Anyone ever fished the Gulf coast surf

[toomanycasts]

If you have, can you catch anything on bass gear? Thanks

[jrrose03]

_{I fish the tampa area every year and mostly with catfish gear. Seems to be a decent fit for the area im in... alot of sail cats, reds, sharks, and the occasional "um what is this?!" lol. I dont fish the surf much but see some folks that do. I think if youre near some trout, flounder, span mackeral you'd be fine... but with the gulf you never truly know!... I really dont think you'd be out of the element fishing bass tackle but i would definitely bump the line up and consider a wire leader or pledge to retie a bunch if you start landing into them. Ive always used 40-50 lb main line mono with a 25-30lb leader and never had much of an issue, but thats fishing a 6600c4 on 9ftMh. Never the less, theres guides in tampa that fish nothing but "light" tackle, which consists mostly of what looks to be bass gear. I would just bump the line up, consider a leader, and keep a steady hand on the drag in case you rip into a big'n... because fish pictures are always better than stories lol. Hope this helps a little, and good luck!!!}

[mvortex]

I have fished plenty in the Gulf with bass tackle. Throwing gulp or real shrimp on jigheads. Even live pilchards/white bait, everyone calls them something different, free lined on circle hooks. I always use a fluro leader of at least 20LBs. you can also throw spoons on the beach if their are mackerel around, but you will want wire leader for that. Try to find a rock jetty or pass to fish with the outgoing tide. Fish can really stack up in these places. Don't forget to watch the spines on the saltwater cats, they will make you swell up for several hours.

[sweetwater]

I fish salt on the east and the least coast of Florida on a regular basis. While you could use you bass gear for salt it isn't a good idea. Sand will get into places it shouldn't be and destroy any moving parts with tight tolerances. That's besides the damage that salt air, mist and water can to every part. If that's not enough when salt fishing you just never know what you're going to catch. Get a mediocre size jack crevalle or a snook hooked on that bass gear and they could pretty much rip it apart at will. If you're beach fishing I'd recommend a Penn spinning reel that holds at least 300 yards of 20 pound mono and a 12 foot mh surf rod. (yes I've been spooled before with that much line on the reel) True salt gear should be made mostly from anodized aluminum and the interior parts should be sealed from the outside environment.

[jrrose03]

I fish salt on the east and the least coast of Florida on a regular basis. While you could use you bass gear for salt it isn't a good idea. Sand will get into places it shouldn't be and destroy any moving parts with tight tolerances. That's besides the damage that salt air, mist and water can to every part. If that's not enough when salt fishing you just never know what you're going to catch. Get a mediocre size jack crevalle or a snook hooked on that bass gear and they could pretty much rip it apart at will. If you're beach fishing I'd recommend a Penn spinning reel that holds at least 300 yards of 20 pound mono and a 12 foot mh surf rod. (yes I've been spooled before with that much line on the reel) True salt gear should be made mostly from anodized aluminum and the interior parts should be sealed from the outside environment.

sweet made an excellent point!... if you do decide to take fresh water gear, definitely make sure to clean the gear very thoroughly after each use with freshwater, i learned the hard way 10 or so years ago and didnt clean my gear... long story short the saltwater flat ate it up. I wash all my gear down now after each use for about 5-10 minutes.. reels rods bait knives.. and havent had an issue since.

[WetFoot]

From my experience, yes you want to be careful about sand/saltwater. I just spent hours cleaning my spinning reels in prep for a North Carolina trip. Buy some rod holders, preferably with metal spikes - if the rod holder falls over and the reel hits the sand...

Soft plastics are a waste of time - they get destroyed. Try a variety of baits to see what works. Two years ago I had a lot of fun with live mud minnows and spoons catching ladyfish, aka poor man's tarpon.

[toomanycasts]

Appreciate the info. I'm not wanting to get too complicated. I could easily go off the deep end end; then get the family vacation lecture from my wife ha ha. Just wanting to cast some lures if the waves aren't too big. Maybe a couple hours in the morning from the beach or pier. Maybe a jetty or back water if I can find something close

[riverrat12]

Appreciate the info. I'm not wanting to get too complicated. I could easily go off the deep end end; then get the family vacation lecture from my wife ha ha. Just wanting to cast some lures if the waves aren't too big. Maybe a couple hours in the morning from the beach or pier. Maybe a jetty or back water if I can find something close

If your just throwing lures,I would have a Gotcha and a Pompano jig. Spoons and the Gulp shrimp are great to.Good luck. Chuck

[DgTerrell]

A couple years ago, I went to Pensacola Beach, Florida and fished off the pier. For $20 you got a day license, your rod and reel and container of frozen shrimp. It's something to think about if you decide you want to try something else. I had fun doing it. Caught a couple including this redfish.

[sweetwater]

If your just throwing lures,I would have a Gotcha and a Pompano jig. Spoons and the Gulp shrimp are great to.Good luck. Chuck

I'll second the pompano jigs and spoons for casting. White pomp jigs and gold spoons are usually best. If you go to Destin or PCB stop by Half Hitch Tackle and they'll be glad advise you as to what to use and how to use it at a given time.