Amelia Island Surf Fishing

[Millis79]

Well first and foremost let me apologize for yet another beginner thread. I'm going to Amelia Island over Thanksgiving and would like to do some surf fishing. I bought a Shakespeare rod thats 7ft. I need to buy a reel soon and would like something relatively cheap. The last one I got must have sand in it and refuses to turn now. I plan on getting a cheap bait cast reel. Judging from other posts I assume I should get a 3-4oz pyramid and place it about 3-4ft from my hook. I will be using squid most likely. I have a problem with casting though as the bait never wants to stay in and gets ripped off by the inertia created by the weight. Any recommendations on a rod new line etc would be greatly appreciated thanks guys for going through the trouble of reading the post.

[Jettywolf]

SQUID?????? NO! Squid is Yankee bait.

Use FRESH shrimp cut into small pieces and a small hook.

Don't cast or try to cast an acre out.....high tide = close in, low tide = out further.
I won't go into all the details about reading the surf, but there's Whiting, pompano, Trout, Drum, and redfish in the surf.

I fish Amelia Island and do inshore charters, I commonly fish off the beaches and around the backside of Amelia Island. Plus I'm an avid surf caster (long distance casting)

Leaders should be 18-20 inches not 3-4 foot.
Hooks: #4 Eagle Claw wide bends #042 works on about everything.....do not have a tight drag.
Leader: 20-30# test mono

there's a bait shop at the Nassua Sound Bridge (S. tip of Island), Jimmy Johnsons place. Good for local what's biting info, because there's a bridge turned into a fishing pier where all "sorts" of life fish from.

It's the time of year that surf fishing should be pretty good, water temps dropped.
I haven't been in awhile....too much boat fishing.

Maybe heading to Nassua Sound myself on the 23rd in the boat with some clients for Whiting. The "sound" is at the S. tip of the island. There's good fishing at that tip and it's drivable with a truck with 4 wheel drive. Entrance to beach is at the tip of the island also.

Good luck.

If you bait doesn't stay on your really whipping that rod way too hard. I've casted 450 feet before and had a 1 inch piece of fresh shrimp stay on my hook with a 13'6" custom surf rod, and I bet my sinker's leaving the rod tip at 150 MPH!!

So you're doing what I call a "Spaz-cast".