i am going to be staying at crystal beach for a week in june and want to do some fishing. i am looking for suggestions on gear, bait, and anything else that would be helpful. thanks

Depends on if you want to buy surf gear or use what you have. You can use reg rod and reels 6'6 7ft med works fine. If you want to get out further you might want to get a longer rod. If your not going to be doing alot of it I wouldn't purchase the big setup. I fish regularly with a 7ft -7'6 spinning set up. Live shrimp, gulp. fishbites and fresh dead shrimp will get you everything that swims. I use 12-15 mono or the same in braid. 1/0-3/0 hooks no roll sinker and a leader you can buy from the store for 99 cents. I have a few 13foot surf rod and reel setups but that's to go out pass the 2nd gut.