Any surf fishing advice for a beginner?

[fastfredracing]

Even though I consider myself a country boy at heart, I have never really been much of a hunter/ fisherman. I always kept my life pretty full of projects, and thought it sort of a silly waste of time.
Heading down to the outer banks in 3 weeks, and last year, for the first time, I borrowed some equipment, bought a license, and did a little surf fishing. I found that I really enjoyed it, it made for a nice relaxing vacation activity.
However, I know zero about fishing. Short of plunking some blue gill out of the local ponds when I was a boy, I am a total newbie.
Got any good advice for me? Like what kind of bait?, bobber and or sinker? what depth to set your hook, lures? Any and all advice welcome, thanks.

[ramonesfreak]

i dont live on the ocean but i fish lake ontario daily and am very interested in ocean surf fishing

where will you be fishing?

you need to learn about what fish are there and decide if that is what you want to target and then have the proper gear to handle that species of fish

there is a big difference between surf casting for tarpon vs stripe bass or reds or shark

in general, you will need a good salt water reel that holds enough line so you dont get spooled by a big fish and a long enough rod to cast far enough out into the surf, at times, against the wind...getting your lure/bait out far enough is the first and most important challenge to over come i think

there are a ton of youtube videos on the topic of surf fishing from gear to technique..do a search

i would say that the average length of a surf rod is 10' and has a very long handle...like these
St. Croix Rods - Legend® Surf

i would select at least a 5000 size spinning reel (salt water) and would stay away from bait casting reels unless you get really into it

surf casting is really a specialized area of fishing, just like any other type of fishing...it requires specialized gear

however, if your targeting something smaller like stripe bass or reds, i would have no problem using my salmon/trout setup that i use off piers on lake ontario.....9 foot, medium action with a 4000 size reel

as for bobbers and how to set up terminal tackle for live bait....thats the least of your worries for now...there are a ton of resources to read about how to rig that up right

[ramonesfreak]

oh wait, are you borrowing gear again and just wondering about bait and stuff? sorry if so

someone local to the area should advise you as to location-specific tips

[drcoastline]

Fast Fred,

Theres a lot that goes into "catching" fish. Tides, weather, water temp, food supply and more. The best thing you can do is get to the water and and throw in a line or two. Watch what the guys/gals are doing and what they are using and ask questions. each beach is differnt. What they are using in Atlantic City isnt necessarily whats catching fish in Cape May and that can change in an instant. One minute their knocking the helll out of live peannut menhaden the next they want a piece of pink rubber. Get involved in a fishing club to make friends and a buggie club so you can take your vehicle on the beach.

As for equipment if you can afford it. You are going to want at least two rods a surf rod to get you out far and a cast and retrieve rod for in close fishing in the gullies and around rocks and piers. You can get a decent starter surf rod at K-Mart or Walmart. The longer the better but get at least a 12 footer. The cast and retrieve rod you are going to want a 6' or 7' foot medium action rod. Several good brands out there. For reels I have always liked Penn. I still use the old Z series and the Spinfisher SS reels. Parts are readily available and they are simple to maintain , clean and repair yourself.

There is no simple answer on bait. Fish eat what they can find or what is running. So bait changes quickly. That's why you are gpoing to want to make friends with other fisherman and the person working the counter at the tackle shop to get the skinny on what the fish are hitting that day and where.

For the surf rod you will need an assortment of rigs and weights. Again there is no one size fits all. For your lead get everything form 2oz. to 8 oz. rigs get top and bottom. Nothing fancy just hooks maybe with a spinner or a piece of buck tail. Your bait will do the work.

For your cast and retrieve rod you will want an assortment of lures and buck tails. Sometimes the fish hit red and white sometimes blue, sometimes pink and so on. Sometimes they are feeding on the top, sometimes on the bottom and sometimes in the middle of the water coloumn so you need to try each a few times until you get hit then you know what they are looking for. It's triual and error.

You don't need to get everything all at once but start collecting. Everytime you go to K-mart or walmart swing through the fishing section and pick up a few lures. Go to yard sales and flea markets tons of stuff for sale. Grab a section of 2" PVC pipe to make a holder for the sand, a cooler, a seat, oh yeah a set of chest waders. Youre going to need those for October when the big blues and Stripper are running.

Most of all you got to get down to the waters edgae and get a line wet. You will figure it out.

[vash]

i had an old man tell me.

"no need to cast for the horizon!" he just pitched his bait/lures into the surf. bass catching expert!

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by vash

i had an old man tell me.

"no need to cast for the horizon!" he just pitched his bait/lures into the surf. bass catching expert!

He is absolutely correct. That's why you want a 6'-7' medium action cast and retrieve rod. Hit the beach at low tide look for the gullies and the inlet to the gullie. Mark where it is then come back at high tide just before the change when the gullie will begin to empty. Start throwing the lure near the inlet to the gullie. The bass will be holding on the outside of the inlet waiting for the bait fish to get washed out by the tide.

[BK911]

Dont keep the bait in your pocket.

Shark attacks boy while fishing - YouTube

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

Even though I consider myself a country boy at heart, I have never really been much of a hunter/ fisherman. I always kept my life pretty full of projects, and thought it sort of a silly waste of time.
Heading down to the outer banks in 3 weeks, and last year, for the first time, I borrowed some equipment, bought a license, and did a little surf fishing. I found that I really enjoyed it, it made for a nice relaxing vacation activity....

Which country? I rarely surf fish any more, but have fond memories of being a kid at the OBX when you could walk for miles in either direction and rarely see another person. Cooler weather makes for the best fishin', but go seek out a local tackle/bait store, and ask 'em for advice.

Originally Posted by drcoastline

He is absolutely correct. That's why you want a 6'-7' medium action cast and retrieve rod. Hit the beach at low tide look for the gullies and the inlet to the gullie. Mark where it is then come back at high tide just before the change when the gullie will begin to empty. Start throwing the lure near the inlet to the gullie. The bass will be holding on the outside of the inlet waiting for the bait fish to get washed out by the tide.

The good doc offers some excellent posts above, and the last time I was at the OBX (a Labor day weekend), the above techniqe worked well...don't recall what we caught but they weren't bass . Good luck Fred!!!