Surfperch-
There are a wide variety of different species of surf perch that reside in the coastal waters of the West Coast. There are Walleye, Redtail, Rubberlip, Calico Surfperch but the most common is the Barred Surfperch. A misconception for most beginner anglers surf perch fishing would be to cast as far as possible, in this case that would do you more harm then good. The majority of surf perch are concentrated only a few feet away from the shore. Surfperch stay tight to the shore so they can feed on the soft-shelled sand crabs that are buried a few inches below the surface.
Recommended line for Surf perch fishing-
Fluorocarbon is our go to line of choice when surf perch fishing. This material is recommended for “line shy” fish, once Fluoro line is in the water it is almost invisible. Between 5 and 10 pound line test works for Surf perch, if you are using lures and are trying to target larger Surf perch you can bump it up to 10lb test.
Rigs for Surf perch-
A few rigs we use when surf perch fishing are the Carolina Rig and the High Low Rig. The Carolina rig is a versatile rig that can be used in many fishing scenarios especially for perch and other fish. See the videos below for a step-by-step tutorial on tying these rigs-
Recommended bait/lure and how to fish for Surf perch-
Soft shell sand crabs are the main bait of choice when targeting many of the surfs species, especially Surfperch. Take some time before you start fishing find bait. Keep an eye on the wet sand just where the water line ends. Typically you’ll see lumps in the wet sand after a wave recedes, use your hand or a sand crab rake to sift through the sand. You don’t need the largest Sand crab but we do recommend finding one that has roe, or a freshly molted sand crab, aka soft-shelled. Another great bait for the surf is Berkley Gulp Sandworms! Many West Coast anglers refer to this as fish “crack”. Berkley offers a wide variety of different colors but the go too for surf perch is the 2 inch Camo or Blood color. Another artifical bait we like using is the ACME little cleo spoons. This is our little secret weapon in the surf!
Last but not least is the Lucky Craft Flash Minnow 110 Jerk Bait. This lure is a ton of fun and specifically designed for fishing the surf. There are a couple different ways of fishing this lure. Cast it out and retrieve slowly with constant tension on your line so you can feel the action while you retrieve. Or mix up the retrieve with pauses and twitches of the rod tip. This will make the lure dart in different directions. Every session is different and we like to switch it up and see what works best that day. You won’t get as many hookups with the Flash Minnow but when you do the quality is much better. Anglers also use the Flash Minnow to target halibut in the surf.
Recommended Rod & Reel for Surf perch-
Every angler has their own preference on rod and reel choice but for starters we recommend a cheap but efficient set up. Something that can withstand the abuse of fishing the surf. We like using rods in the 6-½ ft to 9 ft range with a light to medium action. Something that gives you good control of your cast but not to long or heavy. Here are some rods we use.
As for reels we love spinning reels for surf perch fishing. When you’re casting light weight baits and sinkers a Baitcaster can become problematic but again it all comes down to personal preference. Some anglers swear by Baitcaster and conventional reels, with this set up you can allow the fish to run with the bait before you set the hook. Personally we stick to spinning reels for the surf. But to get started any old bass rod and reel will do just fine. Once you get a little more experience you can begin customizing your tackle to your liking. Keep in mind that this set up will be getting pretty beat up when you’re fishing the surf. Here are a few we like.