Hello My wife and I will be heading down to Galveston March 30th through April 5th. I have never been surf fishing before but just purchased my first surf rod. I would like any advice that can be given to me as a complete beginner. I will also be bringing some freshwater rods to fish the first gut with. Also if anyone will be in the area and would be willing to show a newbie the ropes I would love the company. I am looking to fish off the seawall near 14th street as that is where we are renting a house and want to be within walking distance for my wife. I would appreciate recommendations on set-ups, hooks, weights, baits, for the surf rod as well as lures, weights and baits to fish the first gut in the down time. If you want to join us and show me the ropes email me brianh122712@yahoo.com

For bait chunking you will need a spider sinker, 3oz at least, more if the surf if rough and your rod can handle it. Cut up whitings that you catch in the first gut and chunk them over on a 3/0 or bigger circle hook.
A fishfinder rig has a sliding weight and the hook on the bottom, but you can use a double drop too.
I don't have much experience using lures in the surf, but fresh dead shrimp on 1/0 hooks will catch you something. Reading from people here, it seems like either topwaters early in the morning or live shrimp under a cork will work for trout. If there are baitfish around and jumping/fleeing bigger fish are gonna be around, so any lure resembling that should be productive. Fishbites and Gulp! will also work as stationary bait.

Rinse your freshwater equipment after playing in the salt or it will degrade as you watch.
Good luck!

You can find 1 oz spider weights at a few places, those work good for the wade gut fishing usually, and many bass rigs can cast it. Rattle traps, mirrolures, plastics, all work good. You would be amazed what you hook up chunking and winding a 1 ounce jig with a crawfish trailer on it. Tip it with a little fast acting fishbite for added allurement.

For the big rig, cut bait, shrimp, fishbites, works well, I prefer fresh over frozen. Here is a tip, bring along some cheap waxed dental floss, wrapping the bait on the hook with the dental floss helps to keep it from being flipped off the hook when casting.

I prefer circle hooks #1/0 or 2/0 will get you bit more, bigger hooks allow bigger baits, but less hookups usually. If you are planning on bait fishing the wade gut, look for #6 to #1/0 hooks, once again I prefer circles. If you aren't getting bit on a 1/0, downsize until you start to hookup.

I like SaltX for spraying down and wiping off the reels, hate to get water of any kind in them, in a pinch Reel Magic works well too. Be careful if you are rinsing them, better to do a few fast dunks than to let spray hammer that stuff deep into your reels.

Might want to leave the bass gear at home, go to Walmart and buy a couple of Shakespeare's Tiger Spinning combos, they run about 20 bucks a piece, have a fantastic rod, and the reel will last a bit. After the reel dies, you can slap a couple of cheap Penns on them and have nice inshore rods for your next trip.

Take your bass gear but make sure to wash em after. Get you a Mirrolure mirrodine 17 MR in pink/chartreuse. Head out to the second sandbar in the early moring. Work it like a jerkbait for bass fishing, and just pop your slack hard with short pauses in between a cadence. Trout cant resist it. Academy
Click the link to see the lure. You'll also need some 50-65lb braid with a fluorocarbon leader. youtube how to tie flouro to braid to see the knot. Trout can see braid and steel leaders.