Surf Fishing with Captain Crush

Happy Monday Spacefish!

Like a lot of anglers around the Space Coast, I tend to spend most of my free time poking around the Indian River Lagoon in my kayak, chasing redfish, trout, snook, and the occasional tarpon. I also enjoy kayak bassin’ all over Central Florida. But every now and then it’s good to switch things up, and that’s exactly what I did this the week before last.

Instead of launching the kayak before daylight, I grabbed my two boys, Seven and Hendrix, and met up with Spacefish publisher John Collingsworth – better known to us as the captain of The Crush Station – for a family surf fishing trip along Melbourne Beach. If you’ve spent any time around John, you know two things. First, he’s one of the nicest people you’ll meet. Second, he knows how to catch fish from the surf.

John had us rigged with simple double-drop pompano rigs tipped with fresh sand fleas and strips of fish bites, and it didn’t take long before rods started bending. The bite stayed steady throughout the afternoon into the evening, and before long we had assembled one of the most fun mixed bags I’ve been a part of in quite some time.

The stars of the day were undoubtedly the pompano. We landed multiple keeper fish, and there’s something special about watching your kids hold one of Florida’s most prized table fish with ear-to-ear smiles.

Pictured below, Seven proudly showed off his keeper while Hendrix quickly discovered that not everything crawling around the beach is a fish after finding himself fascinated by a feisty little crab.

Beyond the pompano, we added whiting, croaker, and even a sea robin to the day’s catch – which made Seven absolutely jubilant, as he has an unhealthy fascination with flying fish, and thought he had caught his first ever flying fish. While sea robins may never win any beauty contests, they’re always a welcome reminder that surf fishing can produce some wonderfully unexpected surprises.

One thing I was reminded of throughout the trip is just how accessible surf fishing really is. There’s no boat ramp to wait at. No kayak to unload. Just a handful of rods, a bucket of bait, a stretch of beach, and the anticipation of what might swim by in the next wave.

For families, it’s hard to beat. While the bait soaks in the trough and the rods sit in the holders, kids can build sandcastles, chase ghost crabs, rake for sand fleas, collect shells, or simply splash in the surf. Every few minutes someone gets to sprint toward a bouncing rod, never quite knowing what’s waiting on the other end.

As anglers, it’s easy to fall into routines. We all have our favorite techniques and confidence spots. But sometimes the best fishing trip isn’t about chasing your target species, it’s about making memories with your kids, learning from a friend, and appreciating another incredible fishery that the Space Coast has to offer.

A huge thank you to John, and Dorian for showing us a great time, and to Captain Crush for sharing his surf fishing knowledge with us and helping make it a day my boys won’t soon forget. Sometimes the best way to become a better angler is simply to fish somewhere different. We look forward to doing it again!

I took last week off because we went on a family trip to Marco Island, but next week I will have a report about my inaugural kayak fishing trip exploring the 10,000 islands! Until next week, tight lines!