How to Fish for Whiting at the Beach in Florida

The whiting isn't a large fish, it normally doesn't get larger than a foot. But you can catch many of these fish in one outing to the beach. The whiting has a tender white meat that many people compare to the taste of flounder. If you'd like to give it a try, here's how to do it.

The fishing pole you'll need is just a standard saltwater pole. You don't need anything expensive or larger than 6 feet. In fact the weather at the beach can be windy and chances are you'll get sand and water on it one way or another. So just get an inexpensive fishing pole.

When you go to the tackle shop you'll want to get some whiting rigs. These are quite inexpensive. They are normally under $2. These are rigs that have 2 fishing hooks, some even have three.

You'll also want to pick up some pyramid sinkers. Pick up a few 2 ounce sinkers. This is what you'll normally use. If the water gets rough you'll have to go to a heavier sinker. So buy some up to 4 or 5 ounces. Anything heavier than that will make it too hard to control your rod and reel.

Now while at the bait shop you'll want to buy some bait. Frozen shrimp works the best. You can also buy sand fleas in some stores. Or you can use frozen squid. But overall frozen shrimp seems to work the best. The sand fleas you can actually catch yourself while you're at the beach but we'll save that for another article.

When you get to the beach find your spot where you want to fish. Make sure you are away from any swimmers or surfers. After you are settled, bait your hooks and get ready to cast your line.

Now at the shoreline you'll want to cast your line into the dip. The dip is like a 1 or 2 foot deep trench where the waves break. If you walk out into the water you'll know what I'm talking about. This dip is where the whiting usually hang out. The whiting are after those sand fleas I mentioned earlier. So cast your line into that dip.

Now after you throw your line in you'll have to learn the feel of the line. This is the difference between a bite and the waves. A bite will feel like a nibble, the wave action on your line will feel like a slow pull. Give it a little time and you'll learn the difference.

Now when you get a bite, reel it in. You could even reel in more than one at a time. And don't be surprised if you bring up other kinds of fish too. The possibilities are numerous.