So I've been out here for three years and havent really tried any surffishing but now that I'm going camping next week on Fire Island I'd like to start. I was hoping to get some suggestions here as for rod and reel, and some basic tackle that would be good to get started with. I have a 7ft ( or maybe its eight i forget ) rod but was told I'd be better off getting a 10 ft rod. What do you all think? I was also recommended by a friend to get 50 lb braided line. I've heard good things about braided but 50 lbs seems like too much since I dont plan on sharking from the beach. I was hoping to spend no more than $100 and obviously less is better if I could get away with it. Suggestions please.
Surf Fishing
- Thread starter jejton
- Start date
Well, I can tell you from experience with a good reel and braid line on it with that 8 footer you can cast just as far as a 10 footer with mono. The braid is light weight and extra strong, if you get snagged though it cuts extremely easy. What type of rod do you have anyways? and for 100 you can buy a decent combo at walmart or sports authority. I would try walmart 2nd though. Look on craiglist for a rod also, I have seen some good combos, make sure the reel has no corrosion and the bail spins smooth, no wobbles and gets a lot of rotations. Just spin it with your finger.
- Location
- Nueva York
I work at an online sporting goods shop www.bfmsports.com they have really cheap fishing rods and reels you can definitely get a 10' rod and 50lb braided line on their site for well under $100. Im not just saying that because I work there :biglaugh:.
Check it out yourself Okuma Tundra surf rod its 10' http://www.bfmsports.com/00739998900039.html we have it for $22 and change, amazon has it for $35.99...
we also have braided lines if your looking... power pro 50lb 300yd spool braided line in green color for $22.13 - heres the link.. http://www.bfmsports.com/00712649100903.html
Check it out yourself Okuma Tundra surf rod its 10' http://www.bfmsports.com/00739998900039.html we have it for $22 and change, amazon has it for $35.99...
we also have braided lines if your looking... power pro 50lb 300yd spool braided line in green color for $22.13 - heres the link.. http://www.bfmsports.com/00712649100903.html
Well with this setup I plan on going mostly after blues and stripers. Dont really see what else you would surfcast for much. Ok occasionally porgies, blackfish, flukes, etc. but mostly stripers and blues. I guess I could always keep a second spool with lighter test on it if I decide to go for the smaller species.
When fishing for big stripers I would suggest the following:
10ft Ugly Stick Medium-Heavy Action
50-65lb test PowerPro line (red)
Circle Hooks
Shimano Baitrunner (try to get an older one, I think the new ones are cheap)
Thick monofilament for leader material
4oz weight
Now go catch a big one!!
10ft Ugly Stick Medium-Heavy Action
50-65lb test PowerPro line (red)
Circle Hooks
Shimano Baitrunner (try to get an older one, I think the new ones are cheap)
Thick monofilament for leader material
4oz weight
Now go catch a big one!!
I'm confused about the coloring of the braided lines cause I thought advantage of monofilament was that it had low visibility for the fish. Wouldnt coloring braided line defeat that point? thanks for the tip by the way. I do have a conventional setup with an ugly stick ( shakespeare reel seat broke ;( and needs replacement ) that i use on the boats so I already am biased towards them. Would I be able to find an older baitrunner in stores or do I have to look on craigslist and ebay for one?
Check on ebay and craigslist. Shimano just re-did the baitrunner. The newer product is cheaply made, and almost 2x the price. You should be able to find an older one in great condition for around $75. You do not NEED a baitrunner by any means but it's alot easier to flip a switch, and manually tightening your drag. When I caught mine this year, I didn't have the baitrunner on the pole I was using. Just made it more of a challenge haha.
You would only need a bait runner for live lining bunker. For clams or chunking I would never use them. Circle hooks only work with a bait runner and take a little practice getting use to. A new 10' Ugly stick will run you around 75 bucks. The shimano baitrunner is a good reel and can be used either way. I use mostly penn reels(the older models), I also have a few Okumas that I use as well. Fluger and Quantom make nice reels also as long as you buy the better models. I have a few of these as well but not surf sized reels. Check out sports authority for a reel. I just bought a 320.00 dollar quantom from them for 80 bucks, They have a lot of stuff on cleareance for some reason.
- Location
- Nueva York
Youre right about being low-vis... that's why you want to get either a clear mono or a braided line that will blend in to the surroundings. I have this bright yellow braided line on my shimano TR-200G reel (which by the way is an awesome reel for the price its at, dont think they make it anymore though.) that I absolutely hate because I feel like its way too conspicuous. Green is always the most stealthy out of the colors.... Berkley makes a clear braided line Fireline Crystal, but I never tried it and I've heard mixed reviews about it.
Will you be bait fishing, plugging, or both? Can you cast conventional reels or do you need a spinner? Either way for $100 you will pretty much get junk unless you can find a nice used setup.
Finally the man I was waiting for chimes in. I do most bait but would like to try lurning to use lures as well though I have a 9 foot rod that I can use for the lures. I dont know how to cast conventionals and only use the one i have for party boat fishing. How much can I get away with spending to get a decent starter rod/reel ? What suggestions do you have for setups?
If you mostly bait fish and can't cast conventional reels then I would agree with the other guys about a shimano baitrunner. You can find one used on ebay pretty cheap. For an inexpensive but decent rod I would go with a Tsunami 10ft rod. The rod has a lifetime warranty and much better action than ugly sticks. A setup up like this would run you about $170 with a used reel. Well worth the extra $$. You will have it forever and be happy with the performance.
I wouldn't use braid for bait fishing from the surf. You will be casting a decent amount of lead with a lot of force. You will find yourself parting a lot of sinker on the cast or getting tangles that need to be cut. Not to mention the pain of tying on mono shock leader all the time. 20lb mono will be fine. Trilene or moi moi diamond are good choices.
If you are going to plug then I would use the braided line for extra sensitivity. You could always purchase a spare spool later down the road and swap lines as needed.
HTH
I wouldn't use braid for bait fishing from the surf. You will be casting a decent amount of lead with a lot of force. You will find yourself parting a lot of sinker on the cast or getting tangles that need to be cut. Not to mention the pain of tying on mono shock leader all the time. 20lb mono will be fine. Trilene or moi moi diamond are good choices.
If you are going to plug then I would use the braided line for extra sensitivity. You could always purchase a spare spool later down the road and swap lines as needed.
HTH
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- Location
- Rego Park, Queens
My favorite line is Yo-Zuri hybrid....but for mostly bait, I think Trilene big game would be fine. Since most of my surf fishing is on LI Sound, I generally use a 9 foot rod with 15 lb test line. For lures, I use a 7 foot rod with 10 lb test. I'll use that set up on the Sound, but I do most if my fishing at the mouth of a creek in Peconic Bay.
- Location
- Brooklyn
I agree.
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