Light Surf/medium catfish setup

Started by Wolfram M, May 05, 2022, 10:24:12 PM

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Wolfram M

Looking at setting up my Daiwa 2600X and getting a few more bits made to finish a partial 4000X that I got a little while back. Neither reel foot will fit on any rod I already have. I do go down to the gulf of Mexico when I get the chance and hope to learn how to do some surf fishing this year.

The 2600X is marked to hold 350yds of 10lb test monofilament, and I just ordered a 300yd spool of JB solid 40lb braid. I figure I'll need a little room for a leader so 300yd should fit.

I've never used braided line on a spinning reel, and I am trash at using a baitcasting reel-braid or mono, so I have little experience with it other than I learned to use gloves quickly with the old spiderwire I tried 10 years ago.

How much of a problem is it going to be to set this up? I intend to grab a 25$ Daiwa fibreglass 10ft surf rod that's on sale at the local Dick's. It has good reviews anywhere I find it for sale, and it's on sale because we're 8 hours from the closest ocean.

philaroman

1) pay close attention to line-roller (guessing small, simple, plain/chromed stainless)
roller must start pristine AND STAY THAT WAY -- ENSURE good way to rinse/oil IN THE FIELD!!!
if salt/sand stops it from rolling, salty/sandy braid will groove it!!!  :(

2) braid packs on a spool differently than mono -- if your mono capacity is 350/10#,
then you'd be LUCKY to squeeze on 300 yds. of braid w/ same diameter (then, trim to make room for top-shot)
if your 300-yd/40# JB is closer to 8# mono diameter -- should be perfect

3) to account for zero-stretch, NEVER CLOSE BAIL BY CRANKING HANDLE!!!
you get tiny slack sections/loops on the spool, that lead to bird-nests during cast
close bail by hand & even give the braid a little tug to remove any slack before retrieve
(less important for heavy lead; huge deal for light terminal weights)

JasonGotaProblem

What roman said. I'll add that a leader for a spinner, when trying to surf cast, shouldn't be long enough for spool space considerations. You want like a 3' leader.

And don't go to the gulf to target catfish. Saltwater catfish suck. Theyre no good for eating and not fun to catch unless you're on super light tackle. They barely fight at all. Target reds, pompano, snook, etc. You'll get plenty of catfish anyway.
Any machine is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough.

Wolfram M

Nah, catfishing is local freshwater stuff. And I've had plenty of salt cats that were decent eating, but they're not as good as freshwater catfish.

I can walk to the local pond and bring out a bag limit of decent size cats in three hours, we're talking 4 8-10lb fish. My local lake is also becoming a catfish bucket, due to poor stocking considerations, but now we're being asked to report all fish caught to help qualify fish & wildlife's numbers. Hopefully that'll help.

My plan is to get this all together and tell the state to kiss my ####, I'm going fishing this October. They LOVE to brag on how teachers get vacations all year and so we don't need accumulated "vacation time", but then they schedule mandatory training during every single vacation period in a way that makes it impossible to actually go on vacation.

If I get fired, I get fired. (Yes, I was supposed to go fishing at the end of May...and whaddaya know, mandatory training. Got the email today.)