# Casting Lures from the Surf



## Got Fish? (Dec 31, 2014)

When you guys are casting lures from the surf, how far are you casting, it seems to me like no fish would be feeding in the waves and you would have to cast pass the waves. Is this just a misunderstanding? When I am casting mirrolures from the surf how should I do it? Thanks


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

I should stay out of this because you are probably talking hard core surf fishing. But in FL. most fish caught off the beaches are close to shore. No more then 10-15' from shore. That is on the West Coast. East coast you will have to cast way out. I think. Never fished on the East Coast of FL.


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## Got Fish? (Dec 31, 2014)

andypat said:


> I should stay out of this because you are probably talking hard core surf fishing. But in FL. most fish caught off the beaches are close to shore. No more then 10-15' from shore. That is on the West Coast. East coast you will have to cast way out. I think. Never fished on the East Coast of FL.


Ok, and I am not much of a hardcore fisherman, I was just wondering should I be casting as far as I can or just cast into the wash


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Lot of trout and red drum in the suds. Blues will be in there too. Flounder can be very very close. Fish it allll the way to the sand.

Also lots of whiting and pompano right in the wash.


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## HStew (Jan 8, 2009)

some will feed close in at sunrise/sunset- blues and smacks..


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## phillyguy (Aug 9, 2010)

A lot of fish, especially flounder/fluke are right at your feet. If you have any kind of structure (bar, cut, slough) the fish will be in there.


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## IPNURWATER (Aug 20, 2013)

I have caught over four ft sharks in the suds.was less then thigh high deep water . so don't let casting distance fool you. .btw you don't need to jig the mirrorlure while surf fishing. Let the waves do the action , just keep the slack out the line that's all . basicly dead sticking cause you really dont give any effort.if you think your reeling slow,go even slower.


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## Got Fish? (Dec 31, 2014)

Alright thanks for all the advice!


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## Elgreco (Aug 12, 2014)

I have had shark take cutbait in 2 feet of water. Caught a flounder in 1 foot of water.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

phillyguy said:


> a lot of fish, especially flounder/fluke are right at your feet. If you have any kind of structure (bar, cut, slough) the fish will be in there.


 x2


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

If you can find spots along the beach like this, you have hit the jackpot.


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## Mastrbaitr (May 7, 2014)

Alot of people have said some really great tips. Sometimes the fish are not at your feet. Sometimes you gotta go past the breaking waves. Lots of folks love mirror lures but their shape tends to be less aerodynamic. Doesn't mean you can't get 50-70 yards. IMHO, I think you should look into casting metals. Your will achieve max distance, catch fish, and save money. They don't look all to fancy like other lures but that's because they been working so long that they don't need the marketing. If you have a rod that can handle it, they have lures that go up to 6 oz. However, these types of lures take true time and patience to master fishing all levels of the water column.


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## George Gravier (Oct 28, 1999)

Elgreco said:


> I have had shark take cutbait in 2 feet of water. Caught a flounder in 1 foot of water.


 seen one eat a rocking chair one time....that was from a boat though!


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## buster (Nov 16, 2006)

As mentioned above,when surf fishing,fish all of the water.Many times fish will follow a lure all the way to the sand and then strike it at the last second.When i surf fish i fish a fan pattern...cast left.then at right of that and so on to end at my right(when you have the room to do this).This way i cover more area.After that i move 50-100yrds and repeat.This has been very productive for me.I have caught and seen others catch fish in 1-2 ft.of water especially on sand bars.Many fish you catch over time will surprise you.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

He should let us know if he is a big time surf fisherman, or just a little beach fisherman like some of us. What beaches do you fish? 12-15' surf rod, or 7 or 8' spinning rod? That would help to know.


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## fishiker (Dec 10, 2015)

I'm just a "little beach fisherman" and when I'm fishing lures in the Carolina surf I usually throw either a 1 ounce silver Kastmaster or ¾-1 ounce jig using a 7½' spinning rod. Trout and Drum can be found just off the sand at high tide. I've caught Bluefish and Spanish further out. Trout will school up in a "hole" so if I catch one I feel I'm on a good spot. If I cast for 10 minutes or so with no action I'll move along covering water. I have also caught flounder, pompano, and mullet using jigs in the surf. There were false albacore in the surf last fall. I hooked up a couple times but never got my hands on one.


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## Mastrbaitr (May 7, 2014)

fishiker said:


> I'm just a "little beach fisherman" and when I'm fishing lures in the Carolina surf I usually throw either a 1 ounce silver Kastmaster or ¾-1 ounce jig using a 7½' spinning rod. Trout and Drum can be found just off the sand at high tide. I've caught Bluefish and Spanish further out. Trout will school up in a "hole" so if I catch one I feel I'm on a good spot. If I cast for 10 minutes or so with no action I'll move along covering water. I have also caught flounder, pompano, and mullet using jigs in the surf. There were false albacore in the surf last fall. I hooked up a couple times but never got my hands on one.


Most would be surprised how far a solid 7 1/2 ft rod can cast.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

andypat said:


> He should let us know if he is a big time surf fisherman . . .


If he were, I doubt he would be asking about where to throw Mirr-O-Lures . . . LOL !


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## Got Fish? (Dec 31, 2014)

andypat said:


> He should let us know if he is a big time surf fisherman, or just a little beach fisherman like some of us. What beaches do you fish? 12-15' surf rod, or 7 or 8' spinning rod? That would help to know.


Im just a little beach fisherman, I fish Oak Island which isn't the best because there is not much structure (that I have found so far). I like to fish rips because I am new to fishing and those are the easiest for me to spot. I use 7-9' spinning rods and the majority of the time I soak bait, but I have recently picked up a few mirrolures that I would like to try next time I am at the beach.


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## Got Fish? (Dec 31, 2014)

buster said:


> As mentioned above,when surf fishing,fish all of the water.Many times fish will follow a lure all the way to the sand and then strike it at the last second.When i surf fish i fish a fan pattern...cast left.then at right of that and so on to end at my right(when you have the room to do this).This way i cover more area.After that i move 50-100yrds and repeat.This has been very productive for me.I have caught and seen others catch fish in 1-2 ft.of water especially on sand bars.Many fish you catch over time will surprise you.


I like the idea of just going out with a 7 1/2 foot rod and just walking up and down the beach all day definitely will give it a try.


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## Got Fish? (Dec 31, 2014)

andypat said:


> If you can find spots along the beach like this, you have hit the jackpot.
> View attachment 17433
> View attachment 17434
> View attachment 17435
> ...


In the 1st few photos, is it the rocks that are good? or is there some structure in the water that I do not see?


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## Benji (Nov 19, 2014)

The rocks. Any thing that gives cover to bait fish or crustaceans is going to attract larger fish to. Especially if it can provide an ambush point for the larger fish.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

Benji said:


> The rocks. Any thing that gives cover to bait fish or crustaceans is going to attract larger fish to. Especially if it can provide an ambush point for the larger fish.


Which is one of the main reasons that Jetties produce so well . . .


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## Elgreco (Aug 12, 2014)

Got Fish? said:


> I like the idea of just going out with a 7 1/2 foot rod and just walking up and down the beach all day definitely will give it a try.


A bucktail or jighead with gulp or equivelant works well too.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

ez2cdave said:


> If he were, I doubt he would be asking about where to throw Mirr-O-Lures . . . LOL !


 LOL also! That was really meant for the real surf fisherman that have to cast far out so us little beach fisherman can back out of this post. If you know what I mean. Think I will try for some spillway crappie and bluegill in a little while. The roads should be clear of snow now. The river is frozen. Only open water will be at or near a spillway. Don't have to cast far either. LOL!


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## fishiker (Dec 10, 2015)

Mastrbaitr said:


> Most would be surprised how far a solid 7 1/2 ft rod can cast.


Have you tried the 1 oz. Hex Head Tube jigs? They cast very well.


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## Mastrbaitr (May 7, 2014)

fishiker said:


> Have you tried the 1 oz. Hex Head Tube jigs? They cast very well.


Wow I'm surprised no one ever thought to do that to a gotcha plug. Definately will look into them.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

Elgreco said:


> A bucktail or jighead with gulp or equivelant works well too.


I use a bucktail with a gulp and a single gulp on a hook 12" up...catches lots of flounder on the beaches that no one ever fishes for.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Got Fish? said:


> In the 1st few photos, is it the rocks that are good? or is there some structure in the water that I do not see?


 Rocks are in the water. The rocks you see will be under water on high tide. The rocks are the structure. Fish that travel along the beach stop to feed at these kind of spots. The picture with water running out into the gulf is a chumming area. Bait fish and crabs flush out into the gulf, or ocean, or river. Look for things like this. Catching fish in places like this is pretty easy.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Most times it is the scraggly looking old man with a 5 gallon bucket and the lures he needs are in his pocket that catches most of the fish on FL. Gulf beaches. LOL!


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## Got Fish? (Dec 31, 2014)

Thanks for all the great responses, I am very excited to head to the beach!


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## VaFHB (Jul 5, 2014)

Some of my best days of puppy drum fishing have been days where the fish were literally right at the shore break and require no more than a flip of the rod tip to get to them.


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## JFord56 (Feb 5, 2008)

A bucktail jig tipped with a fish bite, minnow, or strip of fish belly I have the most confidence in. If you see them and need to get extra distance go for a spoon or gotcha. they also best if it's blues or Spanish.


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## fishiker (Dec 10, 2015)

Mastrbaitr said:


> Wow I'm surprised no one ever thought to do that to a gotcha plug. Definately will look into them.


For many years my favorite lure for Bluefish and Spanish was a gotcha. Now I'll take a hex head. It casts great, catches fish, and there's only one hook to deal with.


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## Elgreco (Aug 12, 2014)

I bought a bunch of those hex heads but only got to cast it. Using a 6 foot bass rod with 12lb nanofil, I can cast that thing miles.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

This is what some of us used for bluefish.


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## JamesRiverVa (Apr 24, 2012)

fishiker said:


> Have you tried the 1 oz. Hex Head Tube jigs? They cast very well.


For you guys who are using the Hex Head tube jigs, are you mainly using them from piers or are you using them in the surf as well for long distance casting for blues and Spanish? 

I'm wondering if their action is like a Gotcha plug, which I love as a pier lure but which I've had much less success using from the beach in part b/c of the angle of retrieve and in part b/c it often ends up digging into the bottom if I'm on the sand instead of up on a pier.


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## Elgreco (Aug 12, 2014)

I'm going to try from beach or bank. When I used it from the pier it seemed like they stayed more on the surface.


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## Mastrbaitr (May 7, 2014)

JamesRiverVa said:


> For you guys who are using the Hex Head tube jigs, are you mainly using them from piers or are you using them in the surf as well for long distance casting for blues and Spanish?
> 
> I'm wondering if their action is like a Gotcha plug, which I love as a pier lure but which I've had much less success using from the beach in part b/c of the angle of retrieve and in part b/c it often ends up digging into the bottom if I'm on the sand instead of up on a pier.


Look up walk the dog technique. Still trying to get it down but I feel it is well worth the effort when you see the action you get from your lure.


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## fishiker (Dec 10, 2015)

JamesRiverVa said:


> For you guys who are using the Hex Head tube jigs, are you mainly using them from piers or are you using them in the surf as well for long distance casting for blues and Spanish?
> 
> I'm wondering if their action is like a Gotcha plug, which I love as a pier lure but which I've had much less success using from the beach in part b/c of the angle of retrieve and in part b/c it often ends up digging into the bottom if I'm on the sand instead of up on a pier.


I used them mostly from the pier except for one day when the false albacore were schooling in the surf. In the surf I had no issues with them digging into the sand and they seemed to cast further than a gotcha. To me they have the same 'walk the dog' action a gotcha has only more pronounced. I believe the current has less effect on a hex head than it does on a gotcha because of the lower total surface area of the lure. Last year I got to fish with the guy behind the Zig Jigs. I was very impressed with him because he seemed to genuinely believe in the fish catching ability of his lures and is as much a fisherman as he is a businessman.


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