Beginner fisher needs advice on rod/gear

[Pferox]

Did you get all the links from the previous post that you want?  I want to delete a couple because they are making the thread too wide, making it hard to read.

I've never caught bluefish that I can remember, so can't say for sure.  But .... I have brought in to the net a couple of 2 maybe 3 foot sharks on rigs I made with 80lb test mono.  And a whole lot of smaller ones. I seldom use wire, just because I don't like to deal with sharks, I'm kind of too old to play with those guys on a pier.  Spanish mackerel are usually targeted with non shiny wire of some type, but in a pinch I have used 40lb mono and fluoro and caught quite a few of them.  Have to keep checking and changing the leader though, unlike wire.

I build rigs for myself and a few friends around here, and for the most part don't come out cheaper than store bought ones, but as one guy that calls me up and orders them by the poop load, they are much better, last longer, so are cheaper in the long run.

If you want to talk about building rigs, we need to start another thread, that one will get long. 

[Pferox]

Check on the prices between the 6000 and 7000 battle II, if they are the same then opt for the 7000.  My buddy was looking for a 6000 Fierce, I think it was, and saw the 7000 was the same price for one of his bigger rods, and the larger reel balanced his rod out better, it also gave him a little more leeway with line choices.  That little difference in size made a big difference on the rod.

He has the same Ugly Stick in heavy and put an 8000 Fierce on it, it has held up well, but he has talked about going to an up in the line Penn eventually because of the drag.

My choice on not using wire is more a personal thing, for a few reasons, wire is a good way to go.  If you are planning on making rigs, it takes different crimps and I think crimpers too.  I'll have to check on that, it's been so long since I messed with wire.  Maybe we ought to get a thread going to talk about that one.

BTW, I found the knot I use on my hooks, it is a type of snell but is called the Knotless Knot, works great when tying a hook on to a leader before attaching the leader to the swivel.  http://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/knotless-knot/

[Pferox]

Here is a good article on crimping, which is important if you are thinking about making your own rigs.
http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtechniques/crimp_techniques.html

[Trigger3lite]

There are no 7000 models for the Penn battle II only 8000. I wanted to go out fishing asap and the 6000 version is available for free 2 day shipping but the 8000 isn't. Plus I think I'll switch over to braid once I start traveling to fish. I'm going with 60pd Hi-Seas Fluorocarbon Leader because it's abrasive resistant and the faster sinking speeds will work well with surf fishing. Also some people use 3way swivel for the double drop rig, should I use one too? If so, what kind of swivel?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=node%3D3410201&field-keywords=3+way&rh=n%3A3375251%2Cn%3A10971181011%2Cn%3A706813011%2Cn%3A3408951%2Cn%3A3409951%2Cn%3A3410201%2Ck%3A3+way

[Pferox]

I wasn't sure if they made a 7000, 6000 is workable, I have a boat load of 6000 reels on my heavier gear.  I normally don't use three ways, make my own thing, but when I do, I use these, they are a little pricier, but seem to work better in churning surf.

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Crane-Swivels-double-pack/dp/B00P2K0MFG/ref=sr_1_10/176-8746709-6870309?s=hunting-fishing&ie=UTF8&qid=1428692581&sr=1-10&keywords=3+way

Rule of thumb is the hook trace is a hair shorter than half the length of the distance between the swivels.  Hope that makes sense.

When you go to buy bait, pick up a single dropper rig, just to have as a reference to what you want, for a double or triple, just stack them.

[Pferox]

What kind, and how much weight are you going to be throwing?

Here is a picture of a Double Drop rig I make, where the beads are is where you would put the three way swivels.  Not the greatest of pictures, but I think the idea comes across.

[Pferox]

Started a new thread to talk about rigging.

http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=122623.0

Hope that is the right link. 

[Pferox]

I'm going to throw this in here.  Most people I know that start out salt water fishing either go too light or too heavy.

You have to remember that the number of big fish is a whole lot less than the number of smaller fish there is a reason they got to be that big.  But on the other hand, you want something that will give you a fighting chance at the bigger fish if one should happen to show up.

Overkill on gear can discourage you from fishing because, since you are targeting big fish, the smaller ones either get missed, or aren't able to hookup.  That makes for a long, boring day.

That 100 pound striper is a possibility, but the chances are a lot slimmer than a few 5 to 10lbrs, as an example.  Plan on targeting those, and as your experience increases, you will know how to bring in that huge one in on lighter gear.

The reason you need to go a little heavier when surf fishing isn't really the size of fish, but the amount you have to throw to get the bait out there.  There is a lot of things happening when you are trying to throw a few ounces of lead 100 yards, and that puts a lot of stress on the line, and gear.

[Pferox]

Here is a picture of my Buddy Robert and his 12 foot Ugly Stick.



That isn't in the Gulf, but in Galveston Bay in LaPorte, Texas.

[BenFishing]

Here is a picture of my Buddy Robert and his 12 foot Ugly Stick.



That isn't in the Gulf, but in Galveston Bay in LaPorte, Texas.

Looks like my average shore/pier catch...100 fish under 5 pounds, just to catch one fish 10 to 40 pounds.

[Pferox]

So True, was going to share this batch of pics to show off a fantastic day in Galveston.  We were fishing about the second wave gut, which is about the distance I can cast that 12footer.  That is the nice thing about the pier, surf fishing with less work. lol.





This is what we actually took home, made for a nice dinner for a few of us.  Most of those fish are around a foot long.



There have been days that we didn't see a fish over 2 lbs.

Another thing to notice is those rods aren't very heavy, it is all in how you work the fish, and how good your net person is. 

[Pferox]

Looks like my average shore/pier catch...100 fish under 5 pounds, just to catch one fish 10 to 40 pounds.

OH so true.  Heck the number of little throw backs just to get keeper sized fish. 

I just noticed, that big drum, the top picture was brought in with that 15+ year old $20 Tiger rod I was talking about, can't tell for sure, but it looks like my old Captiva reel.