# New guy here.



## CootHammer (Jan 10, 2012)

Hey guys I'm new to the whole surf fishing thing, I go once a year for about the last 3 years I've never got any thing but sea weed and hardheads. I went to Bolivar this weekend with some bought shad (cause I don't know what I'm doing) and Kayaked my bait out about 200 yards or so. I fished all day and never got a bite. The seaweed wasn't bad at all. What do I need to change up to catch a fish? I checked my baits frequently and they weren't drifting but ever time I would reel them in to check my bait it would be gone. I just figured it was the seaweed that I drug it through. Any suggestions are welcome.


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

If the shad was not fresh it gets soft really quick and the crabs get it.
What kind of leader are you using?.


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## CootHammer (Jan 10, 2012)

I was using the 4ft red fish leader and hook set up from Academy with a 5 oz spider weight.


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## MudSharker (Jul 20, 2012)

fishingtwo said:


> If the shad was not fresh it gets soft really quick and the crabs get it.
> What kind of leader are you using?.


Yes. Shad definitley gets softer faster than other baits even if they are fresh. You want to be able to maximize the time your bait is soaking and checking constantly to see if your bait is coming off isn't efficient. We usually will use whiting, jack, rays, and the occasional sheepshead. These baits will stay together on longer soaks better than others.

What are you targeting? Anything in specific?


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

*leader*

If nothing else put a mullet head on there. I am not sure what an redfish leader from acadamy look like, but here is a crude diagram of what I use.

bash away


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## CootHammer (Jan 10, 2012)

Big fish are my target. I haven't fish salt water much so Redfish, Black drum and sharks are my primary targets. Where do y'all get y'all's bait. I tried a cast net in the surf but didn't have much luck, caught a few shrimp, what I thought was a tiny whiting and something that belong in an aquarium.


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

*try again*

surf leader
Where are you coming from? If on 45 south coming into galveston, 71sr exit there is Smittys bait camp. They usually have good bait. 
If your catching shrimp use them and catch some whiting or croaker.
Problem solved. You can walk the beach with your cast net and look for the mullet up shallow then get em..that way. Out deep you need a big net.


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## MudSharker (Jul 20, 2012)

For bait I usually try to load up early in the year on rays. Jacks you can catch in the surf on a good day. Some bait shops sell both of these but most like Bulldogs, or Bayou Bait and Tackle sell rays almost all of the time.

First thing I do when I get to the beach is unpack the truck and tie on a sabiki rig then tip it with either small pieces of shrimp or Fish Bites. Put a 1 or 2 oz. pyramid weight on the bottom of it and fish the wade and 1st guts for bait. If the whiting are in there thick you can usually catch a few slabs. Ive caught rays alot on them to if they are in there. I like using the larger whitings that are over 11-12".


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## CootHammer (Jan 10, 2012)

fishingtwo said:


> surf leader
> Where are you coming from? If on 45 south coming into galveston, 71sr exit there is Smittys bait camp. They usually have good bait.
> If your catching shrimp use them and catch some whiting or croaker.
> Problem solved. You can walk the beach with your cast net and look for the mullet up shallow then get em..that way. Out deep you need a big net.


I live in Porter, I came down 45 and stopped at the bait shop just over the causeway. The leaders I have are real similar to your diagram.


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## troutless (Feb 17, 2006)

I don't fish for large Sharks,. and my biggest rig is a 10' FTU surf rod with a Daiwa Sealine SHA 50 with 65# Suffix braid and 30# mono plus shark leader with a 16/0 Circle hook and usually fish with a Mullet head or a small 6"-7" whole mullet.n the winter I use Whiting. I like catching Bull Red


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## MudSharker (Jul 20, 2012)

If you are looking for larger baits like rays, I would go just a little past smittys to Bayou Bait and Tackle. They are $5 a bag and usually have 2-3 small plate sized rays in there. 

Size of the bait is gonna depend on your set ups as well. 

What kind of setup are you using?


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

Just gotta keep after it. It you buy shad check and see how fresh it is. If it is mushy don't buy it. But truthfully you should be able to catch bait right there in the surf as MudSharker pointed out. Sometimes the crabs can be brutal and you just have to deal with them. Use a bigger bait, with the head on and hook thru the head.from under the bottom jaw thru the top of the head. Good Luck


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## CootHammer (Jan 10, 2012)

Where do you hook the whole mullet and whiting?


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## CootHammer (Jan 10, 2012)

I only have two rigs right now, I have a Penn 309 with 40# mono on a 10' Shakespeare of some sort and a 15' diawa spinning rod with a huge Quantim reel from Academy with 30# mono on it. I ran most of the spool out with the kayak. How do you know when your far enough out? Would a Penn Senator be better since it holds more line? I've got millions of questions!


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

The whole mullet or whiting if using dead I cut it about 3-4 inches behind the head.
Then run the hook from under the mouth thru the top of the head. Adjust your hook size to the size of the bait.
I do not have a kayak but would wade to the second bar and cast from there. 
You dont want to run all your line out...but around 300 yards from the shore would be good for the size rigs your using, maybe a little less.


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## MNsurf (Oct 21, 2011)

CootHammer said:


> Where do you hook the whole mullet and whiting?


On big whiting i run the hook up through the upper lip and pull the eye and leader all the way through the lip. I pull it back to about the dorsal fin. I cut a hole through the fish, one right behind the gills and one in front of the dorsal fin. I run a zip tie through the fish and around the leader in front of the eye and one behind the eye.

Hard to explain, here's a pic

This method makes it VERY hard for anything to steal the bait.
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## MNsurf (Oct 21, 2011)

I use Penn 4/0 and 6/0 reels. I spool with 80 and 100# braid. Depending on reeI have between 600 and 900 yds spooled up. I like braid simply because it doesnt stretch. 
My bait drops depend on conditions. This spring I've been dropping my baits past the green water line and this has been producing very well. Also pay attention to bait movement and birds. If i see a lot of bait just past the third sand bar for example, ill drop a bait there. I've also found it very productive to drop baits where the pelicans are hanging out.
Just keep at it. You'll learn something on every trip to the beach.
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## MudSharker (Jul 20, 2012)

I like to hook whiting or mullet through the bottom of the jaw out through the top of the head. Seems to hold well and while it may seem like im leaving the hook to far forward.....anything I would be targeting should easily be able to swallow a whole whiting or mullet. We have run out whiting in excess of 15" and bull reds have inhaled them so I'm sure a monster toothie wouldn't have a problem. I have also tried the zip tie method like MNsurf demonstrated. It has worked well for me but sometimes I think it may have caused me not to hook up but to each his own. Everyone is going to make the way they rig their baits and fish for these monsters their own way so its just about getting out there and trying different techniques. I have been seriously sharkin for a few years now and still learn something new every trip.

I run 2 9/0's and 1 4/0. I drop both 9/0's roughly 4-500 yds everytime. The 4/0 i will drop usually 50 or so yds past the third bar. I also have at least one casted bait for the second gut. 

I run braid backing with mono topshot on all my reels. 9/0's have 600 yds of 100# jerry brown braid with 350 yds of 80# mono topshot. the 4/0 has 300 yds 80# braid and roughly 200 yds. 80# mono topshot.

I or Huntinfortail are usually on the beach every weekend this time of year. Stop by sometime and will answer any questions you might have. It helps seeing the different setups in person.

Good Luck!


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## Fishingmatt (Aug 16, 2012)

I went two times before I caught my first good fish, three times before I caught a bull red or shark... Like all these guys have said, you have to stick with it, and keep learning..


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## CootHammer (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks guys for all this great advice. What is the advantage of spooling your reels with the two different type of lines together?


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## Egardner (Dec 11, 2012)

The mono is for abrasion resistance because it may rub on the sand bars and the braid is smaller in diameter so you can get a lot of line on a reel


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## MNsurf (Oct 21, 2011)

MudSharker

What knot are you using to splice your mono to your braid?




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