Set up your long poles on the beach and wait for the fish.
Surf fishing is both challenging and rewarding. Unlike reeling fish up onto a boat or a dock, landing a fish from the surf requires skill and practice. With the basics and the right equipment, you can share in the ultimate fishing excitement.
Instructions
1. Know the equipment. Surfcasting requires long poles with heavy spinning reels. Most surfcasting poles are at least 9 feet long and can go as high as 12 or 13 feet long. The larger size is necessary to cast your line into or past the breakers. Waders are an option, especially for fall when the water temperature drops. They are a good investment though: You can land some huge fish in the fall months.
Once you decide what you are fishing for, you can select tackle (hooks, lures and bait). Best bet for beginners is to read the local fishing reports or inquire at a tackle store.
2. Select your lure. Surfcasting lures are intended to mimic small baitfish that are caught in the surf. Striped bass, bluefish and other surf-feeding fish are always on the hunt for these. Some lures will appear wounded and are especially attractive. There are hundreds of designs, and the local tackle shop will tell you what is "hot" at the time. Generally, you can't go wrong with a "shiner" (metal lure that is silver in color) if you're not sure what the fish are feeding on at the time. Always use a wire leader (a piece of wire that connects between the end of your line and the lure) as the larger surf fish can easily bite through your fishing line.
3. Choose your weight. There are times when the fish are feeding more on the bottom than in the surf. For those times, use a weight and baited hook rather than a lure. The weight should be between 2 and 4 ounces, depending on how rough the surf is, to keep your bait from washing into shore. Use hooks designed for the fish you are after -- they will be clearly marked in any tackle store -- and remember to attach a wire leader. You can buy /hook setups ready made. Some even have small red or yellow beads attached to help attract the fish to your bait.
4. Choose your bait. It depends on what you are fishing for, but it should mimic the natural food on the ocean bottom. Surf clams, sand eels or crabs work great for striped bass and bluefish. Sometimes live bait can be "floated" just past the surf on the surface of the water. Morse bunker works really well for this purpose.
5. Land your fish. Once you've hooked it, keep a firm grip on the pole, because the larger fish hit hard. The battle is on! You are not simply "reeling" dead weight onto a boat. The fish will immediately begin to run and try to shake your hook in the surf. There is a "star drag" -- adjustment on the top of the spinning reel for tension -- that can relieve some tension in the line to avoid breaking. Use this to keep just enough tension in the line to keep the fish from running too far, but not enough so the line breaks. Continue to reel in when the tension lightens, and let the fish run when the tension gets too high. Eventually, you will be able to get the fish close to shore. Once you have the fish into the shallow water, walk backward out of the water while "dragging" the fish onto shore.
Tags: wire leader, your bait, bass bluefish, Choose your, feet long, fish feeding