Hey Fellas...

Need a little input on the how-to's for surf fishing. Been down to Surfside Beach the last two weekends. My friend who was with me last weekend was able to get a slot red on cut mullet...but we got no other action while we were out there. I went again today using finger mullet...and got no bites at all.

Last weekend we were down there around 7 am & left around 1 pm. Tide was high while we were there. We walked out about waist to chest deep & through our lines out into the surf. Today it was high tide again...and we were out there around 3 pm until 7 pm. Today the surf was a lot rougher & the water completely covered the beach. The week before there was a good deal of dry sand...so seeing the beach the way it was today was a bit of a surprise. I'm assuming the storm in the gulf was causing most of the issues.

It was just a tough day to fish today as the surf in combination with the plethora of seaweed kept dragging my lines towards the shore. The week before it was a little easier to keep the lines in the water.

My questions are...exactly how far are we supposed to be throwing our lines out? I've seen videos on Youtube showing folks throwing their lines from shore directly into the surf. Depending on the location...I'm assuming this would put the bait in 3-4 foot of water at best. I've read other folks who suggest walking out to waist to chest deep & tossing it out as far as you can (which is primarily what I have been doing). Other folks who use kayaks to take their baits beyond the breakers. Is the object to get the baits past the surf break or are we fishing somewhere within the surf break?

What size baits & hooks should we be using? I purchased a pre-made rig from MT to start off with...but I have an assortment of other circle hooks based on various other tips I've read about. The size range on hooks is significantly different from one another. I was using 5.5 oz spider weights...based on how the surf was pushing my line around...I either need to get larger weights or not fish in the surf when it is as rough as it was today.

As far as cast netting for bait goes...where are the bait fish normally found when you are surf fishing? Are they a good ways out or are they supposed to be closer to the shore? Are you sight casting or are you tossing the net blindly in hopes of catching some bait?

I'm thinking about giving the piers a try next time around. People seem to be having a lot more luck from there as of late. Speaking of piers...how exactly do piers like Galveston Fishing Pier & the 61st Street Pier work in Galveston? It seems like most of the photos I see having people throwing their lines out & leaning their poles along the railing. Are there no pole holders to put your poles into? And if not...do you normally secure your pole along the railing or something to keep it from being pulled over the rails in case you hook into a big fish? How about parking? Is there a convenient spot to park close to those piers? I've also heard a lot about there being issues with inconsiderate people on the piers crossing over lines, etc. How bad is it really?

Looking forward to hearing from everyone.

Thanks...

Kawika

Also...this is the spot we were fishing today:

Location

And this is the area we were fishing last week Sunday:

Location

I would like to know the answers to these questions myself so I am going give this one a little nudge

The ideal place to throw your bait is in the guts. The guts can be found between sand bars. Usually wherever the waves break is where there is a sand bar. Try the first gut. If nothing is biting there, try the second gut. There is no magic distance you have to cast to get to the fish. Couple weeks ago, we were catching bull reds in the first gut. But we usually find them past the second sand bar. To overcome the weeds, we set up our pole holders on the first sand bar. Sometimes this minimizes the amount of weed that piles up on our lines. Other times it does'nt matter.

A good rig that we use is the fish finder rig with a 6 oz spider weight and 6/0 or bigger circle hook. Never had rough seas move our lines unless sea weed was present. For cast netting bait, you will usually see the mullet swimming/jumping around while you wade the surf. But bait can also be found in the guts. Sometimes just cast netting blindly will net you some bait. Also try different baits. Depending on the target fish, sometimes they want live bait and other times cut bait. You just gotta figure out what they want.

almost exactly same question, i answered in good detail http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...est#Post9358267

Yeah...I watched the video of the two shark baits bobbing in the surf.

Look for breaks in the surf and sand bars. This is where the fish get into the channels between each sand bar. You'll see waves breaking on either side but will see an area where the waves are breaking and/or dying where the breaks in the sand bar are located. Fish all around those breaks in the waves.

Try using gold and silver spoons as well for redfish and trout. If they aren't biting cut bait, crabs, mullet, etc. I always switch to spoons and other artificials.

Might also try using cut crab and shrimp/squid plus free lining some live mullet/whiting.