surf rod weight

[farmer56]

next  march  my  wife  and i  plan  on  staying  2  weeks  on  the  beach  in  a  town  house  in  the  orange  beach  ,  gulf  shores .Alabama  area   ...  i  want  to  pier  fish  i  think  i  have  that  equipment  ...  BUT  i  want  to  surf  fish ....  question  i am  looking  at  three  possible  rods  all  2-piece  so they  make  it on  3-day  ride  down...  dont  know  the  oz.  class to  get , one  rod  is  1-3 oz...one  is  2-5  oz.  last  rod  is  3-7 oz.   also  they  can  be  10'   or  11'... i  will  be  using  penn reels    ...  either  squidder 146  jigmaster  501  , 180  ,  100  .daiwa  slosh 20  penn fathom 12  star  ,  or  cortez  squdder  classic  convertion....dont  know  reel  yet  ,will  find  out  when  i  start  casting  in my   yard..  thanks  again....

[fishhawk]

Are we talking bottom fishing or lures?
Mark

[farmer56]

fishhawk  not  even  a  clue   .....  me on  the  beach  ,   me   casting  in  ocean  ,  me  catching  fish....  isnt  that  all  i  need  to  know.....  all  kidding  aside  i  really  dont  know....   i   was  thinking  some  sort  of  bait....   but  i  dont  know....any  thoughts  for  march  alabama    coast  fishing.....

[fishhawk]

If the water is clear, trout are near and just good stout largemouth bass equip. and wade...look for bait schooling, watch the birds, look for grass, shell beaches, etc. For bottom fishing  ( reds,black drum,sharks, etc ) with your squidders an 11' rod rated 3-7 oz would be the bomb! Actually all the penns you mentioned would cast great on a 11' 3-7oz.
Mark

[farmer56]

mark,  thank you ,  farmer out

[fishhawk]

Yw, let us know how the casting goes lot of that area has very shallow water and requires long casts.
Mark

[farmer56]

did  not  know  that   

[thorhammer]

Farmer, echo what Mark said. Those three will cover anything but bass size outfit is always a good idea. I prefer a 7' med stick and a 4000 size spinning reel.  It will cover jigs, plugs, plastics, poppers whatever. Fishing for flounder trout and puppy drum is basically bass fishing.  A Zara spook is a winner as are zoom flukes and a Carolina rig with a live minnow or cut bait. 

Any of those reels will do fine.  Best advice is to pair up your outfits and get used to throwing them before you get on the sand. 

[farmer56]

great  advice  thank  you    ......  farmer out

[Jeri]

What little I know about surf fishing - specifically with bait, is that the key element in most places in the world is distance. From experience with the right rod - 5oz sinker plus smaller baits is going to offer optomum potential, and the longer the rod the better.

With surf casting with nylon and a multiplier (conventional) reel, thinner line is better when worked with a casting shock leader to get big distance in areas of relatively clean sea bed. Of the reels you mention, the SL20H and Fathom 12 would both be my first choice for distance surf casting, loaded with no more than 20lb line.

The other alternative is to go the fixed spool (spinner) route, using a long cast spooled reel, like a Shimano Ultegra 5500, and load it with 20-30lb briad, and then a 75lb braid casting shock leader. Much easier to master and attain true distance well beyong 100 metres.

On the rod side, anything up to 14' long would be good, I know the American scene prefers to use shorter rods, but that only restricts distance, but allows the use of artificials to be used on the same rod. All the longer distance surf casting places in the world have found that longer rods give greater potential.

Hope that helps with your thoughts and deliberations.

Cheers from sunny Africa

Jeri

[farmer56]

Jeri  thanks  for  the  reply   ....  i  forgot  i  do  have an  original  in  box  penn  460  slammer  spincast  reel  holds  240 yd,  12#  mono  line......i  think  i  will bring  that  also....farmer 56  out

[thorhammer]

GREAT reels....when i said i always take a 4000 size, what i really meant was my 360 Slammer on a Thorhammer-wrapped 7'0 St Croix that's been all over the world with me. Also have two 560's and liveliners. The 460 with 30lb braid on a ten footer will get a whole lot done.

[Decker]

For bait and weight, I'd use the Slosh with a heavy long rod, for long casts.  You don't necessarily need heavy main-line (20lb is fine), but a 50lb. mono shock leader about double the rod length plus a couple yards, will keep the sinker attached when throwing out far.  Good luck!

[farmer56]

thanks  guys  i  knew  this  was  a great  site    ......  farmer  56  out.......