Sounds like fun. Probably did better than most with the conditions that you noted. When waves are that big, I pretty much don’t bother. But I am not throwing 6-8 oz of lead and 1lb of bait!

Your wife needs to listen to you! Surf and sound access with a few more days, sounds like a no brainer to me. But then again, we are wired different than the ladies.

Photos posted. Let me guess, you are probably currently a bit more red now than that photo?

Heading back up to tionesta (tidiuote actually) tomorrow. Probably gonna drink and float with some buddies (none of them fish) on Saturday and I might get a little fishing in while we do that.

But it’s looking like I might get a chance to hit the river Sunday morning with my buddy’s dad on his jet boat. I’m actually really looking forward to that because I rarely get to fish with people I can learn from. I’m usually hitting the water solo, or with people who are less experienced than I am. This dude has spent a lot of time on that water. Should be a good time.

You might be in the market for a jet boat after.

Maybe, but I’m pretty satisfied with the kayak thing right now. Jet boat seems like it would be nice to do once in awhile, but that’s a big commitment. I might be singing a different tune if I get out on it tho.

Actually, that was the last day, although the morning....I use spf 50 liberally and often....
Waves were only that big on the ocean side of the first bar.  Waves more manageable in the first gut but the weed was annoying there. 
 
6 or 8 oz. Copper legged spider weights held the baits firm.  We used 1 oz spider weights and double drop rigs for the bait rods and during high tide, they drifted in the wash but still caught fish.  Used all circle hooks...fish bites, gulp sand fleas and live sand fleas.  Pretty easy fishing.  I did use a fishfinder rig and a j hooked sand flea to catch the biggest bull whiting.  Bout ripped the rod out of my hand on the hit.  He gave us three big shark bait chunks and I landed my shark on the head section.

Were you able to find your own fleas or buy them at the bait shop?  It is nuts, some times I am at the beach and they are absolutely everywhere.  No matter what tide, etc.  Other times you can only find them on the incoming tide.  Other times you need to walk the beach for 1/2 mile before you find a single colony.  Other times they are just nowhere to be found (guessing out on the bar)?  My buddy and I tried to time the pompano run in Melbourne, FL, but couldn't find a single flea.  The bait shops couldn't get live ones either.  Same thing happened my last time in EI.  A few trips before, we caught so many that the kids wanted to try frying some up.  The wives didn't allow it though.  Guys on Youtube frying them make them sound like an interesting try at least.  Most fish that eat them are pretty dang good to eat...  I haven't had a fish better than pompano myself.
 
I have noticed when they are really hard to find, I can usually find some near jetty rocks or pier pilings.  But not always the case.  A few years ago in the spring, I was in NJ sitting at a high tide "storm cliff".  Whatever you call the beach when a storm rolls through and recedes the beach to make a little cliff.  It was a good 10-15 yards from where the waves were stopping.  I wasn't catching anything, so bored, just stomping the cliff to smooth it out.  Out pops a huge sand flea.  I start digging and they are all over the area.  This was after looking for them for 1/2 hour prior and finding nothing...  I put 3-4 on a 3/0 circle hook and 1/2 oz Carolina rig, letting it wash in the surf.  Within 1/2 hour, two nice stripers.  Nothing after that though.
 
I usually do the same with the liberally 50spf.  But after I get a bit sandy, the often part usually isn't often enough.  I've resorted to the long sleeve "cooling" shirts.  Nothing cooling about those things though, but getting in the water every so often seems to cool enough.  I do burn the top of my feet a lot.  The sand in the surf seems to wash off sunblock pretty quickly.  Water shoes in sand don't work for me, the sand inside of them is too annoying.  I have tried neoprene socks, but in the sun, they get to be like 150 degrees.  Zinc oxide seems to be the only thing that works for me.  I'm too old to care that it makes me look like an idiot!

Here is how my son spent most of the day on the beach.  Think I created a surf fishing monster.
Had to fish around this mass of humanity though...and this was early, before the beach got really crowded.  First 2 days I deferred to the swimmers and we only fished for bait when it got real crowded but on the last day, I kept the shark rods out for the most part.  We were a several hundred yards down the beach from the access and plenty of space to start the day and another 100 yards down the beach was open but everyone had to crowd in.  
 
Sand fleas were plentiful and perfect bait rod size (nickel to quarter size).  My son sat in the swallow wash the entire time and several times, colonies popped up at his feet and he was picking them out of the sand by their antennae.  Didn't need a rake or anything, just your hands and a small bucket with water in it.  Cast netting was less fruitful.  With the onshore stiff breeze, blind casting was tough...and tiring with only a few silver dollar sized pompano to show for it.  

You supposedly shouldn't keep them in water.  Not sure how they survive out in the ocean, but supposed to be moist sand and rinse every so often or they can drown?  I have been using small mesh bags (found online for produce), some trick that I read on a FL pompano site.  I attach to my sand spike and try to have them where only the highest wash hits them every 10-20 minutes.  Once the sun is high, they need shade though.  I put them in a cooler next to a frozen water bottle.  The bag stays moist enough for them for the day at least.
 
I see you broke down and bought a Shibumi (if that is your crew).  Those are nice, but I can't justify it for a week per year.  I've also had vacations where there is no wind at all.  I went with one of those Amazon 4 post tent style "wind" shades.  They work until the wind hits about 30mph gusts.  At that point, it is painful from being sand blasted...  But they beat the heck out of trying to keep an umbrella from flying away and 1/4 the weight of a popup shade.

We only kept a handful or so in there...enough to rebait a couple times, and they stayed fine for us.  Just caught more when we ran low.  If they were tough to get, may have had to do it differently.
 
no, not our crew....just people getting close to us.  Many more, even closer an hour or two later.  I bought the stretch blue large 4 post, 6' high post with 8 sand bag version.  Worked great, even in the steady higher winds we had.  I also have an Alphacamp 2 post style that is good for 2 people max.  I was getting tired of dealing with the umbrellas too.
 
Here is my set-up.
 

4 post looks similar to the one that I have.  My sand bags don't split like that on the corners.  Days that the wind is really wiping, I do three posts in the front (which ever direction the wind is blowing) and none in the back, like your 2 post.  You need to put a counter balance rope from the third to a dead man in the sand, sort of like the Shibumi's to keep it from shaking like crazy.  They are nice sun shades for the price and beat the heck out of carrying a pop up.  If I lived at the beach or had a place to spend 4-5 weeks at the beach, I'd probably buy the Shibumi, but for a week, I see no reason.  Not like it can be used for rain protection for kid's games or much of anything around here.