By Joe Sheaffer
Sometimes I just need a beach fix. I enjoy walking along the beach, looking for a fishy area or fish activity along the shore. One Saturday, I had a window during the morning that I could go fishing for a few hours. I headed to Manasota Key to fish along the beach. The weather has been beautiful and there are many beaches in Southwest Florida that have easy access for anglers. I love fishing the trough along the surf as I walk the beaches. I didn’t have any expectations on this day, I just needed to be on the beach fishing the surf. Spending time fishing the beaches doesn’t require a bunch of equipment. Usually, I have a spinning outfit and a small backpack with tackle, lures, water and sunblock. I had a limited amount of time, no need to haul a ton of equipment for this type of fishing. I typically start with a jig and paddletail, and depending on the conditions, I will make changes. I like to have a selection of jigs ⅛ oz to ½ oz which usually will help me to adjust depending on the tides and surf conditions. Fishing along the beach is really not much different than other types of fishing. I’m looking for points, blowouts, bait pods, structures that can hold fish along the surf. Whether I catch fish or not, spending a beautiful morning along our beaches is a blessing, one of the many reasons I moved to this area after I retired. Luckily this fishing day was successful, I was hoping to run into a few snook but instead I caught a few flounder, and a nice black drum, sheepshead and ladyfish. There were big schools of bait and the fish were hanging around the bait pods. It took a while to figure out how to get a bite, but I love that challenge. The morning along the surf was exactly what I needed. Hopefully many of you will find a morning or day to get your fix, good luck and keep casting!