# Reading the surf



## AFMan916 (Apr 27, 2010)

Anybody have any good references for reading the surf on the Gulf coast, primarily the Sanibel/Ft Myers area? I've found some great threads from other forums with good descriptions and pictures for reading the surf on the Atlantic side, but the Gulf coast is a little different so I'm trying to find any relevant threads or articles pertaining to just reading the surf on the Gulf side. Any help would be awesome thanks!


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## webb601 (Jan 10, 2007)

Sorry I can't point you in the right direction but I can tell you something that helped us while we were on a family vacation in Clearwater one year. Get up in one of those high rise hotels or condos with a pair of biboculars and search the water. We were constantly seeing schools of fish moving up and down the beach. We put my son and nephew on a school of blues for about an hour of frenzied fishing. I was sight casting via my brother in law on the balcony and a cell phone and landed a couple of trout and got spooled by some sort of shark. 

I can say that there were often moving dark areas off the beach that I am assuming was algae or some sort of plant growth. I can't say that fish were in there but they were close by.


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## fishflor (Jun 9, 2010)

Check out some of the articles on the late Capt. Mel Berman's site capmel.com. I grew up listening to his radio show every saturday morning in the Tampa Bay area.

If you're fishing the gulf beaches of Sanibel, try wading into the first or second trough and cast parallel to the beach. Many different inshore species cruise up and down the beach right next to bathers who have no idea they're sharing the gulf with some big fish. This time of year, you can have a lot of fun catching mackerel (great eating) and jacks (not good to eat but they pull hard for a minute) on spoons. Cruising snook will start being more active now that the weather's warmer and its fun to have one take a plug or shrimp imitation off the beach. Just remember to treat them gently and release them since the season's closed for now. Shrimp on a simple fishfinder rig (an once or two of lead is all you need) is a great setup, especially in the evening.

In Pine Island Sound on the other side of Sanibel, the grass flats will give up nice sized seatrout. It's fun to throw topwater plugs early in the morning for them and shrimp under a popping cork later in the day. If you're into wade fishing it's paradise - you can also rent kayaks from a couple places down there.

The gulf coast doesn't have as active a surf zone as the atlantic side so you'll have to look harder to notice rips. It helps to go out at low tide to see how the beach is cut out by the tide and wave action. The passes between any of the islands in the fort myers area will be productive on a changing tide.

Enjoy your trip and let us know how you did.


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## AFMan916 (Apr 27, 2010)

Thanks for the help guys. Fishflor, thanks for the capmel website, that's a new one to me and will give me something to look over for the next 10 weeks haha.

The very first evening we're down there its a low tide around 5 PM, and we'll get in around 4:30. So first order of business will be to go down and scout out the beach at low tide. I plan on throwing lures in the morning with the incoming tides, and then cut and live bait in the evenings with the outgoing tides.

Hell, I even made up a spreadsheet with linear water movement changes, hourly water flow rates, and the best times (two hours before and after each tide changes) so I know exactly when will be the best times to go out haha. There's a few evenings of negative low tides with good flow rates that seem like they'll be killer for some live and cut bait! I'm pumped, I know it's a little ways off but I'm sure I'll have more questions in the meantime and hopefully a killer trip report when I get back!

Tight lines guys :fishing:


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## MarkDido (Jul 6, 2003)

I'm afraid I can't be of any help.

Here's a birds-eye view of me surf fishing...


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## Smittroc (May 1, 2009)

MarkDido said:


> I'm afraid I can't be of any help.
> 
> Here's a birds-eye view of me surf fishing...


Hilarious!!!


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## cducer (May 7, 2010)

MarkDido said:


> I'm afraid I can't be of any help.
> 
> Here's a birds-eye view of me surf fishing...



Obviously you werent fishing up north.... not enough rods spread out on the beach or a sign near the fish stating " area closed for Piping Plover Nesting " !!


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## MarkDido (Jul 6, 2003)

cducer said:


> Obviously you werent fishing up north.... not enough rods spread out on the beach or a sign near the fish stating " area closed for Piping Plover Nesting " !!


I love Piper Plover chicks!

They taste like chicken!


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