texasfishingforum.com logo
Main Menu
Advertisement
Affiliates
Advertisement
Newest Members
TraeMartin, Power-Pole CS, T-Rigger, JoeGoes, EcKo
119150 Registered Users
Top Posters(All Time)
hopalong 120,580
TexDawg 119,524
Bigbob_FTW 94,902
John175☮ 85,892
Pilothawk 83,264
Bob Davis 81,500
Mark Perry 72,293
Derek 🐝 68,312
JDavis7873 67,416
Forum Statistics
Forums59
Topics1,037,853
Posts13,935,636
Members144,150
Most Online39,925
Dec 30th, 2023
Print Thread
Surf rod #13690506 09/03/20 11:56 PM
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 16
S
Surfwalker Offline OP
Green Horn
OP Offline
Green Horn
S
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 16
Been doing some research and can’t decide. Which surf casting rod would you buy if money was no object?

Re: Surf rod [Re: Surfwalker] #13690537 09/04/20 12:30 AM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
A
atx_ben Offline
Outdoorsman
Offline
Outdoorsman
A
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
What size reel? What are you trying to catch?

I currently have 4:


They all have their own purpose:

The heavy rig can be cast (not far), more often I'll kayak it out. The 4/0 wide holds 600 yds of 30# mono, which is like 800 yds of braid, depending on how heavy you want to go. I upgraded the reel pretty heavily when I was in high school, it has aftermarket pinion gears, side plates and frame, bearings and drag. It'll stop most anything (though I did get spoiled on PINS once).

The med heavy rig can be cast a long way, the daiwa sealine holds like 500 yds of 60# braid. Will cast an 8 oz spider weight and a chunk of mullet with no problems.

The med light rig is a lot of fun, good when the current isn't too bad. I live the abet lever drag reels, they're super easy to take apart, they cast a mile, and it holds I think 500 yds of 50# braid. This is my jetty machine smile

The spinning rig is new, I got it to throw giant plugs and spoons, but I also see it doing well for bull reds in the surf. But ultimately I got it to go after kingfish.


Last edited by atx_ben; 09/04/20 12:31 AM.
Re: Surf rod [Re: atx_ben] #13690692 09/04/20 02:50 AM
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 16
S
Surfwalker Offline OP
Green Horn
OP Offline
Green Horn
S
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 16
Thank you so much, atx_ben. I had been looking at the price and the length. Never thought about what I was going to use it for. Guess I gave myself away as a newbie.

Re: Surf rod [Re: Surfwalker] #13691172 09/04/20 06:46 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
A
atx_ben Offline
Outdoorsman
Offline
Outdoorsman
A
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
No worries. There are a bunch of youtube channels I'd watch to get a sense for how people are fishing. It's cool to watch the east coast striper guys, and the west coast guys fishing for surf perch and stripers, too...they do things slightly differently, but a lot of what they're trying to accomplish is the same. There are also guys who fish rock cliffs in western australia. They catch tuna from shore, so their tackle is a little fancier than you need. And the surf fishermen in the uk fish with really different setups. All stuff to learn from.

Anyway, don't be ashamed about asking.

My best advice would be to spend $100-$200 on a Penn spinning reel and rod combo (battle 3 or fierce 2 are both solid choices), probably 7000 size reel and 10' rod. If you're handy with a bait caster, Penn has a couple of solid choices that you can really cast. Then fish it for a year and see what you hate. Here are two different ends of that spectrum:
https://www.tackledirect.com/penn-ssvi6500102h-spinfisher-vi-spinning-combo.html
https://www.tackledirect.com/penn-frciii8000102h-fierce-iii-spinning-combo.html

You can spend less, but in my experience the gulf is hard on your equipment. And it'll hold its value better if you decide you hate it and want to sell it on Craigslist. But the Penn reels will last if you take care of them, which I'd also advise -- learn how to work on this stuff yourself if you are at all inclined. The Penn Senator reel I have is 25 years old (parts of it are, at least), the Daiwa sealine is older than that (I originally bought it in a pawn shop and restored it).

Another thing you can do is check craigslist/facebook marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3603492482995872

The idea here is that someone else has been using it for surf fishing, so it's not the worst place to start with your first rig smile

Last edited by atx_ben; 09/04/20 09:06 PM.
Re: Surf rod [Re: atx_ben] #13695565 09/09/20 05:54 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11
K
Kingfish1760 Offline
Green Horn
Offline
Green Horn
K
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 11
For surf casting on the Texas coast I run a Penn Squadron 12 ft heavy action with a an old Penn 6500SS on it. This year I also picked up an Okuma Rockaway 12 ft. heavy action and put one of my Penn Battle II 5000's on it. I would highly recommend the Rockaway series by Okuma. It has great parabolic action, throws like you wouldn't believe, weighs next to nothing, is extremely comfortable, and I picked it up for less than $90. As far as reels go, I am a Penn fanboy so I'm biased and I will always say go Penn. Plus I'm not taking my Saragosa to the beach to get sand in it ;-)

Penn reels are easy to work on and properly service after a trip, the price is right, and they last forever. If you are planning on hooking any sharks or big bulls I would consider something bigger than a 5K series. I have the Battle 8K's on my tuna rods and they are tanks, but heavy for casting all day.

Just my 2 cents.

Tom H.

Re: Surf rod [Re: Surfwalker] #13695642 09/09/20 07:16 PM
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 531
1
1956Zebco Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
1
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 531
I too am looking at rods. Thinking a little outside the box since the virus has everything backed up and forced me to look at all the options. I'm probably going to give one of the salmon/steehead rods a try: https://www.uglystik.com/uglystik-r...mon-steelhead-cast/1365093.html#start=12 Looking at the 9' extra heavy - up to 3 oz weight lure - and that's what I generally cast anyway. After a couple airplane crashes, chucking a car block is no longer fun, and I'm thinking a salmon rod could still put the lighter weight out there.


Big Bass Deep Diving Spinner: https://youtu.be/nSH_KKAiuB4
Zebco 33 O-Ring Replacement (all years): https://youtu.be/NEU56UGzxXo
Big Bass Toothpick Trick: https://youtu.be/QC0emZqU36M
Crappie Tip: https://youtu.be/27AuG3CEpOs
Zebco 33 Restore & Lube: https://youtu.be/_4BTSEVcbQ4
More: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSsiJFU2JVh-dfIn1jfZDg/
Re: Surf rod [Re: Surfwalker] #13695863 09/09/20 10:33 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
A
atx_ben Offline
Outdoorsman
Offline
Outdoorsman
A
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
Let us know how the steelhead rods work out -- I was under the impression that they had slow action, since they have to fish with barbless hooks they need to keep a lot of pressure on the fish.

Re: Surf rod [Re: atx_ben] #13695908 09/09/20 11:11 PM
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 531
1
1956Zebco Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
1
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 531
Originally Posted by atx_ben
Let us know how the steelhead rods work out -- I was under the impression that they had slow action, since they have to fish with barbless hooks they need to keep a lot of pressure on the fish.


I will do that if I pull the trigger. That said - this isn't something I'll order - I'll have to see it in the store before I'll buy one. The specs on the 9' one I'm looking at (and there are 2 other 9's for throwing light stuff as you pointed out:

MODEL # USESCA902XH AVAILABLE SOON
QTY: $69.95 Elite Salmon/Steelhead Cast VIEW LARGER TECHNIQUE Salmon/Steelhead
ROD LENGTH: 9' ROD POWER: Extra Heavy NUMBER OF PIECE: 2 Piece Rod
REEL SEAT: Conventional More Specifications: LURE RATING: 3/4-3OZ LINE RATING: 14-50lb
ROD HANDLE MATERIAL Cork ROD BLANK MATERIAL Ugly Tech Construction GUIDES INCLUDING TIP: 9GUIDE TYPEStainless Steel
ROD ACTION: Medium Fast


Big Bass Deep Diving Spinner: https://youtu.be/nSH_KKAiuB4
Zebco 33 O-Ring Replacement (all years): https://youtu.be/NEU56UGzxXo
Big Bass Toothpick Trick: https://youtu.be/QC0emZqU36M
Crappie Tip: https://youtu.be/27AuG3CEpOs
Zebco 33 Restore & Lube: https://youtu.be/_4BTSEVcbQ4
More: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSsiJFU2JVh-dfIn1jfZDg/
Re: Surf rod [Re: Surfwalker] #13696445 09/10/20 01:58 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
A
atx_ben Offline
Outdoorsman
Offline
Outdoorsman
A
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
Looks like I was wrong about the action smile You'd pair with like an Abu Garcia 7000 or similar?

Re: Surf rod [Re: atx_ben] #13696519 09/10/20 03:31 PM
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 531
1
1956Zebco Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
1
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 531
Originally Posted by atx_ben
Looks like I was wrong about the action smile You'd pair with like an Abu Garcia 7000 or similar?


Yep - I have the 146 Squidder I'm going through already. The specs for the 146 say line all the way down to 12 (a little light for me):

[Linked Image]

15 is what I'm thinking for all around flounder, sheepshead, redfish & porgy. Not looking for rays sharks or anything huge, been through that phase of life. It should toss a 1-3 oz is what I hope. I know I could do all this with spinning stuff, but I just don't want to.


Big Bass Deep Diving Spinner: https://youtu.be/nSH_KKAiuB4
Zebco 33 O-Ring Replacement (all years): https://youtu.be/NEU56UGzxXo
Big Bass Toothpick Trick: https://youtu.be/QC0emZqU36M
Crappie Tip: https://youtu.be/27AuG3CEpOs
Zebco 33 Restore & Lube: https://youtu.be/_4BTSEVcbQ4
More: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSsiJFU2JVh-dfIn1jfZDg/
Re: Surf rod [Re: Surfwalker] #13696604 09/10/20 04:50 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
A
atx_ben Offline
Outdoorsman
Offline
Outdoorsman
A
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
Heads up yall, this one is on sale at Bass Pro Shops: https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/offshore-angler-ocean-master-surf-casting-rod

This is a great rod. I have the lighter one with an Avet MX and it is a surf fishing machine. Won't sling 8 + bait, you might check the heavier one if you're looking in that direction.

All in all, this rod has a ton of awesome features. There's a good review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-sIh2GNzpw

Re: Surf rod [Re: Surfwalker] #13696608 09/10/20 04:53 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
A
atx_ben Offline
Outdoorsman
Offline
Outdoorsman
A
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
Those Penn Squidders are great reels. +1 on being able to do it with spinning gear but not wanting to smile I know they're better suited to a lot of applications, but there's something about making a great cast with a bait caster that feels right.

Re: Surf rod [Re: atx_ben] #13697034 09/11/20 12:19 AM
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 531
1
1956Zebco Offline
Pro Angler
Offline
Pro Angler
1
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 531
Originally Posted by atx_ben
Those Penn Squidders are great reels. +1 on being able to do it with spinning gear but not wanting to smile I know they're better suited to a lot of applications, but there's something about making a great cast with a bait caster that feels right.


Absolutely. I was really good with them once, and if the Lord gives a little more time, I will be again. Thanks for your knowledgable input.

An aside: I note you lost your stuff in a flood - I did mine as well.


Big Bass Deep Diving Spinner: https://youtu.be/nSH_KKAiuB4
Zebco 33 O-Ring Replacement (all years): https://youtu.be/NEU56UGzxXo
Big Bass Toothpick Trick: https://youtu.be/QC0emZqU36M
Crappie Tip: https://youtu.be/27AuG3CEpOs
Zebco 33 Restore & Lube: https://youtu.be/_4BTSEVcbQ4
More: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSsiJFU2JVh-dfIn1jfZDg/
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

© 1998-2022 OUTDOOR SITES NETWORK all rights reserved USA and Worldwide
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3