Surf fishing questions

[themadhunter]

I've never done any surf fishing down in Galveston. I've got my girls this weekend and they've both started showing more and more interest in fishing, so I thought I would take them down there.
Is there a particular area you have to go for surf fishing or just anywhere there's not people in the water? Are there better times of the day? I'm just wanting to put a couple of surf rods out, and hope to hook something and let them help reel them in.

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated


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[kickingback]

Look up YouTube videos on surf fishing and many will explain how to find a ggod location on the beach to fish. They describe the waves and where the fish are in the surf. These will help you fish the best tactics. As for the best spot, any shoreline with the conditions correct will do.

[Yaklash]

A few ways to go, wading the surf with lures or live bait, long casting with a long rod rigged with cut bait or yakking baits out (an extension of long rodding). IMO, none of these are much fun or very successful if the water is trashed and/or the waves are crashing hard over all three and sand bars.

I fish between SLP and Surfside (on what's technically called Follett's Island), and I drive down the beach until I get to a place that's not covered up with anglers. If you are there early, you can't "spot" bait, but if you are there after sun-up, look for rafts of mullet, especially nervous mullet. If you get there before first light is basically a leap of faith as to whether there is going to be much bait where you park.

I prefer wading the surf and throw topwaters early, followed by suspending jerkbaits, soft plastics or (the idiot proof) Spoons. Spoons are probably the most underrated and underutilized bait for wading the surf. It works great, plus it casts into the wind better than almost anything. You can go with lures like I do or fish live bait under a popping cork. Live bait can be tricky to keep alive, so if you aren't aware of how to do that, instead throw Gulp Shrimp or Gulp Swimming Mullet under a popping cork. This time of year, you are almost wasting your time if you aren't there before 7:00 am. It's preferred that you get set up before first light; it's called the Dawn Patrol and the early bird gets the trout.

If you want to long rod fish (sounds like you do), you are probably going to catch more reds, shark and trash fish than trout. A small rig with a light weight and some dead shrimp (for the girls), can get you some croaker, sand trout and whiting - all good table fair, if you're looking to eat some pan fish. But this will involve them wading out to the second bar and casting out towards the third bar (if you don't know which bar is which, you can just look for the rows of waves or breakers). You won't usually have to wade through water deeper than 3 feet to get to the second bar - no need to go any deeper except to get outside of any breakers on the second bar.

And this is the final tip. There are times during the summer that the surf will be loaded with crabs. I haven't done so in many years (because I am more interested in trout), but you can fill an ice chest with crabs if the conditions are right.

Good luck, have fun and be careful.

[Crusader]

If you want to long rod fish (sounds like you do), you are probably going to catch more reds, shark and trash fish than trout. A small rig with a light weight and some dead shrimp (for the girls), can get you some croaker, sand trout and whiting - all good table fair, if you're looking to eat some pan fish. But this will involve them wading out to the second bar and casting out towards the third bar (if you don't know which bar is which, you can just look for the rows of waves or breakers). You won't usually have to wade through water deeper than 3 feet to get to the second bar - no need to go any deeper except to get outside of any breakers on the second bar.

One more hint -- take trout class rod, rig it with two crappie-size jigs with smallest gulp mullet (1.5" I think) and cast into 2nd gut. You should get ton of action -- sandtrout, croaker and even trout. I tried it few times in surf (after trout bite ended) -- it is awesome, you suddenly realize how much fish is around you. A bite literally on every cast. Even caught a small (~5") flounder once.

[karstopo]

I've never done any surf fishing down in Galveston. I've got my girls this weekend and they've both started showing more and more interest in fishing, so I thought I would take them down there.
Is there a particular area you have to go for surf fishing or just anywhere there's not people in the water? Are there better times of the day? I'm just wanting to put a couple of surf rods out, and hope to hook something and let them help reel them in.

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated
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My teenage daughter likes to surf fish. We've gone to Bryan beach and Surfside. I think we like Bryan beach better, just because we seem to get a few more sharks there.

I used to cast topwaters and let her and her brother reel in fish I hooked. She really prefers bait fishing. That means for us throwing a cast net at mullet in the surf. Sometimes, I'll bring along frozen mullet to bait out until I catch some fresh stuff.

I like circle hooks and spider weights. You can buy these leaders pre-rigged or make your own. Get you 2-4rod holders, 2-4 indifferent rods and reels with a decent amount of line, some terminal tackle like hooks and weights and you should be in business.

So I'll have one smaller rig with smaller hooks and that might be in the first gut or the near shore side of the second. That's a whiting rig. Small hooks, small bait, could be even peeled shrimp.

Then I'll have one, two or three bigger rigs. Longer rods and bigger reels with more line. I'll try to chunk them in the farthest gut I can safely reach. 20-30 pound mono is nice, with heavier terminal tackle.

So basically when we do this I'm busy like all the time. I'm baiting rigs, catching bait, re-rigging, taking off fish, walking rods out to cast, walking rods back in, repeat. We get a mix of fish like sharks, redfish, gafftop, hardheads, and whiting. Sharks might break off. I've used wire leaders to help with that.

I'm by no means an expert at this, but we get some action anyway. I'll use cut and live mullet. I cut the bigger mullet and live fish the smaller ones. I hate buying bait mainly because we enjoy catching bait. Kids love to see what's in the cast net. My daughter throws a cast net pretty well. A minnow seine is also fun, but more work.

Sometimes, it's too rough to comfortably fish. Sometimes there is too much seaweed. Sometimes, the current causes issues.

There was a group of families that would set up and fish just in front of a beach house we stayed in at Surfside. They recently were from the Middle East, can't remember the country, maybe Jordan. I talked with them so that's how I knew about that. They fished in a real interesting way. They had these super long rods, bamboo it looked like, with no reel, just a section of line and a hook and weight. They used peeled shrimp it looked like and stood on the second bar and cane pole style cast the shrimp into the gut. It was constant whiting action.

[TroutSupport.com]

The challenge with the surf is that it's miles and miles of the same structure (bars and guts)... every once in a while there will be a pit gut.. That's a gut that get's pinched off at the beach and the current from the water in that gut has to flow back out across the 2nd gut and bar... usually a lot of bait and even sharks too.

read the water and look for the sign as well.. bait concentrations are a good place to start, same with seeing slicks and birds.

And yes... i'd tend to move along the beach somewhere swimmers aren't allowed etc.. just more enjoyable. The end of the seawall seems to be a decent place for fishing. Typically both sides of the outside of San Luis Pass are good too but you're going to have to be ready to bounce if it's too fresh in those areas. Lot of fresh came down the Brazos and the San Bernard... those flows are curtailing and those areas should be slowly getting better.

[themadhunter]

Thanks for all the replies gentleman! Much appreciated!


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