H appy Holidays from the beach front. November provided a taste of what is on the menu for surf anglers this winter. The transitional period (October/November) is marked by stronger northeast winds, rough seas, cooling water temperatures and early mornings in the 60 degree range. Donât despair, all is not lost, this transitional period is just marking the opening of another fabulous beach fishing season. We should see more species of fish and some larger than what we experienced this summer. All in all, I am very excited that the winter surf fishing season is upon us and look forward to the great beach angling adventures before me.
In order to fish the winter season anglers must make a few concessions to the weather spirits before surf fishing the Space Coast. So bundle up a little and go for it, cool/cold in the am but, by 9:30 or 10:00 am it warms up and our local Florida weather pattern kicks in for the rest of the day. Other than that, we will be fishing for blues, pompano, whiting, bonnethead sharks and drum in the surf. Standard baits; sand fleas, clams, shrimp and mullet are my favorites but, there are a number of others that you may want to try. This brings me to a pivot point in my surf angling which I call âsameness.â
I caution all (me too) not to get locked into what I refer to as âsamenessâ because that narrows your opportunities and abilities to catch fish on a regular basis. Here is how the âsamenessââ works; always the same bait, the same beach, the same fishing tactic, same rods/reels, same tide/time and for some anglers the same fishing spot on the beach, you get the point. Therefore, to avoid the trap of “sameness,” I propose fishing various locations, tides, baits and fishing tactics as one goes along. This does not mean giving up fishing your favorite beach but, rather resist the temptation to go back to the same place day in and day out. We all have our favorite spots but, donât fish them out. Keep them in you log book for that day/week when nothing is biting and then use them as youâre trump card to catch fish.
So there you have it, make a commitment to being adventurous for three months. Fish different tides, locations, baits, tactics, etc and at the end chart your progress and see what you notes tell you about each fishing trip. You may find an extra honey hole, bait or fishing tactic to add to your log book.
See you on the Beach!
[easy-social-share]