I’m having a hard time getting my sinker to stay on course when surf casting - it seems to always end up to the right or left of my target. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?

That’s an interesting dilemma.  If you said your cast always veered to the right and you’re casting with your right hand, I’d probably tell you that you’re using too much weight.  If it always veers to the left, I’d say you’re not using enough or you may be waiting to long to start the forward cast.  If it really goes either to the left or the right though, I’d have to guess that maybe your leader from the tip of the rod to the hook and sinker is too long.  Try shortening it and see if that helps.  If not, you may have to do a little experimenting to figure it out.  First of all, make sure you’re taking the weight of your bait into consideration when choosing the size of your weight.  Make a few casts.  If you’re leading to the right, bring the weight down a little and see if the cast straightens up.  If your sinker ends up on the left side more than the right side, lighten the weight up and make sure you’re actually starting the forward cast early enough.  If you’re fishing with any other fishermen, ask them to watch the cast and see if they have any tips