How to Catch a Walleye Surfperch

• 1). Locate the walleye surfperch by the sandy beaches, underwater rocks or by the piers. You will find dense schools during the summer around Humboldt Bay. During December, November and October, the fish will break away from the schools to mate and will be more difficult to find.
  
  
• 2). Set up your area. Use a small hook baited with the bait. This could be shrimp, squid or a mussel. Make sure you have the bait secured on the hook.
  
  
• 3). Cast your bait and line. Allow the line to drop slowly into the water. Start reeling in the line. Make sure you are steady and not jerky. This is why you want a spinning reel. Make every move slowly. Give the fish enough time to bite.
  
  
• 4). Feel the bite, which will be light. Then start reeling in the walleye surfperch. They will fight, but it is nothing compared to other types of fish. The fish is not that big, but it does put up a little fight. Use the net to bring the fish out of the water.
  
  
• 5). Use a vertical drop and wait to catch the walleye surfperch. You bait the hook and do a vertical drop into the school. Simply release the test line and allow to drop about a foot above the school. Ease the bait down a little more, and you will have all the hits you need. Reel in the first one. Use the net to get the fish out of the water. Re-bait your hook, and go again.