Surf Casting Florida
Learn how to catch more fish off of the beach.
What is the best tide to catch whiting?
This is one of those questions with lots of different answers based upon different scenarios. It depends upon the sandbar structure of the beach that you are fishing; it depends upon the strength of the tides and currents and many other factors that I will cover in the article below.
Whiting (Southern Kingfish) are one of the more popular fish species that surf fishermen like to target. They can turn those days of getting skunked fishing for pompano into a great fish fry anyways. They are delicious and are fun to catch with a loose drag. They are also a lot less finicky when it comes to eating your baits and lures than a pompano.
The whiting is one of the easiest fish to gain access to along the beaches all over Florida. They are almost always around the inlets, beaches and tidal creeks all over the state. In the midst of the Summer heat they are more prevalent in the Northern parts of Florida. Once the water temperatures get below about 60 degrees they will leave the Northern parts of Florida to find warmer waters.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the beaches, mangroves, oyster bars and just about everywhere else in Florida for more than 40 years. In the article below, I will teach you what I know about catching whitings during every part of the tide.
Let’s get started.
Watch the video below and catch more whiting off of the beach during high tide.
What is the best place to catch whiting during high tide?
I like to fish for whiting right in the trough or just outside of it during the higher parts of the tide. I like the last couple of hours of the incoming and the first couple of hours of the outgoing. In the video above, I was fishing the top of the outgoing tide.
They are not always right by the beach during those parts of the tide. Sometimes they are on the beach side of the outer sand bar. You have to cast around at different distances from shore to figure out where they will be. Sometimes they might be right in the middle. You just never know but they are usually closest to the beach during the higher parts of the tide.
Your best tide for surf fishing for whiting is the higher parts of the tide. Sometimes if there is a reef on your beach that has some deep spots in front of it can be a good low tide spot but those are hard to find.
What is the best place to catch whiting during low tide?
Whiting and pompano can often be found on the outer sand bars during the last couple of hours of low tide and the first couple of hours of high tide. You will need to fish for them differently depending on whether the tide is coming or going. During the last part of the outgoing tide you can often find them on the back side of the sand bars.
During the first part of the incoming you can often find them on the front side of the outer sand bars. They will be trying to get first dibs on the clams and crabs that are being dug out of the sand by the tides. If you can find a sand bar with a deep spot on the beach side or cutting right through the sand bar, then try that spot first.
You can catch whiting on any part of the tide as long as the water is moving. You won’t catch too much of any kind of fish during the slack parts of the tide cycles. They key to surf fishing for whiting is to fish in different depths and distances from the shore until you figure out where all of the fish are hanging out.
Watch the video below to learn how to probe the different fishing zones that your beach might have to offer.
Conclusion:
Whiting are one of the darlings of surf fishermen all over Florida. They are easy to catch and prevalent on every beach in Florida. They are fun to catch and delicious for the dinner table. All in all they are a great fish to target in the surf.
They are one of my favorite fish to catch when I am surf fishing during the higher parts of the tide. I am sure that they will be one of your favorites too if you start targeting them. I hope this article helps you catch more whiting.
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