FAQ About Surf Fishing with Answers!

Alright, guys! Today, we’ll be covering some of the most popular questions and topics about surf fishing. Increasingly often, anglers reach out with great questions regarding surf fishing whether it’s about tactics, species, gear, or something totally different. This website has been created and centered around so many of those questions and for that reason, the website had turned into a huge, growing wealth of info regarding surf fishing.

The problem, I’ve written so many articles that there isn’t nearly enough menu space to organize all the topics to be easily found and viewed by you guys. For nearly every question I receive, I’ve written an article that answers the question in detail. And, for the questions that I receive that I haven’t written about, I typically make a plan to write about them. So keep those questions coming! I simply don’t do a good enough job of providing direction to these articles. Well, at least I struggle to find a proper organizational layout to enhance angler/viewer navigation.

For this reason, I will be outlining some of the most common topics that people have questions about in reference to surf fishing and I’ll refer you to where to find the answer to each of them.

*Important* A feature that not many visitors know about is that there is a search bar that you can use to search any topic I’ve ever written about in this website! For desktop users, it’s in the top right corner of your screen. For mobile users, scroll to the very bottom of your screen and you’ll see a search box. With that aside, let’s dive right in!

How To Go Surf Fishing

The article that I recommend to anyone who wants to start surf fishing in general. This was written as if I were to walk you through an entire guided session. Top 5 valuable articles on this website.

In this article:

• Reading The Surf
• Gathering Bait
• Rigging Up
• Baiting Your Hook
• Casting and Placement
• Feeling Tension
• Feeling The Bite
• Setting The Hook
• Fighting a Fish
• Beaching a Fish
• …Cooking a Fish

Reading The Surf

If you don’t know where to start, or you simply need a little more clarification and reassurance, this should be a huge help.

In This Article:

• How To Read The Surf (In Depth)
• Video on How To Read The Surf
• Troughs
• Holes
• Too Much Structure?
• Wind Ripples
• Rip Currents
• Why Learn How To Read The Surf

Best Times and Tides for Surf Fishing: How to Plan

One of those questions that doesn’t ever seem to have a clear answer. There are simply so many factors and variables that play a role here so this is what I’ve got for you.

In this article:

• Best Times For Surf Fishing
• Best Tides For Surf Fishing
• Conditions To Look At (Forecasts)
• Common Theories

Gear And Tackle I Use For Surf Fishing

It can be intimidating trying a new rig, set up, lure, bait, etc. So, I’ve outlined exactly what I use and why. This should give you the confidence needed.

In this article:

• Light Tackle
  • Rod and Reel
  • Terminal Tackle and Line
  • Why I Use What I Use

• Shark Fishing Gear and Tackle
  • Rod and Reel
  • Terminal Tackle and Line
  • Why I Use What I Use

Recommended Rods and Reels

In this article:

• Light Tackle Rods And Reels For Surf Fishing
• Shark Fishing Rods and Reels

Shark Fishing

In this article:

• Why Am I Only Catching Rays and Baby Sharks?
• Rigging?
• Tactics?
• Bait?

Common Species Of Fish In So Cal Surf

In this article:

• Peak Seasons Per Species
• Legal Limits And Sizes
• Record Sizes
• Fighting Strengths
• Range and Habitat

San Diego County Beaches

In this article:

• Overview Of Nearly Every Beach In San Diego County
• Video Of Each Beach
• Where To Legally Fish
• Where To Park
• Nearby Hotels

Grunion Runs: Beaches and Tactics

In this article:

• About Grunion
• Best Conditions
• Best Beaches For Grunion

Sand Crabs And Surf Fishing

In this article:

• About Sand Crabs
• How To Find Sand Crabs
• Best Size And Soft Shells
• How To Hook Sand Crabs
• Can You Find/Use Them In The Fall/Winter?
• Alternative Baits

Red Tides, Glowing Waves and Sea Foam

In this article:

• What Is A Red Tide?
• Why Do The Waves Glow?
• Is It Toxic?
• Why and When Does It Occur?

Surf Fishing With Mussel Meat

In this article:

• Where Do I Get My Mussel Meat?
• How To Hook Mussel Meat To Keep It On?
• Video Explaining With Example Session
• What You Might Catch

About The Carolina Rig

In this article:

• How To Tie It
• Leader Length
• Why Use A Bead?

Storms, Barrometric Pressure and Fishing

In this article:

• What Do Storms Mean For Surf Fishing
• Better Before, After Or During?

Braid Vs Mono

In this article:

• Pros And Cons
• Strecth
• Diameter
• Abrasion
• Price

Fluoro Vs Mono

In this article:

• Visibility?
• Which Sinks?
• Leader Vs Mainline
• Which Stretches More?

Lucky Crafy Vs Calissa Lures

In this article:

• Design And Looks
• Castability
• Swim Ability
• Overall Productivity

Baits Alternative To Sand Crabs

In this article:

• Sand Worms
• Fishbites
• Clam Meat
• Mussel Meat
• Squid Meat
• Anchovy
• Lucky Craft

A Couple Other Articles Worth The Read:

A Fisherman’s Tale: What I Accidentally Hooked

In this article:

• The Story Of When I Hooked Something Much Bigger Than I Expected

A Fish’s Worth: Inside The Mind Of A Surf Fisherman

In this article:

• Accomplishment
• Mystery
• Part Of The Journey

30+ Inch Halibut

In this article:

• What I Used
• And The Whole Story

World Record Yellowtail

In this article:

• The Story On The Largest Recorded land-Based Yellowtail
• Weight/Length
• Bait/Set-up And Much More