DRAWN TO THE SEASHORE : Surf and Fish Sure Lures for Anglers

What a life, this surf fishing. Simply cast your line, place your rod in a sand spike, get out your lounge chair, grab your favorite beverage and relax. Life’s a beach.

There’s rock perch, bass, corvina or, if you’re lucky, halibut just waiting to strike. The warm Southern California nights offer a contrast to the rush-hour traffic, and the sunsets are well worth the price of a fishing license.

“Your back is to the world, and you’re facing the frontier,” said John Waters, a San Clemente resident who has been surf fishing for 15 years. “It’s great therapy.”

And the cost? The sport is relatively inexpensive. A rod will cost $35 to $60 depending on length. Most surf fishermen use a 12- to 15-foot rod. A spinner reel (easiest to cast) runs about $40 to $80.

One hundred yards of 20-pound line is $20; a sand spike ranges from $7.75 to $14 and ghost shrimp is $2.50 per dozen. Heavier sinkers, weighing from three to six ounces, are recommended, along with hooks ranging from No. 4 to No. 1 depending upon the bait size.

Most surf fishermen say the best time to fish is 45 minutes before or after a high tide. Fish tend to feed at this time when the surf is most active. A free tide table guide is available at any tackle shop.

The idea is to cast with the flow of the current just beyond the breakers. Once you’ve casted, carefully walk your line up to the shore and place your rod into a sand spike. That’s the conventional method of surf fishing.

“It’s the lazy man’s way to fish,” said Glenn Gowin, owner of a tackle shop in Costa Mesa. “Just sit back and watch your rod. It’s a great excuse to get out of the house.”

Waters, considered one of the premier surf fishermen in the Southland, is not your conventional surf fisherman. He utilizes a lure rather than live bait. Ten years ago, he invented a lure called “The Scrounger” and estimates that he has sold nearly half a million of the jigs.

Waters’ one-fourth-ounce jig in amber or silver has become very popular among surf fishermen who use lures. He also makes jigs up to three ounces that anglers use to catch marlin and tuna.

Waters doesn’t use a sand spike. He wades through the water with a six-foot trout rod using four- to six-pound test line.

He generally casts only 10 to 15 feet into the surf. Waters’ lure allows him to maintain a level parallel to the rocks in shallow water without getting tangled. Despite his unconventional methods, Waters had some general tips to the surf fishermen of Orange County.

Location: “Try to look for an area where two currents are clashing, creating a riptide. The riptide digs a hole in the sand that allows the fish to enter the shallow waters to feed. It’s important to look for gravel. That’s where the sand crabs are washed up and the fish feed.”

Best time to fish: “I prefer an hour or two after a low tide. That way there’s water for the fish to enter the shallow waters.”

Favorite fishing holes: “I like the area south of San Clemente Pier. There’s plenty of trenches there. I also like the area south of the power plant at San Onofre and Bolsa Chica State Beach.”

Waters’ biggest catch was a five-pound halibut near Torrey Pines State Beach. He once saw an angler catch a 25-pound halibut at the same location during a minus tide.

“The month of June was great all along the coast,” he said. “You couldn’t get shut out. I was going every day, and it was great. I’ve probably caught 100 fish this season and 50 of them were keepers.”

Western Outdoor News reported that the largest fish caught this season by a surf fisherman was recorded last Saturday in Malibu. Stanley Chin of Glendale caught a 29-pound sea bass near the Chart House restaurant.

Ted Colvern, a lifelong resident of Laguna Beach, can remember when such catches were commonplace along the Orange County coast.

Colvern, 73, remembers when anglers shot squirrels at Salt Creek, put them on a line and caught lobsters with them. He remembers trolling off the same area and seeing swordfish fins. He remembers an albacore run in the early 1950s where the prized fish were four miles off the coast of Newport Beach.

Through the years, Colvern has built the reputation of building the finest custom-made surf fishing rods in the area. He builds rods up to 16 feet in length that allow anglers to cast far beyond the breakers.

Colvern started making custom rods when he was 12. He has never advertised, but rather has sold his rods by word of mouth or on the beach.

“I’ve sold a lot of rods right on the spot,” he said. “I’ll be surf fishing, and some guy will come up and ask me if I’ll sell my rod.”

Colvern’s favorite fishing spots are south of the Laguna Hotel and at the end of the Laguna Beach boardwalk. He enjoys fishing for calico bass in the rocky areas of his hometown.

Colvern said there are several misconceptions about surf fishing.

“Most people don’t know where to fish,” he said. “I’ll be walking along the boardwalk watching the corvina slide through the breakers to feed. People will stop and ask me what I’m looking at. They can’t even see the fish they’re trying to catch, and they’re right in front of their eyes.”

The quality and shape of live bait is also important.

“I see guys go into a tackle shop and buy $18 worth of live bait, and it isn’t worth a damn,” he said. “If the bait’s no good, you’re not going to catch any fish, plain and simple.”