Just got home and set it up. Shakespeare ugly stick, 12 foot long and shakespeare open face reel. Put 20# line on it. I debated gettint the 15 foot ugly stick, but my marraige coulda been at stake.I figure with 3 ounces, I should be able to cast at least 100 yards out.

Standing on the pier that streches 2500 feet, I should be a little closer to the dolphin that have been caught from boats within 20 miles of our beach....
Either way reds up to 3 feet long, spanish mackeral, and spotted seatrout (but not weakfish, a differnt species) and whiting have been very heavy for the last month or so.

Going in the morning but yet to decide if I'm going to the pier or the jetties on the St. Johns river. the pier is only a mile away and the jetties are 5 miles or so. I hate making decisions....

Good luck, but remember there are alot of fish caught close to shore between the first and second breaker.

Sounds good I'll be headed out to do some surf fishing in August! Let us know how you do!

If you dig in the sand at the waters edge, you will find them. They are the best bait for Salt Water Perch, when surf fishing.



Sand fleas: Tiny crustaceans of the beach


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[/align]Beachgoers along the Gulf Coast normally see ghost crabs, smooth clams (coquinas), several kinds of snails, hermit crabs and maybe some barnacles attached to a log.
If they look a little harder, they might see beach fleas and sand fleas. Neither are really fleas, but are actually crustaceans, which means they belong in the group of organisms that includes shrimp, crab and lobsters.
The beach flea is a very small shrimp-like animal that lives under driftwood or within decaying seaweed. They require the moisture often found under a board or within a pile of sea grass to survive. If disturbed, they use their powerful hind legs, which are flea-like, to jump up to 50 times their own body length.





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WHITING (Merlangius merlangus) The Whiting is a member of the Gadidae family which also includes the Cod. It is very common around most of the British coastline from September onwards. Baits: Lugworm Squid and fish baits. Whiting rarely grow above 2lb (0.9kg) caught from the shore.
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I haven't done any surf fishing in years, but you peaked my desire to do so again, Now I have to go and buy me a rod ,LOL

We had a summer home on Anna Maria Island for 33yrs and sold it in 1988, (1955-1988).My wife and son would stay there over the school summer vacation, 10wks. I would go for a 4 day week-end every week.

I would go to the beach every morning surf fishingand bring back 10-12 whitings and then to the pier for mackrel. When my father-in-law would come downon some week-ends, we would take the boat to the Grass Flats off the Sky Way Bridge for Speckel Trout. Sometimes I would go to the Marina and fish the pilings for Sheeps Head.Wehad fish every day.

Brother, I did this for many years!