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New Striper247 member - anxious to fish

12K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  Striperjim 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,

I'm a new member on this board and I'm getting back into surf fishing after a long time away from the sport. I took a ride down to Sandy Hook last week just for fun and now the old juices are flowing. It's time for some new equipment. Can any of you veterans give me some guidance as to what I want in the rod and reel category? Rod - what length and action do I want for fishing from the beach? Reel - what would match well with the recommended rod? Easy does it on the price please.
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the site Gary!!!! I also was at Sandy Hook last Friday, things are starting to shape up over there. Although i am no ware NEAR a veteran i still might be able to help you out. I would like a versatile sized rod maybe in the 10 foot range. And for the reel it all depends on how much you want to spend. If you have a small budget like me i would look at the "Okuma" reels they are around 50$$ and work great + they have a great drag. If you can afford somthing a little more expensive i would get a shimano baitcaster or a penn ss series, they should never let you down.

Here is a thread that may help you out:

http://stripers247.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1324

Good luck~
 
#4 ·
Welcome Gary. In the way of the rod depending on were you are fishing you will want a 9' to 11' rod. I myself would recommend either a nice Lamiglass brand are a Tica brand. The Tica is alittle less expensive but still a quality rod. If you can afford it check out the lamiglass rods. you will want a nice fast to medium action with a 2oz-4oz lure rating with a 10-20 pound line rating. You get what you pay for with fishing gear. for the reel as striper777 said the okuma reels are really nice for the money. They are reel smooth with good sealed bearings. Spend the extra 10-20 bucks and get a reel with a bait runner feature on it. If you can afford to go for the shimano reels but like I said for the money the okuma's can't be beat. In the way of line I prefer braided line. I use power pro. With braided line you get a lot smoother longer cast with alot better strenght and durability plus it is alot small diameter then mono so you can spool twice the amount of braided compared to mono but it is pricey. I tend to use 50# power pro which I beleive is the diameter of around 15# mono. If you can't afford braided get a quality mono. When I used mono I used 30# on my reels. anything bigger then that cast like shit. Find a nice tackel shop in your area and go check out some gear. Find the rod you want first then match up the reel to it. When you find the rod you want asnk the tackle shop if you can put a few different reels on it to see how it feel. You want a setup that is nice and balanced and feels comfortable to you. I myself prefer the local tackle shops over a store like dicks or the sporting good stores. They tend to have some more knowledge and will set you up with what is right for you. Good luck. Get yourself rigged up soon. I was out in cape may on friday and had 3 bass from 28-34", 4 shorts and a few good runoffs so the bite has begun. Let me know if you have anymore questions and let me know what you get when you do buy yuor setup. I am interested in what you wind up with. :D :twisted:
 
#6 ·
Gary welcome aboard! Glad to hear your gittin' back in tha saddle again :lol:

I agree with Smitty. Great advice. I would also consider a 9 to 11' Lami or Tica (medium to heavy power, moderate action), and throw a Penn on it. I bet Jim and Briggs could help you with what model Penn would be a good match.



 
#8 ·
Briggs and I love the Penns. For Craig its the 9500 about $125 to $140 retail. For me its the 704Z series. 95 bucks retail. I have the 6500wss through 9500 series and 4 or 5 Z series a black one and an old greeny 706. I used to own a 710. a tiny reel but one that caught the world record.
Others good ones i'd recommend for the surf are the shimano baitrunners and the old Mitchell egg beaters.
The baitrunners a little over a $100 bucks.
 
#11 ·
Hey Gary. Just wodering if you did any more research or made any desiccions on you new setup. The weather is supposed to warm up nice the next few days in my area so the bite I had the other day should get even better if the water temp rises some. I have to say again I fish my 9' lamiglass with a okuma baitcaster 80% of my trips and I love it. They heve never let me down. Plus if you do have a problem with either I know my tackle shop exchanges them no questions asked. I snapped the end off my lami last year taking it out of my truck and they echxanged it with no problem. Like I said before you get what you pay for. Let us know what you get. Im sure we are all interested to know. The bite is on so rig up and hookem up. :D :p :twisted:
 
#13 ·
LOL Zim, ain't that about the truth.....And god forbid you actually fish for more than just striper and have to set up for other fish as well....or have a boat and need to set that up for stripers, or fish fresh and salt...etc etc etc..... But my two cents on the gear question, don't base your decision soley on what we all say, or what the guy at the tackle shop says, or what they look like. Make sure you hold the rod, spin the reel, loosen and tighten the drag, flip the bailer etc etc etc Make sure you are comfortable with the set up in your hand. Make sure the angle of the reel handle feels good when you crank it. As long as it can handle the line wieght and capacity you need, fits on the rod anything should work, But it has to be comfotable. If you don't like the feel without a fish on it, it will more than likely be that much worse when you have a 30lb fish on the end of it. Oh and my last piece of advice DON'T BUY CHEAP!!!!!!! Inexpensive is ok, but make sure they are good, alot of places on the beach will sell some Silstar crap and everything in them is plastic it doesn't take a very big fish to start stripping the gears in a cheap reel.
 
#14 ·
Many Thanks

You guys are great. Thanks for the rod and reel advice. A couple of you recommended the Okuma reels. I picked one up last night after trying to get the feel of it on a store rod. The price sure was right - $69.95 on sale for $34. I figure I'll give it a try and if it sucks, I'll replace it with something else. Now it's on to find a rod I like. I've seen 10 and 12 footers but no 11's. What's your preference for surf casting?

By the way - don't send ANY girlfriends my way. That's what got me away from fishing in the first place. It's time to enjoy some freedom!
 
#16 ·
Rods??? LOL I use anything from an 8' Med action to a 15'. Never hit the surf without the 13's and 15's I like the extra casting distance I get from them, not to mention it keeps the line higher out of the water and out of the surf so you get less movement from the wash......Rod selection also depends, are you gonna be the guy that stands in waist deep water and holds the pole all day, or is it going in a sand spike? I've tried holding the 15' rod in the surf and it gets heavy after a while where a 10-11' won't be quite as bad. I do a little bit of everything, so I have a rod for each situation 2x8', 1x9', 1x10', 3x11', 1x13' and 2x15' Have fun, shopping can be a blast, but can turn out quite expensive.
 
#17 ·
I use my 9' lami for just about all conditions and spots from the beach to the jettys. I will break out my 11' rod if the surf is rough or the wind is bad for allitle extra distance. I will also use my 11' if I am chunkin in the surf. It make it alittle easier to cast all of the weight but other then that my preference is my 9'er. I also found that once I switched to braided line my casting distance was greatly increased on my 9' rod which keeps me from needing the 11'er for the distance unless the conditions are really bad. Just my experience and as you have seen everyone has there own opinion on setups. Great buy on the okuma. Which model did you get and did you get the baitrunner feature on it. Check out the site www.stripersonline.com They have a online store that is selling lami's really cheap right now. If you find the model you want at the bait shop you might want to check out there price but I am not sure of there return policy and like I said before my local shop takes stuff back no questions asked. :D :twisted:
 
#18 ·
I'd say anything around 9' to 12' is more that sufficient...
I have 8'ers and one 11'er...the 8' are a little short but I like the fact I can handle it really well...I use the 11'er for those casts where you want it to fly to England...

I know Briggs has rods anywhere for 8' to 15'...so anything around there should work...

With surf rods are usually cheaper, unless you buy a really nice one...I picked up my 11'er (Daiwa) for $23 at a fishing Expo...so you don't have to spend a fortune...

The ones that seem popular are the Daiwa Eliminator or the Beefstick... :D
 
#19 ·
:lol: Hey....be nice to my 15 footer BB :lol: Comes in reeeeaaaal handy where i fish sometimes. you get those waves that when your on the beach, they are over your head, but my baby puts the line in the water right behind them MMmm MMmm Good :lol:

:twisted: craig aka briggs :twisted:

aka surfcastermaster

8) MASTER OF HIS OWN DOMAIN 8)
 
#21 ·
Ready to fish

Okay guys, I've spent my money and it's time to get everything wet. I picked up a 10 foot Tsunami surf rod to go with the Okuma ST-50. It seems like a good balance. I went with PowerPro line, 40# that spools up like 12#. The line cost about a third as much as the pole!! Jeez, it better last awhile. Got a few Striper rigs with fish finders and a few weights and I'm ready to hook myself in the butt. I'm taking a ride to the Hook tomorrow just to see what's going on. Clams, right?
 
#22 ·
Sounds like you have everything in order Gary. That PowerPro will last awhile if you keep you eye on it.....for one thing, no matter what color you got it in, it will fade...Powerpro is made from a composite that does not hold dye very well, it will never change the integrity of the line. Also its reccommended that you not only check your line frequently for fraying, but to strip 10yds off before every trip....this i dont do, its just reccommended, hahaha. always check it out, if its too freyed, peel some off, end of story. At the end of the season, if you never really got spooled during the season, you can tie off to another reel that has no line, and reverse the powerpro onto that reel...now you have somewhat new line, or never been used anyway. Double tie all your knots with braid....and i think thats all i got to say about that.

:twisted: Clambellies for me are the one and only choice :twisted:

Good Luck My Friend & TIGHT LINES !!!!!!
 
#24 ·
Today's fishing report

Okay everyone, here's my fishing report for today. Went to Pebble Beach around 7:00 AM and threw clams until about 1:00PM. High tide was 7:30. There were probably a dozen guys fishing. The early hours were calm. Only two guys on the beach caught anything that I saw. The guy standing 20 paces from me caught three during the first 4 hours and then left for the day. He got two shorts and one that measured 31 inches. He released them all. My fishing partner and I got nothing.

But the rod and reel worked great and felt nice. And being outside fishing for the first time in a long time felt even better.

Thanks for the help guys. But how come nobody told me I'd need waders to get to the surf. Had to take off the shoes and socks and trudge through the calf deep swamp! But it was better than working.
 
#25 ·
:lol: Hey Gary....by the way, you'll be needing some waders my friend :lol:

some guys in the summer resort to no shoes and shorts. My self, we have Bluecrabs that like to hide in the sand sometimes, you only get bit by them once and you better hope that where he bites ya, is some tough a** skin.

Good report and better luck next time Gary, but you had one thing right, you went fishing.

:twisted: craig aka briggs :twisted:

aka surfcastermaster

8) MASTER OF HIS OWN DOMAIN 8)
 
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