New Striper247 member - anxious to fish

[Gary]

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.

[Striperjim]

Hi Gary

[Striper777]

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:

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

Good luck~

[smitty351]

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:

[Stripersteve]

Hey Gary welcome to the site 8) I think Smitty covered you pretty good :!:

[merrillizer]

Gary welcome aboard! Glad to hear your gittin' back in tha saddle again

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.

[BostonBoy]

I put Penn 5500ss' on all my surf rods...

They're great...I can use it on a 7' light takle rod, but also on a big 11 footer...

[Striperjim]

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.

[Baitbucket Bob]

HEY GARY WELCOME ABOARD HOPE YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR (YOU WILL NEED IT) JUST WATCH OUT FOR A COUPLE OF THESE GUYS THEY CAN BE DANGEROUS :) P.S. DON'T LET MR. STRIPER DUDE TRY TO HOOK YOU UP WITHONE OF HIS EX-GIRLFRIENDS, UNLESS YOU LIKE YOUR WOMEN A LITTLE LARGE :!: BBB

[sea sea rider]

Welcome Gary 8)

[smitty351]

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:

[zimno1]

gary, go to the local bait shop. open your wallet and hand it over to the shop owner and say " show me how to run my life!"lmfao!

[Fish-Aholic]

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.

[Gary]

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!

[Brandon-K]

Welcome to the site Gary!!! :D