Surf fishing strategies with Joe Kowaleski
- cdavis884
- Jul 2
- 7 min read
By Ford Walpole
Inshore fishing often seems daunting for beginners and visitors to coastal South Carolina, because not everyone has access to a boat or the funds to arrange a private charter. But surf fishing from the beach provides a simple, inexpensive and accessible opportunity for anglers wanting to wet a line in the Lowcountry saltwater.
Joe Kowaleski grew up in central Pennsylvania, the son of an avid freshwater angler. After moving to Macon, Georgia, he began freshwater tournament fishing for crappie and largemouth bass. He vacationed yearly to Jekyll Island, where he fished from the beach — his introduction to saltwater angling and surf fishing. Eventually, Joe moved to Savannah and later Charleston, where his fishing passion complemented his former role as manager of a local tackle shop.
“One of the things I love about surf fishing is that you can fish with whatever rod and tackle you have,” Joe says, noting that, “At Jekyll, we took mid-Georgia bass gear, cheap double-drop rigs and frozen squid and caught a lot of little sharks, sting rays and the occasional redfish.
“A little knowledge of the water you’re fishing in is very beneficial,” he points out. He recommends going to the beach at the low tide of a spring tide “to give you tips on what is there: rock structures, oyster bars or a trough. You can utilize Google Maps or Google Earth in satellite view, which gives surprising detail. Pay attention to where the waves are breaking at the shallow water and locate the deep troughs at the edge,” he says. “The county park at the end of Folly has an old seawall, and the fishing can be really, really good around the rocks. Come high tide, you might want to be on the inside of a sandbar or structure. The redfish on the beach are going to treat that place just like they would a grass line in a creek. That’s one thing people fail to recognize: In many ways, surf fishing is no different from inshore fishing; you have the same changes in depth, rock walls, oyster beds, mud flats and structure in general.”
Joe goes fishing whenever he has an opportunity, not necessarily when the tide is ideal. “The fish are there all the time; you just have to know where to find them,” he says. In the surf, anglers have the potential to catch just about everything you could think of from whiting, pompano, croaker, spot and spot-tailed bass to black drum, flounder, trout, sharks, sting rays, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, bluefish, spadefish and tarpon — he’s even landed small black sea bass and a northern stargazer. “Literally everything is out there; it is the ocean! You have to enter surf fishing knowing that everything is out there. Be prepared that you might catch a shark, so be sure to have a nice sturdy set of pliers for an ethical release,” he reminds us.
Kowaleski and a friend assisted biologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Bryan Frazier with a blacktip shark tagging survey. Among all participants fishing from land and boat, Joe and his friend caught the most and largest sharks. Overall, the study had a 20 percent mortality rate, but the sharks the two men tagged and released, while surf fishing in the evenings had a 100 percent survival rate.
Joe reminds us that from the beach, one can fish with a seven-foot, medium-action rod with a 3,000-series spinning reel and 15 to 20-pound test braid line, a versatile combination that is ideal for inshore fishing. A surf fishing-specific setup would include a rod with a length of eight to 12 feet, a larger reel and heavier line.
“The key to selecting a rod is the weight rating the rod gives you for casting purposes,” he says. “A smaller rating of up to one ounce will catch spot, whiting, pompano, croaker, trout, flounder, reds, black drum and smaller sharks. A two to four-ounce weight rating is perfect for bull reds, black drum and sharks up to six-feet long. Rods with a weight rating from six to sixteen ounces are suitable for even larger sharks,” he says.
Regarding reels, Joe recommends the Daiwa BG Series. Joe prefers braid line “because it is thinner than monofilament, so you can get a higher capacity of line on the reel, and braid is half the diameter, which means there is less pull on the line in the current, and it casts further.” What size weight you need depends on the current, tide and wind. “You want your weight to sit still and not roll down the beach. Also, the size of the bait will dictate the amount of the weight you need. If you are only fishing one rod that you intend to continue casting, there is nothing wrong with a small, one-ounce pyramid weight. You can cover more water that way, but you can’t just cast the rod and leave it,” Kowaleski explains.
“When you are fishing more than one rod, you want your weight set. I use a Sputnik sinker — it digs in the surf and gets pinned out there like an anchor. These weights also work well when fishing inlets with deep drop-offs because the current channels that water,” Joe points out.
As for tackle, store-bought double-drop rigs are great for surf fishing. “For smaller species, I prefer a Kahle hook to a circle hook. I have never had a fish swallow a Kahle hook. For larger redfish, black drum and smaller sharks, I am using a non-offset circle hook for better survival rate upon release,” Joe says.
Artificial baits, such as a soft plastic paddle tail or curly tail on a jig head also work well from the beach, Joe points out. “Z-Man and Gulps offer a bit of scent. DOA shrimp or Vudu shrimp under a popping cork are good near a rock structure or seawall. Spoons and Got-cha plugs are good for bluefish, Spanish mackerel and king mackerel. In the mornings, topwater plugs will work for redfish, just like in the creeks,” he says.
Natural baits such as squid, mullet, shrimp, blue crabs and mud minnows are great for surf fishing. Fishbites are reusable and they don’t need to be stored in a cooler; you can catch 10 whiting on one piece of bait. “With frozen shrimp or fishbites, you can catch croaker or whiting, which in turn can be used as bait for larger fish species. That adds to the fun level because you are fishing the whole time you are out there. I always take frozen bait with me and replace it with fresh-caught bait. Fresh is better than frozen, but frozen is better than nothing!” Joe says.
You want the drag on your reel tight enough to create a small bow in your rod but loose enough so that if a fish hits it, it will start taking line and not your rod,” he continues. “Fish in the surf have a lot of strength; they have been fighting the ocean all day. Even big reds fight harder in the ocean because they don’t have the breaks they get in the creeks.”
Sand spikes and a backpack or surf cart are also good additions to a surf fishing gear arsenal. Kowaleski notes sand spikes (surf rod holders) must be sunk deep enough to secure your rod. A 10-foot stick of two-inch schedule 40 PVC cut in the center at an angle will provide you with two spikes.
According to Joe, there are three cell phone Apps are essential for surf fishing: Fish Rules, recommended by SCDNR, provides pictures of fish for identification and the app is GPS-enabled; Tides Near Me gives the tides and their heights and Windfinder provides the wind forecast and current. Once the wind surpasses 15 miles per hour, it will affect where you want to fish to avoid casting your line into the wind.
Besides being a passionate conservationist, Joe also reminds anglers to practice proper etiquette and thus avoid confrontation with others with whom you share the beach. “Do not fish near swimmers and avoid peak times such as midday on weekends. Besides, it’s easier to fish in the mornings or evenings when the swimmers aren’t there. Remember, more people come to the beach to swim and sunbathe than to fish, so the angler will always lose that battle. It’s a safety, respect and common-sense thing. There’s too much water here — if the beach is crowded, go to the inlets where swimming is prohibited, such as Breach Inlet or near Fort Moultrie in front of the Grillage,” he advises.
When he’s not working or fishing, Joe Kowaleski also helps out with “Casual Crabbing with Tia,” also known as “Try Your Hand at Crabbing” on Airbnb, serving as a host and a dock hand at a downtown crabbing location.
“We have the luxury of having multiple beaches here and you can fish all year long,” Joe declares. “The peak is now through the fall. In October, you have the opportunity to catch a 50-inch red off the beach. There is a lot to surf fishing,” he continues. “It’s not just going to the beach and throwing lines in the water, but it can be if that’s all you want! You can walk the whole beach and cast or sit in the same spot all day. Surf fishing is a family friendly activity, and everybody can fish, sunbathe and swim. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like to go to the beach!”
Joe Kowaleski may be reached at joeblerone@gmail.com.
Ford Walpole lives and writes on John’s Island and is the author of many articles on the outdoors. He teaches English at James Island Charter High School and the College of Charleston and may be reached at fordwalpole@gmail.com.
