Fishing from shore!

Hey Guys,

Hope everyone is doing well. Anyways, me and my family will be driving to gulf shores from central Illinois in early May and I am hoping to do some fishing from shore. I have a small fishing boat, but don't want to drive that things down to Alabama on a 15 hour drive lol. Anyways, besides doing some salmon fishing in Alaska and watching fishing shows, I have very limited knowledge about ocean fishing.

Continuing on, I recently bought a pretty heavy duty fishing reel and pole setup that could probably reel in a shark lol. I also have bass fishing tackle that I plan on bringing. I have a few questions for you guys.


1. Do I need to go on the pier or do people catch stuff from the beach?

2. If so, what type of wish would I most likely catch?

3. Should I use live bait or could I catch fish using artificial?

4. Any other tips?

I know you guys probably get this kind of post from annoying tourists like myself on a regular basis so I appreciate any kind of feedback provided! If I catch something, I will be sure to post some pictures!

thanks!

This thread is a good start.

http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...t-timer-11846/

Also, need saltwater license.

Welcome to the Forum, imgonnamissher. Your questions are not annoying, though those same questions have been asked many times, and sometimes by me! You have plenty of time to learn the answers to your questions before May. The best place to start is by using the Search button in the upper right of each page. You will find answers to stuff you haven't even thought of yet. The archives is a treasure chest of knowledge, from real people who love to fish. I learned a lot, and even learned how to ask the RIGHT questions. ;)

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Originally Posted by bodebum

Welcome to the Forum, imgonnamissher. Your questions are not annoying, though those same questions have been asked many times, and sometimes by me! You have plenty of time to learn the answers to your questions before May. The best place to start is by using the Search button in the upper right of each page. You will find answers to stuff you haven't even thought of yet. The archives is a treasure chest of knowledge, from real people who love to fish. I learned a lot, and even learned how to ask the RIGHT questions. ;)

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thanks for the info guys! But I went on that post and I didn't see anything about shore fishing, more just pier fishing. Has anyone ever fished from a sandy beach and had success?

Okay, I found some information. Disregard my previous post. Hope everyone has a good day

I catch a lot right behind our condo. Size 6 or 4 hooks pompano rig fresh shrimp and or fishbites will get you started. Also a half oz. To 1 oz sliding sinker then a small black swivel , attach 18 inch leader with a size 6 or 4 kayle hook fresh shrimp and or fishbites, cast out retrieve slowly. Most people use to big of hooks.

I'm not a particular big fan of bringing fresh water reels to a sandy beach, unless you are good at cleaning them afterwards. You would be amazed at how fast saltwater can start corrosion. You can catch tons of stuff in May from shore, provided you have decent water conditions. Live or fresh dead work best. Have fun

Yep wash your rods and reels with soapy water every day.

Avoid putting your reel down in the sand. Don't use the pre made pompano rigs from Walmart. The hooks are too large. Spray off the reel after each use. The fish usually move in shallow at low light and further out in the middle of the day.

Get some cheap thin wall pvc pipe big enough in diameter to hold the butt of your rod, cut it into 2-3' length, with an angle at one end and use them for rod holders to keep you reels out of the sand.

And yep, most people over-size tackle and hooks for surf fishing. 8# line on medium spinning tackle with #4 or #2 hooks is all you really need for slot reds, pompano & whiting.

Whiting will usually be at your feet, in the active surf. So you don't a lot of weight, I use 1/4 to 1/2 oz.

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Originally Posted by CarlF

Get some cheap thin wall pvc pipe big enough in diameter to hold the butt of your rod, cut it into 2-3' length, with an angle at one end and use them for rod holders to keep you reels out of the sand.

And yep, most people over-size tackle and hooks for surf fishing. 8# line on medium spinning tackle with #4 or #2 hooks is all you really need for slot reds, pompano & whiting.

Whiting will usually be at your feet, in the active surf. So you don't a lot of weight, I use 1/4 to 1/2 oz.

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Thanks Guys! I actually bought a saltwater reel but the only problem is it is huggggge! Like it could be used for reeling in tunas lol. But, at least it should hold up better. I appreciate all the feedback, I definitely will be buying smaller hooks, getting the pvc pipe, and also doing some early morning fishing.

Leave the huge reel at the house unless you are fishing for kings, sharks, bull reds or cobia.