It seems like every other angler who comes to Southwest Florida this time of year wants to go surf fishing. There’s nothing wrong with that, but fishing the surf here is just a little different from fishing the surf on the Atlantic Seaboard. To be successful, those used to long-rodding will have to adapt.

For starters, the tackle is not the same. Traditional surf fishing means long rods, sometimes as long as 15 feet, which are used to whip the bait out past the breakers. These 100-yard casts require large, high-capacity reels — you need enough line to not only cast but to allow the fish to run once hooked. That’s not how we do it here. A 7ish-foot light or medium action rod is all you need, paired with a 2000 to 4000 size spinning reel and spooled with 10- to 20-pound braid or 6- to 15-pound mono.