When wadefishig in the surf for speckled trout, do you prefer live shrimp? Mullet? Artificials? If Artificials any suggestions? I used Mirrolure Catch 2000 this morning. Did not do good. Also tried a Paul Brown Corkie - No luck. HELP Going back tomorrow evening. How do you feel about spoons and if so, what color?

If you can find some croaker use them and freeline them or live shrimp.... arties I throw TTF- KFM (killer flat minnows) pumpkin seed chartuese tail or any soft plastic with chartuese tail. Oh by the way Surfside is on fire right now.

It really depends, sometimes it different every day. All I fish is artificials...Top water: TopDog,SheDog,SuperSpook,SpookJr,ZaraSpook..best colors black&chrome,blue&chrome,bone and clear but the fish have to be feeding at the surface.

Soft plastics: Pretty much anything from TexasTackleFactory will work(Trout Killer 2/GlO with chartruse tail),Storm swimbaits, Brown lures rootbeer in color. I fish all with 1/8 jig head unless the wind is strong and then I go heavy.

Watch the birds fish where the birds are diving and when they quit drive the beach until you find some more. Look for bait slicks...find a slick patch of water and cast into it. If the specs are feeding it doesnt matter what your using you will catch fish but if their not it will take alot of finesse and the right soft platic. Fishing the surf for spec is like combat you have to take the fight to them! Hope this helps.

the lures yall are recommending will they still be good in late June/early July??

Most Definitely

Central Texas landlubber here... I do lots of freshwater fishing but have minimal experience saltwater fishing. I have caught some reds and specs in the bay with buddies using soft plastics and topwaters, but my experience is pretty darn limited.

I rented a beach house on Bermuda Beach in Galveston for a week in early July, for an easy place to vacation with my wife and our young children.

What are the odds of my doing any good right there in the surf early or late? Should I just wade out to a sandbar (or 2) casting and see what happens? I'm generally familiar with some of the lures mentioned above. How about Gulp shrimp as a pretty safe fish finder? (Never used them.)

Never used a gulp shrimp. Just follow the advice I gave earlier in the thread and you should catch fish with no problem.

My best surf fishing has been croaker as perviously mentioned. Ladyfish and little smacks can be a real problem and will hit just about anything specially when fished near the surface. If you are freelining croaker and only catching ladyfish, tie on a light fish finder rig. You need just enough weight to make sure the get down in the water column.

I am going down to port A next week and plan to do some fishing. Where is Surfside? As I do not frequent the area.Thanks

Croaker ! Less trash fish action. And stay alive better than shrimp. If no fish bite ---- move.

finger mullet work just as good compared to croaker.

Use a skitter walk in the morning. I like the white one with a red head the best.

If your going to throw the spoon get a 3/4 oz gold spoon. I like a Norton Shrimp tails on a jig head as well as Gulp shrimp. Morning Glory color was working for me last week and white for the Gulp.

As far as live bait I would use mullet. If you stand long enough you will see small schools of them swim by the shoreline.

It's hard to beat an ED Special in the surf....

Surf trout fight harder lb. for lb. than bay trout.

The flourescent Pink/WildEye Rockport Rattler jig was made especially for the surf - it's deadly on the trout.

I'll even put some pink soft plastics on it as well.


The Silver Spoon ....I've seen times in the surf that nothing worked except a silver spoon.

As far as using mullet, trout are on the mullet right now.

Using the RR CROAKERMAX rattling circle hook puts sound on the mullets tail and if you are a live bait angler - your gonna catch big surf trout using this method.

It's "eat or be eaten in the surf" and that makes the surf game fish more aggressive.


Have FUN !!!