How to catch whiting surf fishing Florida (The Complete Guide)
The best way to catch whiting in the surf is to use a pompano rig with either shrimp or sand fleas as bait. During the higher parts of the tide keep the bait close to shore and during lower parts of the tide cast the baits further out to the sand bar.
Whiting are one of the most sought after fish in Florida waters. I am actually just kidding about that but they are really fun to catch and are extremely good to eat.
The question that many surf fishing enthusiasts are asking is how do you catch whiting when you are fishing in the surf off Florida beaches.
These tasty little fish only get to 18 inches or so long so it takes a few to make a fish fry worth while. The good news is that they are an extremely abundant species of fish.
Whiting are usually caught in the surf around Florida by pompano fishermen. They run with the pompano feeding on sand fleas and shrimp just like a pompano. They can also be found around inlets, mud flats, grass flats, sand bars and around inlets.
The whiting that I catch most of the time are caught with a small piece of shrimp or a fish bite with an extremely small hook. When I say small I mean that you should find a hook that is a 1/0 or smaller. Whiting have a very small mouth so you will just lose your baits if you surf fish for whiting with a larger hook size.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been surf fishing for whiting all around Florida for over 40 years.
In this article, I will tell you everything that I know about whiting fishing in the surf and other places where these tasty little fish reside. Okay. Let's get started with some simple tips and techniques about how to catch more whiting.
Watch the video below and choose the right tackle for catching whiting while surf fishing in Florida.
The best way to catch whiting in the surf is to use a pompano rig with either shrimp or sand fleas as bait. During the higher parts of the tide keep the bait close to shore and during lower parts of the tide cast the baits further out to the sand bar.
Whiting are one of the most sought after fish in Florida waters. I am actually just kidding about that but they are really fun to catch and are extremely good to eat.
The question that many surf fishing enthusiasts are asking is how do you catch whiting when you are fishing in the surf off Florida beaches.
These tasty little fish only get to 18 inches or so long so it takes a few to make a fish fry worth while. The good news is that they are an extremely abundant species of fish.
Whiting are usually caught in the surf around Florida by pompano fishermen. They run with the pompano feeding on sand fleas and shrimp just like a pompano. They can also be found around inlets, mud flats, grass flats, sand bars and around inlets.
The whiting that I catch most of the time are caught with a small piece of shrimp or a fish bite with an extremely small hook. When I say small I mean that you should find a hook that is a 1/0 or smaller. Whiting have a very small mouth so you will just lose your baits if you surf fish for whiting with a larger hook size.
I am an INSHORE FISHING GUIDE on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been surf fishing for whiting all around Florida for over 40 years.
In this article, I will tell you everything that I know about whiting fishing in the surf and other places where these tasty little fish reside. Okay. Let's get started with some simple tips and techniques about how to catch more whiting.
Watch the video below and choose the right tackle for catching whiting while surf fishing in Florida.
How to Catch a Whiting Surf Fishing--Beach
Catching whiting a.k.a. Southern King fish off of the beach is the most common way to fill up your fish cooler with this delicious little fish. Quite often they can be caught less than 10 feet from the shore as they run up on the sand with the waves picking off little sand fleas.
They seem to like the places where the wave action has the best chance of dislodging little crabs and shrimp from their hiding places in the sand so they can feed upon them.
I catch most of mine using a pompano rig with small pieces of dead shrimp on the hooks or fish bites. Fish bites are a scented type of bait that looks just like a stick of gum but whiting and pompano love the stuff.
The Perfect Tackle Combo (Whiting Off of the Beach)
In my opinion, the perfect rod and reel combo for whiting off of the beach is a 3500 series reel and a 7 1/2 foot medium or medium/light, fast action rod for high tide whiting. Low tide whiting you will need a 5000 series reel (to hold the extra line you will need) and 10 to 12 foot beach rod.
Fill the spool with 20 pound braid and have a 20 pound leader or pompano/whiting rig. That is the perfect tackle for whiting off of the beach.
I have had many different rods and reels over the last 40 years of inshore fishing around Florida. The include brands like Diawa, Shimano, and Penn.
My favorite line of reels to date is the Penn Spinfisher series of reels. They are extremely smooth, made of tough corrosion resistant metals, haves great drag systems and best of all they have a sealed body so sand and water won't get inside the reel.
They are perfect for surf fishing, wade fishing and kayak fishing. (Any fishing technique that makes it likely for water or sand to get in them)
You can expect to pay $150 plus for these reels. BUT they are worth it.
My second favorite non-sealed reels are the Diawa BG reels.
They are the reels that I use on my flats boat because I know that they are unlikely to get dunked in the water or to get beach sand in them.
You can expect to pay $100 plus for these reels. They are a great bargain in my opinion.
PRO TIP--You can take a whole frozen shrimp and cut it into 3 pieces. That is about the amount of shrimp that you will want to have on your hooks. The smaller pieces of shrimp makes it harder for the whiting to steal your bait without getting hooked.
When the tide is changing from high to an outgoing tide is my favorite time to catch whiting surf fishing. I walk up the beach searching for a rip current to fish next to. A rip current is the phenomenon created when the water trapped between the sand bar and the beach rushes out of a break in the sandbar on the outgoing tide.
This is very dangerous for swimmers but great for whiting fishermen. Whiting like the the turbulent waters because it digs up their prey for them. They will find the easiest places to find food which is often near the rip current channels between the sand bars.
The whiting run in schools up and down the beach searching for food. A lot of times it is a feast or famine scenario for fishermen. When the school is at your part of the beach you can catch whiting with every cast. Once that school has moved on you might not get a bite for a while until the next school moves through.
I created an entire Online Surf Fishing Course that covers in great detail how to catch more whiting when you are surf fishing in Florida or anywhere else that whiting live. You can click right here to see the FREE Online Surf fishing course.
I have tried to follow a school up the beach before but it is harder than you think. I usually just relax and wait for the next school to come through my target area. The video below shows you how much fun whiting surf fishing can be.
How to Catch a Whiting--Mud Flats
I catch a lot of whiting when I am fishing for red fish around the mud flats and oyster bars inshore. I like to find a cut between an oyster bar and a mud flat to set up my ambush point.
The easiest and most effective way for catching whiting is with a simple dead shrimp with a split shot rig. I will get a 1/0 hook and tie it to my 8 pound mono filament line and add a small split shot about 6 inches above the bait.
Cast the bait up current, with the rod tip high and bounce it along the bottom back to you and repeat. When the school comes through where you are get ready for some serious whiting action.
The key to fishing the mud flats is finding the deeper cuts with moving water. This tends to funnel the bait and predators right to your position. You have to remember that these fish are moving with the tide as it goes comes in and goes out. Very rarely will the fish swim against the current.
Visit the Pro Fishing Tips page to learn more about getting the right tackle to maximize your fishing fun.
How to Catch a Whiting Surf Fishing--Sand Bars
Another great spot to target whiting is along spoil islands in the intracoastal waterway of Florida. The area that I fish in the Indian River Lagoon is full of spoil islands. All of the larger spoil islands have sandy beaches. They all have channels on either side of them where the incoming and outgoing tides have dredged deep cuts. This is a great place to target whiting inshore.
You will want to use the same pompano set up that you did off of the beach. Cut your dead shrimp into thirds with an appropriately sized sinker and send it out into the middle of the channel.
If the tide in the channel is too strong for the pompano rig use the single hook with split shots 6 inches above the bait. Send this rig up current with the rod tip high and bounce your bait on the bottom.
In this scenario I like to fish the tide that is sweeping across a large grass flat through a deeper sandy cut on the side of a spoil island. The tide tends to sweep shrimp, crabs and other invertebrates off of the flats and through the cuts right into the waiting mouths of the whiting. That is the perfect ambush point for a inshore whiting fisherman to set up shop.
The video below shows you the basic beach fishing set up that I use for whiting and pompano.
How to Catch a Whiting--Inlets
Another great place to find whiting is around inlets. The fast moving currents that inlets cause as they funnel all of that water in and out causes lots of stirred up sandy spots. Whiting love stirred up sandy spots because that is where they hunt for their food.
Quite often just past the tip of the inlet rocks and sea walls, with the outgoing tide there will be eddies that stir up the sand. That is where I would try to get whiting if I were you. Use your pompano rig set up for this scenario for best results. Remember to cast it to the stirred up water and not the clear water.
Catch a lot more whiting after you read my surf fishing for beginners article here.
Lot's of times right next to the boulders along the inlets is a great spot to find whiting. They will often hug the boulders to stay out of the really strong parts of the current. You can just drop your bait straight down and catch whiting if they are around.
How to Catch a Whiting Surf Fishing--Fishing Gear
If you are going to be fishing for whiting all day you will definitely need to protect your eyes and skin from the sun's harmful rays. Polarized sunglasses are a must for whiting fishing. A high end pair of sunglasses will run about $250 and a lower end pair will run you about $25 with glass lenses. You can find them with plastic lenses for about $5 at Walmart.
I have a pair of the $250 sunglasses and there is definitely a performance difference and quality difference between the expensive and the cheaper sunglasses. The expensive sunglasses are very sturdy and usually have a strong frame and scratch resistant glass lenses.
Whatever price range you decide to go with you must wear polarized sunglasses or you can not sight fish for whitings in the wave wash. The polarized lenses eliminate the glare on the surface of the water so that you can see under the surface.
The best color lenses for inshore and dirtier water scenarios are amber, rose and copper. If you are fishing super clean and clear water or you are fishing offshore a blue or a gray lens is best.
You will also want to stock up on UV performance fishing shirts to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays.
These shirts have built in sunscreen and are moisture wicking which means they evaporate your perspiration more efficiently keeping you cool on those hot days at the beach.
We have an amazing line of high quality performance fishing apparel that you can buy from our online store. Our apparel can be seen by clicking on the store link below.
Conclusion:
Whiting are one of those species of fish that are a pretty reliable catch for most of the year in Florida waters. Many surf fishermen would have gotten skunked surf fishing without the old reliable whiting. I don't know how many times that I have gone to the beach to catch pompano and only the whiting were around for me to catch.
BUT that is OKAY with me because they are delicious and very fun to catch in the surf. So the next time that you are bored and are close to the beach you will have something fun to do.
Do you want to learn how to catch more pompano? Read this article.
Just go to your local bait store and get some pompano rigs and some frozen shrimp and head to the beach to catch some whiting. They will probably be there. You will just have to wait for the school to come past where you are set up.
I hope that this article helps you catch more whiting in the surf and have a lot more fun fishing for them. Let's get some lines wet Florida!
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