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Looking for the Best Fish style surfboards?
Fish surfboards aren’t a new concept, they’ve been around for about fifty years. However, their popularity has surged in recent times, capturing the attention of both beginners and seasoned surfers alike.
If you’re new to fish surfboards, you might be wondering how to choose the right one to match your skill level and surfing styl
There are many shapes to choose from, such as the retro fish and the hybrid fish. Then you've got to decide between quad or the more classical style of twin fin set-up.
Oh, and do you want a soft or hard top? The decision is yours.
Here are some of our favorite fish style boards.
What Makes This Board Stand Out:
“Hands down the best soft surfboards ever!” – Jamie O’Brien
This soft-top surfboard is designed to help you catch more waves while conserving energy on the paddle out. Its buoyant, easy-to-ride design makes it versatile enough to handle a wide range of wave conditions.
The latest Skipper Quad Fin model comes upgraded with Catch Surf’s innovative fin system, delivering improved drive and speed exactly when you need it.
Durable, fun, and forgiving, this board lets anyone carve and shred waves, no professional skills required.
With the Skipper Quad X Jamie O’Brien Pro, every session is guaranteed to keep your stoke high!
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What Makes This Board Stand Out:
Paragon offers retro-style fish surfboards in three sizes, ranging from 5′10″ to 6′5″, making them suitable for both adults and younger surfers.
These boards feature a shallow swallowtail and a slightly rounded outline, giving them more of a hybrid feel than a traditional fish. The design leans toward the performance of a shortboard, blending maneuverability with speed for a versatile ride.
Constructed with either a PU or epoxy core and fully glassed, these boards come standard with twin Futures fins. They are not soft tops and are clearly aimed at experienced surfers who don’t mind taking the occasional tumble.
The combination of a slightly pulled-in tail and hybrid outline strikes a balance between shortboard control and the glide you expect from a classic fish. This makes them an intriguing option for surfers looking for a fish-style board with enhanced performance.
For experienced riders seeking a day-to-day board that delivers both speed and precision, one of Paragon’s retro fish boards could be a perfect fit.
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What Makes This Board Stand Out:
This stylish board from Catch Surf is perfect for surfers of all skill levels and ages. While it has a chunky build, it excels in the quad-fin soft-top category, offering stability and versatility.
Its retro design, with a wide tail, full nose, and low rocker, is complemented by quad fins, which provide enhanced control even though they’re a less traditional setup.
Catch Surf built this board with a dual composite core, featuring an HDPE base and twin stringers. This construction makes it durable and gives it a satisfying stiffness.
Some other soft-top boards can flex too much, which may make them harder to handle for larger riders. While lighter or younger surfers might not notice this as much, the benefits are clear for those at the upper end of the weight range.
The board’s tail and rail design allow it to perform well even in smaller waves, giving it an advantage over slimmer hybrid boards that may struggle in similar conditions.
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#4. Formula Fun Fish
What Makes This Board Stand Out:
This USA-made fish board is crafted entirely from 100% recycled materials. Built as a single copolymer unit, it features a textured EVA deck and molded stringers for added strength. While it doesn’t have a fiberglass bottom, its performance remains solid, picking up speed easily and handling a variety of conditions.
The Formula Fun comes equipped with Futures fins in a twin setup, rather than a quad, which limits experimentation slightly, but the high-quality construction and materials more than make up for it.
Even if the foam gets dinged or scratched, the board’s durability ensures it can still be used without further damage, letting you keep enjoying sessions on the water.
Compact yet sturdy, this board can support riders up to around 200 lbs. However, taller surfers, especially those over 6 feet, might find it a bit short and may want to consider a larger option.
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What Makes This Board Stand Out:
The South Bay Board Company has named this their favorite hybrid surfboard design. Choosing one of the larger sizes can make it slightly less responsive than some of the lighter fish boards, but the extra volume makes it an excellent choice for beginners. It’s stable enough to inspire confidence while still being light and manageable.
The build quality is top-notch. With an EPS core, I-Beam stringer, and a heat-release valve, the board is easy to care for and can even handle being left in the back of a hot vehicle without damage.
The textured deck eliminates the need for waxing, and the glassed bottom comes with several wood veneer options for a stylish finish.
This board includes multiple quad fins, which are interchangeable. You can switch to a twin-fin setup if you prefer, and while it will still perform well, the board is clearly optimized for a quad-fin configuration.
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What Makes This Board Stand Out:
This board has a similar overall volume to the Wave Bandit Retro Fish, but much of its volume is carried through the rails. This gives you extra stability, though it can make getting the board fully on rail a bit more challenging. For most riders, this isn’t a major concern, fish boards are rarely ridden aggressively on the rails.
Constructed with an EPS core and three marine-ply stringers, this isn’t the lightest fish-style board at 9.2 lbs, but it’s exceptionally strong and durable. While it is a soft-top, a 5mm barrier layer adds extra protection against impacts.
Even if the board gets dented or scratched, the core remains well-protected. The HDPE-coated base adds additional durability and a smooth glide.
The board features bolt-through fin boxes and comes with a set of fins included. You can set it up with either a twin or quad fin configuration, but a quad setup generally provides better stability and performance, especially for taller or heavier riders.
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Should You Choose a Fish Surfboard?
Fish surfboards make it easy to catch waves and are great for generating speed even when the waves are small. They're loose into turns, and allow surfers to slide out the fins, drawing a very different line to what you would achieve if you were using a bigger surfboard with a more normal shape.
However, the fish shape doesn't typically work so well if the waves are bigger. The shape that is an asset in weaker surf becomes the enemy when the waves are bigger and mean the board tends to skip or slide as the surf becomes steep. Many avid surfers carry multiple boards.
A narrow, more performance-focused board, and tri or quad fin set for days when a bigger board is needed, and a fish for the flatter days.
If you're a beginner or someone who tends to see only smaller waves, a hybrid or a fish design could help you get out there on those days when people with big boards wouldn't even waste the energy to paddle out. In the right conditions, fish can be a lot of fun.
If you're a newer surfer, look for something like the SBBC Mahi 6 footer if you're an adult or a taller than average teen, or something smaller like the Wave Bandit for a teen or a child.
If you're an experienced surfer, Paragon has a lot to offer in terms of performance and flexibility, making it a strong pick in this category, although it's a little bit less beginner-friendly.
Bruce Paulson is the owner of PaddleboardSurf and an avid water sports enthusiast with a lifelong passion for all things aquatic. From stand-up paddleboarding and surfing to boating, kayaking, and canoeing, he thrives on the joy of being on the water. As an advocate for water conservation and environmental stewardship, Bruce shares his adventures and insights through his writing, inspiring others to embrace the beauty and excitement of life on the water.