Back To Basics - Surf Fishing by Jarrod Day

There are thousands of people that go surf fishing during the season, some experienced and some head down for their first time. It is an easy branch of the sport to get into, you don't need a boat, the beaches are often very easy to access and the whole family can join in as well. To be a successful surf angler, we have to look in the right places and use the right gear otherwise you could go home feeling very hard done by and may not return.

Surf fishing used to about fishing rods long enough to predict the weather, line thick enough you could use for your whipper snipper, sinkers so heavy you can barely lift them off the ground and a stinky old freezer burnt pilchard tied in granny knots to hold onto the hook. Mix that in with that the long haul down the sand, wet jeans and socks lugging a ton of gear and you can see why many gave it away as 'too hard'.

However with today's technology in fishing gear and clothing, surf fishing is far more enjoyable than 20 odd years ago.

Today's surf fishing gear is far more advanced than the old heavy fibreglass rods. Japanese technology has taken over creating lighter rods made from graphite. Some of these rods can weigh only a few hundred grams meaning you can hold and cast them all day without getting tired arms; they also detect the smallest of bites unlike their glass counterpart. Their casting performance is also first class.