English EnglishViews: 6 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2019-10-23 Origin: Site
Aside from tides, there are other factors which are important to consider to get the most out of your fishing trip.
By ensuring all following timings are in check, you will nudge the odds in your favour.
As we don’t have any particular location in mind, the best time to surf fish is during spring and fall. That is not to say that fishing in winter and summer won’t get you results; it’s just that they won’t be as good. Nonetheless, in some areas, you can catch lots of fish all year round.
The best time to surf fish is from before dawn to around 10 AM and two hours before dusk. It is during these times that the fish are feeding, hence exposed. That being said, it is best to speak with the locals in your area as they always have the best knowledge of the fishing conditions in your area.
As mentioned above, the moon affects both tidal movements and fishing as well. That said, the best moon phases to surf fish are the new and full moons. During this time, water moves faster and the tides reach deeper than ever. What’s more, it is believed that fish are more active and feed for most of the night during full moons.
Onshore breezes are the best conditions for surf fishing, but they need not be too strong lest they mess with the water clarity. When they are too strong, the effect is similar to that of cold fronts.
Low pressure is also better for surf fishing than high pressure during tides. If the weather conditions become extremely bad then subside, you will not be able to surf fish for a while say, one or two days as the fish reacclimatise.
Even if you are used to conventional fishing and can do well in ponds, streams, and rivers, surf fishing will feel like a totally different animal altogether. You are going to need a whole new set of fishing gear to get started.
To begin with, as you are going to be shooting a heavy line into the surf, your standard 8 or 9-foot fishing pole is not strong enough to get the job done. Typically, surf fishing rods lie anywhere between 9 and 15 feet. As a beginner, however, a smaller and lighter rod say, 10-12 feet, should suffice. It gives you room to “grow into” as you get experience and hone your skills well enough to well cast a 15-foot monstrosity.
As you are just starting out, you don’t have to break the bank for a saltwater spinning reel. Some surf fishermen use the more complex baitcasting reels, but you should stick to the more traditional gear setup, which will feel more natural if you are used to conventional fishing. The importance of a high-quality fishing line needs not to be mentioned. You can use the regular old monofilament, or go for the much more stronger, flexible, and lightweight fluorocarbon line. One with a weight capacity of 20-25 pounds is enough.
The last major piece of the puzzle is a shock leader. As you are going to use heavy-duty casts, the shock leader is important as it absorbs all the stress on the line. Once you have known your way around the standard shock leader set up, you can graduate to using more than one leader at the end of your line.
The other bits and pieces of tools you need include a sharp knife, sand spike, and a cooler or a bucket to keep your catch.
The only limit to the type of fish you can catch at the beach is your location along the coastline and your locale. In New England, for example (off the coast of Cape Cod), you can catch everything from sea bass and striped bass to winter flounder, cod (of course) and mackerel among others.
If you Surf Fish further south down the Atlantic Ocean coastline, you can find flounder, spotted sea trout, black drum, red drum, and even sharks if you are lucky. Fishing on the West Coast, off the Pacific Ocean beaches exposes you to leopard sharks, yellowfin croakers, red tail, California halibut, striped bass, surf smelt, and bat rays among many others.
