Since it's the split weekend coming up for duck season I figured I'd go fishing down at Surfside. Problem is that I've never fished salt in the winter. If it's nice conditions and you were in my shoes how would you fish?

I don't know about surfside, we just got back from 3 days at seadrift and fishing was outstanding.

I would go with a couple rods with live mullet on bottom(cut mullet or broken crab if you cant get live mullet, dead shrimp as last shot) then another rod with live shrimp on a popping cork or a jig or topwater. The bottom lines should yield drum or flounder while the other should yield drum flounder or trout. Of course it is the salt and you have the possibilty of catching anything on either one. I like to use my big rods on bottom since the chances of bigger fish is higher and small rod with the artificial or shrimp since the odds of catching specks or smaller fish is higher and its more fun to fight them on lighter tackle

I'm like you in that I like artificial shrimp. Is a jetty just fine or will wading be more productive?

I have heard both to be good but i have only fished the jeddies by boat

A few time I been there. No luck with floater and live shrimp. If you go mullet with sinker rig... You'll get reds.

I fish at the jetty. Never tried wading actually.

As for flounder that core mention... Only caught one all the time I been out there and it was undersize.

well jeddies are not the best place for them, i was more refering to the surf fishing the guts, but like i said i havent fished it but by boat at the very far end.

Its because the Jeddies are all away at Star Wars reunions. We fish at the Jetties.

You can wade the icw shoreline behind surfside jetty with finger mullet or mud minnows carolina rigged, you should be able to catch a couple flounder and maybe a red too. There is a parking area with bathroom about 1/2 mile north of the jetty, park there and walk down to the water. PS the flounder limit is back to 5 fish starting today. GL

So far the swells have been forecasted to be a little high so I hope they calm by the weekend. I'm really wanting to use my kistler rod and zillion reel I've have for a few months now.

Let me know how the zillion works out for you hopefully you hook something that can test the drag on that thing, im considering getting one soon

Weather is looking like 2-3 ft. swells and 5-11 winds with a high of 74. Is it good weather to fish in, and do I need to start later in the morning since the water is colder?

You can always fish in the first or second gut. Should be able to cast there from knee deep water

Is 8 too early?

Saturday the tide starts changing at 7:31am. Thats the best time. But should be good all day since its incoming till like 4:20pm