It’s been a long cold winter and anglers are anxious
to fish! Surf anglers have been “chafing at the bit,”
waiting for the water temperatures to rise to that magic
50 degrees that get most fish biting in earnest. Many
people who have never surf fished before are curious.
“What do people catch in the surf?” They also ask,
“What do you need to get started?”

Anglers start the year out catching stripers, skates,
sharks, and blowfish. These fish usually show up mid- to
the later part of April. In May, we usually have a good
bluefish run during the first or second week of the month.
“One week either side of Mother’s Day the blue blitz the
beach,” often rings true. Bluefish are unpredictable.
They can bite on any tide either day or night. If you
spend a lot of time on the beach during the month of May
you will definitely get into some action! Swimming with
these schools of bluefish will be decent sized stripers,
skates, sharks, and a few flounder as well. The end of
the month will see trout, kingfish (whiting), and maybe
even Norfolk spot.

Summertime surf fishing sees smaller fare.
Sand sharks, snapper blues, smaller sea trout, Norfolk
spot, smaller stripers and blowfish. There is action
during the summer months though the best fishing is
early in the morning and just before and after dark.
This works out great if you are fishing in Ocean City,
Fenwick Island, or Bethany Beach where anglers are
allowed to fish public beaches before and after the
lifeguards go off duty. The Delaware Seashore State
Park and the Assateague National Park has fishing areas
where anglers can fish all day. These beaches are mor
e natural and have fewer swimmers in the water, making t
hem better for surf fishing in the middle of the day.


Fall fishing sees larger fish once again. The blues,
trout, stripers, kingfish (whiting), puppy drum and even
red drum appear during the months of September, October,
and November. During the first week or two of December
we can still have big blues and stripers if the weather
stays mild. Once the water temperatures dive below 45
degrees, all is quiet. If we have a mild winter, a few
stripers may be taken all season.

“So what kind of rod and reel should I get to
really enjoy surf fishing?”

Surf rods come in lengths from 8 to 15 feet. The most
popular surf rods in our area are the 10 and 11 footers.
Ladies and children sometimes find a 9-footer less
cumbersome. Pick out a suitable sized reel to match
the rod, and get it filled with 12 to 20-pound test
line. If you want to use the heavier pound test, go
with a larger reel. If you want to use lighter line,
you can get away with a smaller reel and keep the
weight of the outfit down to a minimum. If you want
to stand out there and hold the rod, overall weight
is important.

You can pick up a 10-foot Silstar brand combination
surf rod with reel and line for around $50. An outfit
such as this is a great “starter” surf combination and
will work just fine if you want to keep your purchase
down to a minimum. There are outfits around for even
less money though you may want to scrutinize the brand
of the reel before thinking you have found a bargain.
The brand of the rod is not so important as long as it
feels good to you, but brands of reels are important.
Try to stick with a name brand such as Silstar or Daiwa.
If you want to buy a quality rod that is lightweight,
strong, and sensitive without breaking the bank, go
with a 10 or 11 foot Daiwa Sealine-X, Penn Newport,
or Sea Striker “Beach Runner.” These better rods feel
extremely light in the hand, yet can toss a good-sized
sinker. The inside diameter of each guide is larger
than on the less expensive rods. Though very strong,
the frames are also lighter in weight. This, plus the
higher graphite content in the blank, makes these rods
sensitive enough to use for throwing lures, which can
become very important when the fish are schooling!
Match these rods up with a Daiwa, Shimano, Okuma,
or Penn reel for between $125 to $225 depending on
the quality of reel you choose. Reels that I personally
like are: the Penn Powergraph 6000 size; the Dawia Regal-ZT
series in the 4500 to 5500 size; the Shimano Sahara 8000
or 6000 size; or the Shimano Stradic 6000 size.
The 4500 Baitrunner Shimano is also very smooth and
lightweight.

The biggest investment when buying surf-fishing gear
is the rod and reel itself. Other than that, it is
very simple and uncomplicated. Do yourself a favor
and buy a sand spike to protect your investment. These
angled pieces of PVC only cost a couple of bucks.
A sand spike is a must, so you don’t accidentally
lay your reel in the sand when baiting up or taking
off a fish. You can also sit your fishing rod in
the sand spike when you get tired of holding it. Besides
the spike, you only need a few essential items. You will
need a 5- gallon bucket for your bait and gear.
(Sea gulls will steal your bait if you do not keep
it in a container.) You will need a couple of rigs,
4 or 5 sinkers in the 2 to 5 ounce range, a rag, a
pair of needle nosed pliers, a small cutting board
or piece of wood, and something to measure your fish
if you plan to keep your catch.

If you want to purchase a tackle box, it is best to
keep it in your home and only carry a couple rigs in
your bucket to the beach. When a tackle box sits on
the beach it can get sandy quick! Of course, if you
own a 4-wheel drive and get a permit to drive on the
beach in either the Delaware Seashore State Park or
the Assateague National Park, then a tackle box will
come in handy. Just keep it in the truck and in the
sand.

“What kind of line should I get?”

If you’ve never surf fished before, I would go the
middle of the road and pick out a good quality
monofilament line such as Trilene, Stren, or Bagley’s
Silver Thread. I would suggest going with a 15 to 17
pound test at first. 20 pound will slow your casting
distance down, while a lighter line may break while
you are getting used to casting in the surf. Once
you get a “feel” for surf fishing, you may want to try
a 12 to 14 pound test line so you can increase your
casting distance. If you want to throw lures with
your outfit as well as bait, I would go with 12 to
14 pound test.

Later on, when you become experienced, you may
want to try one of the no- stretch, thinner
diameter lines such as Berkley’s Fireline.

The rigs you choose to fish with depend on the
time of year and the fish that are biting. In
the spring and fall, you use larger baits and
go for bigger fish. Whole “finger mullet rigs”
are very popular in our area for baiting up with
whole finger mullet baits. An array of top and
bottom type rigs with surf floats attached will
catch you most every kind of fish. Use the rigs
with smaller hooks (size #6 or #8) in the summert
ime when you are using bloodworms for bait and fishing
for smaller fish. Use a rig with larger hooks if you
are fishing in the spring or fall or are fishing with
larger pieces of cut bait.

For sinkers, you will want to buy pyramid or
hurricane type sinkers in the 2- to 5 -ounce
range. You always want to use the lightest
sinker that will hold bottom. If the surf
gets rough or you want to get away with a
lighter weight, try the Sputnik type sinkers.
These sinkers have wires protruding out of them
that dig deep in the sand. They will “release”
themselves if they get stuck! Change your sinker
weight as the surf conditions vary.

Surf fishing is very relaxing, uncomplicated,
and easy to do. Just go to the local bait
shop and ask, “What’s biting? What bait?
Which rig?” The tackle storeowner will point
a couple different rigs out to you and suggest
the best bait for that time of year. Walk out
on the beach, and go fishing!

It’s that simple.

Good fishing….