Must Have Surf Fishing Gear

It seems the longer surf fishermen delve into the simple sport of surf fishing the more “stuff” we naturally accumulate. There is just so much surf fishing gear that can make your time on the beach more productive and enjoyable. But sometimes you may feel like you are dragging everything but the kitchen sink across that soft white sand of the Emerald Coast. So, of course a decent surf cart is practical, some say even essential…

Surf Fishing Cart

No doubt a cart for hauling gear to the surf line is a great tool, a primary tool. The question is, which one is right for you? Or your budget? With so many viable options in the marketplace for transporting surf fishing gear, it is rare to get it right the first time. Most neophyte surf anglers “’grow” into the sport over a period of time, and tend to accumulate more gear they consider essential.  

When choosing a beach cart, look for long term value to set your budget. Just  keep in mind surf fishermen abhor a vacuum as much as nature does. So don’t start out with too large a cart. Inevitably you will fill that space with something you think you need, but really can get by without. The wider wheel (balloon tire) concept sure makes hauling easier, but they are much more expensive than conventional 12 inch rubber wheels. Many anglers find upgrading to balloon tires easier on the budget, rather than justifying going all out to begin with. Prices typically run $250 to $500, but used models are available for about half that amount. Wide wheel (16 inch) upgrade kits cost about $200 to $250 per axle. Check out our article listing some of the best fishing carts available.

Most aluminum frame beach carts are single axle Junior or Senior sized with five or eight rod holders respectively. Junior size carts are sufficient for a few anglers but a Senior or dual axle custom cart makes better sense for families. That means extra hands to help haul all the additional gear like chairs and sun-covers to make everyone’s day more enjoyable. A cart liner is a great upgrade to help keep gear from falling out, or sand blowing in. But having a proper sized cooler to hold ice, drinks, bait and catch would seem essential in any case. 

Gotta Have Surf Fishing Gear

Before each outing, take a little time to check the weather forecast and conditions to determine what fish to best target, and what gear will most likely make that happen. Bring a few contingencies in case conditions change. Items like rain gear or other appropriate clothing should be considered for conditions. Once onsite, unneeded gear can be left in the car, house or motel room. Just be sure to not leave expensive items in plain view. I keep extra beach towels in the car to protect stored gear from searing hot sun rays and inquisitive eyes.

The subject of carrying “must have equipment” out on the beach came up in a Northwest Florida Fishing Report Podcast. Host Joe Baya quizzed well known Destin area surf guide Weldon Hall about his essentials for surf fishing. Hall mentioned anglers should “minimize tools for maximum uses.” 

“A five gallon bucket and kitchen shears are essentials” Hall said. “The bucket has multiple uses from toting items, to washing hands or your catch. The shears replace a knife with more precise trimming of line, cutting up Fishbites, bait or whatever. Most anglers would include needle-nosed pliers to that short list. They too are versatile for removing hooks, holding fish, and general repair work”.

Backpack or belt pack anglers who wade fish to target flounder, speckled trout or pompano dial back their “must have” list even more by carrying only a few choice lures and rigging tools for their run-and-gun fishing style. Plastic snow sleds work great sliding over soft sand sand if not overloaded. They are cheap, alternatives to a beach cart, easily customized to haul “essentials”.

Terminal Gear Choices

While it is nowhere near feasible for surf anglers to carry everything available from the shelves in their local tackle shop, a small assortment of terminal tackle in appropriately divided storage boxes is doable and comes in handy. These light weight, compact boxes are not expensive and take up very little space. ). A roll of Miracle Thread is a great lightweight addition to keep soft baits like ghost shrimp from flying off the hook while casting.  Take a look at our article on the best surf rigs you need to know for an in-depth rundown of terminal tackle

Savvy anglers make up their own terminal rigs on the spot to best match conditions, species and size being targeted. Carry just a few of each type of hook and weight per angler, plus a few short rolls of leader material.

Use snaps (Duo-lock) and swivels only when necessary, and only the smallest you can get away with.  

Only sharks, bluefish and mackerel have teeth sharp enough to easily cut monofilament line. So no leader is needed when casting jigs for pompano or lures for speckled trout but a heavier monofilament leader is needed when ladyfish, or toothy mackerel or bluefish are around. Most anglers tie their own leaders with about a foot of clear mono in several sizes (8# to 50#). But some prefer fluorocarbon, especially when fishing CLEAR water. Lightweight 29# steel single strand wire works fine for larger bluefish & mackerel and heavier Sevenstrand wire will target small sharks. An old nail clipper is a great tool for cutting heavy mono or light wire and trimming knots. Keep it handy on a cord around your neck or a belt lanyard.

Prepackaged professionally tied Pompano and Whiting/Spot Rigs featuring light mono (or fluorocarbon), small swivels and #6 or #4 kahle or circle hooks are the backbone of “set rig” surf fishing. Carry several styles in a quart Ziploc bag. This goes for Fishbites too. Put a small variety of the “hottest” flavors and colors in your gear assortment year-round. Blue color packs for water above 70 degrees, and red packs when the water is below 70.

1/4 to 1 ounce jigs and spoons catch many species, and locally produced 1/2 ounce leadhead pompano jigs catch a variety of species because they are so versatile and relatively inexpensive. Those, along with the ‘Bubble Rigs’ can be picked up at bait and tackle shops where sales associates can instruct you on their use. 

Berkley Gulp Shrimp or Ghost Shrimp threaded onto a ¼ or 3/8 jighead and dragged along the bottom are great flounder baits. In addition, redfish, drum, speckled trout, white trout, pompano, whiting and ground mullet and a plethora of small jacks will strike them too. New Penny or New Penny Fleck are favorite colors, but Natural and Pearl can be good too. Several plastic pouches of these store in a quart sized Ziploc bag. The same jigheads can be used with four inch soft plastic swim baits like Fin-s or Zoom Fluke in Pearl or minnow colors.  And a few Gotcha plugs are good to bring along with suspending hard baits like MirrOlure, MirrOdine, Rattletrap and Rapala X-Rap if you expect to run across bluefish, ladyfish, trout or the like. A larger partitioned storage box (370 size) will hold a fine assortment of lures applicable for a wide variety of these species. 

Ghost shrimp make great cold water baits, but can only be gathered using a “Ghost Shrimp Pump.” They are usually worth the trouble though, because fish relish them so much.

Sand fleas can be bought (frozen), or better yet collect your own with a sand flea rake along the swash zone during warm water months. Read our article about how to hook a sand flea to know what to do with them once you have them.

Sand spikes for beach fishing (often just 3½ foot long 2″ diameter PVC pipe diagonally cut on one end) are a great way to keep your reels from getting in the sand and saltwater. They are a must have for targeting fish with set rigs, and should be dug in properly! How many to bring is up to you.

Also, the essentials list should include wearing some kind of hat (preferably wide brimmed), polarized sunglasses (amber shade), and sunscreen (SPF 30+, water resistant) to protect your skin from sunburn (even in mid winter). 

Other useful surf fishing gear items include sand shoes, reef walkers, or boots, neoprene waders (in cool months), rain suit, and a bait knife (I use a Swiss Army Knife with scissors). Again, multi-use products are best to save space and weight. I store many of these items in two, two gallon rectangular plastic buckets that easily fit inside my cart.

Finding just the right “must have surf fishing gear” to make your day more productive and enjoyable takes some practice and time. But we hope this article will help your evolution in that direction happen more quickly.  

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