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Are you interested in surf fishing? Do you want to learn how to surf fish? How to surf fish for beginners is not as challenging as it seems. With surf fishing, you don’t need a lot of equipment and you get easy access to the beaches to fish.
Additionally, you can catch a variety of fish when surf fishing. In this article, we share tips on how to surf fish, how to fish fishing spots, the equipment, you need as well as the baits and lures.
Table of Contents
How To Surf Fish For Beginners
1. You will have to learn how to surf cast if you are new to surf fishing. There is more emphasis on the distance and accuracy to land the bait in the surf. You will have to learn the exact speed and power needed to perfect the distance and accuracy when tossing out the line.
2. You will have to learn how to “read the beach” to find good fishing spots. Look for sand bars, outflows, or rip currents and areas of the beach with coarse sand and shells. These are areas where you will find fish waiting to ambush their prey. The best time to “read” the beach is when there is low tide. The low tide allows you to see the rock jetties, sand bars, deep holes, and other areas fish hang out.
3. Fish are very suspicious of shadows over the water as they associate shadows with predatory birds in the sky hovering to pick them up. When the sky is overcast or it is raining, it reduces shadows thereby making your bait more appealing. However, your safety must be paramount if it is raining, and be prepared to leave the shore if the rain gets stronger.
4. During high tide, you will find more fish will come to feed, especially early in the morning or late in the evening. Fish feel less vulnerable during the early morning or late evening and will come closer to the beach. If you want to learn how to surf fish for beginners, then studying the tides and how fish react to it is important.
5. Locate fishing spots like dips, hollows, sandbars, troughs, points, seams, cover, and other structures fish like when the tide is low. This is one of the important things to learn when you want to understand how to surf fish for beginners.
6. It is good practice to surf fish with two poles. It allows you to target many species of fish. One pole is rigged for bigger fish while the other is set up for smaller fish.
7. Let your bait sink to the bottom after casting it. Add weight for it to stay at the bottom of the waves and currents are too strong and tend to take the weight toward the shoreline.
8. Do everything to keep the live bait alive as long as possible. The movement of a live bait attracts more bites. Rig your live baits through the nose, the top fin, or other areas that will not be fatal.
9. Soft baits can be made to mimic almost anything. Use soft baits when you don’t have live baits. They can be used off the bottom like you would with live bait. Additionally, soft bait with scent is more appealing.
10. When you are fishing around structures in areas that need precise depth control, bucktail and maribou jigs work well there. When the situation requires finesse, jigs are a good option.
11. If you don’t know at which time there will be high and low tides, you can research it online or look at tidal charts for your area. Then be at the beach a few hours before the high tide which will usually be very early in the morning or hours before sunset. This is the time when you will get the most bites.
12. A medium-heavy 8-12 inch rod will work for fish surfing if the surf in that area isn’t very big. You can find rods of different lengths from 7 to 15 feet.
13. The size of the reels should match the size of the rods. Shorter rods match with reels in the size range from 1000 to 3000 and work for smaller fish. You will need reels in the range of 6000 to 8000 for bigger fish and longer casts.
14. You will need a leader when surf casting, especially if you are fishing around rocks and structures and if the fish has big teeth. A shock leader is recommended as it will reduce the chances of the line breaking and losing your tackle. Moreover, it makes it easier to handle the line.
15. The most popular choice of a rig for surf casters is the fish-finder rig. It can be used for most species of fish and in most conditions. You will need a pyramid sinker with a swivel on the line, a 2-inch leader line, and a circle hook with cut bait.
16. When you are pulling a fish in, try to time bringing it in with the onrushing water that comes crashing on the shores. If you don’t take advantage of that incoming wave, trying to pull it in as the water goes back inward can be very difficult.
17. Many fish like flounder and kingfish feed outside of the area as the waves crash the shoreline. Try to fish close to the breakers.
18. Check your state’s laws as some require a fishing license if you fish from the shoreline or from a pier.
19. Use a pair of polarized sunglasses to see through the glare and spot the fish.
20. For safety, wear an elastic wading belt when using chest waders. it prevents water from flowing inside in case you fall.
21. Place your surf rods in PVC sand pipes. This will protect the reels from rising tides and breaking surfs.
Live Bait For Surf Fishing
1. Shrimp
Shrimps are used by many anglers as bait for catching fish using many fishing methods including surf fishing.
2. Squid
Squid is also sued for many fishing methods including surf fishing.
3. Mullet
Mullet is also used as bait when surf fishing.
4. Minnows
Minnows are a popular bait for anglers.
5. Herring
Herring is a popular bait used to catch many fish.
Surf Fishing Gear
1. Rods
2. Spinning reels
3. Line
4. Leader
5. Sinker
Artificial Lures For Surf Fishing
1. Jigs
Many different jigs are used for different fishing methods including surf fishing.
2. Soft Plastic Baits
Soft plastics are also used by anglers when surf fishing.
3. Spoons
Spoons are also used when surf fishing to lure fish.
4. Topwater Poppers
Topwater poppers are a popular lure for surf fishing.
The Bottom Line
Surf fishing tips are easy to understand and put into practice. Surf fishing allows you to catch a variety of fish at the beach without a lot of gear or a boat. It is a great way for beginners to learn how to fish as it is easy to learn. In addition to returning home with a cooler filled with fish, surf fishing is very relaxing. In this article, we share tips to help you learn how to surf fish as a beginner.
If you catch black drum, then this article about black drum fishing tips will help you catch more black drum. Bullhead fishing tips will also help you catch more bullheads if you fish for bullheads.
