surf_tips

Fishing in the surf is my favorite place to fish. It can be a memorable and exciting experience, and a little preperation can make it much easier. First off, there are many different types of fish, many more than are in the bay system, and the size of these fish ranges from 2" mullet to Tigersharks over 14'! While beasts of this size are very few and far between these days, they are still out there, however, the chances of running into a shark of this size is extremely rare. Sharks are NOT "man eaters" like some would like to believe. The chances of being bitten by a shark are extremely slim and shark attacks on Padre Island are very very rare. A word of caution though, if you do catch a shark, no matter what size, make sure that you handle it caution. If you can not remove the hook promptly, then just clip the leader close to the sharks mouth and let 'em loose. Make sure that you do not set the shark on the hot sand, but rather keep them on the wet sand close to the waters edge or, if it is a smaller shark, grip them right behind the head, making sure not to injure the gills. For larger sharks, make sure that you do not take them completely out of the water, as their interanl organs will be crushed by their own body weight. Sharks have no internal body structure, such as bones, to help support their body. They, like all wild creatures, can be unpredictable, expecially when they have been taken out of their own environment. For more info on catching, handling, tagging and releasing sharks please refer to Coastal Shark Fishing.
Fishing in the surf can be be done with either type of reel be it be bait casting or spinning. Fishing on the bottom, using a leader with a slip weight, can be productive for trout, redfish, lady fish, jack crevelles, whiting, pompano,small sharks, sand trout etc. Live shrimp, mullet, mud minnows, watermellon shad, wisker minnows,or any other bait fish that is in the water, are good choices for bait.
If the water is calm and the color is green to clear, lures can produce trout, spanish mackeral, redfish, jack crevelle, lady fish, blue fish, pompano, whiting, the ocasional king fish, tarpon, small sharks,and many more species of fish. When throwing a lure in the surf a leader should be used to prevent being cut off by the fish that have sharp teeth. Speck rigs, gold and silver spoons, Top Dogs, Saltwater Assassins, Man-o-lures and Mirolures are all good choices. A short section of 40lb mono will be sufficient for leader material to prevent cut offs. Remember to occasionally check the mono leader for frays and nicks, especially after catching a few fish or after a few strikes. Mackeral have extremely sharp teeth and are notorious for cutting people off.
If fishing early in the morning, fish the first gut. Game fish prowl up and down the first gut at sunlight in search of food. As the day goes on and the water warms up a little, they will move out into the second gut and beyond.
Look for birds working, by that I mean look for birds diving into the water. If the birds are diving that means that bait fish are being pushed to the top of the water by other, bigger fish, feeding fish below. Also look for guts that run perpendicualr to shore, look for dark areas where no waves are crashing that extend from shore on out.
Fishing on the Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) is some of the best in Texas. PINS is an undeveloped barrier island that was declared a national park in 1962. For more backround information refer to the Tales From the Deep section of Coastal Shark Fishing. The majority of PINS is only accessible by 4wd drive vehicle. Park entry fee is either $10 for a one time entry, or $20 for a yearly pass.

Have fun while fishing and remember all size and bag limits.

Practice catch and relase!