When
Along the Panhandle we have lots of opportunities for surf fishing. The best time for surf fishing is March-November, however, some years we have good surf fishing all year if we have a warm winter. Our main targets are Pompano and Whiting, but many other species are available including Redfish, Blue Fish, Ladyfish, Blue Runners, Spanish, Black Drum, Sharks, Sheepshead, and Bonita.
Pompano
Whiting
Tides and weather play a big part in surf fishing. The fish will bite anytime during the day but the best times are when the tide is either rising or falling. During the warmer months, early morning and late afternoon combined with a tidal change is by far the best. During the winter months, fishing the days leading up to a cold front when the temps are slightly warmer and there is a southerly wind with some wave action is best.
Where
When fishing any of the ares on the beach always try and fish different depths to locate the fish.
The number one area to fish is a rip current, this is the prime area to catch pompano and other species. Other beach features that can hold fish are points, holes, cuts and troughs. Troughs are the highways the fish use to travel the beaches looking for rips to feed in and after rips, troughs are the next best area to fish.
Cuts and rips generally occur between two points.
Holes that form between two points can also hold fish, these are typically rips or cuts that have not fully formed or that are begging to fill in due to storms.
Points are generally not as good as the area between them for pompano but can be excellent areas to try for pelagic like spanish, cobia, jack crevalle and sharks.
Rods and Reels
You are going to need a surf rod and reel in the 8' to 12' range with medium to medium light action.
It would be nice to have a smaller rod, 6' to 7' medium light action that you can cast pompano jigs and spoons for fish that you see cruising the shallows or busting on the surface.
For a surf reel on your larger combo, choose a reel around the 8000 size and for your smaller rod, something around the 4000 size is best.
Line
On your longer bottom fishing combo, use a 15 lb to 25 lb mono line or even better yet a 30 lb to 50 lb Power Pro Braided line.
The nice thing about braid is it casts about 10% to 20% farther than mono, last 2 or 3 times as long, but the downside is that it costs slightly more.
On your smaller combo used for casting jigs and spoons, use 10 lb to 15 lb mono and better yet is 20 lb to 30 lb Power Pro Braided line.
Rigs
You can buy pre-made commercial rigs, or tie your own. If you are going to tie your own rigs, I would use 25 lb. Seaguar Fluorocarbon. The nice thing about fluorocarbon is that it is invisible to the fish and you will get more bites. What makes Fluorocarbon invisible to fish is that it is the same density as saltwater and does not refract light.
Many rigs come with a small float just above the hook. The small float serves two purposes, first, as an attractor second, it floats your bait just off the bottom so the small crabs in the surf do not steal it so fast.
Leads
You can use either pyramid sinkers or spider leads. I personally like pyramid leads but many people choose the spider leads because they hold better in the sand. My only problem with the spider leads is that sometimes they hold too well and don’t release from the bottom when you get a bite.
I always use a lead no smaller than 3 oz. no matter what the surf conditions are. The main reason is twofold. You need to cast the rig out and give it just a minute for the lead to settle into the sand, then, reel the line tight where the rod has just enough tension for it to have a slight bend when placed in the rod holder.
Two things can happen when you get a bite, the fish grabs the bait and runs offshore setting the hook himself; the second the fish grabs the bait and runs towards the shore. When using a 3 oz. or larger lead, there is enough tension when the fish dislodges that the lead will set the hook for you.
When the fish bites and runs offshore, you will see the rod bend over and bounce signaling you have a fish on. When the fish bites and runs towards the shore, the rod with the slight bend will stand straight up with slack in the line signaling the fish is on and heading towards you.
Lastly, many times I will paint my leads Orange, Pink or Yellow with Vinyl Lure and Jig Finish paint. I do this as an attractor because many of the fish are drawn to colors.
Rod Ready for Bite
Rod with Fish Running Offshore
Fish Running Toward Shore
Baits
Sand Fleas are by far the best bait for surf fishing. You have heard the phrase, “Match the hatch” well, sand fleas are the most common food for fish in the surf. Other things that make good bait are live shrimp, fiddler crabs, and fresh peeled shrimp. The reason for fresh peeled shrimp over frozen is that when you freeze anything, ice crystals form in the frozen product and when it thaws it loses some natural oils and flavor. When you use fresh peeled shrimp, you peel the shrimp and place it on the hook and cast out. It then begins letting out the natural oils and flavors into the water acting much like chum to attract the fish.
When using sand fleas, live is the best and much of the spring we have live ones for sale. Frozen will work, but live or fresh is best. If I had a choice, smaller is better than too big. I would much rather have two tiny sand fleas on one hook rather than one that is too big. When hooking a sand flea, hook from the bottom side through the digging flipper then through the back of the shell. Be careful not to break the shell when pushing the hook through so it will not fly off when you cast.
To catch sand fleas along the surf, you will need a sand flea rake. During the high tide period look for the sand fleas as they scurry along the surf line and dig into the sand. Also look for beds of sand fleas. They make small V’s in the sand where only the tentacles are exposed to filter plankton. Sand fleas will live well in a cooler with ice for several days. Use a cooler with a sandwich tray, put ice in the bottom of the cooler and keep moist but not soupy sand in the sandwich tray, put the sand fleas in the sand. If you plan to keep the sand fleas for several days you will need to take them to the beach and wash them twice daily and replace the sand with fresh sand as they produce waste in their sand that will eventually kill them.
The best time to really get the sand fleas is at night when we have a high tide during the evening hours. Use a flash light to locate them; they are much less skittish after dark.
Some artificial choices that work well are FishBites, Fishgum, Berkley Gulp Sand Fleas, and Berkley SurfBytes.
Sand Spikes, Surf Carts, and Accessories
On your sand spikes, make sure they are well buried in the sand. I have seen many sand spikes get pulled over and the rod get dragged into the water and lost. I use a rubber mallet to pound the sand spike into the sand so it will stay in place.
Having a good beach cart to get all your stuff to the beach is a must have item. Angler's Fish-N-Mate has a wide variety of beach carts availiable and all of them include rod holders. Be sure to choose one with balloon tires as they are well suited to the sand.
Things that Affect the Pompano Bite
Water Temps
Pompano begin to bite in 62-65 degree water and ten to slow down once it reaches 80. They don’t like those warmer temps and move offshore to deeper water and there are more predators to eat them.
When Conditions are too Calm
Wind creates waves and waves churn the water, exposing sand fleas, shrimp, and coquinas for food. It’s also hard to tell sometimes where the troughs, holes, and cuts are. You need water movement. Fish incoming tides, high tide, and outgoing tide. Check wind and tide apps. The photo below is an example of what we would consider to be perfect conditions.
June Grass and Sargasso Weed
June grass is an annual algae bloom. June grass will shut down the bite and generally lasts about six weeks unless we have a storm to disipate it. Some years we have almost no sargasso weed, other years we have a lot. Both June grass and sargasso weed weigh down the line and cover you bait. Try relocation to a different beach or area.
Overcrowded Beaches and Swimmers
Fish as early and late as possible to avoid the crowds as they push the fish offshore and shut down the bite.
Dirty Water
Pompano are primarily sight feeders and dirty water from storms and runoff will shut down the bite. You will mostly only catch catfish and sharks in dirty water.
Other Species
While bottom fishing for Pompano, Whiting and Redfish I always have my smaller rod rigged with a pompano jig in case I spot a fish cruising near the shore. It is also a good idea to have a few spoons or got-cha plugs in case any Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish, Blue Runners or Bonita are cruising along busting the surface.
Shark Fishing
There are quite a few sharks in the surf and they can be caught during the day or evening hours. The best baits are Northern mackerel, Bonita chunks, Ladyfish chunks or Bluefish chunks. We use a wire leader 150 lb. to 270 lb., twisted wire, or #10 Malin wire with a 12/0 or 13/0 Mustad 39960 circle hook.
