BY JOE BALOG

December in Volusia County brings the nicest weather of the year. Outdoor enthusiasts rejoice in their options, with many taking to the deer woods, while others get a jump on the speckled perch. It’s the last month of locals-only, with most visitors waiting until after the holidays to make their migration.

I’ll try to get to the beach. There, the draw won’t be boogie boards or bikinis, but whiting and pompano. Like our seasonal friends, many of these visitors come south for the winter, bringing an opportunity for shore-bound anglers to score on great-eating fish.

True, surf-fishing can be productive any time in Florida. But winter temperatures push the fish from other beaches — some as far away as North Carolina — into our waters.

The real gurus stand at the ready. Surf-fishing is a niche sport, like shrimping or skydiving. Lots of people try it, going once or twice each season. Others, though, live it.

Around here, there’s a regular on every beach. Guys with names like Fishman and Beach Freak gain hero status. Roy’s Guide Service in New Smyrna Beach hosts tournaments and teaches new anglers the art of fishing in the surf.

These veteran pros seem to always be on the fish, visually reading the water better than most of us do with a high-priced depth finder. They can tell through a simple drive-by where to be, and when. Tides, water color and sandbars all make up the changing variables.

I’ve learned a few tricks myself. First off, conditions are everything. While it’s possible to catch a fish off the beach anytime, clean water is a prerequisite for a banner day. “Winter-blue,” with a lightly breaking surf, please.

Granted, we can’t order ideal conditions. But the fish can, to some degree, and that’s an important variable to remember when surf-fishing.

If better conditions present themselves a bit down the beach, fish will migrate there. Ten or 20 miles are nothing to a school of ocean fish like pompano. The commercial fish-chasers often switch from Flagler Beach to New Smyrna Beach overnight. Out there daily, these guys follow the fish.

So, it’s important to find good water, even if that means spending more time in the car than on the sand. You’ll know you’re close when you spot the die-hards.

It helps to have a beach cart, allowing even greater mobility once you park. If you’re going all in with this game, invest in a professional aluminum model with big tires. You’ll need something large enough to carry a sizable cooler, as well as bait, buckets, rods and a seat. Most have built-in rod-holders, but it’s always helpful to have sand spikes, allowing a good spread.

Surf-fishing requires surf rods. Your average bass-fishing or inshore rod just won’t cut it. Surf rods allow an angler to toss a heavily weighted rig a considerable distance. These large weights are required to hold on the bottom in the rolling waves. If you’ve ever surfed, or tried to beach a boat on the coast, you can appreciate just how much movement is occurring in the water when a decent swell comes ashore. To be effective, your bait must hold.

The long rods aid in casting, but also keep your line high when the rods are placed in holders. Such allows the majority of your fishing line to ride up out of the water, providing less drag. Beach walkers simply pass beneath the line as they stroll by.

Attached to your line, you’ll want a dropper-rig featuring two hooks. These “pompano rigs” can be purchased at most local tackle shops. Learning to tie your own is easy, though, and it’s a method that will come in handy later for your deep-sea “chicken rigs” used to catch triggerfish and snapper.

Long ago, avid surf fishermen created the “Sputnik sinker,” a heavy weight with fold-down wire arms. These are the cat’s meow for the beach angler. A 4-ounce model is about all you’ll ever need.

Picking your exact spot takes a bit of practice. As the fish migrate up and down the beach with the current, your chances to score anywhere are good. But key places often lead to fantastic catches.

The veterans call them run-outs, places where the water rolling off the beach makes its way back into the ocean. Deep-water troughs are the key. To really learn what to look for, it’s best to walk the beach at low tide, then again at high. You’ll be able to see how breaking white water relates to shallow bars, and rolling surf covers the deep spots. Those deep spots hold the fish.

As a rule of thumb, high tides allow anglers to fish close to the beach. The opposite holds true for low tides, when anglers need to haul their rigs out over the sandbar.

When given the choice, I fish high tide. The fish can be shockingly close to your feet. Line up a high tide with the last couple of hours of daylight, combined with good water color, and you’re on your way to the filet table.

Surf-fishing can be a waiting game, and there are worse places to wait. But don’t be fooled into thinking luck has everything to do with it. Keeping tabs on the pros, you’ll find their Facebook accounts nearly always reporting strong catches this time of year. They keep mobile and hunt the fish on foot like most of us do with an outboard.

Sand fleas, the common name for mole crabs, reign supreme as the best surf-fishing bait. New manufactured baits perform well most days, too, and take the hassle out of catching or holding live bait. No refrigeration is needed on things like Fishbites. One word of advice: Raccoons love Fishbites as much as pompano. Keep that in mind when you toss your tackle bag in the shed.

There are worse places to wait, that’s for sure. An environment so dreamy, they record the sound for sleep machines. Blue skies and 70 degrees, the sun now setting just in time for dinner, bringing with it a chill that whispers Christmas.

I’ll see you out there.