Summer surf fishing is in full swing on the Space Coast and warmer waters have led to a full-blown changing of the guards on local area beaches. Pompano, bluefish and mackerel are retreating to cooler temperatures to the north. While residential pompano will still be cruising the shorelines, it’s time to accept the fact that you will rarely reach a daily limit on this species. These residual pompano are larger-sized and will completely inhale rigs that are tipped with Fishbites and sand fleas; but, understand that you’re going to first have to weed through heaps of croakers, catfish, and whiting.
The past week brought in persistent, dirtier water, while pushing blue waters just out of casting reach. With that being said, at certain area beaches, the predominant bite is a relentless onslaught of croakers, catfish, and whiting. In terms of soaking time on each pompano rig, croakers stand above the rest. As soon as your rig hits the water, no quicker will you have a double-croaker bite, leaving little time for other species to discover your baits. If that isn’t enough, keep in mind, multiple rigs will be lost due to sharks attacking your squirming catch in the trough and beyond. Needless to say, with the current state of affairs, it’s been a battle to consistently attain a catch that will satisfy dinner requirements.
When the standard methods aren’t providing enough thrills, it’s time to switch gears. That’s exactly what we did on our shark fishing charters this week and tapped into a healthy amount of sharks in the surf. Blacktip, sandbar and nurse sharks thrilled clients with rod-bending, drag-screaming action. Nothing quite like hooking into a spiraling blacktip with each acrobatic contortion peeling drag like music to the ears! And, regardless of the size or species of shark you catch, you’re certain to be pumping adrenaline. Every. Single. Time.
Whether you are targeting pompano, snook, whiting, sharks — or anything in between — you will most likely want to gear-up in accordance with either of the following approaches:
(1) The “Dead Stick” method. I suggest varying the “dead stick” setup between standard pompano rigs (for whiting, pompano, flounder) and heavier setups for larger, live or chunked baits (for shark, tarpon and snook). This is a more stationary approach that does not require constant casting and retrieving, allowing you to relax a bit while still targeting a wide range of species.
(2) Working Artificials. Skip the setup and cast swim baits, diving plugs and jigs to work the shorelines for snook, tarpon, and the occasional flounder. This approach keeps you mobile with the advantage of covering ground and skipping the heavy hauling of a total gear setup.
Either way you gear up for surf fishing, it’s a welcomed time to get out early or late and wet a line.
Have fun, and get ’em on!
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.