Maximizing Your Surf Fishing Catch: A Guide to Surf Fishing Rigs, Lures, and Expert Tips
Discover the best surf fishing rigs and equip yourself with the essential components needed to maximize your fishing success with Venture Outfitters' expert picks and guides.
The right surf fishing rig makes the difference between a busy day reelin’ in fish or a slow day with your toes in the water and a sunburn. The best surf fishing rig depends on the type of fish you are targeting and the conditions. If the surf picks up you will need heavier weights to “hold bottom.” If you are tangled or reeling in seaweed, you will need to adjust your rig. Just as much as the conditions cause you to adjust your surf fishing rig, the type of fish you are targeting requries adjusting your rig. While most rigs will work for several different species of fish, the size of the fish targeted, the size of the bait, and the type of teeth the fish has require different surf fishing rigs. Venture Outfitters’ Surf Rig guide has a few basic rigs that will set you up for very surf fishing.
Start With the Carolina Surf Fishing Rig
Start with this surf fishing rig for your first 10 casts. Make short casts. Use a small hook, small bait, and a half-ounce egg sinker. Switch to a heavier weight sinker if your line is being moved around by the surf.
Carolina Rig Shopping Links
Mustad Croaker Hooks $5.99 on Amazon and Flourocarbon Leaders ($16.98) if you want to tie your own leaders -or-
Kahle hooks with pre-tied leaders ($2.99) if you don’t want to tie your own leaders. Use a snap swivel with these ($1.72), instead of a barrel swivel.
The Carolina Surf Fishing Rig is a great way to start every surf fishing trip because the egg weight slips on the line, allowing you to get a great feel for the surf and a feel for the fish nibbling on your bait. First you will get to know the rise and fall of the surf, so you recognize the difference when a fish hits your bait. Do you feel “nibble fish” steeling your bait? Is your bait getting caught in rocks and weeds? Is there no action and it is time to make a change? The Carolina rig is great for catching several kinds of fish all day long, but it gives you a good feel for any changes you might need to make for a successful day of fishing.
Switch to the Fish Finding Rig for Bigger Fish or Stronger Current
Switch from your Carolina Rig to a Fish Finding rig either when you are targeting larger species or when the surf is strong and you are on a sandy bottom. The pyramid sinker is ideal for sandy bottoms, usually a 4 ounce sinker is sufficient, but you can go up to 6 ounces if your rod has a strong enough “action” to support casting that weight.
Fish Finding Rig
Switch to the Drop Shot Rig to Fish the Bottom
If you’re hungry for bottom fish, switch to the drop shot rig. Typically after 10-20 casts with the fish finder or Carolina rig, you may have gotten a hit from a flounder or you might have seen others on the beach catch a bottom fish. The drop shot rig uses a rounded sinker, and a hook with a longer shank, which hooks better into the sideways mouth of a bottom fish.
The beauty of the drop shot rig is that the sinker glides though sand and vegetation, while the hook is tied to the line a few inches from the bottom. The sinker is tied wth a single overhand knot, so if the sinker gets snagged you lose the sinker, but not your entire rig. This is very important because it keeps you easily fishing the bottom instead of dealing with hassles re-tying and re-baiting.
Use the High-Low Rig for Schooling Fish
If the Carolina Rig, fish finder rig, or other anglers are catching shooling fish, you can switch to the high-low rig to increase your chances of a double hookup (catching two fish at the same time!) Common schooling fish include perch, bluefish, and croaker.
When fishing for schooling fish, you will want a heavy pyramid sinker to hold the bottom tight. Tighten up your line, then feel or watch your line and rod vibrate, as every hit from the fish plucks your line like a guitar string.
Use the Dropper Loop Rig for Predators on the Top of the Food Chain
The dropper loop rig looks similar to the drop shot rig, but the hooks are tied on differently to target different fish. The dropper loop ties the hook with a looser “loop” that is ideal for large predator fish or sharks that are going to chomp an entire chunk of bait, such as “cut bait” chopped chunks of fish.
The drop shot rig uses a slightly rounded sinker called a “bank” sinker. The bank sinker does not hold the bottom as tightly as the pyramid sinker, and instead of the fish vibrating your line when they pluck it, the fish will hit the bait hard and begin tugging directly.
Use the Spider Hitch Rig in the Rocks
The spider hitch rig is very similar to the drop loop rig, but the knots are tied diffirently to help you catch fish near underwater rocks. The spider hitch is easy to tie with a longer loop for the hook, giving your bait more movement in the current around the rocks. The Sinker is tied with a surgeon’s loop or an overhand knot, allowing the sinker to break loose if it is snagged, without losing your hook and bait.
Use a lightweight bell sinker, .5 to 2 ounces. Bell sinkers are designed not to snag, and the lighter sinkers are less likely to snag and cheaper to lose. Give the spider hitch knot plenty of slack to let your bait move freely in the current around the rocks. Rockfish do well with about a size 3/0 offset hook.