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Enlighten me

1K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  DLo 
#1 ·
So I’ll be headed down in a couple of days to vacation and have a simple question. I was wondering how effective normal Rapala style jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, zoom flukes etc would work for surf fishing. My thought is if it looks like a bait fish it should work. Now if this seems like a dumb question go easy I’m a freshwater guy who wants to learn more about saltwater. Any opinions would be much appreciated.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I don't know much about surf fishing, but if something is running by I don't see why it wouldn't work. I do know jerkbaits (hard and soft) work well on the sound/bay side if there are fish in the area, which right now there should be on the grass flats. I haven't seen anyone really use a true spinnerbait, but people say they catch redfish on what folks call a 'redfish magic' lure which to a bass fisherman is just a really oversized Beetlespin in copper blade color. :thumbsup:

If I were rummaging through my bass box for casting artificials in the surf... hmm... I'd be looking for paddletail swimbaits on a jig head, jerkbaits you can get really long casts on, a silver spoon, maybe a wakebait or a Lil George... you'd want long casts and wade out if you can to cast between the first and second sandbar. Don't throw any freshwater lures that you are really attached to, because they are likely to either get bitten off by a Spanish or blue, or be rusted out inside of a couple of weeks. I actually lost a nice redfish last week because I was throwing a Sexy Dawg topwater that I'd been using just a little too long, and the fish actually broke the hook from its attachment point... apparently it had rusted enough to cause metal fatigue and I just wasn't paying enough attention.

Swing by a local tackle shop like Gulf Breeze Bait and Tackle or Outcast and tell them - here is what I have, here is my budget... get them to show you a sandflea rake and a couple styles of bottom rig, get some bait and cast live sand fleas or cut bait to increase your fun factor.

Keep in mind this is all advice coming from someone who has spent very little time surf fishing, and grew up bass fishing reservoirs in North Carolina, trying to adapt to this saltwater world (which is very addictive, I might add). So take it with a grain of salt. Pun intended.
 
#3 ·
Well last year I went down and used live shrimp from the beach, caught catfish one after the other. I also landed a bull red that was like trying to reel in a car so I’ve been hooked on surf fishing ever since. The whole reason I asked is because I have years worth of bass lures so I thought what’s the harm. Thank you for the reply
 
#4 ·
Start scrolling backward through the surf fishing section and read every post by Chris V, he is the best around at using artificials in the surf.
 
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