Easiest Fish to Catch in the Surf

Hello everyone.

Like many others, I'm from out-of-town (middle TN) and I'll be hitting the beach June 20-27 (in the Fort Morgan area). I've done a lot of fishing, but nothing in saltwater. I've read lots of posts on your forum about what to use to catch this and that, but it's a bit overwhelming.

Here's my question: what's the most "fun" type of fish to catch from the beach? What's the easiest thing to catch several of? I don't mind using light tackle. Smaller fish can be fun on light hardware. Of course, I'd like to stay away from the catfish and sting rays (don't care to get finned or stuck by either) and sharks aren't high on my priority list either.

I don't mind getting up and hitting the water early. It works out good that way when it's a family vacation more than a fishing vacation. I'd love to catch a kingfish as long as my leg, but I'm going to start a bit more realistic than that. If I can narrow down what I'm after, I can search your forum better for more advice. (By the way, you're got a great forum here. Thanks to whomever is running it.)

I'm renting a kayak for the week, so I'll be able to fish a little further out in the water if that helps. But I'm definitely not going way out to sea. I have a healthy respect for water, especially when that particular body of water's name ends in the word "Ocean". I probably won't venture farther out than 200 yards unless things are real calm. (We're actually renting 2 kayaks, that way I won't be out there solo. Safety in numbers.)

Looking at the tide charts, it appears that particular week in June will be a week of "small" tides or "neap" tides. Does that make a significant difference in what you fish for?

Given I'll be fishing from the beach or close to shore in the kayak, what's the best kind of fish for a saltwater rookie to try to catch?
Also, what's the best bait and tackle shop in the Orange Beach/Ft. Morgan area? I'm not asking anyone to talk bad about any particular places (I realize this is your hometown), but what store offers the most help and has a good selection of bait/tackle?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Welcome to the forum "Bluegoose".

Your 'best bet' fish is the Ladyfish (aka "skipjack").
They are usually numerous in the surf zone,
bite well on live or dead bait and variety of artificials,
jump and run on light tackle.
And they don't have sharp teeth of spines!

But you may want to use a 12" long piece of heavy clear monofilament (30#-40#) in front of your lure so their gill plates don't cut your line when they jump.

Hope this helps!

Welcome Bluegoose Good advice from Pier#r You also may find some trout in the surf at daylight and should be able to catch blues all day but for some reason this year has been really bad for surf fishing I live on the beach off Fort Morgan Rd and really have not done much in the surf this year but maybe it will improve for you Honestly if you haven't fished saltwater and want the experience of catching saltwater fish try the Pier while you're here That time for the year should be great for spanish blues kings red fish jacks etc Pretty easy to catch if they're there I'll be out there Come on out and take a look I'll show you and have you converted to saltwater in no time For your tackle & bait shop your can't beat J&M on Canal Rd Very helpful on any gear and tackle needs as well as live bait etc Good Luck

DAN S II and Pier#r - a big thanks for the replies and advice. I know I've been quiet for a couple of days but I've been reading a lot on your forum and trying to soak it all up.

I found the "What's Biting When" chart (by Pier#r - I'm starting to put some names together here...) and that was exactly what I was looking for. According to the chart, the fish that should be biting best are: bluefish, king mackerel, spanish mackerel, hardtail, skipjack and spadefish. If I'm fishing primarily from the surf, or near shore in the kayak, is it safe to say that hardtail, skipjack and spadefish would be the most likely targets? I suppose the spanish mackerel could come near shore at daybreak? I'm guessing the bluefish and king mackerel would normally be a little further out to sea, is that about right?

I'm trying not to ask questions that have been asked 1000 times before. I'll definitely keep reading your forum and learning some more. The more I can narrow down the fish I'm likely to catch, the easier it is to search your forum.

DAN S II - I hadn't realized bluefish were a possibility. I'll try to check in on the pier reports and see if they start getting more active. They sound like a fun fish to catch. I'm sure you're also right about the pier being a good place to learn.

Thanks again.

Actually you would normally have a better chance of catching blue fish than anything else in the surf but they just haven't shown up this year for some reason You can also catch skip jack and possibly spanish mackeral there Don't forget Redfish The surf is a prime spot for them using fresh cut mullet You might also try Fort Morgan Point Great place to fish for redfish trout flounder and even spanish and blues on occasion

I like catching lady fish when I am bored. They are always biting. Me and my lady friend caught around a hundred of them off the pier one evening after the Spanish and blue fish settled. I catch all three of these fish on gotcha plugs, but mostly I use a bubble rig, straw and treble hook because I don't like wasting money. I use wire all the time because it is more reliable, but I get more bites on thirty pound mono. Lady fish might not have teeth, but they cut twelve pound test every time I attempt it. Some nights lady fish surround the pier and can be caught on just a shiny hook. Blue fish and Spanish are caught mainly on gotchas and bubble rigged straws. I have seen guys catch bigger Spanish by floating live shrimp about three to five feet deep. The peir is the only reason I go to gulf shores area, besides the all you can eat stuff some days at the shrimp basket.

I like catching lady fish when I am bored. They are always biting. Me and my lady friend caught around a hundred of them off the pier one evening after the Spanish and blue fish settled. I catch all three of these fish on gotcha plugs, but mostly I use a bubble rig, straw and treble hook because I don't like wasting money. I use wire all the time because it is more reliable, but I get more bites on thirty pound mono. Lady fish might not have teeth, but they cut twelve pound test every time I attempt it. Some nights lady surround the pier and can be caught on just a shiny hook. Blue fish and Spanish are caught mainly on gotchas and bubble rigged straws. I have seen guys catch bigger Spanish by floating live shrimp about three to five feet deep. The peir is the only reason I go to gulf shores, besides all you can stuff some days at the shrimp basket.

I have a quick follow-up question to Pier#r's advice: But you may want to use a 12" long piece of heavy clear monofilament (30#-40#) in front of your lure so their gill plates don't cut your line when they jump.

Just a reminder: my original question was "What's the easiest fish to catch surf fishing around Fort Morgan?" Pier#r said skipjack would probably be the easiest/best for someone new to saltwater.

I'm sure the recommendation to use a heavy leader is good advise (I wouldn't have thought about their gill plates cutting the line), but several other posts I've read suggest not going too big and heavy on the tackle. You'll catch more fish on lighter line and tackle. If I use the heavy leader, will that limit me from catching "other" kinds of fish? I'll be happy catching skipjack, but I'd like it if something else bit the line too. I'd hate to limit my chances of catching other fish just so I can target skipjack. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

You pondered correctly the heavy 'trace' is prevent chaffing and cutoffs.
Many times I risk my lure to get more bites by tying directly to my 8# mainline,
but if there is too big a risk I will sacrifice getting more bites over loosing more lures.
My pockets aren't very deep ;-)

You can compromise at time by using shorter traces (3"-4") or even light wire,
but with clear mono and especially fluroucarbon leader that is not usually necessary except for mackerel.

Hope this clarifies...

David, do you prefer 30# or 40# leader for spanish ?

I carry both.
I prefer the lightest leader that will suffice under the circumstances, feeling it will get more bites and have a little batter action with the lure.
Maybe that's why I get more bites on 30# (or even 20# in the case of using a Speck Rig).
But I use 40# if I "have to".
Can't afford to be loosing lures all day ;-)

Even 40# gets cut off occasionally and I constantly check it for bad cuts and NEVER hesitate to retie.
But I do tend to take more 'chances' with an 'old' lure seeing it is nearing the end of its usefulness.

Hope that answers your question.