Fall Surf Fishing: The Sunset Bite

It’s that time of year again, the sun is setting earlier, rising later, and those warm summer nights are turning cool. The daylight hours still bring some scorching heat, but it’s clear… fall is here. So what does that mean for surf fishing? Is fall surf fishing good?

Before we answer these questions and get into the complexities of fall surf fishing, I have an important announcement to make. I’ve got some new apparel up on the website for sale. Surf Fishing In So Cal Gaiters!

Surf Fishing In SO Cal “Perch Gaiters“

I know the arrival is a little late, but it’s still bright and sunny and at the very least, if you’re looking for a really clean-looking facial covering this is the one for you! I’m really happy with how these turned out. They have a really awesome barred surfperch design with a small “Surf Fishing In So Cal” logo on the bottom.

Prior to making my own apparel, I had been looking for So Cal specific surf species apparel and it’s so tough to find! That’s what inspired these gaiters and I assure you, there are more apparel items to come with similar designs per species. My goal is to personalize these items for the So Cal surf angler. Feel free to reach out if you have any suggestions. I’m just getting started on this side of the business and it’s very exciting thinking up what’s to come.

So please support and make your purchase here at the Surf Fishing In So Cal Shop and Apparel page.

Fall Surf Fishing

Surf fishing is seasonal, there’s no denying that. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish during every season. You just need to know how to properly transition, but surf fishing in the fall is a tricky one to figure out.

Summertime is easy, it’s peak season for corbina, croaker, leopard shark and more. The bite is usually wide open. Winter is easy too. The bite might not be wide open all the time, but your decision making process should be easy; it’s perch and hali time. Even spring is less complicated, while it’s a similar awkward transition, the perch and hali bite usually lingers through summer. As a bonus, begin to see the first signs of the summertime bite.

So, why is fall surf fishing so tough to figure out? It’s not that the fishing is overall worse, it’s that the decision of which species to target is tougher. The corbina, croaker, leopard shark, and other summertime critters are still lingering and the potential for a great bite is still there with the warm temps. But, there are more “tough conditions” days and the bite is finicky. This leads to the inclination to target perch and halibut as their season is just starting to roll in.

What Will I Be Targeting?

Summer only rolls around once a year. While the perch and hali bite can be awesome, you can realistically get on those species year-round. I have a very strong connection with summer as a season and any time there’s still potential to get on that “summertime bite” I’m going to try my best to do so. There’s just so much potential and so much excitement. There’s still the possibility to hook into some sharks, and trophy-sized spotfin croaker are still on the prowl.

Through October, I’ll still be working that C-rig and pounding the surf with my shark rods. But, I’ll begin to work my lucky craft lure with quality over quantity in mind. By November, I’ll be throwing Lucky Craft about 75% of the time and a combination of Fishbites, mussel meat, and frozen anchovy the other 25% of the time. that method will become more and more productive as we come closer to winter and even through early spring. But, let’s talk more on fall surf fishing and some tips that might help you out.

Fishing the Sunset Bite in the Fall

You’ve probably read before that the two most productive times to fish are dawn and dusk. Of all the theories out there including tides, rain, and other conditions, this is the one I stand by with the greatest confidence. While summertime can be a little tougher to recognize this (as the bite can be on fire all day long), fall really highlights this notion.

It’s not out of the ordinary to catch nothing from 3pm-6pm during an evening session in fall. But don’t give up hope there. The highest-probability time to fish during the fall months is sunset. Something about the sun beginning to set stimulates a little bit of a bite. The best time for fall surf fishing is from about 35-40 minutes before sunset to 15 minutes after sunset.

And while the sand crabs will continue to be tougher and tougher to find, I encourage you to try out fishbites. I will be selling fishbites on my website beginning sometime next week so if you’re looking to get some of your own, I’m taking orders now. Expect delivery within 7-14 days.