Beach fishing is one of the best ways to target a variety of species as it’s super accessible. You don’t need a boat or super advanced tackle, and if you’re looking for bait, you can match the hatch right there! It is where a lot of anglers get their start before moving on to other methods. However, I salute those dedicated beach anglers who stick it out and hone their craft, as beach fishing can be surprisingly challenging as well.
It was recently my birthday and as is tradition, I wanted to fish, and this year, I took it to the beach!
Beach Fishing Opportunities
For the purposes of this piece, we are going to just discuss Florida, and specifically species that you can target by walking and casting. Commonly available beach species in the Sunshine State include the following: Spanish mackerel, speckled trout, flounder, whiting, rays, black drum, bluefish, ladyfish, jacks, sharks, redfish, snook, bonefish, permit, pompano and tarpon. That is a pretty impressive list of targets that you can hit all on foot.
One of the most common beach targets in my neck of the woods are snook. Snook hit the beaches and passes during the warm summer months to feed and spawn. Beach snook tend to be the biggest snook available on the West Coast of Florida, with fish routinely being caught in the upper 30’s-to-40-inch range. You can learn more about summertime snooking here. I was fishing with my good friend Jarek, and that was our plan, catch a big beach snook.
Beach Fishing Challenges
In my opinion, one of the most difficult things about beach fishing, as someone who isn’t super well versed in it, is the lack of structure. Essentially, you’re fishing vast expanses of sandy bottom with no grass, rocks or oysters and simply waiting for a school of something to come by your setup. The most you can hope for is a current rip, a point, a downed tree or a trough. Sometimes this is enough. Sometimes not. If you’re on a boat and approaching a beach, electronics can be immensely helpful to your understanding of where you should fish. If you’re walking the shoreline, it all has to be in your head.
Another challenge that beach bound anglers often face is that beaches inevitably draw crowds. While it is certainly true that some beaches are less crowded than others, and that generally, the earlier you go, the better, beaches in Florida will have people and watercraft that may hinder your ability to catch fish. Whether it’s jet skis, bathers, or boats, fishing on a public beach can get a bit busy to say the least.
It isn’t just people; it’s Mother Nature herself that can make beach fishing a pain. Out there, you’re fully exposed to wind, rain and waves – there isn’t another spot to go to or an island to shelter at, it’s just you and the elements. Out on the beach, you can’t just fire up your motor and go, you have to make a (usually long) walk back to your vehicle in the parking lot. How fun.
A Day at the Beach
Jarek and I had left the ramp and set our course to a nearby grass flat to catch our bait for the day. Hand sized grunts and pinfish would do the job. We tipped the Sabiki rig with squid and one by one, our baits that we hoped would entice a large, hungry snook, made their way into the spacious livewell which was filling rapidly.
“How’s the tide look today?”, I asked.
“Not good, but I have a feeling that we’re going to get on em’ today anyway”, Jarek reassured me.
We idled up to the beach, dropped the Power-Pole and deployed our baits. It was now a waiting game. Or was it?
After about a half an hour of watching rod tips and resetting baits, Jarek had the idea to hop out of the boat and walk down the beach to fish the point about 50 yards down the beach where two currents were converging. This changed everything.
I can clearly remember the solid “slap” my half-dead pinfish made as I pitched it into the heavy current where the waves were breaking. I thought to myself that he probably wouldn’t last too much longer and that I should probably replace him soon. It was just mere moments after this that I felt a resounding thud and watched as my rod bent strongly. I was on.
Beach Bruisers
Strong, drag screaming runs to start, with boils and tail kicks at the surface – this was no stingray or shark. I kept thinking to myself that this was it, a big beach snook, although I found it strange that it never broke the surface with a jump or headshake. That was because it wasn’t a snook, it was a red.
He came up on the shoreline shining brightly silver with three tiny black dots festooning his wide tail accompanied by a squadron of remoras. The entire time leading up to this moment I kept thinking to myself, “please stay on”. When I finally grabbed him as he hit the sand, it was pure jubilation. He taped out at 32 inches; this was the largest redfish that I had ever caught.
After snapping the above pics and re-baiting at the boat, we went back to our point and re-casted our baits. It wasn’t long before Jarek was hooked up as well! Jarek’s fish put up a great fight in the surf and current but was behaving rather strangely – runs with boils at the surface. Again, we were hoping snook, but low and behold, another red, this time, a beautiful 10-spotter.
This fish measured 28 inches, another over-slot! Jarek re-baited and sent a fresh bait back out into the surf, not five minutes later he was on again, although this time it was not to be. The fish he hooked into spit his bait, check out the carnage below.
Bringing it Home
We needed more bait – a good problem to have. I grabbed the Sabiki and pitched the squid tipped rig into the trough right next to the shore. After a few seconds with no bites, I began to retrieve my offering, only to feel a substantial weight that was moving! I thought that perhaps it could be a flounder or multiple speckled trout or whiting – it was another red!
Unbelievably, it was a slot redfish on tiny pieces of cut squid on a rig meant to catch pinfish, I couldn’t believe it!
We had one more bite, unfortunately, it was a big stingray that I fought for far too long before I broke him off. The weekend forecast called for rain, and it was starting to roll in. We both reeled up, jumped back in the skiff and floored it back to the ramp.
It was a two-hour trip; I was running on four hours of sleep and all I could think about was how awesome this day was and how I couldn’t wait to get back out there. All this, because I picked up the phone at 9:45 on a Friday night! For a 33rd birthday, I would say that it was pretty eventful!
Until next time, tight lines.
