Bunker draw the big fish away
Fin says this all the time, he's right.
When you hear the tackle shops hyping all the recent beach blitzes, remember that many of those blitzes happen because fish are in hot pursuit of adult bunker and end up near the surf line. When the blitzes are over, the bunker (survivors ;)) and the big fish move on as part of the seasonal migration. A guy buys the "special" clams and bunker from the tackle shop, walks on the beach hours after the report, catches no fish, and wonders why.
What we really need for sustained Spring surf action is the various whitebait...rainfish, bay anchovies, herring etc. Some have reported these in small amounts, and some members here have reported sand eels, thanks. :thumbsup:
My point is that generally by this time of year the surf zone has a lot of this bait making its northern migration. We haven't seen the bulk of these forage fish yet, and that's why there will be large stretches of "dead water". If there's nothing to hold the fish, they move on.
Look for consistent action on artificials when you see these fish more consistently in the surf. I'm hoping that will happen within the next week or so, as these small fish are definitely late this year.