Reading the surf..

Reading the Surf

Successful Surf Fishing Techniques for Trophy Red Drum and Striped Bass

By Poppy

In today’s world of saltwater surf fishing, much has evolved in the way of gear development and how fishing information is disseminated. With the advent of long casting lightweight graphite rods, the enormous selection of terminal tackle, advances in reel design and engineering, innovations in fishing line and the extensive information readily available from the internet, the terra-firma fisherman is now poised to succeed more than ever before in catching fish. But for all these advantages, there still are basic surf fishing fundamentals that can only be learned by spending time on the water and paying special attention to and understanding the existing conditions below the surface of the water. For purposes of this article, the discussion will be confined to bottom fishing with bait in the surf of the Atlantic coast of the DelMarVa Peninsula from Cape Henlopen to Cape Charles.

The Atlantic coastline of the DelMarVa Peninsula is approximately 140 miles long, running north and south and stretching across the three states of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The coastline is part of the Mid-Atlantic bight that extends from Massachusetts to North Carolina. Typically, the DelMarVa coastline has sandy beaches that gently slope down to the water. This area of water adjacent to the beach is known as the surf zone and generally is made up of a series of incoming parallel waves that spill or break, resulting in the foamy white water as seen up and down the coast. The crashing waters, also known as breakers, are to the untrained eye, nothing more than a bunch of noisy tumultuous waves that beckon the call of summertime swimmers and surfers.

To the surf fisherman, however, these breakers in the surf zone mean something completely different. They reveal the underwater “lay of the land,” where migratory game fish such as Red Drum and Striped Bass roam.

There could be 1 to 3 sandbars that run parallel to the beach. A sandbar (bar) is a ridge of sand formed along a shore by the action of waves or currents. The location of the bars is revealed above the surf waters where incoming waves initially crest and break. The outer bar (farthest from the beach) has larger breakers, while the bar closest to the beach has smaller breakers. The areas between the bars are called sloughs or troughs. The sloughs also are revealed above the waters where there are no breakers. Of importance here is that the slough is well defined with boundaries—sandbars on each side—and also holds the deepest water in the surf zone.



The slough in effect acts as a major thoroughfare in which game fish like Red Drum and Striped Bass cruise most times. It’s here were the game fish feel most secure and comfortable because the deeper slough water provides extra stealth for them to hunt for prey. Although game fish will cross over the bar seldom do they stay or cruise on top of it for any length of time.

With the knowledge of how the underwater surf zone is structured and understanding the nature of how and why fish cruise this zone, the surf fisherman’s natural inclination would be to place bait by casting his/her offering directly into the slough. This would be the first step to increase the odds of catching a fish. But there’s more to consider than simply dropping an offering somewhere in the slough.

Take note of the following drawings:





The reason for the distinction of 3 different lanes is that a slough on the order of 25 yards wide (75 feet) has a lot of territory for a fish to cruise. Typically migratory fish will travel the slough swimming parallel to the beach and may very well stay in one lane for a given amount of time. This observation is especially true for giant Red Drum which tend to prefer lane 3. Surf fishermen who can accurately cast a chunk of bait into this lane will note a better or increased hookup rate with these splendid trophy size game fish. Trophy Striped Bass on the other hand seem to prefer lane 1 and/or 2. Although not hard and fast rules, these patterns have been noted by more than a few surf fishermen.

But how does a fish hunt for or find the surf fisherman’s offering of bait? Obviously, game fish can detect bait by sight. But keep in mind, typical turbidity in the surf makes visibility about 1 foot. Although some game fish have very good eyesight, such turbidity makes it physically impossible for fish that are cruising, say in the outer lane (3) of the slough, to see an offering sitting in the middle (2) and/or inner lane (1). The more important hunting tool that game fish possess in locating a surf fisherman’s bait offering is their olfactory sense (smell). A game fish’s sense of smell is outstanding and infinitely greater than that of a human. But surf waters are obviously voluminous and rather dynamic, moving in a chaotic fashion at times with currents being dictated mostly by wind direction. So, the direction and rate of dispersion of the scent from bait in the surf zone could be hard to determine.



Optimally, if the surf fisherman could set up 3 surf rods in sand spikes, he/she could place bait offerings in all 3 lanes of the slough. Maintaining 3 rods while surf fishing may require a little extra work, but doing so covers much more area and certainly increases your odds of catching fish.