On Sunday, Tania and I met up with some good friends, Scott and Kim, whom we hadn’t seen in a few years. They recently sold their home and now travel the country in their RV. Even though the wind was still blowing, they wanted to go to the beach. Tania suggested we meet at Blue Heron beach to surf fish while we catch up with our friends. I am truly blessed to have a wife who loves fishing as much as I do.

Tania and I arrived at the beach ahead of our friends. I packed up the beach cart, and we headed out to see what was in store for us. While at the car loading the cart, we could hear the waves crashing, so I was concerned about how the fishing would be. We could see the waves and dirty water as we crossed the dunes.

Since we were mainly on the beach to hang out with our friends, it didn’t matter if we caught fish, but we had a 100% chance of not catching if I didn’t wet a line, so I started setting up the rods. Our friends showed up shortly after the first rod out. Scott was eager to learn, so I showed him how to tie the uni-knot, which I use to tie my pompano jig to my main line. I am using Captain Paul Sperco pompano rigs with a 2 oz sputnik sinker.

One of the downsides to surf fishing in rough seas is sometimes the sinkers don’t hold. While I was setting up the second rod, I had to recast the first rod. It would be tough fishing today, but I pushed forward. Eventually, I got all four rods set up and cast out.

Once I returned to sit down from casting the fourth rod, the first rod’s line went slack. I ran over and started reeling it in. To my surprise, I was double hooked up. I had a catfish and a baby pompano. Not long after that, another rod went. I had Scott run over and reel it in, and it turned out to be a small whiting. The next rod got a hit, and Scott reeled in a decent crocker.

When we first arrived on the beach, we were the only ones fishing; however, a few others showed up. I don’t know what the others were using for bait, but we and another guy were the only ones having any action. At one point, one of the other families that was fishing came over and asked what we were using for bait. I told him Fishbites, as that’s all we use. I gave the father some Fishbites in hopes they would catch some fish.

We hung out on the beach for about four hours. During our time on the beach, we had many great conversations interrupted by lots of action on our rods. Overall, we had a great day on the beach. We caught many fish and lost a few fish and multiple rigs to sharks. However, we came home with a 15-inch pompano, two crockers, and two whiting.

After the fishing trip, we all went our separate ways to get cleaned up for supper. I told my friends since we have pompano, I wanted to make them a fresh fish supper. I blackened all the fish we caught, and Tania made coconut rice. It was a great way to finish up the day with our friends.

Tania and I send our best wishes to all fellow anglers, hoping your fishing adventures are safe, blessed, and full of tight lines and good times! Until next time, keep casting and chasing those dreams on the water.

The Treasure Coast Chapter of Salt Strong now holds monthly meetings in Fort Pierce on the 4th Thursday of each month. These meetings are exclusive to inside members, who receive various perks, including 20% off tackle, access to Smart Fishing spots, and insider information on local trends. Monthly tournaments and guest speakers are also set to feature. To become an inside member, click the link below to receive a FREE pack of Slam Shady or a 10-Day Test-Drive of The Smart Fishing Spots App and The Salt Strong Insider Club. They ship you $35 worth of FREE Lures, an “Inshore Fishing Manifesto” Book (Physical copy), and decals – Yours to Keep Even If You Cancel!