What is the most overrated fish that anglers target in your local surf?

Pay attention. That two-foot chop may look very similar to a two-foot breathing wave, but if you’re in the water you’ll feel the difference. And if you track surf reports and weather apps, and log like hell, you can predict when the perfect size breathers will be in your spots, too. That alone can unlock a pattern you may not have noticed before.

And as I opened my mouth to say we should stop and fish, my partner beat me to it. “We should stop here,” he said, and with no explanation or discussion of what I had just felt, I said “Without questions.” He had felt it, too. No explanation was necessary.

They’re seemingly everywhere right now. Surfcasters, boat anglers—just about everyone is running into sharks, whether they’re the target species or an unexpected bycatch. And I’ll admit, they’re on my mind every time I step into the surf.

I’m going to make a bold statement today—one I never would have considered making 20 years ago.

This has come up on the podcast before, but if you’re not doing it, you’re missing fish. And your assumptions about their size are probably wrong.

Back in June, I was into a bite that reminded me- yet again- how rugged the striped bass really is.