Surf gear recommendation

[kroppe]

I'm heading to Montauk, Long Island for stripers in late September. First time for me, and I'm looking forward to it. I think it will be a zoo, but what a happy zoo it will be! ;)

Looking for a surf rod recommendation, mainly what length should I use? I am thinking 10 feet. I have a 12 foot surf rod I used in Australia, and to be honest it is a handful. I think a 10 footer would be good, and anything shorter would not be enough. I'm going with a spinning reel. Probably throwing a variety of stuff, mainly bucktails, plugs and pencil poppers.

Thanks for any recommendations.

[toto]

I think the 10 footer would be good, something you can cast for most of the day, but long enough to get up and over the heavier surf you may encounter. If you have something with a little more backbone, I would suggest that, as something whippy can't cast quite as well, and the probability of breakage from casting is pretty high, especially if you are using heavier lures. A reel with a bit of capacity would be recommended as some of these fish can take quite a run, especially if you hook the surprise fish that is bigger than expected.

All in all, I think you are on the right track.

[kroppe]

Thanks toto. Can't wait to go. Here is the planned agenda:

Fish in the a.m.
Late a.m. nap on the beach
Lunch (lobstah chowdah)
Fish
Nap on the beach
Dinner
Fish
Campfire
Bed

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

[roger23]

I had a 10' one that would cast a 5 oz sinker it worked fine a 12 footer is just to heavy I bought it when I was in Connecticut and that is what they were using, I had a Penn 650 reel on it it was expensive but it was a great reel,

[Fishndude]

I remember watching a surf casting (distance) competition on TV, back in the late 70's. Those guys used rods which were about 15 feet long, and pretty stout. They used 10oz weights, and twirled the rods in huge circles to get momentum, kind of like a discus thrower, and then WHIPPED the cast way out into the ocean. I want to say they were tossing something like 700 feet with their casts. It was pretty amazing, but I am not sure they were actually fishing with those rods.

Good luck with your dirty job. I am green with envy.

[kroppe]

Fishndude,

My first surf rig, which I still have and use, is a 12 foot stout fiberglass rod, with a high capacity Alvey side cast reel. I got it in Australia when we lived there. I'm told that there are many surf casting records set with Alvey reels, because of the way the line peels off the reel with low resistance.

I've used this rig on the US Atlantic coast in Florida and North Carolina, but only for "cast and leave it" type fishing. I've caught miscellaneous small reef fish this way, as well as a skate. Weird animal, a skate.


For stripers in Long Island, I picture it as more of a cast-and-retrieve type of game. Manhandling a 12 footer with a 1 or 2 ounce lure all day long, with 25 lb line, is a chore I want to avoid. I think a nice 10 footer with a spinning reel and 12 lb line, is just the ticket.

[ESOX]

I'll agree with the 10' rod. but working hardware on those jumbo spinning reels and huge surf rod spinning guides in a real pain, and IMHO not as effective, you just cant seem to get the right twitch going consistently. We always used the spinning gear for bait rigs on ground tackle, and casting reels for working hardware.
We always used conventional ABU's and Penns (no levewind) for the surf.
With the new braids, if I were to buy all over again, I would opt for a Abu Record 6500, spooled up with 50# Power Pro for a levelwind,
and a Shimano Tekota Conventional for ..a conventional reel. (sadly, I believe ABU quit making conventionals, at least they weren't making them last time I was looking a couple years back.)
Penn makes some great surf rods at a reasonable cost.
Power Pro could save you a ton of money in baits if you run into a school of marauding greasers (blues) that are pretty common around there this time of year, besides the abrasion resistance required to land a fish in the surf. Lookout for Bulls after dark, a flailing fish is nothing to wade in after when you can't see into the water.:yikes:

[roger23]

don't put your fingers in there mouth ,it gets nasty bloody and it hurts

[kroppe]

As a follow up, I went with a 10' cork handled rod, and a Shimano 6000-series reel. Can't remember the exact model of reel. Spooled up with 12 lb. mono. Worked like a champ. I landed a 10 lb. bluefish on the beach, it was a nice fish that took a couple runs on me, before cartwheeling through the breaking surf.