Stayed a week in surfside (i am a freshwater fisherman with 20 plus years of yearly trips to fish the coast) with great beach front fishing, never went anywhere else except the surf outside the door. I noticed several days where there were up to 5 or 6 small center consoles and even some bass boats anchored up 2 or third sand bar.

I have often thought this might be a good tactic when surf is calm but in all these years have only occasionally seen a small boat off the beach. I did not notice any of these boats making huge hauls of fish, but they did tend to stay in place longer than the average freshwater bass fisherman.

Anyone shed some light on these tactics?

Look at all the surf cams. You'll see boats outt here in most of them... It's not always smooth enough for boats.

Fishing the surf is very different than fishing freshwater, there isn't (most of the time) significant structure that will keep fish in a specific area. The species found off the beachfront are constantly moving up and down the beach. It doesn't do any good to keep picking up anchor and moving if you don't get a bite imediately. Find a good stretch of beach and set out your lines. Your basically setting up an ambush. When a school moves through they'll hit your bait.

When i was a kid, we use to launch our boats in the surf all the time. Using a tracktor or jeep. I grew up fishing within a couple of miles from shore in a 14 foot V bottom boat. Never was brave enought to go any further out. Some people would even take their small boats out to the five mile rigs. you have to be carefull though. I have seen some really bad acidents with bass boats in the surf.

As searchin said most of saltwater fishing is being in the right place at the right time. Unless you see signs of fish feeding, running your boat all over is just wasting gas.

The boats are able to get on the baitfish which are often beyond the reach of the beach bound fisherman. Solid tactic in my opinion.

i go to surfside every year and have often seen boats past the or at the 4th bar. i think they are in the green water when it gets that close the beach. alot of baitfish, sharks at surfside the last week of july. caught alot of fish shallow.

Thanks for the replies. As a freshwater fisherman a calm surf certainly seems like a great place to launch a small flat bottom.