Thread: Some Surf Questions

Hello all,

I have a some specific questions, but a little bit of background first:

I am from central MS, but also own a place on the Tombigbee river in West central AL. I have been lurking here on and off for years, and almost every day for the last couple of weeks. I am coming down to Gulf Shores on 8/12. I have tons of freshwater experience, but little saltwater experience. I have a group of non-fishermen family members with me, so most of my fishing efforts need to be focused on the beach in the area of Sea N Suds.

I have, at my disposal, one Okuma 15 ft. surf rod, and an Okuma Avenger Baitfeeder reel. I intend to spool it with 30lb. mono. My intention is to use it for distance (obviously) fishing with live/fresh bait. I will use appropriate shock leader, etc. I have pyramid sinkers, leader material, circle hooks, swivels, etc. I have plenty of experience tying my own freshwater rigs, particularly for large catfish. I have looked at all of the resources online, and have a good understanding of what the commonly used rigs are down there. I will have a compliment of fresh shrimp, fleas, Gulp shrimp, and hopefully fresh bait to cut.

I have a 7ft. medium/heavy catfish rig, with a large spinning reel, which I also expect to use as my "2nd" bar rig, possibly rigged for pompano, etc. (I have pompano rigs and a flea rake). It is rigged with 60lb. braid (for cats), and will be sized down to an appropriate sized leader.

I have a typical 7ft. medium action spinning rig that I intend on casting spoons and plugs with. I will have an assortment of pomp jigs and shrimp to tip them with. I can also rig it with a Carolina rig as a fish finder if needed. I am primarily a bass and freshwater trout fisherman, so I like active fishing.

I also have a 7ft. mega- ultralight spinning rig, that I intend on using for bait, or if I find a school of something nice that is of appropriate size. With 4lb mono, this is actually my favorite rig to fish with when it's appropriate. I figure I will keep a small jig or Kastmaster on it.

My intention is to spike the two big rods with live bait, and work up and down the beach near them with my artificial lures.

I am leaving all of my nice baitcasters at home to keep them out of the salt.


Goals

So, at the end of the day, all that I am concerned with is action, and catching some new (to me) species. Good eating fish would be nice, but I'm not really into cleaning large messes of fish in a highrise condo environment. It would have to be really desirable meat to make me consider it. I was disappointed to find that sharking is illegal now. I understand the reasoning, but as a respectable person with common sense, I would have only done it during dark hours and wouldn't have left a trace otherwise. My family has to swim out there along with everyone else. Maybe catching rays is an idea?

Questions

First, does my compliment of gear seem to fit the goals that I have in mind? What am I missing that would be relevant to my goals of action/size over edibility?

Second, in the area where I will be (near Sea N Suds), how many sand bars are there, and how far out will I typically find each of them? Looking at the Sea N Suds webcam, there seems to be a "cut" in the beach back to the west, presumably near the Pink Pony. It looks promising, but I also see a lot of people fishing it in the morning. It's so far from the camera, that I can't tell if they are actually catching anything.

Third, what would be the best bait and hook size for the large surf rod, that I intend to get out past the 2nd or 3rd bar? Remember, I'm looking for action, not necessarily food. Should I go with larger cut bait out there, rather than fresh shrimp?

Finally, I have been watching the Sea N Suds webcam in the mornings for a couple of weeks. I notice that there aren't many fishermen out until nearly 8 AM. It seems like by the time they set up, beach goers and swimmers are coming out, so they only get a few minutes of fishing in. My typical fishing agenda consists of being out on the water, with hooks wet before daylight. Is there any reason that my philosophy is wrong in this environment? Would that be too early? Everything is a delicate balance between fishing at night and in the morning, and also spending time with my family. I would rather not waste any time that could be spent sleeping or spending time with my family.

Any advice would be appreciated. I hate to start another noob post, but you guys do seem to be quite accepting and helpful. I hope that my post indicates that I have done a good bit of research before posting. One of the saddest pieces of information that I have found here is that pier#'r is out of the business.

1st off WELCOMEto the forum "BW",
2nd that is an AWESOME 1st post!
You obviously have a very good grasp of how to approach this 'new to saltwater' thang ;-)
And you hit the nail on the head about timing in that area as it gets crowded up with walkers, waders and swimmers by 8-9am.
Keep in mind the evening 'fishing window' just before sundown til dark-thirty ;-)
And you could walk east to edge of the state park to escape much of the swim crowd.

One thing to add to your arsenal is some orange colored Fish Bites (long-lasting shrimp or crab flavor) to use in conjunction with the pieces of fresh shrimp.
It so closely mimics sandfleas clutching eggs that I don't often even bother with the real thing.
Your ultralight outfit with a small Carolina Rig would be ideal for this, as would a 2" Gulp Shrimp on a 1/8 ounce jig head.

Thank you! I couldn't have expected better than advise from the man himself! I assume that you are talking about the "E-Z Baits" brand of fish bites.

I bought the flea rake as kind of a kneejerk reaction a couple of weeks ago when I first started seriously researching all of this. I think it will still be fun for my little one, even if it's not productive for me.

Thanks for confirming my thoughts on heading towards the pier when the beach gets crowded. I wasn't sure because I have seen some of the pics posted that show the "clueless" swimming and congregating within the 100 yard buffer.

Welcome to the forum, bw. You are right on about the flea rake and kids. There is much more to catch in the surf than bait! Shells and bones and everything. The step-off at the surf line is a treasure of interesting things, even if it ain"t bait.

Your ultralight rig will be great for whiting up close to the beach. Use Fishbites or small pieces of fresh dead shrimp. You may catch redfish cruising the beach this time of year with dead shrimp and sandfleas. If the surf is calm early in the morning you may catch something on a rat-l-trap or a topwater twitch bait. Good luck!

welcome to the addictive forum,,,it is a hotbed of spot on info,,early in the am a Johnson sprite spoon with a short wire leader is hard to beat,,,the pink tab doesn't matter,,i used to buy the black pretied 8 inch,,,however would now just make one outa 31 malin and a swivel,,,heh heh since I have alla this saltwater junk and mite get down twice a year,,looking up tho ,,a bass made a mighty attack and miss on a badonkadonk I bought for kings and never threw down there,,,,things will get better,,good catching on your trip,,,,cabernet sav over and out.need rain bad here for the dove fields,,kings x

Welcome. Great first post. Get the gulp alive shrimp (I prefer pearl white 3") and a red 1/8 and 1/4 oz jig head like pier pounder said. Just fish it like a worm kinda slow. Flounder love it. Small pieces of shrimp peeled on a light Carolina rig works good for whiting only 20 or 30 feet out. Yummy fish. The pompano I have caught have been on a two hook pomp rig and I used fresh alive shrimp and sand flees. Surf fishing is fun. Remember don't wear yourself out sitting back in a chair watching 2 surf rigs staked up is pretty easy and productive. Good luck!

Originally Posted by chillinfish

If the surf is calm early in the morning you may catch something on a rat-l-trap or a topwater twitch bait. Good luck!

Nice. I just ordered some 1 OZ chrome with black spine rat-l-traps. They are a goto for me in freshwater. I had a sense that they might be good down there too. I also intend of picking up some twitch baits when I get into town. I figure I will hit up Wally World and J&M, unless somebody has a better idea.

"Get the gulp alive shrimp (I prefer pearl white 3") and a red 1/8 and 1/4 oz jig head like pier pounder said."

I've got the 3" natural on the way to my office on Tuesday. Do you think that will work? I've already got the jig heads.

Some of the best eating fish come out of the surf area. I am particularly fond of the whiting, pompano, and flounder. The biggest mistake I think most people make when they first come to saltwater is "oversizing". A size 4 Kahle style hook will do great for the above species and instead of a whole shrimp use a piece no bigger than the first joint of your finger. Either live shirmp broken into pieces as you need them or fresh dead (never frozen) make a tremendous improvement in catches over the frozen bait cup shrimp you see in bait shops or Walmart. Also you do not have to get a tremendous distance out with very long casts to catch these fish. Usually they are quite close in. Be particularly cautious in handling small hard head catfish. They are a lot more painful than their freshwater cousins. I find wearing a pair of pliers or a hemostat for use as a dehooking aid to be quite helpful.