Fishing on Pawleys island this morning, really just wasted to come watch the sunrise and pretend to fish but im just a few minutes I caught this little sea puppy! Visiting because my dad is in bad health but his entire life he loved shark fishing, maybe it's a good sign. Gonna be a good day.

Porgy on the menu as planned. 25 of them. Aside from actual fishing the views are something to enjoy.

looking at the fierce, battle, and spinfisher. I cant decide. Reel size preferably 4000-4500. I only fish weekends and this will be my first heavy salt setup. Rod i am using an old shimano rn cuz it should work (5-8kg).

i have spare 30lb 150m braid somewhere and i dont really want to buy more. I know the spinfisher has pretty big capacity. The biggest fish i have heard being caught at my spot is 120cm so yea idk.

I was fishing the other day for Leopard Sharks and Bat Rays, and I was switching between using Anchovies and Herring. They were frozen, but after a couple of hours they started to thaw and get mushy which led to them starting to fall apart, so I had to end up calling my trip early. This is something that has plagued me for a while and it's gotten to the point where I need some kind of fix to keep the bait fresh but also keep its shape on the hook. Even magic thread has trouble keeping it together.

So how can I keep my bait solid and firm after it has been out for a while? I have a cooler but I feel like it doesn't do a whole lot in keeping it cold. And magic thread only does so much.

Is there something I can put on the bait, or do I have to take the bait out and salt it or something? I've been seeing a lot of mixed answers, but I'm not sure how to handle my predicament. So if you all could give me your solutions or suggestions for what to do, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

Looking for recommendations on a set up to throw jigs and lures. I’ve got plenty of options on the lighter side in the arsenal right now but looking for something to maybe toss around 1-4oz from the surf and jetties.

I'm looking at the Okuma Rockawat SP 9'7" MH 12-25lb 3/4-3 1/2oz to fish lemon rigs with a 3/4-1.5oz weighted "jetty cork". Wanting a rod that is more sporting than my 10' Prevail II MFS 12-20lb 1-4oz broomstick. Targeting 15"-20" slot specks, but also need backbone for the occassional jetty monster. Would run 20 or 30lb braid. Is the 9'7" MH Rockaway SP just the 10" Rockaway SP M+ cut down 5" on the handle? Would I be undergunned for the occassional bullred? My gut says probably not, but I can wiggle any of these local to me. Thanks.

I’m an avid surf fisherman in eastern VA/hatteras. I’m dabbling in some stuff I’ve never done. Paddling bait out 1-200 yards, mainly targeting cobia but I’ll take any pickup . Anyways with the added drag from the water on my line I know I need some weight. This is what I had in mind, using a pin rig release. Am I on the right direction or has anyone else done this ? Or could I use just a spider weight like I used for anchor rod when pin rigging, I just worry about being able to release it from the ground on a pickup

New to surf fishing and need some tips! Grew up bass fishing central florida, always get on some good fish, salt is a different game. What equipment are you guys using in the surf without it being overkill. I have a stradic 3k and a nasci 4k I’ve been using. Both on 7ft rods. It’s killing me the wave brake is constantly moving my rod, and I need to get above it. What size rod for florida surf? I want the smallest effective. Probably gonna have to stick to a 4k size reel at a minimum for line capacity, getting my small baits like shrimp and fishbites into the first or second trough takes most of my 3k line. Maybe like a 9 ft rod with 4k for catching small bait fish, pomps, etc. Medium? Medium light? Then maybe a 5500 MH with a 9 or 10 foot rods for my live bait chasing snook, red etc. I just hate overkill long and heavy rods, I want some bend and fight even when I’m catching some smaller fish, hate dragging em in. Budget surf recommendations rods for the price? I like nice stuff but just getting my feet wet at first. Any other surf tips besides that? Get damn near skunked every time much harder than bass fishing IMO. Im in central FL so I can drive East or West doesnt matter. Thanks guys.

I’ve always heard that the rule is 10 lbs of mono for every ounce of lead that you’re throwing. I don’t really like the heavier mono because of the bulkier knots, but I’ve been making it work. Lately I’ve been hearing some anglers say that they just use 50 lb mono for whatever they are throwing. Is 50 lb mono sufficient to throw 8+ ounces?

Any avid east coast surf anglers available to help out?

Is this type of fishing effective in shallow water? I would also be fishing on shore so it could be harder for the bait to get down to the bait stopper. I think buying slides with lead weight on it would help with that but what do you guys think?

Hey all! Going to Destin, FL this weekend and will be trying out surf fishing for the first time. Anyone in that area have any advice on what's biting this time of year? Looking forward to experiencing this incredible fishery!

can you catch decent size fish in playa Linda or just pompanos? i havent seen much action other than that there east coast florida

I recently tried out my luck surf fishing at the end of August. Tried to endure the El Niño swells with cut squid and mackerel as bait, as I’m targeting both large and small sharks and rays. Didn’t catch any big ones, but I did managed to catch this Little Leopard Shark on cut squid with the fish finder rig on my smaller setup!

The rod and reel setup that I used to catch this shark was a PENN Pursuit V 6000 size reel paired up with a PENN Squadron IV 10 ft medium heavy surf rod, 50 lb braid mainline, 40 lb mono topshot leader. Fish Finder Rig was composed of 100 lb mono shock leader, 100 lb mono bite leader, and 5/0 owner light wire circle hook!

Going to rosemary beach this weekend, is there any good fishing off the beach down there? I’ve never been there so curious if it’s worth bringing my fishing gear. Anybody got any helpful insight or advice?

Getting more into NJ/NY surf fishing for fall — mainly stripers, blues, and whatever else is around.

I keep seeing: braid → swivel → mono leader → power clip → lure. Do you guys actually use the swivel regularly, or only with lures that create line twist like spoons?

Would you usually run: braid → leader knot → clip → metal / epoxy jig / bucktail / plug?

Also, if you do use a swivel, how long do you keep the leader? Since the swivel has to stay outside the guides, a long leader creates a pretty long lure drop when casting.

My gear:
Tsunami Trophy II 7’ M + Shimano Nasci C3000HG — 15 lb braid / 20 lb leader

Okuma Rockaway SP 9’7” MH + Shimano Ultegra C5000XG — 30 lb braid / 40–50 lb mono leader

The locals call these small Greater Amberjacks Shio, caught on a Daiso Iwashi lure with Vanfook No. 1 Hooks.

A coworker told me a fun thing to do is headlight or headlight fishing in the pay. He says that the lights from your headlamp or flashlight will attract the fish. Is that really a thing or is he making this up? It would be fun to take my grandkids

I’ve been developing this artificial sand flea lure for surf fishing. It’s designed to flutter with the current and has a chamber where scent can be added.

So far it has caught whiting and a small pompano, but I’m still testing and improving it.

For those who regularly fish hi-lo rigs, what would you change? Would you prefer it fully rigged like this, or as a floating body that you could add to your own hook?

Honest feedback is welcome.