Hi yvic45,
it depends a lot on the beach and how well you know the beach.
Some beaches fish better close to shore and on other beaches you have to get your baits out further.
It is probably a good idea to fish with two rods to cover both scenarios.
Generally I had better success with my baits further out.
But usually I don't leave my baits sitting in the same spot for too long.
I take them out to a good distance, wait a little and then slowly reel them back with lots of pauses.
Sometimes I get bites right away and sometimes somewhere along the way back to shore.
Then on the next cast I have a better idea of where the fish are.
I figure the more area you can cover the better, especially if you don't know the beach very well.
I travel a lot and more often then not fish in places I haven't fished before.
Quite often the conditions are not right for drone fishing and then I just do surf fishing.
But drone fishing can be a lot of fun and it certainly ads some extra excitement to the fishing ?
a snapper a day keeps the doctor away