Ive recently relocated closer to this area and im very interested in doing some surf fishing on PINS. Im a native East Texan and have zero salt water fishing experience. I need some advise on gear, location, tackle, ect.. I have all your tyipical Largemouth freshwater gear, could i use this on PINS? If i purchase some new gear what should i be looking for? Should i go on a guided trip 1st to check it out or can i just drive out and go at it blind? Any tips will help, Thanks.

Depends on what species you are fishing for. Your bass tackle will work fine for trout and reds using artificials. If you're going to go for bull reds or sharks you will have to invest in some bigger reels and longer rods. Don't get junk, get quality gear for down there or the salt will eat it up. Make sure to WASH evrything down with freshwater every time you go.

What type of lures should i use for trout and reds down there?

You should have come to the SFCCI Seminar ar the SA Bass Pro. Most of your questions would have been answered. Go here and get this video. SFCCI guys swear by it.

http://nickaway.com/boxsets.html The surf fishing video is available by itself elsewhere on the Breakaway site.

I second FoldCat. I've fished pins for about 6 years now and fish with 90% Breakaway tackle. You will be in for a thrill when you hook up with a Jack Crevelle in the surf. A buddy of mine landed a huge Tiger shark there also. Go for it and you won't regret it.

Interesting to ask the SFCCI guys who gave the surf fishing lecture Sat at Bass Pro what was happening on the fishing scene in the surf. Their answer - we are doing maintenance on tackle and there is a big beach clean-up at Big Shell with Bobby Sandifer. That about sums up surf prospects from the guys that know.

I just want to find a quite spot and catch some fish. What do i need to do?

A quite spot in the next two weeks will be tough on any public beach. Spring Break starts this Friday and Port A to Bob Hall will be crowded.
Hit PINS and get South of the 10mm. Get yourself a 15-20lb, 10'-13' surf rod that can handle 4-6ozs of weight. Get some head on shrimp and Fish Bites at HEB in Flour Bluff. Also bring a 7', 12lb, spinning or casting rod to use with lures while your long rod is fishing.
Been some good reports of Reds being caught in "Blocked Guts". Have fun and be careful....

March 15-19, 2010
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Your artificials should include some topwaters of various colors. Mirrolures and Rapala Skitterwalks are the most popular. Some 4" Gulp Shrimp in "new penny" color with 1/8-1/4oz. jig heads. Some Norton's Sand Eels in varying colors and some paddle tailed shad (sometimes called Cocahoe Minnows). Maybe a couple of Strike King's Redfish Magic spinner baits. And most definitely some silver and gold spoons.

You can use some of your bass assassins and similar soft plastics just as you would for bass fishing.

Get after it just as the light begins to peek above the eastern horizon. Keep at it until the bite stops. Don't be afraid to move frequently.

Look for birds and bait working the first two guts. Once the sun gets up good and there is good light penetration into the water the fish will generally move offshore. They'll move back as the sun begins to set.

Watch stingrays in the surf at these times.

Take a cast net to catch your own bait. You can rig them on redfish leaders or free lined with your light tackle and do quite well.

During the mid=day you're better off using long rods and getting your bait way out there, beyond the third sandbar. Consequently, you'll need reels with lots of line capacity. The length of the rods is to keep your line off of the sand. The wave action and sand will cause abrasions on the line.

Roy's Bait and Tackle on SPID will have all of the rigs, lures and tackle you'll need. If in Port A then go to Port A Outfitters.

Thanks for the info guys. I was just making sure that i didnt need a kayak to get my bait out in order to catch fish. How far down do i need to go in order to stay away from the crowds?

If you are planning on hitting PINS for surf fishin and have any Penn 4/0 to 6/0 reels on 10' rods the Yak would be an excelent idea to Yak your baits out if you have one. Plenty of action to be had as Landpirate described in his post. You would not catch me anywhere near a beach this month though lol. I wont be hauling my boat down this month eiter lol......... Best of luck and TIGHT LINES!!!! One small word of advice........... CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN AND CLEAN them bass reels after your done each day they should be RINSED REALLY WELL. Even reels with stainless bearings will not last long if not rinsed and re-lubed after your done.


Rob

All you have to do is go beyond the 4x4 only sign and you shouldn't see any spring break crowds, maybe more fisherman than usual, but shouldn't be any drunk naked college kids running up and down that beach. I would say atleast 30 mile marker

If you want to keep it simple you can easily use your bass gear, but if its expensive reels and such, like they said just wash it out and do your best to keep it clean during.. I took my catfishing gear with me (some abu 6500's) the first time I went. You can also buy a cheap open face surf rod and reel down there too. Since its your first time I personaly wouldnt go out and buy expensive gear. You can catch plenty of reds and bait fish with either the gear you already have, or by getting a cheap rod and reel combo down there. But be warned, its addictive fishing! I was a fresh water fisherman my whole life, even grew up in Texas, I went fishing in Matagorda a couple years ago for the first time and was hooked!
It doesnt need to be complicated. Keep your gear and your rigs simple and then later on if it looks like you are going to be doing more and more, then as you learn what you want to target and such, upgrade to specific tackle.
As far as rigs go, it doesnt get much simpler than buying those two hook leader rigs, some 4-6 ounch surf weights (the kind with the wire legs) and some fresh shrimp from a bait shop.. that will catch you pretty much everything but a shark. You can cast over the first sandbar and not have to even wade out much at all if any. The beauty of fishing down there is you can always drive far enough away to have the beach to yourself. Make sure you take a good spare tire and have fun. Post a trip report of how you do. Just remember you can keep it pretty simple and still catch plenty of fish!
Oh by the way, one thing you really want to pick up are some tall rod holders. Easiest way to get some are to make them out of a 4ft section of rebar, and use like 1-2 foot sections of pvc pipe for the rod holder. I just use the metal hose clamps to clamp the pvc to the rebar. You will need to pound the rebar in a good foot or so for it to be solid, leave your rods pretty much strait up, and keep the line tight. Good luck!

And use circle hooks. Don't set the hook, let the fish and rod do the work. Be sure to take a measuring tape to measure for legal slot limit fish.

Ricky,

If you are headed down in the next couple of weeks there will be Spring breakers around PINS but if you have a 4x4 then you won't have a problem finding a secluded spot on PINS. Once you pass the 4WD sign then crowds will drop off pretty fast.

I would suggest using the typical spoon (silver is my favorite) with your bass rod/reel and work the wade and 1st gut. Guts are the deeper sections between the sandbars that are made from waves breaking. You will see what I mean. Throw a spoon to the breakers and work it across the calm areas(deeper area with no waves breaking). The action used on spoons for saltwater is the same as fresh water. If that isn't working and you need some action of any kind, tie on a double-drop leader (just like cat fishing) and bait it with fresh dead shrimp along with a Fishbite� ( Fishbite is key here as they will not come off the hook). If there is ANYTHING in the water to be caught you will be hooked up in no time. Whiting, Reds and Pompano will eagerly take this combination and all are good eating.

If you want to get into something bigger, head to Academy when they have a Rod Riot sale and just grab a UglyStick surf rod. As for the reel, I wouldn't go anything less then the Okuma Coronado at the very minimum. It will get you to the third bar. I mention Okuma as they are not pricey and will get the job done while you decide if surf fishing is for you without spending a ton of money. When you catch a Whiting with the method I described above, cut that sucker in half and load it up on a simple leader with a 4oz spider weight. Wade out to the first bar and sling that badboy out there. While that is soaking you can continue to work your spoons or double-drop leader set-ups.

Like what was said, there is nothing better than hooking up with a Jack on light tackle (heavy tackle for that matter). The beauty of PINS is there are fish biting year round and don't think for a second that you are not part of the food chain once you enter the water .

Are you camping out, going for the day, kids with you? If you have any other detailed questions feel free to ask.