Anyone Surf Fish here?

Mattval

Senior Member
In Florida please note....if you are using wire leaders of a certain length, hooks a certain size or have someone take your bait out via a kayak, etc...you best have a certificate showing you have passed the shore based shark fishing course or you will get cited and the fine can be hefty. They are cracking down on shore based fishermen fishing for sharks. Even if you catch one without any of the above, which you will, you best have the certificate if you plan on keeping a shark.
Thank you. I did not know that!
 

Mattval

Senior Member
@Mattval ^^^this is the way you should go at first. A good surf fishing setup can run you well over $100 bucks and that's not talking the tackle you will need....
Yea I just spent $100 on a new rod and reel. I will get another set up just like you say here. The shakepere from WMT.
 

Railroader

Billy’s Security Guard.
I would be fishing St Simons, Jekyll Island. Maybe Tybee but I heard you can only fish certain places on Tybee.
Thanks for all responses yall.

From the Soccer Complex to the South end at Jekyll, and Massengale Beach/Gould's Inlet at St. Simons...

Tybee used to be really good, but I hear in recent years it has become a pain to navigate...

An hour South at Fernandina, American Beach is good. And Nassau Sound. Worth the trip, most of the time.
 

Foster

Senior Member
At St Simons many times the fish are in the white water not 10ft from shore. Stop by St simons bait and tackle by the pier and get some advise and $15 worth of bait and gear. Take the kids to the pier to fish while the wife shops after the sun goes down. Print out a tide schedule and take it with you and ask the bait shop about when to fish. From the beach, keep rods in the water as an afterthought and the kids and wife don't feel orphaned by it but get the exciting part of fishing. Goulds inlet is nice swimming and fishing so check that area and the beach from there to north of the the coastguard public access for less crowds. Small circle hooks, pyramid weights 1-3 oz, frozen shrimp and squid are all you really need. Try a pompano rig on one of the poles and try different depths and read the water.
 

Redbow

Senior Member
Get a med light spinning rod you would normally use for 1-2 lb fish. Carolina rig a #6 mosquito or circle hook with a marble sized peice of peeled shrimp. Cast 20ft. From where the water meets the sand. Catch 100 whiting a day. 20ft give or take 5 ft.
I found out many years ago that Whiting will head for the surf when the tide starts coming in. A couple guys used to take their jon boat right up to the surf just outside Murrells Inlet SC then cast out and troll real slow to seaward almost every day. They caught plenty of Whiting and some very nice ones as well.
 

Mattval

Senior Member
Thanks yall
 

Mattval

Senior Member
Great Info! We are heading down to Florida. I will update.
 

Railroader

Billy’s Security Guard.
surfishingflorida.com Aka(florida surf casters) Join the forum and search for posts by Earl Brinn my father. He was a master(RIP) and shared info freely. Google Earl's Pompano rig for a way to make your own rigs.

No kidding! His info helped me a lot years ago when I was learning surf fishing.

Even ran into him a few times on the beach. He was a living legend, for sure.
 

Railroader

Billy’s Security Guard.
@Hit-n-Miss

I remember him as someone who was always glad to see another surf fisherman, especially someone younger to carry it on.

He was a guy that knew his bizness, and liked to talk about it, and share. He even showed me his "rig" and tied me a couple while fishing once.

Been using it, or something close ever since...

He probably wouldn't remember me, on a few chance encounters, but I will always remember him.
 
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Mattval

Senior Member
Going to Anna Maria Island in July. What species can I expect to catch down there?
 

Mattval

Senior Member
A few things that will help you tremendously...

Learn to salt cure shrimp.

Learn to tie a simple double drop rig for yourself.

Find some 1, 2, and 4oz Frog Tongue sinkers.

Use small circle hooks, such as the 2/0 Eagle Claw L197.

Buy a REAL surf rod...Doesn't have to be expensive, a 60.00 Tica will do just fine.

Make sure the reel has a VERY well working drag.

The salted shrimp is the best trick in the book, because it doesn't go bad for months, it stays on a hook, and you can have fresh cutbait in minutes, most of the time.

Keep baits small. Bull Reds will readily bite a half of a 60 count salted shrimp.

Learn to "read the beach", a bunch of info is out there.

Be careful, if the bug bites, it can get crazy expensive...But it never has to.
HeY Railroader. I just got some hooks and the frog tongue weights on order.
 

Mattval

Senior Member
surfishingflorida.com Aka(florida surf casters) Join the forum and search for posts by Earl Brinn my father. He was a master(RIP) and shared info freely. Google Earl's Pompano rig for a way to make your own rigs.
Hey there Hit and Miss, I think that site is not working or has been hacked. Do you have any info saved?
 

Mattval

Senior Member
alot of good advice here!
 
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