Seeing the Surf Through an Angler’s Eyes (with corbina drone footage)

Sometimes I feel like people don’t believe me when I get really excited and point ten feet out, into water that’s no more than a foot deep, and whisper/yell, “big corbina” or “fish, right there… you see it?”. Whether it’s a friend, a client, a fellow angler, or just some random beach goer, their eyes just aren’t conditioned for it.

When I walk along the beach, I don’t see what the average beach-goer sees. Sure, I see the beautiful overcast mornings, the crisp sunrises, the colorful sunsets that are more unique than a person’s fingerprint, and much more. I love those things. Those things make up half of what I love about surf fishing and they’re part of the reason I don’t do much “other fishing”. But there’s so much more that I see when I’m at the beach.

I’ve always been the type of person who’s eager to welcome others into my life and show them what I do. And, I find deep satisfaction and fulfillment when I can get those whom I welcome into my life, to see what I see and experience what I experience from as close as possible to the literal definition of “through my eyes”. So what do I and many other anglers see that the average beach-goer doesn’t?

Reading the Surf

Reading the surf is the big one. This one has too many subsections to touch on each unique aspect that an angler might see so differently than the average beach-goer. A few things that come to mind are troughs, holes, deep pockets, rip currents, blue water next to white water, rocks, reefs, calmer bluer water next to reef or sand. These things in general are likely unseen by most people at the beach, but while an angler will be able to spot these things, it doesn’t end there.

An angler sees with his imagination, not just with his eyes. That trough he saw is now getting filled with bait as water gets sucked over the edge, pulling the sand in front (and everything in the sand) right into the trough. What’s next? Well, where there’s bait and structure, there’s big fish. There’s a 24-inch corbina cruising through that trough having a buffet.

“The ocean is full of mysteriousness and an angler’s imagination explores that mysteriousness to no end.”

That blue water next to the reef looks cool from the sand, but an angler knows that blue water looks to be at least 6 feet deeper than the reef beside it and it’s loaded with calico, sand bass and white seabass… maybe even yellowtail. Remember, an angler sees with his imagination. When you see things this way, it just needs to be possible; that’s all it takes.

I wrote another article titled “A Fish’s Worth: Inside the Mind of a Fisherman” a while back and I referenced mysteriousness in that article. Mysteriousness and imagination go hand in hand, at least for me. The ocean is full of mysteriousness and an angler’s imagination explores that mysteriousness to no end. That’s the beauty of it. Since it’s so unknown, we simply don’t know what’s possible, or what we might catch.

For more on reading the surf, watch the video below:

Fish in the Shallows

My eyes have been seasoned for this. I hate bragging (not really lol) but I can spot fish pretty dang well in the surf, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to point out fish just like in the scenario in the opening paragraph. Usually the person with me either thinks I’m crazy, thinks I’m one of those fishermen who acts like he knows everything and will exaggerate and/or lie to impress and make people think he’s wildly in his element, or they just don’t see it and kindly take my word.

Spotting fish in the surf becomes second-nature after a little while. In June and July, if I walk along the beach whether I have a rod in hand or not, I’m not looking at pebbles on the sand or birds flying by. I’m looking for fish in the surf just like in the video at the top of this page. No more than a foot of water and often to the point that the fish’s dorsal fin is exposed. It’s funny too because I remember reading about how corbina can be spotted with their dorsal fins breaking the water’s surface when I began fishing the surf. Initially, I thought, “Ha! What a bunch of bologna!”. It took a few years but now, I see it almost every day I go out during the summertime.

Some Common Tendencies of Fish In the Shallows

After a while, you get familiar with what fish look like in the shallows. Even when you don’t actually see the fish, it’s easy to know when they’ve been somewhere just by the signs they leave. Sometimes it’s a physical marking, sometimes it’s a cloud of churned up water, and sometimes they just thump you in the leg and scurry off.

Corbina and Spotfin Croaker

During the hours of dawn and dusk, you’ll often see fish feeding in the shallows. They come up with the wave, stay in an area where they’re still completely submerged, hang out while swimming against the receding wave while they try to suck up all the sand crabs that are getting drawn their way. Just as they feel they’re too shallow, they’ll turn and let the receding wave carry them back a bit deeper. This process is usually repeated so if you see one, stick around and look for more.

One common tendency of spotfin is that they’ll actually flip their tails up, sometimes exposing their tail to the air, and they’ll point their mouths toward the sand, sucking up their prey. This can be seen very clearly in my video: “Sight Casting for Spotfin Croaker“.

Guitarfish

Guitarfish are one of the other species that will feed in very shallow water, often beaching themselves momentarily. On a side note, I’ve actually caught two of these by hand. Very fun stuff!

These fish will also leave an indent in the sand where they suctioned to the sand. So, when I say, these fish will “suck up their prey” I literally mean that. Guitars just leave a much more defined mark in the sand. It usually only remains until the next wave comes up and washes it away, but again, if you get familiar with what that mark looks like, and you see it, cast somewhere near there because they too, will likely repeat the process. These are also some of the best fighting fish in the surf.

To touch a little more on the “sucking up their prey” remark. If you ever catch a spotfin, take a look at the back of it’s throat and you’ll see what looks like a teeth-filled grinder. They use these to crush up all the clams and crabs they suck up. It’s really fascinating stuff!

Birds Diving

Maybe the average beach goer put’s two and two together when they see birds diving. But, bottom line, when an angler see’s birds diving, first thought is whether they can reach that bait ball (the reason the birds are diving) with their furthest-casting lure or not. Next, is what type of predatory fish might be feeding. When that bait ball gets within casting range, all bets are off. Imagination can become reality with just one cast!

Dolphins, Seals, and Sealions

Dolphins can mean just about anything so I’ve stopped analyzing them for the most part. The one thing I will say though about dolphins is that the Sea World stunts you see those trained dolphins do… wild dolphins do them all just as well. I’ve seen dolphins riding waves, jumping out of the water over each other, swimming upside down, doing all sorts of playful things. I’ve even seen a dolphin do a complete flip! No joke, they sure know how to have a good time.

I hate seals and sealions. Well, I shouldn’t say that, seals are pretty cute sometimes, and sealions are still kind of cool to see, but they can be an absolute nuisance! These guys are number one on the list of catch culprits for anglers… especially offshore anglers. From the surf, I’ve only had one sealion rob me of my catch and it wasn’t anything special, so it was kind of a fun experience, but they have the potential to break your heart and steal a fish of a lifetime whether you’re fishing from the surf or offshore. Granted, sharks can do the same, but we won’t touch on that. Speaking of sharks… great whites swim with surfers on a daily basis so if you think you’re alone, you couldn’t be more wrong!

The other thing we anglers will ponder when we see a sealion pop his head out of the water, look at us, and continue cruising by, is “well, if he’s not seeing any fish, I’m probably not going to hook anything for the next few minutes at least.” Kind of a “touché” moment between angler and animal.

People Running into the Water

This is one that makes me cringe every time I see it. Yet, somehow, I’ve never witnessed someone get stung by a sting ray. I’ve seen the aftermath and I’ve stepped on my fair share (somehow escaping unscathed).

Whenever I see someone run full speed into the water, I’m just waiting for them to eat it and come up crying, holding their bloody foot. It sounds kind of sadistic when I put it like that, but I’m shocked people aren’t more careful.

I’ve seen just as many (if not more) sting rays in inches of water as I have any other species. Not to mention the bat ray migration windows. Man, there have been times when I’ve looked in front of me (and behind me) and seen literally hundreds of bat rays ranging from 12 inches across to 40 inches across.

That’s the type of stuff some of these people could be running into if they don’t check where they’re going. Go to 2:42 of this video and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about with literally hundreds of bat rays in just a foot or two of water!

Sunsets

Finally, my favorite time to be at the beach, sunset. I know I’ve mentioned imagination and mysteriousness a few times, but sunset is when mysteriousness, imagination, emotions, and potential are all at peak heights.

I can’t speak for all anglers on this one, but when conditions look good and sunset rolls around, I start diving into the rabbit hole of endless possibilities. Even weirder, I can work up a good amount of confidence in these crazy possibilities becoming reality. Like another yellowtail from the surf, or a 30-inch spotfin or corbina, a 40-inch halibut or white seabass and much more.

I might not be seeing all that, but I can picture it all very clearly and I know it’s all in the realm of possibilities. Just remember, “The ocean is full of mysteriousness and an angler’s imagination explores that mysteriousness to no end… imagination can become reality with just one cast.”