# When is it too rough for surf fishing?



## A Draper

I just check the forcast for galveston area for this week. Looks like 10-20 mph winds and seas between 2-4 ft most of the week. Of course day to day both vary. With the spring fishing busting open all over, I don't want to waste time fishing bad conditions. Is there a wind/sea level that is a no go for surf fishing? Is there a condition that is preferred?


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## scrambler

Depends a lot on target species and how you are fishing. It also depends on wind direction as well as velocity. If the wind is blowing straight onshore or offshore you can fish a stronger wind than a side or quartering. A side or quartering wind creates a longshore current and it is difficult to get baits to stay out.

Generally, I don't surf fish a 20 mph wind. It looks like winds and seas are going to settle Thursday through Friday.


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## 535

you never know unless you go...

I agree with scrambler, it very much depends on species and fishing tactics... you're not gonna be tossing arties to trout in chocolate 5-7' surf... however, you **** sure might catch some bull reds in those conditions

you are just going to have to figure out what tolerance you have for different conditions... might get more specific answers with more specifics regarding how you fish and what you fish for. Paddling large shark baits? Casting fresh dead shrimp? Looking for trout?


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## bubbas kenner

I would rather try n fish the surf in rough conditions than to deal with that stinky seaweed that can send you packing .I have a 11 ft fenwick yellow heavy for trade for trout reel.And a 4/0 HLW pm me


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## monkeyman1

preferred is 5 mph, flat and green to the beach. but sometimes you just have to go and gut it out. might end up drinking beer and sitting in the chair, but it beats most anything else.


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## Teamgafftop13

for me if i cant get a 10oz pyramid weight or an 8oz spider weight to hold on the bottom then i will usually say to heck with the surf, and go fish the pier, or just hang out and relax, for me wind is just one of those things you gotta deal with, as long as you can keep a bait in the water, then its a fishable day


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## A Draper

I wasn't very specific. Mainly thinking of redfish and drum that sort of thing. Casting from the beach primarily. Take this coming friday for instance wind 10-15 mph from SE and 2-3 seas. Worth a shot or not?


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## Teamgafftop13

definetly worth a shot, 10-15 mph winds from the south east should be great fishing, i DO NOT like north winds, but that southeast wind should work for you, it will blow the bait fish more into shore thus bringing the game fish in with it, so i would definetly hit up the surf


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## 535

A Draper said:


> I wasn't very specific. Mainly thinking of redfish and drum that sort of thing. Casting from the beach primarily. Take this coming friday for instance wind 10-15 mph from SE and 2-3 seas. Worth a shot or not?


actually sounds really good depending on the tides and water movement


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## Jolly Roger

A Draper said:


> I wasn't very specific. Mainly thinking of redfish and drum that sort of thing. Casting from the beach primarily. Take this coming friday for instance wind 10-15 mph from SE and 2-3 seas. Worth a shot or not?


That is a typical forecast for the upper coast. Most any south,east or west wind over 15mph starts to become work. True north wind you can fish easy up to 20mph, blows the surf flat. Any harder than that it is not nice to you on the beach, kinda sand blast you. Further south you go down the coast the harder a norh wind becomes to fish.

There are a lot of factors that come into play, a 15mph wind that changes directions is great fishing. A 15mph wind that has blown the same exact direction for more then a day will build massive surf. The coast of Texas is also the shape of a half moon, so a lot depends on where you are fishing. Sea weed is always a factor, and depth of the beach is also a factor.

My general rule when I was surf fishing all the time was if it the wind under 20mph, under 120 degrees, over 40 degrees, not lightning and no tornadoes. I went fishing, and would just figure it out when I got there.

Good luck, and post a report.


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## GringoViejo

In my opinion Swellinfo has much better surf prediction, than the weather forecast. I use it in the summer for green water.

www.swellinfo.com

Saludos


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## GringoViejo

I just checked the forecast. I think I will break out the long rod this weekend.

Saludos


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## Surffshr

I would just load up and go. Fish conditions that you find. No forecast is good this far out, and if you can cast net bait it is not too rough to fish. And that counts whether you're chunking bait or plugging. Good luck.


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## BigBobTx

When does spring break start? Might be something to consider depending on where you are going. 
I like to use a claw weight in windy conditions, caught a couple of reds on fresh dead shrimp just south of Bob Hall last week at marker 244. There was just a small bit of grass to deal with but no real problems. The bite started about 11:a.m. before that hard-head, hard-head did I mention hard-heads but they left about the time the reds showed up.
Bob


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## SurfRunner

Over the years, I have learned that conditions for big reds are perfect when you have 10 - 15 knot winds and 2 - 4 ft. seas from the southeast. Anything above that can be uncomfortable and a lot of work though and you can still catch a lot of reds. 

Stay home if the winds are from the northeast to easterly direction and at 15 knots. You will have trouble keeping your baits down. Also very high winds blowing from the southeast might make it impossible to drive the beach.

A good fisherman will learn how to adapt to the conditions and still catch fish when conditions are less than perfect - This is usually the case. I don't care about being a good fisherman anymore so I just wait until the weather is nice. LOL!


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## Charlie2

Teamgafftop13 said:


> for me if i cant get a 10oz pyramid weight or an 8oz spider weight to hold on the bottom then i will usually say to heck with the surf, and go fish the pier, or just hang out and relax, for me wind is just one of those things you gotta deal with, as long as you can keep a bait in the water, then its a fishable day


I agree. If I can't get a sinker to hold, I'll go find something else to get into. C2


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## Txfirenfish

when it's like this.


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## Mustad7731

*Too Rough.....NOT!!!*

Draper,
I try to fish at every opportunity...Winds up to about 25mph...That can require a
8-10 oz sand sinker or not depending upon the winds direction...With wind in that
range safety considerations requires a jet ski or a rod-n-reel combination that can
cast "8 and bait".
Most times there ARE 20lb + fish to be caught in the surf...Sometimes they are a
little harder to catch than at other times.
Everyone has to decide what their comfort level is for fishing in the surf or off a
pier...What ever you decide...Fish every time that you can....You cannot catch
fish w/o baits in the H2O.
Mustad7731
Jackie


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## northpaw

A Draper said:


> I wasn't very specific. Mainly thinking of redfish and drum that sort of thing. Casting from the beach primarily. Take this coming friday for instance wind 10-15 mph from SE and 2-3 seas. Worth a shot or not?


I'm in Lufkin also. Drop me a pm if you'd like to hook up and split gas costs. Until the summer months I'm usually only free on sundays, but someone to share the ride south sure helps the finances.


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## JWS

Jolly Roger said:


> My general rule when I was surf fishing all the time was if it the wind under 20mph, under 120 degrees, over 40 degrees, not lightning and no tornadoes. I went fishing, and would just figure it out when I got there.
> 
> Good luck, and post a report.


Trevor I agree 100%. Fish like reds, drum, and bull sharks dont mind dirty or rough water. I actually use to have my best luck catching bull sharks at the mouth of the Brazos when the water looked like chocolate milk after a good river runoff. Gotta remember they feed off smell. Generally if im fishing a dirty surf, I throw the freshest cut bait I can find. If im fishing clean water (green, blue, or clear) ill try throwing live or fresh cut bait especially during the summer because you may have kings, ling, and tarpon on the beach front. Weve fished a couple days before tropical storms and hurricanes came in when the water was extremely rough and churned up and had excellent luck. Like Ive always been told, you wont know what youre gonna catch sitting on the couch. Good luck to ya.


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## cva34

*SURF*



GringoViejo said:


> In my opinion Swellinfo has much better surf prediction, than the weather forecast. I use it in the summer for green water.
> 
> www.swellinfo.com
> 
> Saludos


 I never heard of /But I LIKEE Thanks....CVA34


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