surf fishing newbie

[MotherNature]

I want to try surf fishing and am looking at yard sales, ebay, etc. to try & find an inexpensive (is there such a thing?) starter combo rod.

I'm a COMPLETE newbie (don't even know the difference between casting & spinning rods).

Can anyone direct me toward a good source of knowledge, supplies, etc.?

Thanks!

[wavery]

FIRST.....let me say, I am no expert on surf fishing. My wife & I each have a 12' rod with a large spinning reel.

The long rod is essential for casting out into the surf. We use small hooks and local fare. If it is a sandy beach there will be sand crabs available and that's why the fish are there. If it's a rocky area, we use muscles. We use 8# test line because surf fish get a bit leery with heavier line.

I will admit that the 12' rod is a bit much for my wife (5'4" 100+#) and I end up casting for her. I think that I may try to get her a 10' rod.

I bought ours on eBay. I think that we have about $150 in the 2 rods & reels.

Do a google search on "Surf fishing". There is some good advice available.

Sunrise  :morning:  and low tide is the best surf fishing.

[Dee4j]

FIRST.....let me say, I am no expert on surf fishing. My wife & I each have a 12' rod with a large spinning reel.

The long rod is essential for casting out into the surf. We use small hooks and local fare. If it is a sandy beach there will be sand crabs available and that's why the fish are there. If it's a rocky area, we use muscles. We use 8# test line because surf fish get a bit leery with heavier line.

I will admit that the 12' rod is a bit much for my wife (5'4" 100+#) and I end up casting for her. I think that I may try to get her a 10' rod.

I bought ours on eBay. I think that we have about $150 in the 2 rods & reels.

Do a google search on "Surf fishing". There is some good advice available.

Sunrise  :morning:  and low tide is the best surf fishing.

hopefully you throw what you catch back!!!!...I wouldn't eat anything caught off the So Cal Coast...YUK!!  actually I don't eat anything that swims...just the thought of eating something that swims/breaths/drinks in it's toilet grosses me out...

[wavery]

hopefully you throw what you catch back!!!!...I wouldn't eat anything caught off the So Cal Coast...YUK!!  actually I don't eat anything that swims...just the thought of eating something that swims/breaths/drinks in it's toilet grosses me out...

....says the person who eats hot dogs........ :sombraro:

[GeneF]

I am also a "newbie" at the surf casting sport.  Just got into it about 6 weeks ago here in Florida.

I watched and asked questions of the "experts" here at the cg.

I ended up with two surfcasting rods.

One is a 12 foot Shakespeare and the other is a 10 foot Okuma.

General consensus is that both are good rods with the Okuma slightly ahead.

I purchased both at Ganders Sports.  Rod and reel combos with line for $39.95 each.  You can also try Wallyworld.

Have fun. It is an interesting sport.  larger fish but I enjoy the stream and river fishing up north more.  They have smaller teeth than the sand sharks down here.  

[flyfisherman]

I want to try surf fishing and am looking at yard sales, ebay, etc. to try & find an inexpensive (is there such a thing?) starter combo rod.

I'm a COMPLETE newbie (don't even know the difference between casting & spinning rods).

Can anyone direct me toward a good source of knowledge, supplies, etc.?

Thanks!

You don't say just where you would like to try this surf fishing, what part of the country?

Here along the Carolina Coast there are ample places to buy surf fishing tackle. Even our local Wally-Mart has tons of the stuff ... and the folks in their sporting goods department would help a fishing new comer. If that's not good enough, there's all kinds of tackle shops all up and down the coast. Getting the right gear should be an easy task.

Once you have your rod and correct rig ... harness, hooks and sinker, the kind of bait that you cannot go wrong with would be something like shrimp or squid. Again, Wal-Mart or the tackle shops will have this bait frozen ... you let it thaw out a little, put one on one hook and the other on the second hook ... cast it out into the ocean (right about where the waves are breaking). Snug up on the line so it's tight (the fisherman's creed ... "tight lines"), put the "brake" on the reel, put the rod in a holder stuck into the sand, set down in your lawn chair right there at water's edge and enjoy. Some places might even allow you to get away with drinking a brew providing it's covered with one of those insulation covers or poured into another container. When "something" hits ... you'll know it!  Then the fun begins!




Fly

[Micksc]

I got interested in surf-fishing back in the 70's (when I camped with my young'uns). I learned the basics by hanging out at various fishing piers, (we have quite a few in the Carolinas). Watching the old hands taught me what kind of rig, bait, technique, Etc. Most of the pier denizens are more than happy to help out a newbie.  
                                            Mick

[fshnfool76]

Any good Bait & Tackle shop owners should be happy to give you advise. You could also see if there are any fishing clubs around you. I know here on Long Island there are at least 20 of them and alot of them welcome newcomers.  I have surf rods from 9-12 feet and usually stick to the 10 footer. It's a Shakespeare Ugly Stik with a Okuma spinning reel. I saw that Wavery uses 8# test line but here thats to small. The lightest I go is 15# and as the season goes on, and the fish (usually stiper's and blues) get larger I'll be up to 40# in the fall. The heavier lines are also needed for the extra abrasion resistance against the rocks here.  Good Luck and Tight Lines

[wavery]

For what it's worth........I just got back from my monthly Costco run... :sombraro:

They had a 9' Surf Casting beginner set for $33. It was a rod, reel, line, hooks, sinkers and some misc gear in a small plastic box.

[McCampers]

Any Walmart towards the coast will have what you're looking for.  Buy your tackle and bait locally.  Ask the most grizzled, alcoholic looking dude in the bait shop what to use and where to go.  He'll tell you exactly what to do, and if you do it, you will catch fish.  If you're anywhere near the Carolinas the man you're looking for will have an earing (probably a sharks tooth) cuttoff bluejean shorts, no shirt on, faded tattoos, and no shoes.  He's the guy you are looking for.