Gear and Tactics

Intro | Habitat | Reading the Water | Tackle

Your tackle and tactics should depend largely on the surf zones you intend on fishing, and the gamefish that frequent them. Your choice of gear, fly patterns, and tactics will all flow logically from that first decision. Most surf gamefish are most frequently caught in one of the three following zones: extremely shallow water, near the surface or suspended in the water column, or near the bottom.

Surface/Subsurface Gamefish

Rods: 7- to 10-weight, 9-foot, fast action. Lines: Intermediate sink (full line or shooting head system). Leader/Tippet: 6- to 8-foot leader with 12- to 20-pound tippet. Fly Patterns: Poppers (1/0, 2/0), baitfish (2/0, 3/0), shrimp (#2-#6). Typical Gamefish: Salmon (pink, chum, silver) and striped bass.

A surface pattern like a popper is one of the most exciting ways to take fish in the surf. If they fish are feeding on top, and if you can get your fly over them, they'll probably take it. The problem, of course, is that gamefish encountered near the top of the water column are always on the move, as is the window of opportunity to make your presentation.

In rough seas, calm spots between waves may be few and far between. As a result, topwater presentations should be made to specific target areas, and you should cover as much water as possible. DonÂ’t puppeteer your popper for any long distance. Instead, anticipate immediate strikes during your short foray through the target area.

Work the popper with a couple of hearty pulls of the line and if you donÂ’t get a favorable response, clear the line and present the offering again during the next wave interval. Vary your target and stay on the move. ItÂ’s best to make multiple "rapid fire" presentations and cover a lot of territory. If you should encounter calm seas, you can alter your tactics, and work the popper over slightly greater distances.


Striped bass (above) and salmon are among the most sought-after gamefish on the west coast.

Subsurface presentations provide the opportunity to work your fly over longer flight paths no matter what the surface conditions. With big predators like striped bass, baitfish imitations are often most effective, and they should be retrieved with an erratic motion to imitate injured or disoriented prey.

Watch for breaking fish and/or diving seagulls to direct your efforts and be prepared to react quickly. This type of activity is likely to be short and intense! You should also keep your eyes open for nervous or dark waters which may indicate bait balls on the move. Wherever there is prey, predators are nearby.

Under calm conditions you might experiment with drifting a tiny crustacean (like a Euphasid shrimp, or crab larva) near the surface. ItÂ’s a terrific technique particularly for Pacific salmon.

Bottom-oriented Gamefish

Rods: 7- to 10-weight, 9-foot, fast action. Lines: Sinking-tip or full sinking lines. Leader/Tippet: 4- to 6-foot leader with 8- to 18-pound test tippet. Fly Patterns: Baitfish imitations (3/0-#2), shrimp and crab patterns (#2-#6). Typical Gamefish: Surf perch, halibut, flounder, and croaker.

Most of the gamefish feeding on the bottom are keyed into crustaceans and injured, or disoriented, baitfish so keep your fly close to the bottom. Vary your stripping technique to impart a tumbling or short darting motion to the fly. At times, long slow pulls can be the change-up that triggers a positive reaction.

I have found this arena requires everything from short-line "high sticking" techniques, to chuck-n-duck distance presentations. The key is getting your fly right on the bottom. Counting down before you retrieve can get your line down to the desired depth. Try mending slack into your line before you begin your count, as a tight line often doesn't sink well.

Because of the tubulent, sometimes turbid nature of the coastal environment, the fish won't have a long time to follow and examine your fly pattern. These fish are extremely opportunistic feeders and flies that trigger a quick strike reaction are often more effective than more realistic imitations.


Flatfish such as the starry flounder and California halibut (above) feed right on the bottom, whether near shore in extremely shallow water or out in the breakers. They are very aggressive predators and take a fly readily.

For instance, on the flats of the Atlantic ocean, realitistic patterns like the Merkin, McCrab, and Chernobyl Crab are often required to convince finicky fish like bonefish and permit. On the pacific coast, a small crab rolling in the surf doesn't stay in one place very long, and fish foraging in this environment have to make split-second decisions to eat or starve.

My Surf Grub pattern may not look much like a crab to us, but it's about the right size, and the bright-colored head looks a lot like the roe sac of a mole crab. Because it gets into the strike zone quickly, and triggers a positive response from the fish, it's one of my favorite surf zone flies.

Shallow-water Gamefish:

Rods: 6- to 9-weight, 8 1/2- or 9-foot, moderate or fast action. Lines: Floating, intermediate sink, or sinking-tip. Leader/Tippet: 6- to 12-foot leader with 8- to 16-pound test tippet. Fly Patterns: Baitfish imitations (1/0-#2), shrimp and crab patterns (#2-#6). Typical Gamefish: Corbina, halibut, croaker, and flounder.

The shallow-water environment is rarely more than two feet deep. Gamefish here can be spooked easily, and the conditions demand the most careful of all surf zone presentations. The food chain centers on crustaceans and soft-shelled clams. Sandcrabs, ghost shrimp, and brown shrimp are top choices to imitate. Baitfish will play a lesser roll. You might be amazed at how gamefish can exhibit extreme bias for a specific food source while working the shallows.

Stealth and long casts are often required. ItÂ’s a game of subtle movement--a game of finesse. Down-sizing your fly (and tippet) just might be the ticket.

Shallow-water gamefish like corbina and croaker (right) eat mollusks and crustaceans. They can often be found cruising in just inches of water, so a stealthy approach and careful presentation are required.

Tidal Strategy
Whether IÂ’m looking to my field journal for reference, or exchanging ideas with fellow anglers, one thing seems apparent; moving water is critical to success in the surf. Incoming and outgoing tides stir the foodchain into action. Be sure to tap into the fact that predatory species will enhance their feeding behavior during tidal activity. Local tide charts should play an important role in your surf strategy.

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