# Ruff surf fishing?



## clevesque1118 (Mar 12, 2008)

I live on Navarre Beach and it has been very windy, and the surf has been very ruff. I have not even tried to go fishing. Can you catch fish in that kind of conditions, or is it a waste of time?


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## jryno (Nov 8, 2007)

While I am no expert, fishing in the surf would be a challenge with conditions like these. But the fish are there and they are hungry. (There was a decent run of pompano at the Pensacola Pier yesterday). You will need to use a bigger pyramid sinker obviously. If you can find a good washout,and if the water isn't totally muddy, you have a decent chance of catching fish. Peace.


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## Castaway (Oct 26, 2007)

You can still fish and not have to use 10 pounds of weight. Just find some of these at the store. Good luck.


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## jack 'em (Oct 5, 2007)

If it isnt TOO rough its actually better than if it were calm.


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

I think you might have needed 10 pounds of lead yesterday...I was on the pier and it must have been 10 foot waves, and the current was ripping to the west.


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## etheraldreamer (Mar 6, 2008)

I second the spider weight idea. and there are usually tons of fish in the surf...its all stirred up and they like to see what has been uncovered to eat...or so i understand it. always had good luck in ruff surf when i can keep a bait out.


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## fishingnoob (Oct 20, 2007)

i fished this weekend on navarre beach with pretty bad waves and managed to get a 4oz lead to stick ...also been out with worse conditions and had the same results although sometime it sticks to well and have a hard time getting it back lol


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## mack_attack2 (Nov 24, 2007)

you can still catch plenty of fish but the problem is keeping your weights from moving around


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## sniper (Oct 3, 2007)

Hawkeye, 

I love your avitar. I watched it for 30 minutes to see what happens. That is funny.


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## Stressless (Oct 2, 2007)

Pyramid sinker



You can tell by the waves Sunday morning that it was snotty - also look for a decent hole and fish just inside the breakers where it's deepest. When it warms up swim out and you'll see/feel a big dropoff right behind where the suds end. Drop your baits there and wait for it to happen. Also use lighter line to reduce the drag with the longshore current. Our post below has the area long of the first sandbar - we caught every fish just short of the first sandbar where the dropoff is.



http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/fishingforum/Topic79851-17-1.aspx 



:mmmbeer

stressless


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## j_purdy (Oct 9, 2007)

You can fish when it gets rough, I mean really rough, but you need a few things. Long rods and long pole holders help keep your line out of the waves(less drag on the line). Smaller diameter lines(braids, etc.) also help reduce drag. The spider wieghts can be agreat help if your rods don't want to throw 5 or 6 ozs. The most important thing to note when it's rough is the spot you fish. The bottom is really stirred up, and the fish are feeding, but only in certain areas can you effectively fish for them. Look for areas of reduced current as this slower water can really hold fish. If you have a strong E wind for instance, find a shallow point that extends out from shore. This breaks up the East-West current and usually forms a nice washout behind the point in the more sheltered water. Same thing with a strong S wind. Find a shallow bar out from shore with a good hole behind it. The waves lose a lot of theirforce breaking over the bar, and they wash bait, etc. off the bar and into the hole of deeper water behind. My personal belief...Red flag=Redfish action. Tight Lines.

-Jason


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## Turbow (Mar 7, 2008)

Another good trick to get your weights to stick on rough days, especially with a cross-wind/current, is to cast your line up current/wind from where your rod holder is. This will keep that huge "bow" out of your line and keep the wind and current from getting a good grip on your line to rip your weight loose.I will usually walk up current 50 yards when its bad, cast straight out, and walk back to my rod holder. Doing this with a 12' rod loaded with PowerPro and a 5oz weight has served me well. 

I can easily say I do much better on the days when the surf is stirred up. The fish come in much closer to feed with all the baitfish that get washed in.


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## Fishermon (Oct 19, 2007)

I have a friend that surf fishes at least6 days a week, all conditions...and he swears by rough surf being the best.... he gets fish I'd say85-90%% of the time he goes out....by the way he loves that south east wind big time....I fact he is over there( NB) as I type.....I called him and could hear him barely... wind is blowing hard this afternoon. Now that's him...I did try myself yesterday and got nothing...he asked me if I moved around, changed spots, etc....I said not really!...."well?" he said. So poepleis right when they say...if thereis not action in the first 30 mnts..."move" walk the beach till you find the fish. I'm still learning lots about surf fishing myself, butI guess Im starting to have a feel for it now....my Pompano fever still going strong......Good luck.


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## Get'n Wade (Oct 28, 2007)

My Dad would take a Bank or a Pyramid sinker and drill somesmall holes and run a drywall screw in them in the same pattern as that spider weight.They won't go anywhere.


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## jryno (Nov 8, 2007)

The best part about Hawkeye's avitar is after about 20 minutes the bodies start stacking up. You have to watch it carefully and don't let your eyes wander off of the screen. Peace.


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