Fishing In Surf

Tips To Get You Started

If you want to get great results fishing in surf you have to start with the basics and use the techniques of the old salt pros. Let’s start with the basics of surf fishing.

You Have To Get The Right Surf Fishing Rod & Reel

There are a lot of different choices you could make in selecting a rod and reel for surf fishing. For the beginner just starting out who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money I would recommend an inexpensive combo setup for fishing the surf.

Anywhere along the coast you will find tackle shops and sporting good stores that will have combos setup specifically for surf fishing. One of the attendants will be glad to help you.  Most surf anglers prefer something between 10′ and 12′ but you could still get buy with an 8′ rod if you don’t mind sacrificing some casting distance.

The nice thing about buying a combo is the reel will be matched to the rod and lots of them come already spooled with line. Surf fishing combos start around $50 which is very reasonable to get started in this exciting sport.

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Get A Surf Fishing Rig For Live Bait

While you’re picking out a rod & reel you’ll want to pick up a couple of surf fishing rigs for live bait. A very common surf rig has two hooks tied to a leader and a clip on the bottom to attach a pyramid sinker. A rule of thumb to choose the hook size is to size the hook to the size of the bait you will be fishing with.

You might want to have a few extra on hand in different sizes for different kinds of bait. Two rigs popular with surf anglers is the fireball rig and the fish finder rig. Also grab a few pyramid sinkers in 3oz and 4oz to use with your rig.

Choosing Live Bait For Surf Fishing

There are lot of good choices for live bait that work well. Rather than get into a long explanation of the different kinds of surf bait I will make it very simple for you. Plan on using shrimp. Shrimp is the best bait to use because it appeals to most fish found in the surf. At times, the surf fish may prefer other baits but you have the best chances of catching something if you fish with shrimp. With more experience you will learn to target certain species with other baits and lures.

Techniques Of The Old Salt Pros

One article isn’t enough room to get into very many techniques of the old salt pros but I can get you started on the right foot. All the old pros know how to read the surf. Reading the surf involves several things to look for. In it’s simplest form, what you can do is observe where the waves start to break. The breaking waves give you an idea where the sandbar starts. You want to cast your bait into the deeper water just beyond the sandbar.

If you can identify a rip where there is a break through the sandbar that will be an especially good place to start fishing. The game fish found in the surf use the rip to travel between the sandbars and to ambush bait washing through with the tide.

One Last Piece Of Advice For Fishing In Surf

The old pro always check the tides before they plan to surf fish. I recommend fishing 2 hours before and after high tide. Fishing the high tide widow at dawn or dusk will improve your chances of landing that trophy game fish. You can also try using my Daily Fishing Forecast

Obviously this is just a good start. However, if you follow the advice in this article you’ll be fishing in surf and catching fish in no time at all.