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....
Are we talking bottom fishing or lures?
Mark
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.....
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
mark, thank you , farmer out
Yw, let us know how the casting goes lot of that area has very shallow water and requires long casts.
Mark
did not know that
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.
great advice thank you ...... farmer out
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
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
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.
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!
thanks guys i knew this was a great site ...... farmer 56 out.......