Reel & rod pairing

[PierPirate4578]

I recently purchased the SSV 10500 for surf sharking. I wanna pair it with the St. Croix Mojo 12' rod. I like this rod because the lure capacity is 6-16oz. I'll be using a big chunk of lead because the current can get pretty strong where I fish and I wanna make sure I have enough room left over for a nice piece of bait. My question is would this be a waste of money since I've heard you can't really cast this reel any way. Any opinions or insight on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Jeri]

I would suggest that there isn't a reel anywhere that 'can't be cast'. The limitations are just how far you are expecting to cast, and with what weight of bait and sinker, and what line strength and type.

Here in southern Africa we do a lot of surf fishing for sharks, and a wide variety of reels are used, and predominantly 'boat type' spool reels like the SSV 10500. Most popular are Shimano Saragossa and Penn Slammer III, with some Okuma and Quantum in the mix, using up to 80lb braid as the main line with 150-200lb braid as the casting/rubbing leader - no problems.

The biggest problems (2) of getting big baits and sinkers out are:

1.  The strength and stiffness of the rod - where typically American surf rods are more through action, where we prefer more faster tapered rods.
2.  The power and weight that you have to tolerate through your finger tip during the cast - gloves are used by some, but the most effective solution has been the Breakaway Cannon Release clip. These take all the power away from your finger to a mechanical release - to the point where the only limiting factors are your physique and the strength of your rod.

One of the other restrictions, is obviously going to be the size of the bait and whether it is streamline enough for a good cast. There are a lot of vids on Youtube that show how folks down here make or assemble their baits for shark fishing to get maximum scent in the water with the minimum of bait weight, and keeping it all castable.

Hope that helps

Jeri

[Bryan Young]

Sound like thT would be a killer set up.

[Shark Hunter]

I have spinner rigs when the surf is too rough to Kayak, but I can't cast them for squat.
I do it when I have to, but 20 yards with a heavy weight and bait is all I can do.
You are talking two pounds minimum, lugging it the best you can.
I can get in the Kayak and paddle out a 5 pound bait, 300 yards in no time.
Or Robin can do it.
To seriously Shark fish from shore, you need three things.
A Big Senator,
A Kayak,
A strong back and a weak mind to paddle it out.

[CapeFish]

you need the right rods Mr Hunter, then you can cast those baits way more than 20yds 

[Rivverrat]

Never heard the SSV 10500  was uncastable.  I know some who use it claim it's not one of the better casting spinning reels. However I'm not sure it wont work well enough for what you describe paired with an appropriate rod. Do everything you can to find a rod with a stripper guide that matches the size of this reel. Or pay some one to  wrap an oppropriate size.

Proper sizing of the first two guides are of great importance because of the size of this reel. Especially when looking for those extra few feet of distance. For greatest distance consider haveing someone wrap a complete blank. Might be hard to find an off the shelf rod that has good guide sizing & lay out for this reel.  I've never bought an off the shelf rod that had perfect guide lay out for my reel. It reealy is an impossible task for rod makers      

A medium fast action will be the easiest to cast. As you get more skilled you wont get as much distance as you will with a rod with a faster action. But to make this difficult it can depend greatly on what your trying to toss.

A fast action rod is less forgiving when bad casting form enters the picture. What I'm learning is when it comes to sharks & spinning reels from the beach is most guys who continue on this path & reach an accepetable for them working method usually at some point end up throwing smaller chunks of bait than they did when they started. More distance is atttained by doing this when your casting bait. Or they also do as Daron described going to big conventionals & yaking or motoring it out. Though I cannot fathom a better topwater bait for big sharks than a fella paddeling a Yak.

I'm planning on doing a lot of sharking from the beach this year. So this topic is of interest to me. I'm above average caster with conventional reels. But this was with a sinker, 13' rod & no bait. I've cast weight & bait a little more than a 100 yards on shorter rods. This wasnt measured with a tape but walked off for distance. However I'm inconsistant. I've found a cast with appropriate sized bait & weight, of around 50 yards is a good cast for a lot of fellas who havent made an effort or put in the time.

Casting long distances isnt an end all. But it sure can be fun.
I'm convinced regardless of the length of your longest, repeatable cast there are fish some where within reach of most any one. I've got a feelling your new Penn can do what you want just fine... Jeff