Saltwater surf fishing can be very frustrating. Even the best surf fisherman will have days without a bite. You could be armed with the best equipment and bait, but there will be days where you will go home with nothing. Here are three tips to reduce days without a bite to a minimum.

#1 Fishing at the right time of day is extremely important. The best time for any kind of saltwater surf fishing is around high tide. The general rule of thumb is two hours before and after high tide. Check your local tide chart and find out what time of day high tide falls. Dawn and dusk high tides are the best, and you will stand a much better chance of catching fish than any other time of day.

#2 Check the beach out at low tide. Nothing is constant in saltwater surf fishing, inshore water current patterns change and so will the shape of the beach. Sand banks will constantly shift, so make a note of where they are. Getting your bait into the hollows either side of these sand banks will increase your chances of bites as they are a natural place for fish to forage for food. You will be able to pinpoint the sand banks at high tide as this is where the waves will break most frequently.

#3 Wherever possible use fresh locally caught bait, preferably from the beach you intend to fish. Only use frozen bait as a last resort. If you are fishing lures, use something that is a close match to the natural food of the fish you are after, or ask your local tackle shop which lures are working the best. It is well worth the time spent gathering your bait, and will definitely improve your chances of hooking a fish.

Following these basic pointers on saltwater surf fishing will greatly improve your chances of hooking and landing fish. Visit Surf Fishing Tips And Techniques and find out which baits are best for which fish and more great tips to increase your catch rate.

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There is much debate in surf fishing circles as to which surf rigs work the best. Many surf fisherman use artificial lures and plugs, but after many years of trial and error, I believe that natural baits will always catch many more fish. Detailed here are two surf rigs that have taken more fish than any other.

The High-Low Rig

To tie the high low surf rig you will need about a 5 foot length of 40-60lb monofilament leader. At one end of your leader attach a weight snap. The choice of weight is a personal preference, pyramid sinkers work well in the surf, but if a heavy current is running a sputnik style weight would be better. 12 inches up from your snap swivel tie two dropper loops roughly 15 inches apart for your hooks. Shorter dropper loops tend to work much better for bite detection. Size and type of hook are again a matter of preference, but if you use circle hooks the fish will hook themselves and stand less chance of being gut hooked. 15 inches above the top loop tie on a barrel swivel to connect to your main line. Using the high-low rig will help keep the bait off the bottom, and has the advantage of having two baited hooks in the water.

The Fish Finder Rig

There are two main fish finder surf rigs, one is fixed and the other is free running. For the fixed rig tie your hook to one end of a length of 18 to 25 inch 40lb leader. At the other end tie on a three way swivel to which you attach a weight snap and your main line. For the free running version of this rig shorten your leader length to around 15 inches, and put a weight slider on your main line before you tie it to your three way swivel. The free running fish finder rig casts slightly further than the fixed version, and the fish will feel little to no resistance when the bait is picked up.

Both of these surf rigs work extremely well with natural or live baits. If you are after striped bass try bunker heads or chunks on the fish finder rig and fresh clams on the high-low rig.

Visit Surf Fishing Tips And Techniques and find out which baits are best for which fish and more great tips to increase your catch rate.

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When a school of bluefish are around you can be sure you are in for an exhilarating time. When this ocean predator is in a feeding frenzy there wont be time to put your rod down. Here are some tips on surf fishing tackle for this popular fish.

Bait Rigs

The bluefish has extremely sharp teeth so regardless of which rig you choose a wire leader is advisable. The best bait rig to use is the fish finder rig. The wire leader length should be around 18 inches between hook and swivel. Put a weight slide on the main line and then tie the main line to the swivel. Bluefish have very good vision so a free lining rig helps the bait look as natural as possible. Bluefish are ferocious feeders and travel in large schools hunting smaller bait fish, so for live baits try menhaden, mullet, eels and shrimp. They will also take most cut fish baits, with mullet being a favorite.

Lures

The majority of surf fishermen prefer to use artificial lures to catch bluefish. There are many lures you can use, popular ones are surface plugs, swimming plugs, jigs and spoons. A fast stop and go retrieval will work the best for these fish, especially when using surface plugs. My personal favorite is a heavy silver spoon which will cast a good distance and retrieve at speed. A good tip is to lace the spoon with a mullet or similar cut fish strip, this will add a strong scent trail as you retrieve. Another alternative is to spray your lure with menhaden bait spray which will have the same effect.

The average size of a school fish is around 2 to 5 pounds, and light spinning tackle will give you some great sport. The bluefish has very strong jaws and extremely sharp teeth, so when you do land one take great care when removing the hook, use long nosed pliers at all times. Visit Surf Fishing Tips And Techniques for more surf fishing advise and tips to increase your catch rate.

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