FEATURE: Time to Hit the Surf

IT’S TIME TO GET READY for the best surf fishing of the year. That might seem odd since much of it is done during the spring and summer when warm Gulf temperatures allow for comfortable wading and fishing for a variety of species.

There is however, extremely good surf fishing action to be found during fall and even into winter. Many of the same species are available (although some get bigger) and others show up as well. Let’s look at the top surf fishing species and gear.

SPECIES

Bull Redfish: They are the king of the surf during early fall and they are present at some level throughout the year.

Fall brings huge redfish spawning in nearshore waters. At times schools of them will invade the surf and we’re talking huge fish.

Catching reds over 40 inches is not uncommon and having days where anglers catch and release 10 or more apiece is an attainable goal.

Look for redfish action to peak in mid-October but stay variable throughout winter.

Big reds love to hit live mullet or croaker as well as cut bait and blue crab.

Sharks: We think of sharks in the summer but there is sold shark action in early fall and even into winter.

Look for late summer and early fall to produce some blacktips, bulls, Atlantic sharpnose, and maybe a few hammerheads. Later fall on the Lower Coast will see some tiger sharks and other big sharks come into the surf for incredible rod-bending action.

Big sharks love cut bait but favorite selections of serious surf anglers include stingray and jack crevalle.

Sand Trout & Gulf Trout:  Sand trout (sand seatrout) are silvery with a pinkish color on the upper sides according to TPWD. Their large mouths are orange on the inside with one or two rounded teeth at the front of the upper jaw. Sand trout start appearing in decent numbers in early fall and their bite gets stronger going into winter.

TPWD describes Gulf trout (silver seatrout) as bright silver all over with no stripes, bars, or other marks. The only place you’re likely to find color on these fish is inside their mouths which are orange. They live mostly in the Gulf where they feed on fish and shellfish but they do come into the surf in late fall and early winter.

Both of these species will readily hit dead shrimp, small chunks of cut bait or curly-tailed grubs and shrimp imitation soft plastic lures.

Bull Black Drum: There is no mistaking these giants. Oversized black drum move into the surf beginning in late fall and their populations gradually build into spring.

Big drum prefer blue crab but will also take shrimp and occasionally squid.

Gulf Kingfish: Gulf kingfish, also called Gulf whiting according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, live in small schools in the surf along the Texas coast. 

“Young kingfish sometimes move into the shallows in coastal bays. Like their relatives the southern kingfish, Gulf kingfish feed on bottom-dwelling animals such as worms, clams, and other shellfish.”

Whiting start showing in fall and their populations grow into spring.  brings lots of “whiting” to beachfronts and the beautiful thing about catching them is simplicity. 

A dead shrimp or small chunk of cut bait fished on the bottom is usually enough to get their attention.

Atlantic Croaker: Atlantic croaker are about 12 inches long and weigh 1/2 to 2 pounds on average according to TPWD. 

“Its distinguishing characteristics include three to five pairs of small barbels or “whiskers” on their chins to help them feel for food on the seafloor; a lateral line that extends to the tip of its caudal (tail) fin; inferior mouth (located to the bottom of the head facing the ground), and brown vertical stripes on its sides. 

Croaker are also simple to catch and take to dead shrimp quickly. When they are abundant in the surf, croaker will gladly take scented lures like Gulp! and also hit small spoons and spinnerbaits especially if you find some of the bigger ones.

Rodding Up

When people think of a “surf rod”, they think of a super-long rod set in a rod holder for big fish like sharks. And that is certainly an important part of a surf-fishing arsenal.

St. Croix Rod has shown us there is much more to the surf fishing game with their Seage series of reds.

Ranging from 7-11 feet, these rods cover the gamut of surf fishing needs.

The 7-foot medium-moderate fast action is great for catching fish like sand trout and whiting. While the 10-6, medium-heavy edition would be great for big drum or redfish.

And if you need to make that extra long coast, there’s an 11-footer that comes in medium heavy with moderate action and is perfect for everything from big reds to blacktips.

The keys for surf fishing are being able to cast a long distance, action to feel what can be very finicky bites (including for big fish like a drum), and backbone to finish the job. The Seage line of rods from St. Croix covers all of these bases.

Surf’s Rising

Surf fishing is on the rise in Texas and in a big way.

It has always had a strong following but huge catches of hammerheads and tiger sharks, as well as a fascination with saltwater panfish like whiting, have attracted many new anglers to the sport of surf fishing.

Texas has 367 miles of coastline with in many cases very accessible surf fishing opportunities. And as fall arrives, the best surf fishing of the year comes with it.

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity for world-class sport fishing that can be done without a boat.

 

 

—story by TF&G Staff

 

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