Pensacola Fishing Forum / Inshore Fishing / Surf Fishing / Surf Fishing - General Q & A

Jellyfish

angryaccntnt — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:35:20 GMT

Does anyone know when the jellyfish are supposed to leave the area? The last few times i've surf fished - i've been stung multiple times.

Sandfles

angryaccntnt — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:38:02 GMT

What are sandfleas? Where can you find them? How do you fish with them? What can you catch?

I've read a lot of things about sandfleas and I have seen them frozen in a few places around town. I have never heard of these. I would like some more info if sandleas are worth while.

Navarre Beach Algae bloom

JoeTheFisherman — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 07:50:48 GMT

Anyone happen to notice all the green slime at the beach lately? What gives? this didn't happen last year. Does it affect the fishability ?

Am I ready to Rock? (Newbie)

GoVols — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:20:43 GMT

I am going to be at the Sandestin beach resort 4th of July week and want to go after some shark early in the morning and late in the afternoon. I am an avid bass fisherman and have got my share of bluefish and ladyfish from the surf in Destin with freshwater gear in years past. Here is my set up I have put together for shark. Let me know how it looks.

Penn 850SSM spinning reel with 450 yards of 50 lb. P Line Spectra Braid (10lb. diameter)

10 ft 2 piece Cabelas Salt Striker Graphite Rod line weight 15-40lbs max lure weight 8oz.

I am going to swing into Half Hitch Tackle in Destin and let them rig me up with some premade shark rigs. Will this be sufficient?

Half Hitch sells frozen Porgies for bait and frozen Spanish Mackeral. Will these works?

The big question here is I will not being kayaking out to drop my bait. How far out do I need to wade to get in the strike zone. Could I have any luck short of the first sandbar early in the morning?

Does Menhaden oil help attract sharks to frozen bait? I plan on applying some oil and thawing out the frozen bait with the oil over night.

:usaflag

Shark from the beach

GoVols — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:35:57 GMT

Anybody catch any sharks just wading out a few yards and casting. Any catches close to the beach worth noting?

Tying sevenstrand shark leader?

IanR — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:02:32 GMT

I've been using about 130 lb. straight wire leader and noticed it kinks [i]alot[/i]. I actually had something chomp through it as well. Don't know how much bigger i want to go. Is there anyway to tie sevenstrand? I'm guessing the haywire twist won't work. Or do i need to use crimps? And about how much do the cost? Would it be less hassle to stay with straight leader? Thanks!

fwb pier fishing

jettster — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:06:07 GMT

hey all going to fwb in a week and was wanting a report looking for spanish and blues are any coming in and on what thanks for the input in advance

Surf Redfish

FishnGator — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:52:04 GMT

Okay guys, I have the Pompano thing figured out so now I'm targeting a big Redfish or two. I'm going early tomorrow morning so I really need some advice tonight. I have made up several fish finder rigs and plan to get some live bull minnows. I usually fish down past Portofino but I was looking at some spots on MSN Maps that look pretty good down Ft. Pickens Rd. Where have some of you caught some big Redfish? What bait have you had the most success with? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Chris

Popping corks from the surf or pier??

monsterflat — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:01:25 GMT

I've heard some people say it's a good idea to use pop corks off the pier or the beach - anyone care to share their success stories regarding this method?? What bait you used?? How far to throw? Circle hooks or regular? Leader length? Leader material?

Is there any way of keeping hardtail alive on the beach?

IanR — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:31:53 GMT

I caught about 2 dozen hardtails and a few ladyfish for bait on saturday and i was wondering how i could keep them alive for shark fishing at night. I don't really want to get an air bubbler. I kept a few in my bucket but they only lasted about 10 minutes. I was thinking about putting them in a mesh bag and anchoring then in deeper water. Maybe a stringer? Appreciate the help!

Surf Fishing Gear, Basics?

Fedzilla — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:25:30 GMT

I'm surprised there isn't a Stickey or something on Surf fishing for beginners, or just the basics, Pointers, as far as poles, reels, rigs, and bait. I see alot of small questions being asked on various subjects, but you have to search around alot, and the search function here is a little bit of a pain, bringing up a bunch of posts not relevent to what your searching for, but using the same wordage. So maybe if a stickey was added, where beginners such as myself could go a read and see what is needed, what to look for when picking out gear, what to stay away from, what to lookout for in the water, what type rigs and bait to use to target certain species, times to go, weather. Basically just a single thread that has nothing but information from you veterans on getting started. Sorry for the little rant, I just have alot of questions and noticed there wasn't a Noob Stickey; everyone has got to start somewhere.

Since I live close to Navarre beach and see people surf fishing, I've been interested, but I don't know where to start, and evryone has different opinions. I'm just looking for info regarding Rod a reel combos, and size. Since I'm new and on a budget, I don't have the fund to spend 100s of dollars on a rod and reel. So I've been looking at Wal-Mart and have noticed a couple rods, but don't know whats what. What they might be designed for, one is a Daiwa D-wave with a 9' rod, and the other is a Penn SV6000 with a Penn 8'8" rod, then they have one of those huge monsters that almost touch the ceiling, prices from said rods range from $40-$80, and they are all spinning reels. I'd like to start with Pomps (or whatever I can catch) but would like to fish for bigger fish possible sharks eventually. My question is, would I need two different rods or could I fish for both with the same rod, just different rigging? What size rod for what, 8', 9', 10', 15'? What kind of reel Spinning, or something else?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm just eager to get out there and learn! Thanks guys, and be easy on my noobness, I kind of need to be spoon fed till I start getting the fishing jargon down.:baby

Cajun Red Lightning Mono

tnmule — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 08:48:25 GMT

Thinking about spooling my surf reel with 20#. Any thoughts? If not this line, then which one? Not a big fan of braid. Thanks.

tica TC2

Bowtech28 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:59:30 GMT

Anyone use a Tica surf rod? just wondering if it would be worth picking one up

Destin Surf-fishin'

SemperFi-sh — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:53:51 GMT

I'll be in Destin this weekend. I live in Pace (Flight School), but my family is going to be over at the condo. Was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for surf fishing. I've done well fishing right off the back of the condo in the past, but I think it might start getting crowded this time of year. Are there any other places that might produce? The jetty perhaps?

Dave

Anywhere along the beach you can't fish?

tnmule — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:10:23 GMT

I am staying in Gulf Shores at the Lighthouse the week of 9/14/2008. This is close to State Park land and the old pier. Are you allowed to surf fish on the park land or near the old pier? I'm getting my gear ready but I don't want any trouble fishing where I should'nt. Is there any advantage to fishing close to the old pier? Does the structure hold any fish? Thanks for any info.

Fort Morgan Surf Fishing Questions\Help

jdw34 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:54:01 GMT

Hello,

I will be stay at the 3 mile marker near Fort Morgan the first two weeks in August. We are planning on doing a lot of Surf Fishing. I've spent time almost every summer at Fort Morgan and have spent a lot of hours fishing in the area. From the Docks at the old Fort Morgan Marina to early mornings at the point. I really enjoy the fishing in the area and I'm really looking forward to some good surf fishing with my son and father.

Couple questions though. We've always used fairly light tackle and caught hardtails, ladyfish, specks...etc. This year I want to target some bigger stuff. Maybe some Blues, Reds, King...etc. You know...the good stuff. :toast Well what I need\want to know is what is the best way to catch bigger stuff off the beach? What do I need?

I've been reading about Gulps and some of the other great information on this site and I think I have a pretty good idea, but would like a little more guidance for this particular area.

ANY advice would be greatly appreciated.

JDW34

Setting the hook

reggie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:52:56 GMT

I've just started surf fishing recently and I'm having some trouble using the circle hooks they put on pompano rigs. I just can't seem to set the hook right. I read somewhere on the forum you don't jerk with these but just reel the line in or something, but I keep pulling ladyfish in but by the time they get within 10-20 yards they come off the hook. What's the best way to set a circle hook?

Also, what else can be caught surf fishing besides pompano and ladyfish, thats all I've had luck with so far?

Prerigged shark rigs

GoVols — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:20:13 GMT

Are the shark rigs that are already made any good for surf fishing? I am stopping into HalfHitch and plan on picking up the shark rigs they have there.

first time shark fishing tonight

MACKdaddy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:04:41 GMT

hey this is my first post on here. anyways yesterday i caught a couple lady fish of the p'cola pier and decided to keep them for shark bait tonight since i have never fished for sharks before im totally clueless on the subject. now to the questions. do i use just the head of the ladyfish or what? i got some 8/0 hooks is that a good enough size? and also what pound leader should i use?

Need Shark Bait

MCHawk — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:07:27 GMT

I am heading done to Perdido Key Saturday for the week and my 14 yo son is dying to do some shark fishing. I don't know if we will get down in time to catch a few ladys or blues for Saturday night. Anyone know where I can get a couple of bonita or even large fresh dead mullet Saturday afternoon. Should be o.k. for the rest of the week, I'm bringing some kids who will cast all day for ladys and blues. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Johnson Sprite

GoVols — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:37:30 GMT

Anybody use these for ladyfish or anything else off the surf? I've had luck in the past but I don't here them mentioned as much as the gotchas. Anybody use the teasers that come with them?

where is chickenbone?

DukeDevil91 — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:27:29 GMT

Plan to do a little sharkin tonight. Where is chickenbone. Can somebody give me directions from Navarre?

Surf fishing lures

Bowtech28 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:07:46 GMT

My question is what lures would you recommend for surf fishing. I have never had luck with artificial baits except a bubble rig with a 12-18 inch leader and a piece of mcdonalds straw over a treble hook and the only thing i have caught with that is ladyfish. I would like to try some new lures this year while waiting for the big one to grab my cut bait.Any help would be much appreciated.

Setting drag on reel for shark

GoVols — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 21:15:24 GMT

Ok, here is a question. I plan on setting my drag loose so if I get a shark to run it won't feel much resistence. Once the shark is running, do I tighten the drag then set the hook, or do I attempt to set the hook while the drag is still loose?

Topwater in the surf?

sleepyluke — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:20:07 GMT

I have been reading here and trying anywhere else to find info on surf fishing basics and ran across a topic about topwater baits in the surf that was pretty old and i can't find it again, but it did not anwer the question, only creat a new one for me. It said to throw about anything out and reel as fast as you can back in and hang on for the fun. It mentioned rogues, can i use my old tried and true bass rogues, are do i need bigger ones for the surf, or what is a decent topwater? i love to bass fish with the top water stuff, and this would be even more fun i think. I am leaving to come south to Perdido tomorrow, so whatever i can take out of the freshwater tackle boxes will be greatly appreciated.

Coming home for reunion - surf and inshore

fishtails — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:13:08 GMT

Hi folks,

I'm coming home this weekend for my 30th class reunion, GBHS! Anyway, I'm going to be in town for a week and plan on fishing every day, either surf, inshore, or offshore with my nephew or b-in-law. Anyway, they got the offshore bit down over there cause they never left the panhandle. So I'm not concerned about that. I'll be staying at Santa Rosa Dunes and hope I can just cross the road to the gulf for some good surf fishing. I was wondering if there is a bite on right now. Whiting or pomps or anything else. The last time I brought my boat and fished inshore but am having some problems with the motor right now and there's no time to fix, so surf in the gulf and wade fishing in the sound throwing topwaters in early am is the plan this time. Anyway, what can I look forward to? I normally (when surf fishing here in Fernandina) use salted shrimp for my primary bait and then use what I catch for cut bait. Any other suggestions? I haven't surf fished P'cola since I was a kid. Yeesh, that was a long time ago. How about cobs (ling) or tarpon from the beach? Thanks.

Mark

Johnson beach

river rat — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:45:23 GMT

Good morning ya'll. Heading down this weekend with the grand kids, could ya'll let me know about the surf, any jelly's around?

shark reels

sand crab — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:33:46 GMT

I'm trying to figure out what would be a good reel for shark fishing. last month out fishing and the guy next to me was catching bull reds .I wanted to have fun. I cut up a catfish and tossed it out. I caught a 37# sand shark on my pomp rig with 20# test and no. 3 circle hook . Was lucky the line held no leader,I'm hook now.

What would be a good reel for these bad boys. been looking at a couple reels

newel with a line cap 50/500 gear ratio 4.6:1

senor with line cap 50/475 GEAR R 2.9:1

or a different reel. my budget is limited . would like to join you all fishing in Navarre

Shark Fishing Questions

froglegs — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:31:09 GMT

Greeting guys and gals,

I am heading down next week and plan to try to beach a shark. I don't have all of the right gear but I will be using my Striper rod and real. If it doesn't work then oh well...at least I tried.

1) Can you guys give me some insight on what type of rig to use as far as leader,lead, hooks, etc.?

2) I am fairly certain I will be able to catch some ladies, hardtails, pomps, catfish etc. Do those make for good baits? Do you fish them whole, cut them up, alive, etc.?

3) I may or may not have access to a yak. If i don't i will likely be casting some form of cut bait or whole smaller fish (see #2). How far out do I need to be in order to have a shot at any size shark? Given my tackle constraints I am looking for the 30 - 50 lb range.

4) What time is best to fish? I presume night but would love your take.

Thanks in advance!

Ryan

Land Based Shark Tournament

cudaman — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:45:23 GMT

It's time to leave the boat at the dock!

The sharktourney.com site is still taking team entries for the 4th Annual Shorebound Shark Tourney. The tournament is open to all of Florida. If interested, check out the sites. Thanks.

[url]http://www.boatlessfishing.com[/url]
[url]http://www.shoreboundsharktourney.com/docs/Team_Entry_Package.pdf[/url]

[url=http://www.shoreboundsharktourney.com/docs/Team_Entry_Package.pdf][IMG]http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/cudaman100/sharktourneyposter_smaller.jpg[/IMG][/url]

Tight lines and lots of fish.

sharktourney.com

bait and tackle shops

tcsurfisher — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:56:51 GMT

help put together list of bait shops from al to fort walton

Need Rod Advice

SemperFi-sh — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:49:03 GMT

I recently picked up a 4500 series Shimano Baitrunner reel. I'm looking to spool it with 20-25# line and mostly use it for surf fishing, maybe some pier fishing. What kind of rod would you all suggest for this? I'd like something that would be a sort of "in between rod" for the two previous locations. Also, what do yall think about the proposed line weights? Thanks in advance for all advice,

Dave

Surf fishing w/snagging gear?

Joshua0606 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:14:09 GMT

I have been coming to the Pensacola Beach with my family for as long as I can remember. I have always wanted to try surf fishing but never got around to it. My question is if my rod and reel set up that I use for snagging will work for surf fishing? I have a 15' ugly stick with a Calcutta 700 loaded with 30lb blue big game line.

tie your own

tcsurfisher — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:13:40 GMT

have made an easy jig to tie my own rigs. double bottom and hooks on leaders so that when done surf fishing just hook off swivel to bottom eyelet and hook the hooks together so they dont get tangled.with a little practice they are better then any store bought jig.if any?let me know. tony aka tcsurfisher

Decent bait shop?

sleepyluke — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:42:44 GMT

I have been reading and learning a good bit here, but will be down on the 20th staying in Perdido Key right before the bridge into Pensacola and can not picture in my head where a bait/tackle shop is. I am looking for basic surf supplies (leaders, baits, license, etc) but would prefer someone that is not going to try to sell me the store. There will be 4 of us that have fished for about anything that swims, but never surf fished, so we are just out to catch something and eating them would be a bonus. Looking to fish early mornings and even evenings into night probably. Thanks for the info and more questions to come in the next week.

Also, is thee a website/pamphlet or something that I might get without breaking the bank that will give identification and slots/limits and that type of thing?

Luke

Upcoming Navarre trip

Kygent — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:03:04 GMT

Hey all, fairly new lurker here, great site with great info.

My family and I will be staying in Navarre the week of July 4th. I will be bringing some med. sized bass tackle for some early morning surf fishing behind the condo. It's the 3 big ones next to the pier (can't remeber what the hell they are called).

My questions are...what should I expect to catch? (looking to get some whiting). Are there some decent holes anywhere near walking distance from the condo? I would assume that the area just east of the pier would be my best bet.

I will probably be using some shrimp for bait, never tried catching fleas but if they are there I will try for them.

Any and all comments/suggestions will be appreciated. If you see a guy fishing that has no clue, that would be me. Stop by and say hello and drink a beer or 3 with me.

? About shore fishing in Apalachicola fl

Sandys Toy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:06:54 GMT

Going to be in Apalachicola for a couple of days, not taking the boat. Anyone know where I might be able to wet a line from shore over there? Any input would be great. Thanks in advance....Devin

New to surf fishing, need some guidance

reggie — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:11:58 GMT

I recently caught the fishing bug after not fishing for several years. I've never done any saltwater fishing and I'd like to learn surf fishing. I've got a decent 11' surf fishing rod. One guy I talked to at a tackle store told me to use a pompano rig and shrimp. I haven't gotten a chance to go out and try it yet and I have a lot of questions that i was hoping some people more knowledgeable than me could assist me with. My first question is should I just hook some shrimp onto the several hooks and cast out as far as I can? If so, do I need to make sure I can throw it beyond the sand bar to have any success, I'm still kind of lost as to where I need to place the bait in relation to the beach. I would also like to know what good artificial lures I could use for surf fishing; I always enjoyed casting with crankbaits in freshwater and I was hoping there was a more active technique available for surf fishing. Another question I have is when is the best time for fishing, is there any hope of catching anything in the middle of the day or is it best to just wait until dusk before I should expect any success?

And one final query, I also have a 7' spinning rod and reel, are there any effective methods for using it for surf fishing?

Sharkfishing the surf question

bullmaster — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:01:54 GMT

I live and in TX and have been sharkin for over 30 yrs and will be in the PCB are in June.How far out do most of you run your lines out off the beach?I have a kayak,a 14/0,12/0,10/0 and 2 9s.I am used to going out at least 600- 700 yds and Im hoping I wont have to work as hard when I get down there in paradise.Thanks, this is a great site.

wading out to cast further

Big Dave — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:45:49 GMT

When fishing for Redfish do most fishermen wade out as far as possible to cast or do they stay on the sand? Last November I was wading out as usual and a Bull Shark came agressively close really close in. Ate the end of my rod before I could get back to sand. I was only thigh deep. Been reluctant to wade out since.

Big Dave