I think surfcasting is more fickle than boat fishing but less based on luck. In a boat, you move without thinking less about it. Your "spot" tends not to be a 20-150yd cone around some point or geographical fixture as in the surfangler but a drift of 500 yds along some particular location or rockpiles.
In the surf, if you are skilled, spend 4-5 of every 7 days of every week on the water at known productive big fish spots while using big fish methods you are going to do well regardless. Fish distribution will determine whether you do real good or just OK.
If you are fishing from the boat and apply that same high degree of skill and time, you are just going to have more quality numbers and more quality fish.
Me, I don't have that skill. But I get schooled by those people in those conditions often enough to tell you dats what it is
