Saltwater Equipment - Where to Begin?

So I am finally taking the step and working toward owning my own saltwater equipment as in the past I have just done charters so everything is provided for you.

I figured it would be easier to ask the board for advice/suggestions with first saying what I am trying to do in saltwater fishing. So my goal is to find a rod that will allow me to fish off the jetties/piers onshore and also the ability to go offshore as well. My first thought is it may be better to get one rod for onshore activity and one rod for offshore but I wanted to ask the board.

Also the second part to this question is once I find the right setup what kind of accessories should I get? Like lures of any type besides basics of hooks and sinkers of course.

I do know that I will most likely get my stuff at Tackle Unlimited, I have been there in the past and customer service is great and I live in Houston so they are easy to get to but any other suggestions are welcomed too.

Thanks.

Rods/reels are just tools in your tool box. Throwing a 1/8 oz jig head for trout is a complete different tool than dropping a wad of meat on a pound of lead for snapper.

Your tackle will be determined by your location, as will line size, lure choices, wading or on a boat.

Not trying to be vague, but there really is not a correct answer to your questions. Now, if you asked a specific task "I'm wanting to use a Norton sand eel on a 1/8 oz oldham head when wading" then you're on track to get good advice.

Thanks Pat.

To simplify how about this, I am looking to catch some pretty good fish off the pier or jetties, what do I get?

Not being a smart alek, they catch 18" trout and call it good, they catch 100 lb sharks and call that good too, so let me be more specific.
WHAT do you want to catch?
HOW do you want to catch it?

The correct rod/reel to catch a 35 lb drum would not be the correct setup for a three pound trout. You'll have much better success when everything matches up.

I have a fleet of rods, but use a few,
I have a 7 1/2' Texas tackle ML spinning rod, with a 2500 Okuma spinning reel loaded with 20# power pro braid. That rod gets used for paddle tailed swim baits. The soft action allows the trout or red to get the jig inside it's mouth properly and light enough action so when they take a run it doesn't rip the hook out.

I dearly love to use Norton Sand eels, I use a pretty stiff spinning rod for them for two reasons,it gives me a better action on the sand eel, AND that's what I use most when targeting flounder. Flounder are hard to hook, they clamp down on your plastic so hard you really have to have a hard snap to drive the hook home. Different lure, different needs.

Topwaters I use a 7' M action with baitcaster and 15# ande back country mono, that is the combination that works best for me. Someone else might have something different.

It's complicated when you ask a tool to do a job it wasn't built for.

Here's a $10k starter kit for offshore.

Personally I do not use braid at all. But that's just me. I would say most all folks that do use braid, fill there whole spool up with it. I think that's a waist right there. Why? It's my belief that a very high % of anglers will not use up a whole spool of line or even a half a spool on a fish running! If an angler that has been fishing for a long while and uses braid will give you the answer to about how much braid you actually Need on the reel. Spooling up with Good mono first and attaching braid to the mono will save ya some money in the long run.
Like the above stated....knowing where you will fish, whether it be from a boat, off a rock groin,wading, from a pier or offshore, would help a lot in pointing you in the right direction on just what to use...get ya started etc. There are a lot of people here that will help with tackle, techniques, rods and reels.I'm a saltwater guy. The only thing I know about freshwater is I drink it and take a bath in it. Stay safe

I prefer to catch big game fish like Mahi and Tuna but I also know you can't catch those on the coast. So maybe a better first question is what can you catch on the coast/piers? I know in Galveston people on piers target Sharks a lot of times but what else is a popular catch on the coast/pier fishing?

Being from PA originally I fished in NJ a lot and up there Strippers and Flounders are what you go for...I know Drum are popular here and I just caught ton of Speckled Trout this past weekend in South Padre Bay but what type of fish are popular in Galveston and Rockport areas?

That is awesome! Do you offshore fish a lot?

I don't claim to be an expert on gulf coast fishing, but here's my view.

You need two setups. One lighter rig for fishing slot reds, trout, sheepshead, flounder, spanish mackerel, etc...

You'd want like a (in the Shimano numbering) 2500 or 3000 sized reel and a simple 7' rod rated for ~1/2-1oz and 10-15lb line. That will double for both inshore fishing and jetty light tackle fishing for all of those species. This is probably the one you'll use most.

If you want to also get into fishing migratory/pelagic species down at the end of the jetties (Jacks, Kings, tarpon) and bull reds you'll also want a heavier setup for casting bigger jigs, lures, etc... as far as possible. There you'd want like a 5000 or 6000 reel and a 9ft rod rated for about 30lb and 1-3 oz lures.

If you want to go even bigger and get into shark fishing, talk to someone else because that's a whole different ballgame.

Do I get spinning or casting type reels?

I use spinners, but it's really personal preference. You'll see plenty of guys with both types. Just make sure whatever you get, it's rated for salt water and wash it every time you go out (I just hold mine under the garden hose).

What is the difference between the two?

I'm guessing if I am getting the rod to fish off the jetties or into the bay I'd want casting so I can get into the water.

If I'm dropping from a pier I imagine that is where spinning comes into play?

No, it's really just preference. Whatever you're most comfortable throwing.

I have no talent with baitcasters, so I fish spinning gear. That's literally the whole decision process.

Texas has one of the most diverse fishing habits in the country, so this is not a simple question. If you want to fish with conventional tackle then the first decision is spinning reels or baitcasting reels. Either will work. It really is personal preference. I go exclusively baitcasting reels in saltwater. I use Abu 6500 reels on a 6’6” MH ugly stik for inshore (trout, redfish, flounder, drum, etc.). I upgrade to an Abu 7000i on a bass pro graphite series Muskie rod (40 pound) 6’3” on piers and jetties. This is great for casting lures or dropping bait. I also use this rig for close offshore. I have caught 150 sharks on this rig after a very long fight, but I have also been spooled on the jetty with it. For the big stuff I use an Avet 2 speed 30 with 100 pound power pro topped with 80 pound mono.

As for tackle, I buy almost everything from eBay. Typically you can find a saltwater tackle lot of great equipment for about 90% off.

As an ex-jetty fisherman (in my college days); I got away with a surf rod equipped with a medium sized surf reel with 20# test. I'd soak shrimp at the bottom for reds, blacks, trout, sheepshead. Then, my next setup was a lighter 7' with a 2000 series reel, braid for popping cork and artificials. About 10yrs ago, I bought a boat and quit fishing the jetties. If I were to go today to the jetties, I'd still bring those 2 setups with me.
Tim

First I'll ask...what's the budget your wife has allowed you to buy fishing equipment?

Fair question, wife has not really put a limit on what I can spend. I figured I don't need the best of the best but also do not need to get my stuff from Walmart. Was thinking of getting everything at Fishing Tackle Unlimited.

You say you chartered in the past and the gear was provided. What gear did you prefer?

Well on offshore charters I've done you just get the standard rod where you flip and hold your thumb on the line. Pretty basic rod setup.

I mainly soak cut bait/crab for drum when I go to the jetty or pier. I like the penn spinfisher v 10500. It is sealed, braid ready, & lots of capacity. Got around 500 yards of braid & the rest 30lb mono. The mono takes the beating & is changed out when needed. It can easily handle any drum & some sharks. I have it on a dolphin tica surf rod. My cheap setup for the jetty/surf is a Daiwa df100a on an uglystick. Spooled with 300+ yards of mono. Mono tight lines better & stays put because of the stretch. They are both bait & wait setups. Haven't done offshore yet. Good luck & tight lines.

If you're on a budget but want something that'll last and handle most of what you can catch off the jetties/offshore...as far as a reel, I don't think you can go wrong with a Diawa BG 6500. It's a sealed reel, so maintenance is easy, just rinse it off after use. It'll hold a large amount of 65-80lb braid, so you can handle most anything you'll catch from the jetties and most offshore fish. (I caught a 75lb and 94lb yellowfin with mine two years ago) The cost is reasonable as compared to reels of similar quality. It has 33lbs of drag too. It's only $139 online. I'd match it with something like this- https://www.tackledirect.com/okuma-pchp-s-761h-pch-custom-series-rod.html
You can easily use this for surf fishing, at the jetties, for throwing poppers and swimbaits offshore and it'd be a good live bait rig for ling, big mahi, AJ's etc. It'd also last without breaking the bank.