why it won’t get the job done for you. Even an expensive surf reel won’t last long if you don’t take care of it.

After you’re into the sport for awhile and learn more about it you will probably want to invest in better quality gear like Daiwa or Penn. They both make nice quality reels from $84 to several hundred dollars.

Start With Basic Surf Fishing Tackle

Most surf anglers would agree that live bait works the best. That’s a good thing because you won’t have to spend very much to buy the essential surf tackle for live bait.

All you need is a few items. Buy some pyramid sinkers in 3 ounce and 4 ounce. Next you’ll need a couple of surf fishing rigs with hooks on a leader. You can either buy these rigs already made up or make them yourself. A very common surf fishing rig has two hooks with a swivel on one end and a snap swivel on the other. One of the popular rigs is called a fireball rig. It comes ready to go with 2 hooks and little floats mounted near the hooks to keep your bait off the bottom away from the crabs.

If you decide to make one yourself, I suggest you get 2/0 circle hooks, 60# leader material, a package of regular swivels and a package of snap swivels. Just look at the pre-made rigs in the tackle shop and match everything up to that.

If you add a sand spike to put your rod in while your waiting for a strike, you are ready to start fishing. There’s a lot more surf fishing equipment you’ll probably want to add later but just to get started and be able to catch fantastic, hard fighting surf fish that’s all you need.

Oh, and don’t forget to get some live bait. Shrimp and sand fleas are a favorite delicacy for surf fish.

How Some Surf Anglers Fish For Great Whites From The Beach

If your up to the challenge, shark fishing from the surf will surpass your expectations to provide all the excitement you can handle. It’s not for the faint of heart. Especially for the first time. After that, each and every time will almost seem like the first time because the adrenalin pumps just as hard.

When your sitting quietly waiting for something to happen and the line starts burning off your reel the adrenalin goes from 0 to 60 in one second flat and it’s on. That’s what shark fishing from the surf is like.

For your first time you don’t really know what to expect. You have an idea but you haven’t experienced it yet. If you’ve seen or experienced sailfish fishing you probably thought it’s the ultimate fishing experience. You’d be wrong! Until you’ve experienced shark fishing from the surf you haven’t experienced the ultimate fishing challenge. There isn’t a sailfish out there that will give you the rush or fight that a shark of equal size will.

How To Salt Cure Bait For Surf Fishing Yourself

You can salt cure your own bait. It’s simple and easy to do. Salt cured bait will get you just as many hits as live bait and it doesn’t come off the hook as easy either.

Bait that has been cured is firm and will hold the hook much better. It also has the same amount of natural scents as live bait just as long as you don’t wash or rinse the bait before curing.

The advantages of salt cured bait are:

• No need to use a live bait bucket
• Aerators are not needed to keep live bait
• Baits are easily carried in a bag or small container
• You will loose less bait because it stays on the hook longer
• No need to worry about wasting bait that isn’t used
• You can always have bait on hand and ready to go
• It’s so convenient to grab your bait and head to the beach to fish
• It’s so easy to do

Salt curing isn’t new. It’s an age old practice for preserving meat. It’s only since the development of refrigerators that it has fallen out of practice.

Although you can cure all kinds of bait for surf fishing, curing time does vary. Small cut or filleted pieces cure faster than larger whole fish. If you collect your own bait, keep it on ice until ready to start curing it.

Shrimp should have the heads and shells removed. You can use uncooked shrimp from the super market. Finger mullet and menhaden up to about 5 inches can be salted whole. Larger fish should have the guts and heads removed. You can fillet them or leave the scales on. You can use them on a harness or chunk them up. The heads can also be salted. Squid can be cut up into strips or pieces.

Start with a box of kosher salt. Do not use iodized salt. Select a container with a flat bottom suitable for the size bait you want to cure. Place twice the thickness of salt in the bottom as the thickness of the bait to be cured. If your bait is 1 inch thick, put 2 inches of salt in the bottom. Place the bait on the salt followed by another layer of salt over it the same depth as the starting layer. You can continue building layers a bait and salt until all the bait is covered in salt. Do not seal the container. If you want to cover it just place a towel over the top. It needs to be exposed to the air to dry out.

Small pieces of shrimp can cure in a day or so. Whole fish can take several weeks. It all depends on how much of the raw meat is exposed to the salt. All the moisture has to be drawn out of the bait by the salt before it will be cured. That’s why a whole fish can take so much longer.

Once the bait is fully cured you can package it in zip locks or vacuum sealed bags. Don’t be concerned about how hard the cured bait becomes. That’s why it stays on the hook so much better. All the original scents will be preserved with it. Once it hits the water it performs just like any other form of bait.

Surf fishing with cured baits is so much easier and more convenient than dealing with live bait.  Even if have a preference for using live bait it’s a great backup. Once you give it a try, I guarantee you’ll use it on a regular basis.

Other Articles By Randy Meyers

I’ve written several articles for Ezine Articles on the subject of surf fishing. If you haven’t read my other articles, listed below are links to my articles that you can read at Ezine Articles.

• Guidelines For the Best Time to Go Surf Fishing
  [Recreation-and-Sports:Fishing] The best time to go surf fishing has to be answered in a number of different ways. To address this topic we must consider what is meant by, “the best time”. Are we referring to the time of year, the time of day, the tidal movements, the phases of the moon or the weather situation? There’s a lot of room for interpretation. I will address them all in this article.

• How to Start Surf Fishing
  [Recreation-and-Sports:Fishing] Suggested ways to learn how to start surf fishing. It’s easy to get up to speed and get started right away.

• An Introduction to Participate in a Surf Fishing Tournament
  [Recreation-and-Sports:Fishing] This is an introduction for anyone who would like to participate in a surf fishing tournament. There are all kinds of surf fishing tournaments you can enter.

• Surf Shark Fishing Techniques
  [Recreation-and-Sports:Fishing] Shark fishing techniques used to fish for sharks from the surf. Shark fishing from the surf has to be the most exciting fishing experience you’ll ever get, bar none.

• Things to Do Before You Go Out Surf Fishing
  [Recreation-and-Sports:Fishing] Scout The Beach At Low Tide For Potential Hot Spots – Use a tide chart to find out when you can visit the beach at low tide. During low tide you will be able to see what the bottom is like after the high tide comes in. This will give you a better idea of the the spots that are most likely to hold fish.

• Tips For Selecting a Surf Fishing Rod
  [Recreation-and-Sports:Fishing] Tips to help you select a surf fishing rod. This article covers the features to look for in a good surf rod.

• The Essential Surf Fishing Tackle Guide
  [Recreation-and-Sports:Fishing] Put together the surf fishing tackle assortment of essential gear that works and saves yourself the aggravation of buying and trying new surf gear. Surf anglers who have been fishing for a number of years have reduced their tackle selection down to the necessary effective things to have on hand.

• Fishing in Surf – Start With the Basics
  [Recreation-and-Sports:Fishing] Get started fishing in surf with the basics. Surf fishing is exciting, fun and easy to get into

See all my Ezine Articles here

How To Surf Cast 150 Yards Without Trying Too Hard

Watch the video to learn how easy it is to surf cast 150 yards. With a little practice it shouldn’t be that hard to accomplish even if you are new to the sport of surf fishing.

It’s important to remember that casting for long distance put a lots of force on the line by the weight you are casting. A shock leader is used to absorb this force. The rule of thumb is 10# of line strength for every ounce of lead. Shock leaders normally wrap 5 times around the reel plus the length of the rod and the trailing rig to cast with but not over 20 feet of total leader length.

Depending on the test weight of the shock leader, the knot tied to the main line will cause problems casting for distance. Unless your surf rod has large enough eyes to pass the knot that ties to the main line, your casting distance will suffer. Lots of surf anglers who cast 8 ounces of lead plus bait never have a problem with a 50# test shock leader. According to the rule of thumb this would be seriously undersized. You’ll have to see what works for you to get the best combination.

The video below demonstrates a simple easy way to cast for long distance.

How To Select Surf Fishing Tackle For Live Bait

When surf fishing with live bait choosing the right surf fishing tackle can make the difference between lots of action or a lesson in surf casting. Most surf anglers prefer lots of action to a practice session on surf casting. If your just getting started you can probably benefit from either one but I’m sure you would rather be catching fish while your doing it.

Start By Gathering Surf Fishing Reports

Before you get tackle and head to the beach you need to gather information about the surf fish that are in your surf during that particular season. Although some saltwater fish species will always be found in your location, some species are migratory so their not always in the surf. It will vary whether you are fishing in a northern climate or the warmer waters of a subtropical or tropical climate.

Once you make a determination of the different surf fish in your area, you can decide what fish to target. The surf fish you plan to target will determine the surf tackle and live bait you will be fishing with.

If you are very new to the sport of surf fishing or your not familiar with the fish you want to target then you have some homework to do. Fish in the surf can vary greatly in size and weight so you need to know something about them before you can choose the tackle to use.

Choosing a Surf Fishing Rod

Surf anglers who are just starting out can’t afford to purchase several surf rods and reels. So you’ll have to settle on a compromise. By now you should have some idea of the fish size, bait and what part of the surf they’re in, from the fishing reports you gathered. If you need a long distance surf rod to reach the fish then the surf rod you select will be longer, 10 or 12 feet. If not maybe you can get by with an 8′ rod. I like to think a long surf rod can cover all the water in between so my preference is a 10′ or 12′ surf rod.

Since this is an article about surf fishing tackle for live bait, bear in mind that you have to consider the weight of the sinker and the live bait. The rating of the surf rod you choose will determine your limitations in this regard. The surf fishing data you collected will provide you with the type of bait to use and the distance you’ll be casting to reach them. Typically the sinker weight will vary between 3oz.and 8oz. Choose a surf rod that is in the right class for the fishing you’ll be doing.

Choosing a Surf Fishing Reel

Your budget will be the deciding factor but remember the surf environment is very harsh so the quality of reel you choose will determine how well it will hold up. Surf reels are classified by line size and amount they will hold. In most cases you’ll be using 20# to 30# test.

Reel line capacity will depend on the distance you’ll be casting with extra line capacity for a hard run before you can tire the fish and start bringing it in. If you anticipate that your targeted fish are out about 100 yards you will probably want an additional 100 or 150 yards of line for the run. Usually a hooked fish will head for deep water so count on the extra line capacity.

Selecting Hooks For Live Bait

Just the subject of live bait and surf fishing rigs can be a couple of chapters in a book so I’m not going to get into all the possibilities in this article. You’ll have a few different bait choices from the fishing reports you gathered. There are a lot of different types of hooks to choose from. If you stick with circle hooks you can avoid a lot of problems because they are designed to hook the fish in the mouth which facilitates the practice of catch and release.

Hook size is always a question especially if your just getting into the sport. Let me make it as simple as possible for you. Hook size should always be determined by the size of your bait.  Visit the local bait and tackle shop and look at the hook sizes used for the artificial bait on display. Select your hook size by matching it to the sizes used for the artificial bait. It’s that simple.

By now you should be able to:

• Select a surf fishing rod based on what it’s rated for.
• Select a surf fishing reel based on line size and capacity.
• Select surf fishing hooks based on type and size for your bait.

What are you waiting for? Get out and start surf fishing.

Start Surf Fishing With Two Popular Surf Fishing Rigs

To start surf fishing you will need to get familiar with the two most popular surf fishing rigs used. These two rigs are sometimes referred to by other names but most surf anglers refer to them as the fish finder rig and the fireball rig.

The Fish Finder Rig

The purpose of the fish finder rig is to allow the live bait to free line in the surf until a fish picks up the bait. The sinker rests on the bottom and the rig allows the line to feed the bait out freely. It works well with an out going tide or in moving current. As the tide moves out it takes the bait with it. When a fish picks up the bait it doesn’t feel the weight of the sinker until it’s hooked.

The hooks used are based on the size of the bait and the sinkers are based on surf conditions. The weight of the sinker has to be heavy enough so it holds the bottom. These rigs are very easy to make. The sinker must be able to slide on the main line. Use either an egg sinker (for light surf) or a pyramid sinker (for heavier surf conditions). Both sinkers are slid on to the main line before tying on a swivel. Pyramid sinkers require a plastic sleeve with a snap swivel in order to slide them on the main line. Egg sinkers can slide directly on the main line.

Whichever sinker you decide to use will go on the main line followed by a plastic bead before you tie on a swivel. The bead is used to protect the knot at the swivel so the sinker doesn’t damage it.

Make up a short leader 18” to 24” long with a hook of your choice on one end and tie the other end on the swivel and you’re ready to start fishing. Cast the fish finder rig out into the surf and let the line feed out freely with the current or the tide until a fish picks it up.

The Fireball Rig

The fireball rig is completely different from the fish finder rig. It’s probably easier if you buy these rigs made up rather than make them yourself. This rig is usually about 12” to 18” long with a regular swivel on one end and a snap swivel on the other. In between the swivels there are two hooks tied on with short leaders. Each hook will have a small float attached near it. The purpose of the floats is to keep your bait just off the bottom so the crabs won’t steal it.

Use a sinker large enough to hold the bottom based on surf conditions. Attach the sinker to the snap swivel and tie your main line to the regular swivel and you’re ready to fish.

Cast the fireball rig out into the surf, keep your line taunt and wait until a fish picks up the bait.

Both surf rigs are simple to use and can be fished with a variety of baits. The two most popular kinds of bait used on these rigs are shrimp and sand fleas.

Three Reasons Why New Surf Fishing Anglers Don’t Catch Fish

Many new surf fishing anglers don’t catch fish because they don’t understand how surf fishing is different. It’s actually very easy once you know how. This article will help new surf fishing anglers get started the right way.

Fishing the surf is so easy to get into many new anglers just buy a surf rod, get some bait and start fishing. When they don’t catch any fish they assume that there isn’t very many fish in the surf. Well I’m here to tell you the surf is loaded with fish if you know how to fish the right way and you can;

Surf Fish Any Beach With Success.

Reason #1

The first mistake new surf anglers make is not understanding how the tides effect surf fishing. Surf fish are dependent on the tides to provide their food source. As the tide moves in and out it moves (or rather sweeps) the surf bait to the predator fish. The currents produced by the tides provide the best opportunity for catching fish. When the tide is slack the surf fish are inactive.

Reason #2

The second mistake new surf anglers make is assuming the water at the surf line is the same everywhere when knowing how to tell where the fish are in the surf can make all the difference in the world. One thing about fishing the surf that is common to all forms of fishing is that fish love structure. It’s where they populate to feed. The water at the surf line also has a form of structure that holds fish.

The ocean bottom at the beach is constantly changing. The wind, weather and currents constantly produce sand bars, deeper pockets and points that form under the surface to produce structure. This is the structure where surf fish congregate to hunt for food. Knowing how to read the surf isn’t that difficult but it separates the successful surf anglers from those that never catch any fish.

Reason #3

Surf fishing reports will tell you:

• What surf fish are active in the surf
• What bait is most effective for catching them
• What areas in the surf they are being taken.

This is huge when it comes to catching more fish than you can imagine.

When a run is on you can’t imagine how much fish you can catch and how easy it is. The fish are actually in a feeding frenzy at that time. The problem is that it doesn’t last long. So by taking advantage of the surf fishing reports even a new surf angler can have a blast. Missing it by a day or two is all that it takes to loose out on it.

Fish can always be caught in the surf. Even if you missed a run the surf fishing reports will still provide a lot of useful information. Certain baits become more effective at different times and the surf reports will report that and a lot more.

Understand the tides, learning to read the surf and using fish reports will improve your catch rate significantly. If new surf fishing anglers took advantage of these three aspects of surf fishing they would discover a phenomenal sport with many hours of pleasure.

Surf Fishing At Night

Fishing from the surf at night is often more productive than fishing during the daytime. Many predator fish found in the surf have nocturnal feeding habits.

Why is Nighttime Surf Fishing Better?

• More fish come closer to the shoreline to feed at night
• You have a better chance of catching bigger fish
• More fish are within casting distance at night
• There is less disturbance from swimmers and surfers
• There is less competition from other surf anglers

Preparation Is The Key To Successful Nighttime Surf Fishing

You should definitely scout the beach during the daylight hours at low tide to find a good spot to fish. At low tide you will be able to see where deeper holes and pockets are. If your lucky enough to find a rip or cut through a sandbar make that one of your first choices.

Don’t forget to look at a tide chart to see what time you can be at the surf line during high tide. High tide will bring the big feeders in close for you. Try to catch a few hours before and after high tide. Peak high tide or in other words the slack tide when it switches from incoming to out going will be unproductive but you still have good hours to fish on both sides of the tide change. Figure on arriving two hours before high tide and fish a four hour window.

Be sure to check the weather forecast. High winds and rough surf will prevent you from having any success at all. Fishing in the rain is no fun either.

It’s a good idea to have all the surf rigs you plan to use tied and ready to go. The darkness makes it that much more difficult to sort through your tackle to find hooks, sinkers and leader material. Putting the rigs together and tying knots it much slower after darkness sets in.

It goes without saying that you should have a good flashlight and better yet a headlamp also. A headlamp will give you the luxury of working hands free for anything you have to do. Don’t forget the bug spry. Forgetting the bug spray can make your trip miserable.

I highly recommend using a checklist to be sure you don’t forget anything. Any one item you forget can take most of the fun out of your trip.

Having More Than One Surf Rod Is Important

You never know what might be out in the surf at night. Have a couple of rods setup with different rigs. You can fish different baits or you can fish for bait. More surf rods give you more options.

Spinning reels with a bait runner feature are preferred. With a bait runner surf reel you can relax in a chair without worrying that a good size fish will yank your whole setup out into the surf. The dual drag systems have saved many a surf angler form losing an expensive rod and reel.

It’s much better if you have a friend that can go along with you. The company is always good and the extra hands are a big help landing larger fish.

Techniques for surf fishing at night are pretty much the same as regular daytime surf fishing. It’s just harder to see what you’re doing. You do have the advantage of avoiding the hot sun and the beach won’t be crowded either. Nighttime surf fishing is very relaxing.

If you haven’t considered surf fishing at night you are missing out on some of the best surf fishing you’ll ever see (No pun intended). You will catch more fish and bigger fish than you will during the day.

Tarpon Fishing From The Surf

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