All About The Weather

[SirSnookalot]

For about 6 days solid fish were everywhere, we had 4-5' NE groundswell with a 15-20 NE mph wind, over the weekend those numbers were doubled wind 35 mph and seas 8-10 hitting the beach, great fishing. Snook, tarpon and the seasonal smaller jacks, bluefish and mutttons. The jetties were elbow to elbow. I opted not to fish those crowded areas and went jack hunting for the larger ones, I did well had a 10# everyday, caught 4 Tuesday thought my arms were gonna fall off, was lucky to land a couple of them, I was fishing off a low sea wall, so I could lift them up. Then weather changes, west wind calm water, no fishermen around , and caught just 2 fish for 3 hours of fishing, 5# jack and a small bluefish.

Mullet run should over soon, that's when fishing gets tough, however that's when the bigger fish come around

[SirSnookalot]

Starting today we have NE 15-20 mph, with only 2-4' surf and the outgoing tide. keep my fingers crossed , should be a very good week., this is fishing weather.

[Bassn Blvd]

I can't wait to get out and fish the surf. Please keep us updated as to when the pompano and bluefish make it down here. I need some pompano for the grill and bluefish for the fight.

[bocabasser]

I can't wait to get out and fish the surf. Please keep us updated as to when the pompano and bluefish make it down here. I need some pompano for the grill and bluefish for the fight.

doug let me know when you are gonna fish the beach. i would love to meet up with you cats and catch some.

[Bassn Blvd]

Not a problem. SirSnook is a die hard beach rat . He's out there darn near everyday. I'm just waiting on his que and we'll definately get together.

[SirSnookalot]

Not a problem. SirSnook is a die hard beach rat . He's out there darn near everyday. I'm just waiting on his que and we'll definately get together.

Wind just turned yesterday, from past experiences it's not an instant turn on, may take a day or 2 for the fish to come in. Picking the right place is always a question, north is generally the best or down in the keys, south and central Palm Beach are not the best. it's a crap shoot, which beach is going to have a good trough, how much seaweed is coming in, or can you reach the water on the outgoing tide with 20+mph. Spoons are your best best, thin profile ones are good to cut thru the wind and less and they pick up less seaweed. If the white bait comes in the fish won't be far behind, no bait, no fish.

[WHYoWHY]

There is still an unbeleivable amount of mullet up north. I just spent the wweekend up in Sebastian camping at Longpoint and wow, all we did was fish the surf. There was tons of action. Sharks being the funnest, lots of spinners, blacktips and big tarpon right behind the break. Tons of bluefish and jacks up 10lbs. My arms are so tired its not even funny. So in my opinion they should be arriving here in a few days, so get ready boys. If you guys are going let me know when and where.

[SirSnookalot]

The last couple of days have been very disappointing, the mullet have really thinned out and fish haven't come in. In all fairness sometimes it takes a few days after the wind starts blowing for the fish to come in, so I'm optimistic for today. We had a good 30mph wind and heavy seas, a fisherman's dream , all i got was 1 small snook and a jack off the beach. Hit the ICW and did a little better. I have been meaning to get up to Sebastian for years,can't seem to make it......lol

[North Ga Hillbilly]

You gatta start taking a camera!

NGaHB

[SirSnookalot]

You gatta start taking a camera!

NGaHB

Actually many of times I have a smart phone in my pocket. Without some one else there to snap a pic, the photo worthy fish are not shown true justice by just laying them on the ground, kinda pointless to take a pic of 5 pounder.

Recent jack, the picture does not tell the story.

[basscrusher]

Hey Snook -- what class (power) of rod do you use for your beach fishing? Do you use different rigs for snook, jacks, etc., or do you have one that covers most (if not all) of the bases?

[SirSnookalot]

Hey Snook -- what class (power) of rod do you use for your beach fishing? Do you use different rigs for snook, jacks, etc., or do you have one that covers most (if not all) of the bases?

Talking strictly beach, I have a few different set ups I use, but I could easily get away with 1 outfit. The type of fish and the potential size have nothing to do with my choice, no reason you can't handle a 30# fish on the light tackle, beach fishing only requires you to fight the fish since you don't have to boat a fish or pick up over a sea wall. If I were to pick 1 all round set up it would a 7' mh 10/20 1 oz max lure weight spinning rod, with a 4000 series reel, I use 15 or 20# braid. Since the majority of the fish are caught within 50' feet of shore (snook are often caught inches from shore) distance is not required, I like a 7'6 rod but they can be a bit hard to handle if it's real windy. No knock on b/c equipment, but here in Florida I have not seen more than may 6 b/c from the beach in the last few years, must be something to it.

The other outfits I use are only to vary my routine, I got them so I use them.......lol. I'm looking to purchase a 12' surf rod and the proper reel to fling out some 4-6 oz baits, believe me I don't need it. I get great distance at present, especially off a slightly elevated jettie, surf rod probably goes 2- 3 times further. I just gotta do something else.

[GLADES]

I have a Penn 850 spinning reel on a big surf (est 10-12')one piece rod. I need to re-spool the reel.

Is this a good combo, and what line weight would be good for surf fishing?

[SirSnookalot]

I have a Penn 850 spinning reel on a big surf (est 10-12')one piece rod. I need to re-spool the reel.

Is this a good combo, and what line weight would be good for surf fishing?

That's a heavy reel with lots of line capacity, I see lots of those reels, especially 650's. For casting I would not put anything heavier 20# mono for line management, my choice would be 30-40# braid, but that is quite costly(I'd consider a 300yd spool of braid and mono backing).

I don't like getting into this rate your combo game, but I;m going to have to be honest. The pros to the reel is that in all probability you will never get spooled surf casting and if you set the drag properly it will handle most fish you encounter, even though your almost set at max drag. These reels are built like a German Panzer tank.

The con is the weight, unless you are a competitor in the World's Strongest Man, after an hour of casting a 4-6 oz spoon into a 20 mph easterly wind, you may be seeking a chiropractic adjustment.

If ya got it, use it, my opinion is use it as a cut bait outfit, but if i were looking to buy an outfit better options come to my mind.

[GLADES]

I think your assessment is correct. I really have never used it as a surf rod, casting repeatedly. The thing I do like about it is that it will cast pretty far. I landed a 30# blackfin tuna with it on the drift boat, but that was with bait.

The next time the shore fishing picks up, I might as well use it.

Thanks for your comments

[SirSnookalot]

IMO there are only a few times when long distances are required from the beach in our area of Florida, the majority of few will be caught within a 100' of the beach and snook almost on the beach. Times at low tide when the water is barely ankle deep and fishable water is a healthy distance away, coupled with the fall and winter strong winds............that's surf rod time. For the most part your standard bass equipment would be suffcient, providing it will withstand the rigors of saltwater.

Now is the time for beach fishing, sad to say Southern Palm Beach County is known as the " Dead Zone", but Northern Palm Beach County is Hot !. With the conclusion of the fall mullet run fishing will get a bit tougher but the rewards are amplified, the bigger fish will come in. Last year after the run the average jack was 5-10#, during the mullet run they are 1-2#.

Believe what I say, catching fish off the surf may be about the toughest fishing I do, even smaller fish seem to be cemented to the swash, catch 3 10# jacks, you won't want to fish anymore for the day, they will take everything out of you. Better than even chance hooking one around 30#, you won't land it. Pound for pound they blow tarpon away, too bad they don't jump.

[GLADES]

IMO there are only a few times when long distances are required from the beach in our area of Florida, the majority of few will be caught within a 100' of the beach and snook almost on the beach. Times at low tide when the water is barely ankle deep and fishable water is a healthy distance away, coupled with the fall and winter strong winds............that's surf rod time. For the most part your standard bass equipment would be suffcient, providing it will withstand the rigors of saltwater.

Now is the time for beach fishing, sad to say Southern Palm Beach County is known as the " Dead Zone", but Northern Palm Beach County is Hot !. With the conclusion of the fall mullet run fishing will get a bit tougher but the rewards are amplified, the bigger fish will come in. Last year after the run the average jack was 5-10#, during the mullet run they are 1-2#.

Believe what I say, catching fish off the surf may be about the toughest fishing I do, even smaller fish seem to be cemented to the swash, catch 3 10# jacks, you won't want to fish anymore for the day, they will take everything out of you. Better than even chance hooking one around 30#, you won't land it. Pound for pound they blow tarpon away, too bad they don't jump.

I do not know the area in northern palm beach. Can you suggest a spot in NPB, time or tide, and a decent bait for a novice(beginner) surf fisherman? I have some time off right now and I want to give it a try.

[SirSnookalot]

I would try Juno beach near the pier and use frozen sardines ( you can cut them in chunks), shrimp fresh or frozen are good too. Using a rod holder that you can push into the sand is always a good idea, most guys make them out of pvc pipe. I'm not a bait expert but I think 2 oz egg weight placed above a swivel, then run a leader line down with about 4/0 circle hook. Take a lighter rod and do some spoon casting while your waiting to get bit on the bait rod. You can park anywhere for free at Juno. I-95 to Donald Ross, go east 5-6 miles to US 1, turn left about 1.5 miles, park will be on the right.

Not quite as far is Ocean reef park on Singer Island, that can be pretty decent too.

http://www.inshore.c...abeach.htm#PALM

[Bassn Blvd]

What SirSnook said, but I would make a few modifications. I would take a 4 foot PVC and cut one end in an angle- makes it easier to drive into the sand. I use a 9-12 foot surf rod with 12-15 mono. #12 mono cast a little easier for distance but is more apt to breaking while casting heavier heavier sinkers. I use 3 foot, 25-30 mono leader and a 4/0 off set/circle hook. Depending on the wind and surf conditions, I use anywhere from 1-3 ounce sinker. I prefer to use frozen/fresh mullet over sardines simply because sardines tend to become mooshy when thawed out or get old, unless you know how to hook'em. Mullet is a a bit tougher and stays on the hook better. I cut the mullet in about 1" slices, bone and all (don't filet it). Cast and place rod in PVC holder. I like using a baitrunner spinning reel but any type of spinner will do. The above described rig is what I use for bluefish- I use a completely different rig for Pompano

And like Sirsnook said, a 2nd rod is good to have so you can throw a spoon while waiting to get hit on the cut bait. Actually, I prefer casting plugs/spoons in the surf over using cut bait. I just think it's more fun.

I prefer the last diagram when using shrimp or sand fleas. The first 2 diagrams when using mullet, sardines or squid.

[GLADES]

Thanks for the info and the locations.

Is it better in the morning, or is the best time to fish dependent on the tide?

Early morning would be my preference later this week when the rain stops.

[SirSnookalot]

Opinions vary, I prefer the outgoing tide and right after sun rise when baits starts coming in. I think we have the outgoing all week.

[GLADES]

Opinions vary, I prefer the outgoing tide and right after sun rise when baits starts coming in. I think we have the outgoing all week.

Sweet. Thanks again