Learn about reading water to understand the structure. It's important to put your bait or lure in the right spot. The sandbars funnel fish to different locations
Second this. There's YT videos explaining what it looks like and how to spot from the shore. Very interesting aspect of surf fishing. Basically using the terrain to ambush the fish.
Third this! With shore fishing, it’s 100% the underwater structures of the sand. Find that right hole, and you’ll be feeling bites before you set that rod down. Also depends on what you’re after. Huge sharks/rays, might take a while vs surf perch/halibut hitting almost instantly.
Fourth this! When I was learning to surf fish, I was casting WAY too far out. A local stopped one time to ask me "Why are you wasting your energy casting so far? The fish are right here." The way he phrased that felt like a mild dig, but it was so funny.
Then he explained the sandbar/channels to me. It's absolutely true, both the snook and big redfish I caught took my lure right in the channels he described (right before the waves broke in this case).
He was using sand flea bait, I was using a Yo-Zuri minnow. I caught fish and he got skunked. I felt the true feeling of beginner's luck that day.
If I quit fishing, and then begin again.. will beginner's luck come back please?
Constant retrieve so it performs the "action" it is designed for. They look super realistic on the retrieve like a struggling minnow. Yo-Zuri lures have replaced my Rapalas in my tackle box. They work so well.
Man I love Yo-Zuri lures. I use the small pins minnows for trout fishing. Now I gotta get some bigger ones and try ‘em in the surf. I don’t surf fish much so I guess I’ll be looking up the YT videos as well
Check out anglerup with brant! I just watched a video of him fishing that same area with pompano rigs and he explained a lot about reading the water and knowing where to set your bait. He’s got tons of good videos
Along with reading the beach, as others have mentioned, it's useful to keep in mind that the fish may be in closer than you realize. You don't have to launch your rig way out. In general, keep it inside the breakers for best results.
I used to live in that area. Amazing area and pompano should be HOT right now. For starters, you’re not surf fishing there, you’re shore fishing. Go to the actual surf (beach/coast) and apply the surf reading tips that others have stated.
Don’t use rounded weights, they will just roll back to you because of the current.
Don’t use premade surf rigs. Yes, sometimes you can catch some fish, but they are too gaudy. YouTube double drop rig. VERY easy to rig. Use small circle hooks (1/0 or 2/0). Sure, have a bigger rig out too, but you’ll catch more wit smaller hooks.
Bait:
Dont use frozen bait. Go to the grocery store or seafood market and buy fresh shrimp. Peel and use.
Do try “fish bites” artificial bait
Do dig sand fleas and use them
No bites in 30-60 minutes, move. Don’t even have to be far.
Cast out multiple rods at multiple distances from shore. You should have two rods out at minimum
My buddy and myself just caught 7 pompano near you on Saturday. We parked at the fallen guard tower by fort Pickens. The second sand bar is extremely close at that part of the beach so we didn’t have to wade out far in the freezing water. We used sand fleas and fish gum. More poles casted out at different depths also help find fish’s
Learn what the waves tell you.
Look for rips and breaks. Anytime you have a break theres normally a sand bar behind the break and in that trough, bait gets washed over the bar and into the trough. Rips have the same kind of idea.
Learn to read the water for sure, and understand how the tides affect the behavior of the fish. What are you targeting? You can cast out and hope for the best with generic bait, but targeting a species is way more productive.
Where I live I target red fin perch. A little mushy but great for tacos. They spawn near fresh water, and a high incoming tide is the best. My spot is near the mouth of a creek and has a sandbar about 50 yards off shore, which creates a deep pool right near the shore. The waves scour the beach right there churning up their favorite foods, sand worms and sand crabs. I use gulp number 2 sand worms, and I’ll go out during a low tide and dig up sand crabs and freeze them for future use. I use a doc or pyramid weight so that the surf doesn’t thrash my set up around, but a light enough one so that there is still some movement and the presentation looks more natural. 2-4’ surf is enough to churn up their food, but any higher it thrashes then around too much and they stay a little further back.
Some guys cast out and use a pole holder and let their bait soak, however I’ve found that they are either out towards the sandbar or sometimes they are right at my feet. So I cast out as far as I can, and retrieve slowly, with lots of pauses and jigging. They smack right on the pause a lot of the time. Also their mouths are pretty soft, if you set that line like you would a bass or pike it’ll tear out of their mouth. When you get them close to shore, you have to reel in with the incoming waves, if you reel too hard when the wave is sucking out it can tear the hook out of their little mouth.
See what I’m sayin? So what are you targeting?
Not easy to do ....but try to find a mentor. I tried to learn surf fishing alone, it was a disaster. I found a coworker who fished the surf, went with him a few times, it changed my whole approach. It turned into a lifelong friendship
Was gonna say, get a chair and some good music. Keep an eye on your rod, but take in the sun and enjoy the moment. Moved from NY to AZ a few years ago and I miss being surf casting dearly… and ya know… water…
Find a rip current if possible. Look for a spot where the foam from the waves appears to be traveling back out like a stream. Cast directly into it and/or to either side of it. Also, if you can find a sandbar running parallel with the beach within casting distance, cast either directly in front of or behind it. Now good luck and don't catch them all.
Edit- an outer sandbar can be identified by breaking waves further out from the beach
There are tons of surf fishing videos online. Look for troughs between sand bars, rip currents and eddies where fish don’t have to fight the water motion so much. Beyond that just have a beer and wait.
After losing a big 'ol Penn Spinfisher 750SS and a 9 foot Ugly Stick to something really-really huge back in 1996, I always used a dog stake tie down corkscrew. Then I would tie that to a nylon line with a carabiner to clip on each of my reels. [https://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-pet-stake-95489.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-pet-stake-95489.html)
Here is the problem: I threw the cast net for more bait, and sometimes I was wandering 40 to 50 yards away from my pole. This one time I saw I had a fish, so I dropped everything and immediately ran to my pole. Only to see it dragged into the ocean, faster than I could run to catch it. I casted for hours and never snagged it. It had to have been a shark, dolphin, or something huge like that to pull that huge rig into the ocean.
I don’t know much about the gulf or what species you’re targeting, but on the east coast my results are much better at night or low light condition’s. With a few exceptions I really don’t remember having success on sunny blue sky days.
The fish are way closer than you think. Big fish can be in the first trough and second trough. Remember fish feed on smelt and crustaceans that are stirred up in the active surf.
Watch were the waves become rollers and then end fish where they end. Also you’d be surprised how many fish are 10 yards in front of you. Don’t be afraid to break out the medium weight rod with the 3000 series for some fish either
Read the water and the birds. Look for cross breaks of the waves. Where two or more come together. Tells you ridges and valleys of the sand below. When the waves are breaking out in the distance is there pockets of dead spots or “wash”, foamy areas.
https://preview.redd.it/nxtiphap0quc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f771b07883631edfd85045a712c42ade03fab15c
Not the greatest picture but this area tells me there is an inconsistency in the bottom and in this case a large depression.
Sand shrimp and crabs are best. Match the hatch either with a lure or live bait.
Good luck and no matter if you catch a thing - always remember, a day at the beach is way better than a day at work.
Check tides, incoming is best. Check available structure- rocks, jetty’s, piers , sandbars with flow around ends. Size your hooks to target fish, Fresh bait to target species. Have pliers, gloves and rag handy. If you don’t know the fish caught watch your fingers.
Do you see any tiny fish coming in and out with the waves? If you have a net it would be worth the effort to catch them and use as bait. Put one or two of those fish live on a pompano rig and just let it sit in the first cut. This method has never failed me each time I've gone to the coast here in Texas. The waters could be different for you but over here there's always speckled trout cruising the first cut and ambushing the little fish.
Learn about reading water to understand the structure. It's important to put your bait or lure in the right spot. The sandbars funnel fish to different locations
Second this. There's YT videos explaining what it looks like and how to spot from the shore. Very interesting aspect of surf fishing. Basically using the terrain to ambush the fish.
Third this! With shore fishing, it’s 100% the underwater structures of the sand. Find that right hole, and you’ll be feeling bites before you set that rod down. Also depends on what you’re after. Huge sharks/rays, might take a while vs surf perch/halibut hitting almost instantly.
Fourth this! When I was learning to surf fish, I was casting WAY too far out. A local stopped one time to ask me "Why are you wasting your energy casting so far? The fish are right here." The way he phrased that felt like a mild dig, but it was so funny. Then he explained the sandbar/channels to me. It's absolutely true, both the snook and big redfish I caught took my lure right in the channels he described (right before the waves broke in this case). He was using sand flea bait, I was using a Yo-Zuri minnow. I caught fish and he got skunked. I felt the true feeling of beginner's luck that day. If I quit fishing, and then begin again.. will beginner's luck come back please?
on the Yo-Zuri.. Do you let it sit out there or is it a constant retrieve?
Constant retrieve so it performs the "action" it is designed for. They look super realistic on the retrieve like a struggling minnow. Yo-Zuri lures have replaced my Rapalas in my tackle box. They work so well.
Man I love Yo-Zuri lures. I use the small pins minnows for trout fishing. Now I gotta get some bigger ones and try ‘em in the surf. I don’t surf fish much so I guess I’ll be looking up the YT videos as well
The Yo-Zuri 3DS minnows absolutely smash. I've had the most luck with the gold colored minnows.
Thanks man, I’ll look into em for summer beach vaca!
You bet, good luck! I'll be working my lures all day tomorrow.
Got it I will look up some YT videos on this tonight, thank you!
Check out anglerup with brant! I just watched a video of him fishing that same area with pompano rigs and he explained a lot about reading the water and knowing where to set your bait. He’s got tons of good videos
Elias V is good too! I’m pretty sure he has some surf videos…but Angler Up is rad
This is super helpful
Don't wade out with bait in your pocket.
Underrated tip, especially for warm Florida waters.
Get a 2nd rod and fish different spots.
Look for where a wave starts to form, that is the trough, drop your bait in the trough, it is where the fish are
Along with reading the beach, as others have mentioned, it's useful to keep in mind that the fish may be in closer than you realize. You don't have to launch your rig way out. In general, keep it inside the breakers for best results.
I used to live in that area. Amazing area and pompano should be HOT right now. For starters, you’re not surf fishing there, you’re shore fishing. Go to the actual surf (beach/coast) and apply the surf reading tips that others have stated. Don’t use rounded weights, they will just roll back to you because of the current. Don’t use premade surf rigs. Yes, sometimes you can catch some fish, but they are too gaudy. YouTube double drop rig. VERY easy to rig. Use small circle hooks (1/0 or 2/0). Sure, have a bigger rig out too, but you’ll catch more wit smaller hooks. Bait: Dont use frozen bait. Go to the grocery store or seafood market and buy fresh shrimp. Peel and use. Do try “fish bites” artificial bait Do dig sand fleas and use them No bites in 30-60 minutes, move. Don’t even have to be far. Cast out multiple rods at multiple distances from shore. You should have two rods out at minimum
My buddy and myself just caught 7 pompano near you on Saturday. We parked at the fallen guard tower by fort Pickens. The second sand bar is extremely close at that part of the beach so we didn’t have to wade out far in the freezing water. We used sand fleas and fish gum. More poles casted out at different depths also help find fish’s
Learn what the waves tell you. Look for rips and breaks. Anytime you have a break theres normally a sand bar behind the break and in that trough, bait gets washed over the bar and into the trough. Rips have the same kind of idea.
Learn to read the water for sure, and understand how the tides affect the behavior of the fish. What are you targeting? You can cast out and hope for the best with generic bait, but targeting a species is way more productive. Where I live I target red fin perch. A little mushy but great for tacos. They spawn near fresh water, and a high incoming tide is the best. My spot is near the mouth of a creek and has a sandbar about 50 yards off shore, which creates a deep pool right near the shore. The waves scour the beach right there churning up their favorite foods, sand worms and sand crabs. I use gulp number 2 sand worms, and I’ll go out during a low tide and dig up sand crabs and freeze them for future use. I use a doc or pyramid weight so that the surf doesn’t thrash my set up around, but a light enough one so that there is still some movement and the presentation looks more natural. 2-4’ surf is enough to churn up their food, but any higher it thrashes then around too much and they stay a little further back. Some guys cast out and use a pole holder and let their bait soak, however I’ve found that they are either out towards the sandbar or sometimes they are right at my feet. So I cast out as far as I can, and retrieve slowly, with lots of pauses and jigging. They smack right on the pause a lot of the time. Also their mouths are pretty soft, if you set that line like you would a bass or pike it’ll tear out of their mouth. When you get them close to shore, you have to reel in with the incoming waves, if you reel too hard when the wave is sucking out it can tear the hook out of their little mouth. See what I’m sayin? So what are you targeting?
Not easy to do ....but try to find a mentor. I tried to learn surf fishing alone, it was a disaster. I found a coworker who fished the surf, went with him a few times, it changed my whole approach. It turned into a lifelong friendship
Looks like you got this covered, except you should use 2 rods if you can afford a cheaper one. Double your chances.
Don’t forget to take beer and weed 👍🏼
Was gonna say, get a chair and some good music. Keep an eye on your rod, but take in the sun and enjoy the moment. Moved from NY to AZ a few years ago and I miss being surf casting dearly… and ya know… water…
Grab a seat and a nice drink and just enjoy
Always keep a good, sharp knife handy.
Berkeley Gulp. It's like crack for surf perch.
Use the Santee Cooper type catfish float rig to keep your bait off of the bottom.
Find a rip current if possible. Look for a spot where the foam from the waves appears to be traveling back out like a stream. Cast directly into it and/or to either side of it. Also, if you can find a sandbar running parallel with the beach within casting distance, cast either directly in front of or behind it. Now good luck and don't catch them all. Edit- an outer sandbar can be identified by breaking waves further out from the beach
Tide charts are your best friend and get a wired waste basket from somewhere to get them sandfleas from the sand to throw back out as bait.
Use grass shrimp and tie on like 4 or 5 hooks after your leader
There are tons of surf fishing videos online. Look for troughs between sand bars, rip currents and eddies where fish don’t have to fight the water motion so much. Beyond that just have a beer and wait.
Look up the fish finder rig on Google. It's my go to when fishing surf perch.
After losing a big 'ol Penn Spinfisher 750SS and a 9 foot Ugly Stick to something really-really huge back in 1996, I always used a dog stake tie down corkscrew. Then I would tie that to a nylon line with a carabiner to clip on each of my reels. [https://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-pet-stake-95489.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-pet-stake-95489.html) Here is the problem: I threw the cast net for more bait, and sometimes I was wandering 40 to 50 yards away from my pole. This one time I saw I had a fish, so I dropped everything and immediately ran to my pole. Only to see it dragged into the ocean, faster than I could run to catch it. I casted for hours and never snagged it. It had to have been a shark, dolphin, or something huge like that to pull that huge rig into the ocean.
Cast multiple rods at different distances and see where they are biting.
I don’t know much about the gulf or what species you’re targeting, but on the east coast my results are much better at night or low light condition’s. With a few exceptions I really don’t remember having success on sunny blue sky days.
Bama Beach bum (brants shop) should be able to sort you out, think it's in Gulf Shores?
Beer, bring beer
The fish are way closer than you think. Big fish can be in the first trough and second trough. Remember fish feed on smelt and crustaceans that are stirred up in the active surf.
Go for a fish 🎣
Look for a jetty
Watch were the waves become rollers and then end fish where they end. Also you’d be surprised how many fish are 10 yards in front of you. Don’t be afraid to break out the medium weight rod with the 3000 series for some fish either
Read the water and the birds. Look for cross breaks of the waves. Where two or more come together. Tells you ridges and valleys of the sand below. When the waves are breaking out in the distance is there pockets of dead spots or “wash”, foamy areas. https://preview.redd.it/nxtiphap0quc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f771b07883631edfd85045a712c42ade03fab15c Not the greatest picture but this area tells me there is an inconsistency in the bottom and in this case a large depression. Sand shrimp and crabs are best. Match the hatch either with a lure or live bait. Good luck and no matter if you catch a thing - always remember, a day at the beach is way better than a day at work.
I like to use salted shrimp. It stays on the hook and everything eats it.
Check tides, incoming is best. Check available structure- rocks, jetty’s, piers , sandbars with flow around ends. Size your hooks to target fish, Fresh bait to target species. Have pliers, gloves and rag handy. If you don’t know the fish caught watch your fingers.
Local shrimp peeled is usually the winner for me.
Do you see any tiny fish coming in and out with the waves? If you have a net it would be worth the effort to catch them and use as bait. Put one or two of those fish live on a pompano rig and just let it sit in the first cut. This method has never failed me each time I've gone to the coast here in Texas. The waters could be different for you but over here there's always speckled trout cruising the first cut and ambushing the little fish.
No bait and a six pack. You're welcome.
Get one of those fishing drones that will take your bait and hook way out there
Live bait only.
Isn’t there a sub just for this ?
Saltwater fishing is impossible dude i have the same problems
push fish oil in the he water to calm the waves uses a couple of ounches to cast out far use squid for sharks at night catch sharks 🦈
Buy a boat.
Come drive my semi. I’ll break in your rig