Gday all,

Hopefully the following guidelines will give you a basic understanding of what to look for when selecting a location to fish on the beach.

WHAT IS A FEATURE?
Before start detailing how to locate a feature, it's important to understand what a feature is and how it's created. A feature on a beach can be concentrated area that has differing characteristics to the remainder of the beach or simply an area that stands out. Deeper water in comparisons to the rest of the beach and irregular wave action are the two most prodominant characteristics that indicate a feature. Common types of features such as gutters, holes and channels are created when underwater currents combine with wave and wind action to gouge trenches and gullies in the sand beneath the water's surface. These currents or rips remove large amounts of sand in a concentrated area over a period of time. The circumlative effect of all these natural occurences help create some type of feature.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Waves & Surf: When watching the surf look for irregular wave patterns, lack of breaking waves, and waves that appear to begin to break then reform into a rolling swell. All these factors indicate deeper water and therefore a feature with potential to hold a fish or two. It's stating the obvious to say a lot of wave action means plenty of white water. Therefore, lack of breaking waves would subsquently mean less white water than the remainder of the beach. This is an important rule for locating some deep water. Also pay close attention to the direction the waves hit the beach, the way they recede back into the ocean and the movement of the surface foam or white water. This will indicate some type of rip, current or channel. This may be relatively insignificant to the inexperienced fisho, but a seasoned beach goer will know this area is a worthy spot to target.
Sand: If you arrive at a beach in low light conditions and can't make out the lay of the land, it can be extremely difficult to pinpoint any worthy features. Checking out the sand formation between the high and low water points can be a tell-tale sign of a channel or small gutter running perpindicular to the beach. To help find these areas look for ridges and undulations in the sand. In particular, concentrate on the high water mark as any significant peaks or throughs on the beach will normally spell deeper water adjacent to these areas. The gradient or angle of the sand running into the water can also give some indication of the water depth.
Water: Possibly the simplest characteristics to describe in theory is how to locate deep water. Colour nad contrast in the water will enable you to identify the deeper areas. A dark blue patch of water along the beach will stand out. Of course, not all gutters and holes are subsequently deeper then the surrounding water so with shallower features the water may only be a shade darker in contrast to the rest of the beach. A general ruke of thumb is that the deeper the feature the bigger the contrast or darker the colour of the water.
When: The final consideration is exactly when should you go about checking out and beach formations. If you take a stroll along your selected stretch of beach or position yourself on a high vantage point at low tide, any features will stand out. At low tide andy gutters or channels will be easier to distinguish than at high tide. At full water features may be hidden by breaking waves and white water.

SUMMARY
The next time your on a beach, have identified sometype of feature using the strategies outlined above and nailed a few fish, take a mental picture or better take a picture with the digital camera and remember the formations of the waves. Once you've mastered the ability to identify formations off the beach you'll be in a good standing when ever you cast a line on off the sand.