With exception to a few days that were too stormy to fish, Tropical storm Elsa didn’t put to much of a damper on the surf fishing conditions during the prior week. When weather permitted, the clients who had the opportunity to get out and enjoy a trip with us were rewarded with diverse catches of whiting, pompano, snook, sharks and croakers. While the croaker bite continues its red hot action, we enjoy repurposing some of these catches for live bait rigs enticing the bigger snook patrolling the first trough. As these live bait rods soak, our shark rigs have continued their dominance with Blacktip sharks galore and a smattering of other sharks alike.
With that being said, it’s been extremely difficult to find any consistency on a day-to-day basis. Each particular day has exhibited completely random conditions along with a wide array of catches. About the only element that’s remained consistent is the croaker bite. Knowing that you’re going to have your fair share of croakers, be prepared for shorter soak times between catching and checking baits. For these reasons, we make it a point to diversify our targets while utilizing a multitude of setups.
Need some excitement beyond croakers and whiting? Try a different setup!
Alternatives to the traditional pompano rig with sandfleas and Fishbites can provide thrills to keep things exciting. When deploying live bait rigs with croakers or mullet, one can expect to land trophy snook, tarpon, and sharks. Fresh chunked bait can also be used to achieve the same goals.
If one’s targeting snook and tarpon, I recommend using a fish finder rig with 40-80lb fluorocarbon leader, 1-3ft in length, and a one to two ounce sinker. A large leader is recommended in this case because fish aren’t extremely “leader shy” this time of year. If they’re feeding, this will give you enough backbone to be prepared for a fish of a lifetime. These same rigs can also be used without any weight, free lined, letting the bait move unrestricted out past the first trough.
Noting on the inconsistency that’s made things challenging in the surf, make sure to try different area beaches and on opposing tides, as well. Recently, our surf fishing trips have been taking this approach to follow the fish while making it a point to NOT stick with a location that’s not producing. When doing so, we continue to find large residential pompano, whiting, croakers, snook and sharks.
The key is to remain flexible and be persistent — and good things will come. Get out there, have fun and find some fish!
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