By Joe Sheaffer
As the weather warms during late winter and early spring, activity along our beaches begins to pick up. This is my favorite time to fish along the surf and I definitely find more opportunities to get out there. Many species start making their way along the beaches and others are migrating. I like to walk and fish, covering a couple miles searching for subtle changes that may hold or concentrate fish. Some of these areas are obvious, others can be a bit more challenging to figure out. I like to look for points, deeper sections between sandbars and the beach, any type of hard structure (rocks, wood, man-made material), blowouts or rip areas to name a few. I carry a small backpack along with my 7’6 spinning outfit and work parallel to the surf until I find something promising. I like using a jig with a paddle tail, using natural colors and will use a few different presentations, slow steady retrieve, popping off the bottom, and a quick jerking retrieve to name a few. All have been productive over the years, and I always carry a few different size jigs to adapt to conditions, light jigs when it is calm, heavier jigs when the surf is churning. I always have a couple of change up baits, wacky jigs, minnow plugs and topwater lures all have their day as you never know what you might encounter but I have caught snook, trout, flounder, redfish, and jacks to name a few. Walking and fishing the beaches is a great way to enjoy the day, get a little exercise and catch some fish. Get out there and keep casting!