Surf casting

fishing from the beach.

The surf casting is a modality of sport or hobby fishing, consisting of fishing with a fishing rod, which is done from the shore of the beach or a port area. It is a well-known and relaxing form of fishing, except when it is competitive.

The word surfcasting is a term that comes from English, which translated into Spanish means, launching the waves. In Spanish this modality should be called launched fishing although the English form is acquired to differentiate it from other modalities. The most widespread variety is surfcasting, but if it is done from a breakwater or pier or on beaches without waves, as long as the bottom is sandy. Surf casting has mutated into another variety in which heavy casting is not used but a lighter lead is used and is called surf-fishing.

This type of fishing can be very quiet and relaxing, but it is also practiced in a sporting, competition-oriented manner, where the weather conditions and the characteristics of this type of fishing can make it a fairly tough and exhausting discipline, which is rewarded with large catches, which can weigh several kg. in most species. In this modality, sea bass, bream, sea bream and many other precious species are highly valued.

It can be practiced in almost any condition, regardless of the time or weather conditions, although there are surf-casters who find their greatest attraction practicing it at night and in bad weather.

The material used consists of a fishing rod, preferably 3 plug-in sections and between 4 and 4 and a half meters, a lead of between 100 and 150 grams, and a gamete or hook tied to a looser end of line than that of the main line, which is where we place the appropriate bait for the fish we want to catch. Currently, the telescopic rod is beginning to be used a lot, due to its comfort, and because it increasingly resembles the characteristics of the rods by sections.

Let's look at each element separately:

• Caña. Preferably carbon, with 3 plugs and a fishing action (it is called action to the minimum and maximum lance capacity of a casting rod expressed in weight) of between 100 and 300 grams. If it is of action between 100 and 200 g more or less, enter the category lightweightand if it is between 150 and 300 grams, it is called heavy bow.
• Type of Caña depending on your use:
• Tubular spider:The tubular tip, as its name indicates, is composed of a hollow tube and is more rigid than the hybrid tip. This type of toe allows stronger lances with heavier lead, so we will get more meters of yarn out. That is, for this we must handle more complicated lance styles like the otg or the half-turn. Such lances will help us to continue a few more meters of launch, thus increasing the possibilities of a larger capture.
• Hybrid Pointer:The hybrid toe is much more flexible. In its final part (30 or 50 centimeters). This allows us to make very heavy and strong lances, but those few meters that we lose in lance are compensated with a very good marking of the bit. Personally lately I'm decanting myself for the hybrid toe rods as they seem more fun at the time of the bite. In addition to making it easier to recover the fish since in a race, the rod absorbs the envite very well. this is very useful in gold fishing. The greatest advantage in this type of cane is usually the effectiveness when a fish bites as it is usually attached to the hook due to the simultaneous nail that provides us with the flexibility of the toe.
• 

  Different in the action of the toe

• Plomos. They are responsible for placing our bait in the right place. The most common are 100 to 150 grams. The most used is the normal rod of 120 or 130 grams for its versatility.
• Types:

Staple or spider lead

Obviously as PRO I will tell you that it is the one that best stays on the bottom, either 125 or 150 gr (the greater the grammage, the greater the anchorage to the bottom). It is practically the lead most used in winter to capture the coveted sea bass. These leads have a against, and that is that you have to use lines of at least 0.25 mm, otherwise we will be able to split when trying to unanchor it. Although many people criticize this lead, for me it is one of my favorites, especially for winter fishing since it is the one that best anchors to the bottom and does not move from the site for nothing (unless there is a lot of lateral current). It has enough resistance with the algae when the spikes are buried in the sand.

It is essential to use on days of heavy seas-strong swell.

Portuguese pyramid lead

Among the pyramid shots that exist, it is the one I like the most, since it offers less resistance when picking up and it is thrown a little further than the previous one. This lead also holds well to the bottom, although not as much as the previous one. The best thing about this lead is that it allows us to use fine lines, so on days with good seas we can use it as long as there is no algae behind the waves, providing us with a good grip.

Recommended for waters with strong swells.

Ball Lead

It is without a doubt one of the oldest leads used, it holds very well to the bottom even in lateral currents, as well as being considered a very casting lead when the wind moves the other leads in the cast or in demanding casts with the pendulum. From this lead we will progressively get greater distances with each one.

Recommended for days of strong swell-swell .

Golf Lead

This type of lead has only recently been on the market, it was said that it reaches greater distances as it is designed the same as golf balls, which attracts blacksmiths more because the little dots make it raise grit..., a Chinese tale ! I use it for another reason, and it is that by containing more weight below it makes it hold the bottom very well, it also has a structure that makes it reach more distance than with the ball.

Recommended for days with tidal waves.

Bullet Lead

Another lead that has been used since ancient times, whether on the beach, jetty, boat... and that also achieves great distances with fine wires. With this lead you already have very little grip on the bottom, so its use is resigned almost exclusively to the summer season when the waters are more stagnant due to the entry of other winds.

Recommended for days with rippled seas.

Fine Lead

This lead will be our ally when distance is considered essential to reach the feeder on those shallow beaches. As against it should be noted that it should be used when there are hardly any waves and/or currents so that it does not move from the bottom. Also when there are no lateral winds that shake the lead when it is flying after the set, so that it achieves its greatest distance.

Recommended for days with rippled sea-calm sea.

Other types of surfcasting leads

Lead Bullet with wings

This type of lead is highly recommended for areas with stones. It makes the fins that this lead incorporates to lift it better from the bottom, preventing it from getting caught and leaving. In breakwaters/breakwaters it is also quite used for the same purpose, not to break the line if we are on a stony ground.

Star Lead

Lead with a very peculiar shape, like a star that, with the protrusions it incorporates, makes it hold well to the bottom. Widely used on breakwaters or beaches with river outlets where there is a lot of lateral current.

Once I have described the most used surfcasting leads, I will tell you how I act to choose which one to put. We must always be clear about what species we are looking for, since if we are looking for gilthead bream in the middle of summer, the logical thing to do is to go out on calm water days and look for them over long distances. Having said this, I separate them into 2 parts: winter and summer.

When I look for sea bass in the middle of winter I basically use 3 types of sinkers: spider, pyramid and ball, since I usually go out on days with very rough seas. When I look for gilthead bream in the middle of summer I usually go on days with calm waters, so I will opt for fine lance, bullet and golf leads. On intermediate dates, depending on the day and the species that I am looking for, I will choose one from that range of leads. I hope that the types of leads are somewhat clearer to you, in what if you have to be sure is that you always have to look at the state of the sea and choose the lead that allows us to have it secured at the bottom, otherwise the bottom will wiggle and the rig or gamete will ripple.

• Pair or bass line. It is the assembly of yarns and useful where the hook and the ploma will be installed. There are threads of various types of numbers recommended for different sites from 0.15 to 0.30 are designed for beach and from 0.30 to 0.45.

• Cebo. It's the bait we put to lure the fish into our hook. There are many types, being the most important classification between natural and artificial. Artificial bait has no use in surf casting because they lack odor. The best bait to start is the Korean for its resistance and price (between 2 and 3 euros). To put it on the hook you should use worm needles in which it is inserted and passed to the hook.
• Types:

1. Crab

Green crabs and skull crabs are usually hooked by removing their hind legs and passing the hook through the hole left. Loctite is also used to stick the hook to the body and thus they do not receive any damage. In the case of the skull, it is necessary to tear off its hind legs, whatever the way of hooking, since with these they bury themselves and disappear from sight.

We will strip the hermits of the shell and hook them without it. The best trick I know is to heat the end of the shell with a lighter and they themselves come out in one piece. If we don't have a lighter we will break it but that way we will damage them on many occasions.

When launching we will do it gently to try to get them to the bottom in the best possible condition.

2. Mussel

It is a very important food in their diet and we can verify it when we clean some of our catches at home, since on many occasions when extracting the guts we find remains of them.

Mussel

Can be hooked with or without shells. If we suspect that there are large specimens, it is better to present them whole. We will open them with the help of a knife and insert the hook inside, leaving the tip on the outside.

If we decide to present them without the shell, we will extract several and we will liquefy them in a needle, to later hook them as if it were a worm.

3. American worm.

This is one of the most effective worms, also called a "bloodworm" in some places. The liquid that gives it its name is not exactly blood, but it looks like it and it has a great power of attraction for fish.

American Worm

As its name indicates, it comes from the eastern coasts of North America and, even though it is not part of our habitats, it gives very good results.

It is a fairly tough worm and withstands the attack of trash and cast well. We must be careful when hooking it since they are equipped with four powerful "teeth" and if we receive a bite it can be relatively painful. I recommend threading them on the needle starting from the tail part.

They come in all sizes, when we have very large ones we can feed them using small pieces and it would be convenient to liquefy at both ends to delay the loss of “blood”.

4. Auntie

One of the most popular worms for sea bream fishing. They are found naturally on our coasts and are part of their regular diet. We can find them in sandy and muddy bottoms.

Aunty

They are sold in various sizes. The smallest ones are usually called “tita bibi”, then there are the normal or medium ones and finally the largest ones, also called “longline titas”. The small and medium ones are hooked in one piece by means of a hollow needle; once inserted into this, the hook thread is passed through the needle and then we pass the tita to the thread minimizing the damage. In this way we avoid the curve of the hook and that they empty of their precious liquid (once they lose the liquid they are still effective). The largest are cut into strips and lycraed on a needle.

• Low line: the line bass are the thread and hook that are put at the end. There are different types of bass:
  • The under belt is in which the thread passes through the ring of the rod lead and binds to the armchair by putting a soft pearl to protect a knot and the other side puts the bass, a fluorocarbon thread of between 1 and 3 meters

Factors that influence the decision to implement line stubs

First of all, we must take into account that the length of the thread must be between one meter and one and a half meters, since this length provides the perfect range for the manufacture of basses.

Secondly, the type of fish you want to catch is fundamental and very logical. Because the comets will depend on the size, weight and capture power.

The third factor to take into account is the area, you need to know the depth of the water. This is also influenced by the eating habits of the type of fish that is caught in the area.