Understanding the Lures

• Plugs: This is a broad term for hard-bodied lures designed to mimic baitfish. They come in various shapes, sizes, and diving depths.  Some common types for surf fishing include:

Minnow plugs (jerkbaits): These slender lures imitate small baitfish and often have a tight wobbling or darting action when retrieved with twitches and pauses. 

Swimmers: These plugs have a more pronounced side-to-side wobble on a steady retrieve.

Top water plugs (poppers, walkers): These lures work on the surface, creating splashes, commotion, and enticing action to attract predatory fish. 

• Lipless crankbaits (rattle baits): These flat-sided lures vibrate intensely and often have internal rattles, making them excellent for attracting attention. 

How to Use Them

Assess the Conditions:

• Water Clarity: Clearer water might call for more natural colors and subtle retrieves, while murkier water might warrant brighter colors and more aggressive action.

• Wave Action: In heavy surf, you might need heavier lures to cast effectively and stay in the strike zone. Calmer conditions allow for lighter lures and top water presentations. 

• Currents: Understanding the direction and strength of the current will help you present your lure naturally.

• Forage: Try to match the size and color of your plugs and crankbaits to the prevalent baitfish in the area.

Casting:

• Make long casts to cover more water and reach fish that might be holding beyond the breaking waves. 

• Consider casting at different angles to the shoreline to explore various parts of the surf zone.

Retrieves: Experiment with different retrieves to see what the fish prefer:

• Steady Retrieve: A simple, consistent reeling motion that allows the plug to swim naturally. This works well for swimmer-style plugs.

• Twitch-Pause Retrieve: This is particularly effective for minnow plugs (jerkbaits). Use sharp, short jerks of your rod tip to make the lure dart erratically, followed by pauses. The strikes often occur during the pause.

• Burn and Kill: A fast, steady retrieve followed by sudden stops. This can trigger reaction strikes.

• Walking the Dog: Used for topwater "walker" style plugs. Use rhythmic twitches of your rod tip to make the lure swing side-to-side across the surface.

• Popping: Used for top water poppers. Sharply jerk your rod tip to make the lure create a "popping" sound and splash. Vary the speed and intensity of the pops.

• Slow Rolling: A slow, steady retrieve, often used with lipless crankbaits to keep them near the bottom or through submerged vegetation. Lift and Fall (Yo-yoing): With lipless crankbaits, allow the lure to sink to the desired depth, then lift your rod tip to raise the lure, and let it fall back down on a controlled slackline. 

Benjie Kim Fishing explains his go-to surf fishing technique using the jerk–pause–jerk–jerk–pause retrieval with a Lucky Craft lure. This method has two key advantages: it creates an erratic, attention-grabbing action to trigger strikes, and it allows the angler to feel the lure and line, helping maintain the ideal retrieval speed. The goal is to “tow the line” between creating a steady wobble and avoiding a retrieve that’s too slow—where the lure might sink or “submarine,” resulting in fewer bites. Each twitch or jerk also acts as a cadence check, letting you feel the lure’s resistance and ensure you're retrieving fast enough to stay in the strike zone without losing control.

Depth Control:

• Choose plugs and crankbaits with appropriate diving depths for the water you are fishing.

• Adjust your retrieve speed and rod tip angle to influence the depth of the lure. A faster retrieve and higher rod tip will generally keep the lure shallower.

• Lipless crankbaits can be fished at various depths by allowing them to sink for a specific count before retrieving. 

Hooksets:

• When you feel a strike, reel down quickly to take up any slack line and then give a firm upward or sideways hookset.

• Be prepared for aggressive strikes, especially with reaction baits like lipless crankbaits and top water plugs.

Leaders: 

• Consider using a fluorocarbon leader, especially in clear water, as it is less visible to fish. A wire leader might be necessary if you are targeting species with sharp teeth, like bluefish.

Rod and Reel: 

• Use a surf rod that is long enough to achieve good casting distance and has the power to handle the conditions and potential size of the fish. Pair it with a reel that has good line capacity and is corrosion-resistant.

Recommended Combo: Penn Battle III 5000 + Okuma Rockaway 10'6" Surf Rod

For California surf fishing, this setup balances long-distance casting with power and sensitivity—perfect for targeting perch, halibut, and stripers along sandy and rocky beaches.

Why I Recommend It:

The Okuma Rockaway 10'6" rod offers excellent casting distance with a moderate-fast action, letting you launch Carolina rigs, swimbaits, or Lucky Crafts into the surf with ease. Paired with the Penn Battle III 5000, known for its smooth drag and saltwater-ready construction, this combo is built to take on surf conditions without breaking the bank.

Whether you’re fishing San Francisco Bay or hunting halibut near Pismo, this combo delivers performance and reliability.

Product Summary:

• Rod: Okuma Rockaway 10'6", Medium Power, Moderate-Fast Action

• Reel: Penn Battle III 5000 (6.2:1 gear ratio, 25 lb drag)

•  Features:

  • Saltwater-resistant construction

  • Long casting performance

  • Smooth carbon drag system

  • Ideal for 15–30 lb braid

Checkout These Combos:

Buy the Okuma Rockaway Surf Rod

Buy the Penn Battle III 5000 Reel

Tips for Success

• Match the Hatch: Pay attention to the size and color of the baitfish you see in the surf and try to choose lures that imitate them.

• Fish Structure: Look for areas with sandbars, troughs, rips, and any other structure that might hold fish.

• Time Your Fishing: Dawn and dusk are often prime times for surf fishing as predatory fish move into the shallows to feed.  Tide changes can also be productive.

• Move Around: Don't stay in one spot if you're not getting bites. Keep moving and casting to find where the fish are holding.

• Experiment: Try different lures, colors, and retrieves until you find what the fish want on that particular day.

• Observe: Watch for signs of fish activity, such as baitfish schools, diving birds, or surface disturbances.

By understanding the characteristics of plugs and crankbaits and experimenting with different techniques, you can significantly increase your success when surf fishing.

Good luck out there!