# Surfside 7/20



## phillip.dial (Nov 6, 2017)

Been down to Surfside twice in the last month. 7/4 weekend and 7/20. Water was in decent shape but 70,000 of my closet strangers were down there as well. Soaked whiting and sardines in front of and behind the 3rd bar and had zero bites. 
I am thinking that the crowds make it next to impossible to catch?
Do I need to give up on the area in general?
Thanks for any input.


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

Surfside is probably the worst stretch of beach for surf fishing in all of Texas. It is a dead zone with nothing but sand and has no distinguishing features to attract or hold fish. Fishing close to the pass or the jetties can be ok, but the 14 miles in between sucks.
Also, you need to get a cast net to catch mullet. If you bought a box of frozen Spanish sardines to use for surf fishing bait then you probably need more advice then just fishing locations.


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## Slab Daddy (Dec 17, 2018)

*reply to post*

Hey SC. are you just talking about the big rods for sharks and bigger fish ? 
I ussually fish for trout down by access 4 and 5 and do pretty good. but this year has been slower. caught some down by access 10 last month closer to the pass. I have always heard about the dead zone in the gulf. but thought it was further out of LA. It looks like PD is also fishing with the Big rods. never heard of using Sardines before for fishing. maybe for catfish. I think finger mullet would be the best for sure. might go hit it in the morning with this cool front.best of luck to you guys. SD


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## Sharpest (Mar 31, 2014)

Reds love sardines but they are too mushy to use in the surf. Even when using them out of the boat you have to be pretty gentle while casting them out.


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## 348473 (Apr 12, 2017)

Sharpest said:


> Reds love sardines but they are too mushy to use in the surf. Even when using them out of the boat you have to be pretty gentle while casting them out.


We caught some bull reds on sardines after stopping by the jetties after going offshore. Sure surprised me , not my first choice of bait by anymeans but it worked. big fresh shrimp, crab, cut mullet is way better imo.


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

Slab Daddy said:


> Hey SC. are you just talking about the big rods for sharks and bigger fish ?
> I ussually fish for trout down by access 4 and 5 and do pretty good. but this year has been slower. caught some down by access 10 last month closer to the pass. I have always heard about the dead zone in the gulf. but thought it was further out of LA. It looks like PD is also fishing with the Big rods. never heard of using Sardines before for fishing. maybe for catfish. I think finger mullet would be the best for sure. might go hit it in the morning with this cool front.best of luck to you guys. SD


Yes, I was referring to fishing with the big rods. Surfside is great for trout fishing in the warmer months, but is useless for anything else.
I didn't mean to imply it was a dead zone like off of LA, rather it has nothing to offer the fish to keep them there. When choosing a surf fishing location you look for something to attract the fish. It could be a clay bank in the water, heavy shell washed up on the beach, a cross gut, or some type of structure in the water. Surfside has nothing but sand. At one time there were some cars dumped in the water close to the beach, but they are probably gone by now.


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## sometimesfisher (Oct 3, 2011)

Sharkchum,

I see what you mean about lack of structural/draws for that stretch of Follet's Island, but why doesn't the fact that it is flanked by two (or three if you count the MOB) major passes to the bay make a difference?

I've caught just about everything in that stretch of surf and had plenty of epic days there -- but it seems like it is only when things are running in and out of the bays, so I've had plenty of skunked days, too. I guess my question is: why don't SLP and Freeport jetty/MOB create the same kind of draw to the nearby surf like other cuts do?

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk


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## sometimesfisher (Oct 3, 2011)

Also, I think the car bodies are still there.

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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

sometimesfisher said:


> Sharkchum,
> 
> I see what you mean about lack of structural/draws for that stretch of Follet's Island, but why doesn't the fact that it is flanked by two (or three if you count the MOB) major passes to the bay make a difference?
> 
> ...


 The passes do make a difference, and I have caught a lot of fish around all of them, but once you get away from them it just seems to die.
I think it has to do with how the currents hit the coast. For the most part, Surfside is a clean beach with very little debris, while Sargent on the other hand is always covered with debris. The current and prevailing winds dictate what sections of the coast debris washes up on, but along with the debris, the currents are also bringing vital nutrients to the area in the form of plankton and other micro organisms, which begins the great circle of life.
One of the things I look for when choosing a place to fish is stuff washed up on the beach, weather its shells, trees, or seaweed. When there is stuff in one location and not on the rest of the beach, that's a clear indication that the currents are different there and it's probably a good place to fish.


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