CoachBob
You?ve gotten good advice so far. Anything can happen at anytime along a beach, but to up your chances, low light, moving water, and structure are the key elements. Polarized sunglasses are a must to spot fish. Look for structure at low tide like holes, cuts and points that might help to funnel baitfish and serve as routes of travel for larger fish. On a gently sloping beach, minor differences in depth can make a big difference , so plan on moving a bit when you work on your casting. Usually while ?blind casting? (no fish in sight), I?ll fan cast once to the right, out front, to the left, then move 20 feet to the side, repeat etc. to cover a big section of beach.
Google Earth satellite shots can also give some idea of structure or new spots to try by highlighting flats or holes off from the beach. As you become familiar with your gear you may want to give nighttime a try too, especially on new and full moons when tidal forces are strongest. Often fish will move in very close to the beach and cruise the shore under cover of darkness, and there are all kinds of things, from worms to crabs to baitfish, that spawn on the new or full moon that can bring on feeding binges.
Inlets have a lot of current and structure, and would be a great place to start. The down current beach from an inlet can often be especially good on a falling tide, as well as the inlet itself on both incoming and outgoing. And don?t overlook backside waterways too--- there?s always an excellent chance of picking up something. By knowing the area you are in, and tide differences between different areas, you should be able to come up with a lot of different options to fish, whenever you get the chance. Just put your time in, and plan on covering a lot of different spots. Keep a log, and jot down date, conditions, weather, time of day, current, moon phase, presence or absence of bait etc and after a while you?ll start to see patterns.
A stripping basket is very handy to control line and keep off the water, and off the sand and coral, and allows you to get a lot more distance. I just use a Rubbermaid dishpan and shock cords.
As far as flies, some 1/0 or 2/0 clousers, bendbacks, and deceivers and maybe a few size 1 crab patterns should get you off to a good start.
A regular weight forward floater would be the way to go for a shallow beach--- just watch your 6 o'clock for tourists and bikinis. Shooting heads have their place, but they are more difficult to learn to cast (timing is more critical) and they are more difficult to mend and pick up and recast--- as well as more apt to cut wet fingers. And I think you'll find a 9' rod-- (9 wt would be my choice) more versatile than a spey road, especially if there is any chance you'll be fishing from a boat.
Good luck!
Peregrines
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