Popular Surf Fishing Bait

Before heading out to fish the surf you'll have to decide what surf fishing bait to use. There are several popular bait varieties to choose from. Before you make a choice consider the following:

• Will you be targeting a specific surf fish or going for pot luck?
• Do you plan to fish in the breakers or past the sandbar?
• Remember your surf fishing rigs should be sized to the bait you choose.
• Have you checked any surf fishing reports for the type of action to expect?
  

Lets start with the fishing reports. You should be able to learn:

• Where to find fish
• What kind of fish to target
• What bait is best to start with
  

Once you have an idea what location to fish and where in the surf the fish are feeding you know whether you'll be fishing the breakers or past the sandbar in the trough. You should also know what you will be fishing for and the bait you want to use.

If you weren't able to get any reports and have no idea what to use then you are stuck with pot luck. In that case your best bet is to go with shrimp. Shrimp is the universal saltwater bait. Practically every fish found in the surf will take live shrimp.

Here's a short list of popular surf fishing bait you could choose from.

Shrimp

Shrimp is my first choice unless I have reliable surf fishing reports for action on other baits or I'm planning to fish for sharks. The list of possible fish caught covers just about anything in the surf.

Sand Fleas

Sand fleas are actually mole crabs. They can be found at the edge of the surf by digging a few inches down in the sand. Surf anglers often use a sand flea rake to gather some to fish with. Sand fleas will catch a variety of fish. You can expect to get action from whiting, redfish, pompano, striped bass, croakers and black drum.

Mullet and Menhaden

Mullet are vegetarians. Many predators in the surf find them irresistible at times. If you are fishing for sharks, fish the troughs beyond the breakers with cut bait or the whole mullet. Mullet are popular with snook, stripped bass, redfish, bluefish, tarpon and sea trout.

Squid

You can get your squid from the grocery store or the local bait shop. Squid is available fresh or frozen and fished whole or cut into strips. You can fish for redfish, bluefish, stripped bass, sharks and others.

That's my list of the top four choices for surf fishing bait. You should have good luck with anyone of them.

Where To Find Fish in The Surf

It's no secret among surf anglers that the big saltwater fish are usually caught in the trough beyond the sandbar. That's not what this post is about.

It's about surf fishing in the breakers. Lots of fish hang out in the breakers including some of big predator fish. Bait fish are always looking for safety from them. Due to their size they tend to seek the shallows for protection. The predator fish know this and will come into the shallows to feed.

The action of the surf and the pull of the tides is sometimes stronger than the bait's ability to hold their position or control where they swim. They are often swept right into close proximity of predators looking for a meal.

Experiment with fishing live bait in the breakers and see what you come up with. If you can find a rip try live lining bait out with it. You're sure to get a good strike. Many predator game fish hang around the edges of a rip current waiting for bait to wash right into their path. Learn more tips about selecting surf fishing bait.