Surf Fishing has been quite the learning experience these past two weeks, no fish, soaked gear, but I’m not giving up
Surf Fishing has been quite the learning experience these past two weeks, no fish, soaked gear, but I’m not giving up
Posted by Brilliant_Garlic69
36 Comments
eclwires on
Sounds like surf fishing. Hang in there, you’ll connect eventually.
Expert_Swan_7904 on
man youre telling me 😭
some days there are 8ft waves.. i cast wayyy out there perfectly on “fish highway” and get nothing or some crazy huge piece of vegetation (not sea weed and not wood) tangles the hell out of my line.
ive only caught 2 tiny flounder and 3 salmon in 6 months, and ive fished almost every weekend.
a big learning curve compared to fishing in ur grandpas pond thats for sure
AdWonderful1358 on
Are people around you hooking up?
You have to find the fish along the beach, or you have to bring them to you with chum.
Beardedangler27 on
First off what are you actually fishing for??
Ruckusnusts on
puzzled sloppy close dog zonked history toy march rhythm secretive
I feel you. Just started this year, and finally caught some blues this week after a whole lot of nothin (and a few whiting.) Just have to keep going.
boredinbox on
I hear you my friend! It’s been a really bad year for us, but we’ll still get in the surf every time we can with a big smile on our faces. For us, it’s all about family, friends and the surf. Can’t beat that…
JDbrew01 on
I went surfing fishing 12 times, before I caught a single fish. I am quite determined, and now, after quite a few years, not catching fish seems weird. Keep at it, and it will for sure pay off. Just don’t keep doing the same thing over and over, and expect to catch something. Switch up your bait, leader length, hooks, everything, and you’ll figure out what works in your area.
CJspangler on
How’s the berry pro rod ?
– I saw it on Amazon for like $50-70 for 10-15 ft Rods and was curious
I’m on the east coast in NJ – just sand no grass out here.
ssjgoku2k420 on
Good luck bro. If you’re gear is getting soaked, make sure you rinse it off with fresh water when you’re done.
diddo797 on
I personally suck at bait and wait. For me things turned around when I started to use lures. It’s way more dynamic and you’re literally on the hunt for the most productive spots. The main advantage is that you can easily cover an entire beach and you likely get better faster at identifying structure.
GalaxxyOG on
Surf fishing has probably the lowest catch rate of all ways to fish, it can be very humbling! But that’s why a fish caught in the surf is worth more than 20 on a boat! 😎
OldWarrior on
I caught 7 reds the first time I had surf fished since I was a kid, including catching two at once. It may have given me false hope because this past weekend I only caught one small one.
Few_Ad_6516 on
Remeber the moto: I’m either catching a fish or a buzz! Its a win win
nzdahg on
Try throwing some plugs I hate using bait
amopeyant on
Where in the country are you? If you are in CA (especially northern) I’m happy to give you specific tips I’ve learned through trial and (many) errors.
CocoZ66 on
Talk to people in your local tackle shops, find out what they’re feeding on. Also find out what tides they might be working. Stuff like that. Wind could be a factor. There are many variables, tides, wind, moon. You have to put your work in & it will pay off…. Good luck.!!
kerranimal on
Make sure you have bait on your hooks by checking your lines every 10 minutes
1958Vern on
Keep at it and you’ll be there when the bite is on and get wore out reeling them in. Now that’s worth the wait
Straight-Fortune-193 on
Damn I feel like a pro now I usually feel something in evertime I go. Try to hold the reel in your hand when going for small fish I do this to feel the light bite
CAtoSeattle on
Took me like 30, 2 hour sessions to get my first legal halibut. It is nothing like any other type of fishing I’ve done. The beaches are always changing and it’s really just about finding the honey holes.
WonderfulTangerine47 on
Mob up and down the beach, hit it early morning right when the suns coming up. Throw a carolina rig on with a Berkeley gulp sand worm on it in camo and have your other rod casted our with some muscle or shrimp and bait thread securing it. Work each spot for 15 mins. You’ll catch a gang of fish and might even end up becoming the mayor of your city. ⚔️
open_real_wide on
If you are in Monterey then you should try out sand crabs. Make sure you use the soft shell ones and not the hard shell ones. You can go on low tide and easily catch them by hand or you can use a rake.
icecreammonster23 on
You gotta learn the underwater structure of your beach for consistency. Reading waves for pockets is a skill you will learn 👍🏻
Remember there’s a bunch of different fish in the surf, some of em are actually a lot closer than you think depending on the tide.
Be versatile with your rigs. Using those little floats changed the game for me
Cheechymon21 on
The best advice i can give is to look up as many videos as possible. Talk to as many people as you can that you can also see catching fish. One thing with surf fishing is being able to read the waves. Especially for the type of fish you’re going for. A lot of times, they aren’t just randomly out there. Look up surf fishing how to read the surf there are a ton of videos on the way to find spots. In my experience, light line, small lures, and casting only like 30 yards will get you some fish. It’s hard to find, but my favorite is a black with red flake soft jerkbait. I fish it on 8lb fluorocarbon with a 1/16-1/8oz jig head, depending on conditions. Seems to work almost anywhere, salt or freshwater. If the current is really strong or surf conditions are a bit rough, you’ll have to go up in weight to keep contact with the bottom. There’s way too much information to just put here, though, so look up as many videos as possible and talk to as many old heads that you physically see catching fish. I learned so much from 1 old Cambodian dude, and i catch way more fish than most people now.
_Acce702 on
Surf fishing is the best for the soul. Smallest hook with the smallest bait will give you an idea of prey fish around.
theloniousfunkd on
I hit fish pretty much 50% of the time. Where are you fishing this time of year? If you have whiting / Croaker around get a top and bottom rig with smaller circle hooks and put a small sliver of squid on the bottom and fish bites “bag o worms” saltwater imitation blood worm on the top. This will get you a fish to start with. From there you can expand to larger fish and chunk baiting etc all the way up to shark.
IKME59 on
Surf Fishing sometimes you are just drowning bait, but worth it for that first big hit.
User6RE001 on
Don’t give up. Surf fished the first time last week near Jacksonville, FL. First timer, so I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t even have the pole holder, so I just casted and reeled it in. I also didn’t know what bait to use, so I just use frozen squid.
AubergineParm on
I’ve been fishing at the beach all year and I’ve caught absolutely nothing yet. Spoke to a guy who’s fished my waters since the 90’s, who said he caught a sardine in June.
Surf fishing is tough to begin with. This has also been a really weird year with hardly any fish in the waters.
lazymarlin on
What state/beach are you fishing?
veteran_grognard on
I feel ya. We stay up at Cape Cod every year, in Brewster. Read about wading the flats for stripers, it sounded like fun. Started in 23, waded out three times and spent hours casting lures. Nothing. This year my first two trips nothing, then decided to try a slightly different location. Got one nice one, on a surface plug. Most exciting catch of my life. Missed two more on that same trip. Looking forward to next year already.
Now going through the same learning curve for the fall striper run in NJ, fishing at Island Beach State Park. Skunked my first trip, did get two my next trip. Headed out early tomorrow for another try.
My thinking is try to learn something every trip, talk to as many people as possible, after each go try to think about what you might have done differently, don’t be afraid to experiment a little, within reason.
stangmx13 on
Whenever I just want to catch something, I tie on a small hook with a Gulp sandworm.
rickycracks on
Good luck! At least your gear is pretty and color coordinated.
Relative_Document538 on
I like to go out as far as I can and cast. The extra distance always helps.
manthing11 on
Wait until you have your first 1.5 hour fight with your hooked prize with witnesses watching only to find out you hooked a trash bag full of garbage.
36 Comments
Sounds like surf fishing. Hang in there, you’ll connect eventually.
man youre telling me 😭
some days there are 8ft waves.. i cast wayyy out there perfectly on “fish highway” and get nothing or some crazy huge piece of vegetation (not sea weed and not wood) tangles the hell out of my line.
ive only caught 2 tiny flounder and 3 salmon in 6 months, and ive fished almost every weekend.
a big learning curve compared to fishing in ur grandpas pond thats for sure
Are people around you hooking up?
You have to find the fish along the beach, or you have to bring them to you with chum.
First off what are you actually fishing for??
puzzled sloppy close dog zonked history toy march rhythm secretive
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev/home)*
I feel you. Just started this year, and finally caught some blues this week after a whole lot of nothin (and a few whiting.) Just have to keep going.
I hear you my friend! It’s been a really bad year for us, but we’ll still get in the surf every time we can with a big smile on our faces. For us, it’s all about family, friends and the surf. Can’t beat that…
I went surfing fishing 12 times, before I caught a single fish. I am quite determined, and now, after quite a few years, not catching fish seems weird. Keep at it, and it will for sure pay off. Just don’t keep doing the same thing over and over, and expect to catch something. Switch up your bait, leader length, hooks, everything, and you’ll figure out what works in your area.
How’s the berry pro rod ?
– I saw it on Amazon for like $50-70 for 10-15 ft Rods and was curious
I’m on the east coast in NJ – just sand no grass out here.
Good luck bro. If you’re gear is getting soaked, make sure you rinse it off with fresh water when you’re done.
I personally suck at bait and wait. For me things turned around when I started to use lures. It’s way more dynamic and you’re literally on the hunt for the most productive spots. The main advantage is that you can easily cover an entire beach and you likely get better faster at identifying structure.
Surf fishing has probably the lowest catch rate of all ways to fish, it can be very humbling! But that’s why a fish caught in the surf is worth more than 20 on a boat! 😎
I caught 7 reds the first time I had surf fished since I was a kid, including catching two at once. It may have given me false hope because this past weekend I only caught one small one.
Remeber the moto: I’m either catching a fish or a buzz! Its a win win
Try throwing some plugs I hate using bait
Where in the country are you? If you are in CA (especially northern) I’m happy to give you specific tips I’ve learned through trial and (many) errors.
Talk to people in your local tackle shops, find out what they’re feeding on. Also find out what tides they might be working. Stuff like that. Wind could be a factor. There are many variables, tides, wind, moon. You have to put your work in & it will pay off…. Good luck.!!
Make sure you have bait on your hooks by checking your lines every 10 minutes
Keep at it and you’ll be there when the bite is on and get wore out reeling them in. Now that’s worth the wait
Damn I feel like a pro now I usually feel something in evertime I go. Try to hold the reel in your hand when going for small fish I do this to feel the light bite
Took me like 30, 2 hour sessions to get my first legal halibut. It is nothing like any other type of fishing I’ve done. The beaches are always changing and it’s really just about finding the honey holes.
Mob up and down the beach, hit it early morning right when the suns coming up. Throw a carolina rig on with a Berkeley gulp sand worm on it in camo and have your other rod casted our with some muscle or shrimp and bait thread securing it. Work each spot for 15 mins. You’ll catch a gang of fish and might even end up becoming the mayor of your city. ⚔️
If you are in Monterey then you should try out sand crabs. Make sure you use the soft shell ones and not the hard shell ones. You can go on low tide and easily catch them by hand or you can use a rake.
You gotta learn the underwater structure of your beach for consistency. Reading waves for pockets is a skill you will learn 👍🏻
Remember there’s a bunch of different fish in the surf, some of em are actually a lot closer than you think depending on the tide.
Be versatile with your rigs. Using those little floats changed the game for me
The best advice i can give is to look up as many videos as possible. Talk to as many people as you can that you can also see catching fish. One thing with surf fishing is being able to read the waves. Especially for the type of fish you’re going for. A lot of times, they aren’t just randomly out there. Look up surf fishing how to read the surf there are a ton of videos on the way to find spots. In my experience, light line, small lures, and casting only like 30 yards will get you some fish. It’s hard to find, but my favorite is a black with red flake soft jerkbait. I fish it on 8lb fluorocarbon with a 1/16-1/8oz jig head, depending on conditions. Seems to work almost anywhere, salt or freshwater. If the current is really strong or surf conditions are a bit rough, you’ll have to go up in weight to keep contact with the bottom. There’s way too much information to just put here, though, so look up as many videos as possible and talk to as many old heads that you physically see catching fish. I learned so much from 1 old Cambodian dude, and i catch way more fish than most people now.
Surf fishing is the best for the soul. Smallest hook with the smallest bait will give you an idea of prey fish around.
I hit fish pretty much 50% of the time. Where are you fishing this time of year? If you have whiting / Croaker around get a top and bottom rig with smaller circle hooks and put a small sliver of squid on the bottom and fish bites “bag o worms” saltwater imitation blood worm on the top. This will get you a fish to start with. From there you can expand to larger fish and chunk baiting etc all the way up to shark.
Surf Fishing sometimes you are just drowning bait, but worth it for that first big hit.
Don’t give up. Surf fished the first time last week near Jacksonville, FL. First timer, so I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t even have the pole holder, so I just casted and reeled it in. I also didn’t know what bait to use, so I just use frozen squid.
I’ve been fishing at the beach all year and I’ve caught absolutely nothing yet. Spoke to a guy who’s fished my waters since the 90’s, who said he caught a sardine in June.
Surf fishing is tough to begin with. This has also been a really weird year with hardly any fish in the waters.
What state/beach are you fishing?
I feel ya. We stay up at Cape Cod every year, in Brewster. Read about wading the flats for stripers, it sounded like fun. Started in 23, waded out three times and spent hours casting lures. Nothing. This year my first two trips nothing, then decided to try a slightly different location. Got one nice one, on a surface plug. Most exciting catch of my life. Missed two more on that same trip. Looking forward to next year already.
Now going through the same learning curve for the fall striper run in NJ, fishing at Island Beach State Park. Skunked my first trip, did get two my next trip. Headed out early tomorrow for another try.
My thinking is try to learn something every trip, talk to as many people as possible, after each go try to think about what you might have done differently, don’t be afraid to experiment a little, within reason.
Whenever I just want to catch something, I tie on a small hook with a Gulp sandworm.
Good luck! At least your gear is pretty and color coordinated.
I like to go out as far as I can and cast. The extra distance always helps.
Wait until you have your first 1.5 hour fight with your hooked prize with witnesses watching only to find out you hooked a trash bag full of garbage.