Photo by Rod Kukoda
How to Find Fish
So, you've decided to give surf fishing a try. You pack up your gear in your 4x4 and drive to the beach. As you drive along the beach, the water looks pretty much the same to you. How do you find the most likely spot to produce fish?
First of all, schools of gamefish are usually in motion, roaming up and down the surf. Don't expect to find a static "honey hole" that will always produce for you. Look at the surf and you will see two or three sets of breakers moving shoreward, with green water separating them. The places where the waves are breaking are sandbars, and the green water represents channels, or "guts" between them. Fish use the guts as highways to cruise up and down the beach. The guts and bars get progressively deeper as you move offshore, and fishing deeper water increases your chances of catching larger fish. Usually you can wade the first gut, stand on the first sandbar, and cast into the second gut.
The surf is a dynamic environment where constant change is the rule. Wading conditions will change from day to day. You will probably find wading conditions a couple of hundred yards down the beach to be different from where you are. Depending on conditions, sometimes you can wade the second gut and make it to the second bar. The tide and wind conditions are also a factor. Many fishermen believe that the fish are more comfortable in the deeper water of a high tide.
Beach Layout
As you drive down Padre Island, you will notice distinct changes in both the beach and surf profile. The upper end is characterized by flat, fine sand beaches. In the water, the troughs and bars are less pronounced. At Little Shell (14-30 miles), the texture of the sand is coarse, comprised mainly of small shells. The main beach is a berm several feet higher than the surf line. Troughs and bars will be well defined. Continuing down to Big Shell (30+ miles), the guts tend to run deeper, which is why those fisherman seeking bigger game (sharks and tarpon) favor this spot. Remember that the fish may be anywhere, and I can recall trips where I never ventured more than 8 to 12 miles in, and caught all the fish I could handle. Don't pass up good water if you see evidence of fish activity.
Finding Good Water
Look for deep guts, characterized by smooth water and a deeper green color.
Look for breaks in the surf line. These signify a cut or deeper water at the sand bar where the tidal currents can move in and out. Both baitfish and gamefish will use these breaks in the sandbar to travel between the guts.
Last time out, I found a nice washout that produced for me. A washout is a long, flat sandbar, about knee deep at high tide, that extends from the beach 50 or 60 feet before dropping off into the first gut. This particular one was swarming with baitfish as long as it had water on it. As the tide went out and the baitfish were forced into the deeper water of the first gut, the trout were waiting at the dropoff to ambush them (and I was bushwacking the trout with a gold spoon!).
Watch for Baitfish Activity
When a school of hungry gamefish tears into a school of baitfish, the intended prey often cause quite a commotion in their attempt to escape. Watch the water for signs of baitfish flashing in the water or breaking the surface.
Watch the Birds
Birds are always looking for a quick meal, and will take advantage of the opportunity to snatch injured baitfish from the surface. A flock of birds hovering over the surf are a telltale sign of fish activity. Working birds can be spotted a considerable distance down the beach, especially if you have a pair of binoculars.
Surf Fishing Techniques
There are two general surf fishing techniques I employ. You can pick out a likely spot of water, rig up your lines, and set up camp while you wait for the fish to come to you. Or, you can cruise the beach looking for signs of active fish. I've had good luck with both.
Bait Fishing
This is the way I learned to surf fish, and it's still a productive way to catch fish in the surf. My personal best 44 pound redfish (1980) was caught in this manner. You'll need a medium heavy surf rod 8 1/2 to 14 feet long, and a reel that will hold 150-200 yards of 15-20 pound test. To rig up, attach a three way wire leader to your line. Open the snap swivel at the far end of the leader and put on a spider weight. To the snap swivel in the middle, attach your hook and monofilament leader. Bait up the hook, bend out the prongs on the spider weight, then wade out and cast into the gut. The spider weight will anchor itself in the sand and prevent the currents from dragging your bait shoreward. Put your rod in a rod holder, take up the slack line, pop open a beer, and wait for the action to begin. I find this kind of fishing a little more laid back than constantly casting artificials. The down side is you'll often have to deal with bait-stealing hardhead catfish. For bait, you can buy shrimp or fingerling mullet at most bait shops. A better idea is to bring along a cast net and catch fresh baitfish from the surf.
Artificials
Over the last few years, I've been leaning toward using artificials. In fact, last year I never even broke out my heavy surf rod. We threw 3/4 oz. gold spoons almost exclusively, and caught fish steadily the entire week. The rod I use is still long (10 foot), but is not as heavy as a traditional surf rod. In fact it's more like an extra long bass rod (a medium action steelhead rod works great). I like the new graphite composites that are light enough to throw all day without wearing you out.
Advantages are:
1. I don't catch many hardhead catfish on artificials.
2. You don't have to mess with catching and rigging up bait before you can start fishing.
3. If you are cruising the beach and see some activity, it doesn't take much effort to try a few quick casts. All you have to do is stop, grab your rod out of the holder on the front of your truck, and start casting.
4. You can catch a variety of gamefish with them.
5. Spoons are heavy enough to cast into the wind.
Shark Fishing
The serious shark fishermen down at Big Shell use heavier rods and large capacity reels. A recent trend is the use of sea kayaks to paddle their bait out past the surf and into deeper water. I've never tried this particular style of fishing and therefore know little about it. I recommend you seek out one of the experts if this style of fishing appeals to you. (there are several who regularly post to the Surf Fishing section of the Saltwater Fishing Home Page.)
When to Go?
I don't live near the coast anymore, and I can only take one week out of the year to go surf fishing. Usually, since some kind of advance planning is required to coordinate vacations with fishing buddies, you have to pick a week and hope for the best. If you are this kind of surf fisherman too, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of success.
There are a number of web pages that post current fishing information and beach conditions. Better yet, find a page that the regulars use to share information. Most of them are willing to answer questions and pass on information to less experienced anglers.
I prefer to try for a trip in late summer/early fall. The summer weather patterns are the most constant. It doesn't guarantee green water, but the odds are better. The kids are back in school, families are done with summer vacation, so beach traffic is less. And the fish are (hopefully) actively cruising the surf. I also try to plan for a week with a full moon.
