# To early to wade the surf?



## sabinewhaler88 (Jan 5, 2013)

Thinking about giving it a go this weekend. Never waded the surf this early in the year.


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## Stumpgrinder1 (Jul 18, 2016)

For trout ? I look for 74 degree water temp. Others believe over 70 is ok


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## sabinewhaler88 (Jan 5, 2013)

Yes sir trout


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## TroutOut (Dec 18, 2007)

The earliest I have every caught them off the beachfront has been April 23rd and that was using live shrimp.


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## Davidsel47 (Apr 10, 2019)

How would you fish them in on a beach front?


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## CaptShinski (Jun 29, 2019)

Doubt it will be wadable.

But, I've caught trout fishing the surf near the pass in April. Rock groins may be holding a few too..


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*wade*



Davidsel47 said:


> How would you fish them in on a beach front?


wade out to the second or third bar throwing arties just like the bay. I throw strictly tops in the surf when i fish it. i typically stay in the bay, because as a general rule of thumb the surf trout are dinks. and the surf has to flat to fish it effectively. :texasflag


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## Stumpgrinder1 (Jul 18, 2016)

c hook said:


> wade out to the second or third bar throwing arties just like the bay. I throw strictly tops in the surf when i fish it. i typically stay in the bay, because as a general rule of thumb the surf trout are dinks. and the surf has to flat to fish it effectively. :texasflag


"typically dinks " in the surf ? As a 50 year plus surf fisherman this has not been my experience


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*??*



stumpgrinder3 said:


> "typically dinks " in the surf ? As a 50 year plus surf fisherman this has not been my experience


definitely been mine, only been doing it for about 35 years plus. on rare occasions they are good fish, but most often not. :texasflag


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## Davidsel47 (Apr 10, 2019)

I have seen people fishing at the beach and it always has looked like they must have some type of anchor weight because the rods stay bent. I guess I just always think beach fishing when I hear "Surf fishing".


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## Csafisher (Nov 16, 2010)

stumpgrinder3 said:


> "typically dinks " in the surf ? As a 50 year plus surf fisherman this has not been my experience


I think he wants to keep people off the beach. ðŸ˜‚


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*lol*



Csafisher said:


> I think he wants to keep people off the beach. ðŸ˜‚


now that's funny.:rotfl: I enjoy the surf and on rare occasions still join a friends or two for it. But I prefer to stay in the bay. If I'm on fish in the bay, it's hard to divert to the surf. Surf days are few and far between, and in general my bay fish tend to be bigger than my surf fish. Actually I like fishing the surf from a boat, and being mobile. Had a surf bite last year, followed it down the beach. When the bite would shut down in one area, I'd move down the beach with the fish. It was interesting how the bite rolled down the beach. If you were on foot, you'd get your bite, but then it would shut down. :texasflag


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## mccain (Oct 20, 2006)

stumpgrinder3 said:


> "typically dinks " in the surf ? As a 50 year plus surf fisherman this has not been my experience


x2. my 2 biggest trout ever have come from the surf including the one in my avatar. had quite a few over 20" last year


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## mccain (Oct 20, 2006)

Davidsel47 said:


> I have seen people fishing at the beach and it always has looked like they must have some type of anchor weight because the rods stay bent. I guess I just always think beach fishing when I hear "Surf fishing".


those guys are fishing for sharks or bull reds. for trout throw the same lures as you would in the bay. nothing better than a early AM topwater bite in the surf. might be a little early still but at this point the next calm day with decent water clarity will see me at da beach


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## oakforestmx (Feb 9, 2011)

LOL, the tide runners i've found in the surf are not typical or dinky.


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## rcowboy (Jun 28, 2006)

*Surf*

Caught redfish last Saturday near Fish Pass Jetties in the surf. Lots of skipjacks. Water felt nice although it was drizzling rain and had a north wind at 60 degrees!!


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*temps looking right*

water temps looking right. real time wind and water temps. :texasflag

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports/ports.html?id=8771341&mode=threedayswl


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## ecooler3 (Aug 10, 2016)

*access?*

I have the itch as well but am wondering with most all of the beaches closed-where could you go when the surf gets right?


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## Rockfish2 (Sep 1, 2017)

stumpgrinder3 said:


> "typically dinks " in the surf ? As a 50 year plus surf fisherman this has not been my experience


Me neither. I think it depends on the time of year and what theyâ€™re feeding on. In my experience Iâ€™ve found gulf trout to also generally be heavier than bay trout relative to whatever their length is.


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*??*

maybe i need your surf honey holes. i rarely if ever catch stringers of solid fish in the surf, like the bay. I wear an 11 shoe, the wade boot is a 14 for socks and wader stocking. :texasflag


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## jtburf (May 26, 2004)

Fellas, it is a touch nautical out there these days. You will take a few over the Bow AKA Head!!
http://www.galveston.com/webcams/babes-beach-videocam/

John


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## 348473 (Apr 12, 2017)

stumpgrinder3 said:


> "typically dinks " in the surf ? As a 50 year plus surf fisherman this has not been my experience


Catch bruisers in surf and way less sandies for me.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


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## 348473 (Apr 12, 2017)

oakforestmx said:


> LOL, the tide runners i've found in the surf are not typical or dinky.


And they fight alot harder

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## gigem87 (May 19, 2006)

I've been fishing the surf for trout my whole life. I bet I haven't caught a dozen trout that were true dinks.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

hurricane matt said:


> And they fight alot harder
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


Absolutely! They will make the line sing.


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## LaddH (Sep 29, 2011)

hurricane matt said:


> And they fight alot harder
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk


And to me they taste better.

Here is one from the surf last Monday. First of the year for me. I will be trying again today.


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*??*



LaddH said:


> And to me they taste better.
> 
> Here is one from the surf last Monday. First of the year for me. I will be trying again today.


what kind of lure is that? looks like a cross between a fish and shrimp, good color. smart on the life jacket, don't see many of those being used these days. :texasflag


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*state record*



mccain said:


> x2. my 2 biggest trout ever have come from the surf including the one in my avatar. had quite a few over 20" last year


don't get me wrong guys, a lot of big fish come from the surf. i'm a nice guy, but not necessarily a dummy. the old state record came from I believe the flagship pier, galvetraz. There was a time brown cedar surf East Gorda, was one of the highlight of my fishing. Caught dozens and dozens of 4 to 7lb trout in the surf. When I reminisants, and my mind takes me back in time, one of the places I find myself, is the Brown Cedar cut surf. The structure there is a fish magnet. At this time cell phones didn't exist. One of my mentors left me on the beachfront fishing solo more than once, while he would return to the boat ramp to retrieve a friend to join us. Back then you would have to make plans the previous night, so while fishing, he'd tell me I talked to so and so last night, and he wants us to pick him up at the ramp at noon. I'd grab a sandwich and drink from the boat, and tell him I'll be right here when you get back. I'd kick back, have a sandwich and soft drink on the beach, only accessible by boat so I was alone. Then go back to fishing til they got back.

We don't have what we did back then.

There was a time if you found the birds working, easy limits of solid fish, 18 to 22 inches. Now it's dink city under the birds. I've watched a lot of changes in the last 35 plus years of non-stop hard core coastal fishing. It's my passion, we are serious about, so when I make these comments, it's strictly my honest experience, and not in any way meant to be derogatory. :texasflag


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## LaddH (Sep 29, 2011)

c hook said:


> what kind of lure is that? looks like a cross between a fish and shrimp, good color. smart on the life jacket, don't see many of those being used these days. :texasflag


It is a Pink Yozuri hard plastic shrimp with a little additional pink finger nail polish on the tail and a dot behind the head. Trout and reds love it this time of year.
http://yo-zuri.com/products/crystal-3d-shrimp-tm/

I even caught a black drum on it that day.
I tried again today and my wife got one keeper red and I got an undersized red. It was rough, off colored and the beach was coved in water hyacinth so I guess it was pretty fresh.
Next time maybe. 
I try to wear the life jacket in the surf or on any wade I donâ€™t know real well.
I shed it if I am only going knee deep or so on the beach. Unless it is really hot I donâ€™t even know it is there.
I worked in marine construction so I got use to wearing a work vest.


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## Davidsel47 (Apr 10, 2019)

Im gonna try surf fishing out, sounds pretty fun.


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## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

I enjoy fishing the surf because you never know what you will catch.

While I will try to target specks with topwaters you never know how big it will be...


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The answer is no.


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## ruquick (Nov 4, 2006)

fishingtwo said:


> I enjoy fishing the surf because you never know what you will catch.
> 
> While I will try to target specks with topwaters you never know how big it will be...


Caught a 3' shark on a bone super spook in the 2nd gut last year.


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## TheAnt (Jul 1, 2008)

Was lots of people on Follet's today. Anyplace it looked like you could walk from the highway to the beach from access 4 to 6

Kinda irritates me that I can't have my truck close by and if I want to move it is a pita.

I wonder how many rattlesnake bites there will be because of this. I am sure there are lots of folks who have no idea.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

To clarify, the answer is no, it is not too early. I have waded in March and caught some really nice five to six pound fish. Not many in a session, but plenty of solid surf fighting action when you do get one. They fight hard in the highly O2 saturated water.
The mouth of Rollover in the late 70s was where we would fish the surf early. 
And caught three to five fish a person on the average working hard, but all would be outstanding fish.
Touts were the bait, rigged tandem. Purple with a white tail.
That first dip past the crotch is all you have to deal with, as you are numb from then on until you get home.


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## Major29 (Jun 19, 2011)

c hook said:


> wade out to the second or third bar throwing arties just like the bay. I throw strictly tops in the surf when i fish it. i typically stay in the bay, because as a general rule of thumb the surf trout are dinks. and the surf has to flat to fish it effectively. :texasflag


Strongly disagree in my experience. The trout are definitely fatter and healthier in the surf. When itâ€™s right in the summer time I have caught many limits with a 20â€ average.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Blutarsky (Jul 12, 2016)

i agree with most everyone here. In the summer the bay trout get skinnier and the surf trout are thick and strong. Lots of 18" to 22" fish. Occasionally we get into a redfish bite also which is awesome. Throw in the occasional black tip shark, line ripping jack or spanish mackerel frenzy and the surf can be awesome. I used to wade the surf at Cedar Bayou. Now I only fish it out of the boat on good weather days. Lots of fun. Have to be careful though. Even on good days the breakers can be tricky.


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## SaltgrassKen (Jan 19, 2012)

*Surf*

April 25, 2018 we caught them in the surf. More redfish than usual too. We were throwing lures and live shrimp. It was flat, water was a little off color.


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## hunterjck (Sep 30, 2010)

*Surf Fishing*



c hook said:


> wade out to the second or third bar throwing arties just like the bay. I throw strictly tops in the surf when i fish it. i typically stay in the bay, because as a general rule of thumb the surf trout are dinks. and the surf has to flat to fish it effectively. :texasflag


That just goes to show you! When I surf fish for trout (good water) I drag a silver or gold spoon on the bottom and do better than the others!


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*nice*



hunterjck said:


> That just goes to show you! When I surf fish for trout (good water) I drag a silver or gold spoon on the bottom and do better than the others!


it's hard for a trout or red to pass up a spoon in the surf, looks just like a little bait fish with the flashing and vibration. can't go wrong there. :texasflag


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## troutsupport (May 22, 2006)

Yep I plan to hit the surf a lot this summer. 

Giants have from from the surf off boliver as early as february in the past. When does the majority start showing up.. about now.. should be any day. But yes.. we anglers need the wind to switch to NW, N, or NE light or SE light. By light I mean less than 8-10 SE. The fish are probably there.. we just need the weather to cooperate.


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## donald (Aug 8, 2008)

i am sooo ready!!!!! would be interested in hooking up with some of yall one day at surfside!!!!


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## teeroy (Oct 1, 2009)

Smoked em in the surf in April on artificials.


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## Saltwater Addiction (Sep 2, 2009)

Fishing the surf is one of my favorite trout fishing times. Usually get the bigger fish from now until late June. If it's flat, green and tide moving it's time to go. This time of year the afternoon can be better than AM really more of a tide factor. Live bait works best but we usually hammer them on tops or tails. Because you can get pretty beat up in the surf, it's not for everyone. Last May I caught several 25" to 26". Hoping this year turns on! Pura Vida.


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*??*



Saltwater Addiction said:


> Fishing the surf is one of my favorite trout fishing times. Usually get the bigger fish from now until late June. If it's flat, green and tide moving it's time to go. This time of year the afternoon can be better than AM really more of a tide factor. Live bait works best but we usually hammer them on tops or tails. Because you can get pretty beat up in the surf, it's not for everyone. Last May I caught several 25" to 26". Hoping this year turns on! Pura Vida.


i'd like to fish more afternoons, surf or bay. but it is so hard to find a calm afternoon. and now that i've become a fair weather fisherman, decisions decisions. :texasflag


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## smit388` (Jun 16, 2012)

I crushed them yesterday from 545-745 PM and today from 630-9 AM. Several fish above 24 inches. Was at the water tower access on the west end of the island yesterday and access 13 this morning. All on mirrodines.


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## c hook (Jul 6, 2016)

*wow*



bas2466 said:


> I crushed them yesterday from 545-745 PM and today from 630-9 AM. Several fish above 24 inches. Was at the water tower access on the west end of the island yesterday and access 13 this morning. All on mirrodines.


nice work, did you try tops??:texasflag


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## smit388` (Jun 16, 2012)

I didn’t even change lures. The action was consistent.


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## mertz09 (Nov 15, 2009)

bas2466 said:


> I didnâ€™t even change lures. The action was consistent.


Outstanding! Thanks for the report.


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