# Rookie salt water angler



## Jp8787 (Jan 9, 2014)

New to salt fishing and pensacola been a bass fisher all my life. What do I need to start out surf fishing ? Tackle , lures , Etc. 
Thanks in advanced


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## keperry1182 (Oct 6, 2010)

Prepare yourself for advice hahaha. If you're surf fishing spend a little to get a quality reel that is well sealed, id suggest a Penn Spinfisher V in the 5500-7500 size range. A 7ft or greater medium action rod. 15-20lb line mono is easiest braid will give you larger capacity. Good leader material in the 20-40lb range, your preference. Learn the carolina rig and the two drop/pompano rig. Get a rule book with pics if you plan to keep them and a fishing buddy. Id suggest the audobon society books for local fish, tons of info. Learn tactics for one species at a time, a lot of the skills are transferable. Always have a good set of long nose pliers and these aint bass, NEVER put your fingers in their mouth lol. Good luck man, and go get a kayak to fish out of when you can! Lures are similar to freshwater actually, soft plastics like gulp and DOA work great for reds and trout, in the spring and summer gotcha plugs are awesome for a lot of predatory fish. Mirror lures like the 17MR are made out of magic I think, they KILL trout inshore. Spoons, spinners, and topwaters also work in certain places. Just like bass fishing though, sometimes they love it sometimes they wont touch it. Just have to experiment.


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## Blazerz65 (Mar 22, 2013)

A cheap two hundred dollar setup that will catch you anything for pomps, to bait, to sharks, to red in the surf. Battle in the 6000 Range 300+ yards of 30lb braid to 40lb braid. A assortment of pyramid weights. From 2-5oz. gold and silver spoons for skip jacks(lady fish) for bait cut them up in 2-4in pieces for reds and half pieces for sharks. I forgot a surf rod at 10ft at BPS is 99.99. Then pomp rigs for pompano. this one setup can do it all for you. Then as you learn you can get more setups that are more varied for species. Good luck:thumbsup:


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## 192 (Oct 1, 2007)

Don't forget the Outcast sale is quickly approaching. You can get outfitted and save a fair bit.


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## keperry1182 (Oct 6, 2010)

+1 on that battle, they are the absolute best reel in that price range IMO.


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## Jp8787 (Jan 9, 2014)

Awesome when's best time for pompano ?


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## Blazerz65 (Mar 22, 2013)

Jp8787 said:


> Awesome when's best time for pompano ?


when ever you can fish


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## keperry1182 (Oct 6, 2010)

You can catch them now but they have a good run in the spring. I think the best time is in the fall, im not a big pampano fisherman though


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## Blazerz65 (Mar 22, 2013)

Jp8787 said:


> Awesome when's best time for pompano ?


what you will learn as in i did coming from fresh to salt. Is no matter what you are fishing for in fresh that is what you are going to catch. If your bass fishing your going to catch bass and maybe a pike. But in the ocean With a pomp rig you can catch shark, reds, pomp, ladys, blues, croakers, remoars, spanish, whiting, and many more. From fishing the surf i like to use a little bit heavier gear because you can have anything hit your line. And if your fishing one rod i would hold it because some hits will be fast, but its not a major factor. If im relaxing sand spikes will do just fine


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## johnf (Jan 20, 2012)

I'm going opposite of what you're hearing here, but it's a different kind of fishing. I do have a bigger surf rod for throwing bait into the surf, but what I really enjoy is throwing lures with a 7' m action rod with a 3000 size spinning reel filled with 10# braid. I like the mirror lures, Kastmasters and the Berkly Gulp alive soft baits on 1/4 oz jig heads. Catching a good size trout or red on this setup is like catching a five pound bass on a crappie rod. Lots of fun.

Whatever you decide to do get quality saltwater reels. I come down there every summer for a week from Arkansas and destroyed all my reels every year. Last year I bit the bullet and got a penn Sargus 3000 and a cabelas salt striker 4000. The salt striker isn't as smooth as the penn, but after a week in the surf, falling into the sand and being dunked in the saltwater several times, it's as smooth as it was when it came out of the box. Just make sure every time you come in, give your rods and reels a thourough rinsing with fresh water and they will last a long time. I did this with my freshwater reels too, but they just aren't made for salt water. You don't have to get everything at once either. I'm adding two shark rods to my collection this year.


Oh, a 5 gallon bucket is your friend.


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