New to Surf Fishing - Florida

[dueces11]

So, iv been a largemouth bass, catfish, and speck, fisher pretty much all my life. But i have recently moved from central fl, to an area near the ft lauderdale coast and i was wondering how to surf fish. I looked at some of the threads already made, but none really suited to me. So i would be fishing off the east coast of fl, and i would use a shimano crucix with 20 lb test line, is that good for srf fishing?

Also what type of bait should i use? What size hook? Do i set the hook as in bass, ex hard pull upwards? Or more of the way you set the hook in speck, ex just lightly lift?

Also, do i wade out there? Or is that kinda dangerous around sunset time because of sharks?

I have never done any type of non-fresh water fishing before so any advice/tips is appreciated.

Thanks.
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[kennyer1010]

Alot of work in surf fishing yeah 20lb line is good helps for when you hook that big one. A metal liter is good also blues sharks etc i like to use an 8ft pole some like bigger some like smaller.Shrimp is a good starting bait so is finger mullet. I like to wade but at times you don't need to you.far as setting the hook with shrimp or mullet you will see the pole take a hit give it one good yank and you should have a fish on i live 1 block from the beach and fish it everyday if there is something else you need to know let me know..
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[kvothe]

First of all, once you start Salt Water fishing you wont ever want to fresh water fish again! There's so many types of fish out there to catch on so many different kinds of gear that you've got it all in salt water fishing.
Your question about what gear to use if you haven't figured it out by now is pretty basic.

Starting out with your line, I would use a braided line. Its strong, long lasting, and you can put over twice the amount with the same strength or more than your normal Monofilament. There's no stretch, and its super sensitive. you can feel ever little tap, bump or hit to your lure or bait.
(DON'T USE SPIDER WIRE!!!) Its horrible...

Choosing a Rod to surf fish with is totally up to you. I really can't tell you what size to use. It depends on what size fish you're wanting to catch. What size weight and bait you want to throw out there makes a huge difference too. You can only throw so much with a 8 foot Rod. Using different size rods also makes a difference in how far you can cast. And believe me, the further you can get out there the better!

Walking out into the surf in the late evening is also up to you. I myself do a lot of Shark fishing and the darker it gets the more leery i get. As soon as it gets to the point that i can't see into the water to well I'm done, at least in the late evening.
But i do walk out far enough to get a good cast out past the bar. That's where the the good fishing is!

As far as bait gos, fresh is the way to go. I usually catch all my own bait. Some of the baits i use (catch) are..
(Sand Fleas, Crab, Mullet, and other fish i catch on my smaller rods i use for cut bait). Be sure to learn what fish you can keep and use for cut bait. Some fish are illegal to keep because of size limits and seasons.

Last but not least, the Circle hook. A lot of people like to use a "J" hook (a hook you have to set). I use them myself when i fish for Sheepshead, but that's about it. When surf fishing i have 2 to 3 rods up at a time. A 7 foot rod for bait, a 9 foot rod for better distance and a little bigger fish, and then shark rod. The Circle Hook is a self setting hook. This allows you to relax a bit instead of standing there waiting for the bite. If you've never used a circle hook, trust me, its a great tool to have surf fishing. REMEMBER! Do not set the hook! Set your drag so the fish can run with the bait but not to tight so that it pulls your rod out of the rod holder. Once the fish is on tighten the drag as needed to get the fish in...

Hope some of this helps...
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