Looking to get into surf fishing. My experience has all been fresh water, but not a lot. As a kid, I was taught to bonk the fish on the head to kill it instantly, cut the fist behind the gills, then gut it, store on ice for the time being. Then immediately filet when you get back to where ever it is you are going.

This doesn't seem to be the practice when surf fishing. At most maybe I see people bleed the fish and then just store it in some type of pouch with no ice. Do saltwater fish keep longer or something?

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

I've had a lot of success lately summer in September, but last week I went again to Coronado, San Diego, I got no hook at all for the 5 hours there. Is it really that bad around now?

Hey guys.im trying to get a new fishing rod. One in particular that I’m interested is the penn squadron 3 11ft to be exact.right now I have a 9 ft okuma rockaway and it’s helped me catch plenty of fish it’s a medium heavy 12-20 lbs. mostly catching perch, stripers and halibuts as well. What are you guys rocking ?

I just started surf fishing and have learned a lot. Been surf fishing every weekend since June and almost always did great. Catching 8-12 whiting, pompano, some drum and catfish each trip. Since the weather has cooled down, the last 5 times I’ve got I’ve just about got skunked. Nothing has changed, still use fish bites and shrimp on the same high low rigs with size 1 circle hooks and fishing the same 500ft of beach I always have. I try to read structure of beach but am not the greatest at it. Last few times my bait hasn’t gotten touched even after moving around a bit. Any idea what’s going on? Like I said I am new to fishing but I always hear Fall was the best so not sure on what else I can change.

So I am heading to the OBX this weekend. Have spent my whole life fishing here but have never fished this time of year since I’m usually hunting the rut.

Anyways my dad flew down and we are going to chase reds in and around the point. In yalls experience do you have better action during the incoming or outgoing tide? I also want to fish for specks sound side so I want to optimize my time for reds and fish for specks on the less optimal tide swing. Thanks for the info guys and gals!

I am new to surf fishing and am considering a new rig for bait fishing/stake fishing on Los Angeles beaches. I have a 7 ft Inshore rod I use with 1 Oz lures, but also like the idea of just casting out bait on a 10 ft rod with 2-5 Oz weights and letting a rod chill on the beach while I actively fish within 50 yards with lures. My question is if I am just leaving my rig sit and wait, how important is rod sensitivity then? My initial thoughts are not very, but would appreciate the thoughts of more experienced anglers. I have the budget for an Okuma Cedros, but wonder if an Okuma Tundra Pro would be equally as good for this style of fishing? Also, how important would having a lifetime warranty for a longer surf rod be?

The plan is for a 10 ft rod, 2-5 Oz lure rating, 4k or 5k (does this make a difference?) reel with 20# braid 20# leader.

Thank you in advance!

Del Monte Beach

Going to beach camp and fish Port Aransas a couple weeks and curious what’s biting this time of year?

Longtime freshwater fisherman but never fished surf before. Not targeting certain species. I’ll just be happy to do some catching haha

Will be soaking bait on 3 rods and working lures on a fourth. Have some silver spoons and jigs (white, pink, chartreuse) with some gulp mullet for lures.

Thanks!

Hey all! My 5 year old has caught the fishing but, which is great. We're going down to Costa Rica in December, and he wants to fish with me off the beach. Is there a decently sealed/tough reel that can handle the abuse a 5 year old will throw at it?

Doesn't need to be big, doesn't need to cast far, doesn't need to hold heavy line - for the most part we're gonna be soaking fish bites or sabikis for puffers and pinfish, and if something bigger rips out his line, he can tell his friends he had a shark on the line. Just needs to tolerate water and a drop here and there, and not be a $200+ reel.

I appreciate your insight!

I love surf fishing, but casually, and I've been doing it on and off for a couple years now. Mainly targeting surf perch in the fall and winter when crowds are low.

I use typically use a carolina rig with this bright orange 20lb main line and a 6lb fluoro leader. I like using bright orange because it helps me see my line in the surf and make sure I'm not gonna snag a kid swimming or something. And I like using 20lb mono because it feels more versatile if I want to switch it up and target bigger like bass.

Does anyone use a bright orange main line like this? Or am I just a kook who could be catching a ton more fish if I switch back to green?
Amazon.com : Berkley Trilene Big Game Monofilament Fishing Line, Blaze Orange, 20lb - 650yd : Sports & Outdoors

Hey, r/SurfFishing community!

We're excited to announce the launch of the Official Surf Fishing Discord! Whether you're a seasoned surf fisher or just getting started, this server is the perfect place to connect, share tips, and talk all things surf fishing with fellow anglers.

🎉 Giveaway Alert: To celebrate the launch, we're giving away a Van Staal VR75 reel once we hit 1,000 members!

👉 Join the Discord here: **https://discord.gg/zYy3AWwSDP

Come hang out, share your catches, and help us build an awesome surf fishing community. Tight lines!

Do you start every session with a new leader/set-up? I'm using mainly a high-low rig from 60 or 80# mono. Does it depend on how many fish I caught last time out and therefore how much tension the leader has been under? The bottom is sandy, so there's not much abrasion from rocks.

I want to swap out the hooks on my Hydro Minnows to single hooks, I was forced to harvest a bass this morning that I didn't want to because it's gills got shredded by the back treble of my minnow.

I've been contemplating doing it for a while but have avoided it because I don't know which type/size of hooks I should be getting and I don't want to mezlss up the action. How do I identify which size hooks to get for different plugs?

So ended today by fishing torrey pines with a lucky craft and ended up getting skunked. Ended up moving to the bay where I caught some barracuda and a couple legal spotties on the same lucky craft. I know its not the best time of the year for a halibut bite, but what are some tips you can give me? I've seen many of my friends catch legal halibut, but it was on a kayak. I'm currently looking for a kayak but what can I do in the meantime?

What know do I use? I’m so confused

I'm going to be taking the truck out on the beach to fish with my kids over tgiving. I've never driven on the beach before and I do have a 4x4 but the tires were more designed for a quiet ride than all terrain. How much do I need to air them down and is it safe to drive on the road a few miles after or do I need to refill them before I hit pavement?

Coastal, SC. Fish well exceeded my measuring tape of 28”. Estimated 35+”. Single drop rig with finger mullet on 2/0 circle hook.

I'm heading to Gulf Shores for a week from the 2nd-11th. I'm a NJ fisherman, been down there before in early April but there wasn't much activity. Is there any reason to bring my larger North East style plugs down? I'm talking like Hydro Minnows, Superstrike Poppers, etc. I have Clark spoons, AVAs, and Deadly Dicks ranging for .5 Oz to 1.5 Oz i plan on bringing as well as my 4in Yo Zuri Top Knocks. Just wondering if it's worth bringing any of my bigger top waters, glide baits, or metal lips.

I just picked up a Daiwa SG47LC on a Penn Sabre cs 870 c. My understanding is the reel is for trolling but I'm still unsure as to whether that's a deal breaker for surf fishing, and should my rod be longer than 7 feet?

I been trying almost daily to catch my first shark and been getting everything but 😂. Today was a 4” Alligator gar which was a wild surprise, pretty happy about it.

Any suggestions for stocking foot waders to pair with Korker boots? I need something for jetty and open sand beaches. Thanks

I've recently got a rod stuck. I have bought a new diawa sensor surf rod and got stuck in the ferrels and l've tried EVERYTHING to get it unstuck. The knee method, ice method, heat method, and even got a random person to try help me with the cross method. Nothing works and it's like someone put super glue everywhere. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated •