# Newbie surf fisher?



## Ringo Redux (Jul 7, 2010)

Hey guys (and gals, if you're out there),

I've been inshore fishing for a while now, and I'm starting to get a feel for the tackle and the flow of the fishing, but I am also expanding into the surf/pier fishing game (hey, I'm addicted. Whatever.). I'm not going to use the same gear, because my inshore fishing gear is light tackle on shorter (7") rods. So, I'm going to be "building" my tackle from the ground up. I've got my eye on a 12 foot Okuma rod to learn on and have some fun with, but I get hung up on the reel. My old man has an old Mitchel 488 that he will donate to the cause, but it needs some love. However, I'm considering looking into a baitcasing reel for surf fishing. My problem is that I don't have 150 dollars to drop on a baitcaster. Obviously, I'm looking for one I can "cast," as I've seen a number of BC's that are trolling reels. 

So, I'm looking for any recommendations - are there advantages to one reel style over the other for surf fishing? And, does anyone have a solid recommendation for a BC reel for a "starter?" 

As a note, if I surf fish, I will occasionally fish for sharks.

-R.


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## MGlover54 (May 11, 2011)

On my 12', I keep a Penn 9500 with 20lb test. At one point, I had a 7500 on it and got some serious distance out of it. The only reason I keep the 9500 on the 12' is because it holds up to 500 yards of line and I have been spooled on the beach before.

The only drawback to the 12' is it can wear you out during a long battle. You'd be fine with a 10' rod and still get good finesse out of it.


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## Orangebeach28 (Jun 3, 2009)

+1 on the 10 ft rod, 12 ft will feel like a telephone poll if a bull red or a blacktip takes the bait.


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## Ringo Redux (Jul 7, 2010)

Thanks for the rod advice, guys. Doing some scouting, I found one that's mostly cheap to learn on - a 9 or 10 footer (essentially my choice) and feels pretty good.

Now - the bigger question - because I'm on a budget, I'm looking for a reel I can get for less than 100 dollars or so. I will probably have multiple line spools to rig onto it. Something like 20 to 30 pound test normally, but I want to be able to put up to 65 pound test for sharks on it. Outside of that, I have no parameter other than I need to be able to cast it. I have no brand loyalty and I'm not looking (necessarily) for something that'll last me until doomsday. Any recommendations?


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## GoVols (Jun 18, 2008)

Ringo Redux said:


> Thanks for the rod advice, guys. Doing some scouting, I found one that's mostly cheap to learn on - a 9 or 10 footer (essentially my choice) and feels pretty good.
> 
> Now - the bigger question - because I'm on a budget, I'm looking for a reel I can get for less than 100 dollars or so. I will probably have multiple line spools to rig onto it. Something like 20 to 30 pound test normally, but I want to be able to put up to 65 pound test for sharks on it. Outside of that, I have no parameter other than I need to be able to cast it. I have no brand loyalty and I'm not looking (necessarily) for something that'll last me until doomsday. Any recommendations?


 
If you are flexible there are a lot of options in the $100-$130 range. I use a Penn SSM 850 that is about $120 but Penn has a nice reel called the Battle at the $100 mark.


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## MGlover54 (May 11, 2011)

Was wasting time in Academy earlier today. Saw a 14' Shakespeare rod. I was intrigued all of 30 seconds before moving on.

Some decent deals on 113H - 4/0 setups, though. Then again, I'm in the mood for fishing off a boat now and not so much the beach. Probably hitting the beach Thursday night anyway.


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