Look before you cast
Walk up high on the dunes, or stand on a rise, and look at the water for a few minutes before you set up. Dark stretches of water are deeper; lighter stretches are shallow sandbanks.
Fish feed where the bottom changes: along the edge of a gully, at the end of a sandbank, or where the water funnels back out to sea. Those are the places your bait wants to be.
Gullies and banks
A gully is a channel between two sandbanks. Waves break on the banks and the water they push in rushes back out along the gully, carrying food with it. Predators wait at the edges.
Cast so your bait lands in the gully or just past it on the far bank, so the current rolls it down the channel.
Look for darker, calmer water between breaking waves
Look for a gap in the line of white water
Look for foam lines or debris travelling out to sea
Rip currents
A rip is a strong current that flows straight out to sea through a gully. It is excellent for fishing because it carries food and fish towards the edges, but it is also dangerous for anyone who wades in.
Never wade or swim into a rip. If you get caught, swim parallel to the beach rather than against the current.
Rocks and reef
On rocky shores, look for white water pouring over reef: galjoen and blacktail feed in the wash. Calm deep holes next to rocks hold bigger fish.
Always watch the swell before you step onto rocks. Wait through several sets of waves before you move.
General guidance only. Conditions, rules and species differ along the coast, so check with local anglers and the current regulations.