Light Tackle Surf Fishing

Light Tackle Surf Fishing. Have you heard of it? Light tackle surf fishing is one of the most exciting and rewarding types of fishing there is. At it’s core, light tackle surf fishing is angling from the surf. You’re going to be using a rod and reel (most likely spinning) and as to what you’ll catch… could be anything. Let’s get into the nitty-gritty!

Common Questions About Light Tackle Surf Fishing:

• What pound test fishing line should I use for corbina and croaker?
• What size fishing rod should I use for surf fishing?
• Best rig for surf fishing?
• What size fishing reel should I use for surf fishing?
• What size hook for corbina, croaker and perch?

Light-Tackle Surf Fishing Necessities

• Rod: Okuma Celilo (8’6″ MA) or the Okuma SST (8’6″ MA)
• Reel: Penn Battle II or III 4000 series
• Mainline: 15-pound monofilament
• For Bait: Carolina Rig:
  • Leader Line: 15-pound fluorocarbon
  • Swivels: 15-19mm barrel swivels
  • Hooks: size #2 or #4 owner mosquito hooks
  • Weights: 1-oz egg weight
  • Beads: 8mm fishing beads
• For Lures: Lucky Craft FM 110 and Shimano WM 115 SP
• Other best surf fishing rods and best surf fishing reels

Surf Fishing Bait

The most proven and irresistible bait for light tackle surf fishing conveniently lies in the sand on which you stand… sand crabs! These are the small crustaceans that burrow under the sand leaving their antennae exposed causing little ripples in the sand.

How do you find sand crabs? Well, during the months of May through September, you can find these little critters all along most of our beaches here in Southern California. Forming a ‘v’ shape in the sand, these crabs are tough to miss. I recommend using a normal colander to dig and sift them out from the sand. Using sand crabs, you can catch an abundance of species including Corbina, Croaker, Perch, Rays, Halibut, Sharks and more. Some other proven baits are mussel meat, clam meat, and Gulp! sand worms.

Light Tackle Surf Fishing Tips

There are so many tips, tricks, and tactics that come into play when mastering the art of surf fishing. The most important thing to learn is how to read the surf. With time, you should understand tides and tidal swings, surf and current, and you should also be familiar with troughs, scallops, deep pockets, and other structures found in the surf. For an in depth explanation of all these and more, read this page on reading the surf and more. It takes about 4 or 5 minutes to read and for every question you have, there’s a section or another page with an answer.

Don’t forget to check out my fishing blog/reports page. I come out with a new report or informational article every week. If you enjoy the content, be sure to enter your email and hot “subscribe”. You can also subscribe below by entering your email right here!