SUBJECT: # 39109: Needed: advice on this surf rod/reel combo or other possible good combos...

Submitted by 5-20 from VIRGINIA on 4/27/04 10:24:00 PM

I'd like to pick up a new rod/reel for surf fishing and I'm still kind of new to this sport. I'm still uncertain if I want to go with a baitcasting or spinning combo. I'd probably want to be able to throw lures with this rod most of the time as opposed to fishing bait.

Cabela's has a pretty decent rod/reel combo on sale. They're offering a Daiwa emblem x-t spinning reel with their sea striker rods for only $130 or so. I've been looking at getting either the emblem 5500T - 230 yrds of 25 lb line and 4:6 ratio or the emblem 5000 - 240 yds of 20 lb line but a faster 5:1 ratio.

What's more important here - the larger spool capacity or faster gear ratio?

Are those sea striker rods good? They have a nice 10 foot model rated for 2 to 8 oz lures and 15-40 lb line or should I just look at something else?

I really don't want to spend too much money on this combo and I'm afraid if I go with a baitcasting setup, I'll end up spending way more than I really want to...

Last, if any of you have any decent rod/reel combos you'd like to sell - lemme know at Z71yanke@hotmail.com

Thanks for the help.

1. 4/27/04 11:05:00 PM Submitted by Ron (165.247.192.43) from NORTH CAROLINA says Surf Combo
   Dear Virginia, This really depends upon the location that you will be fishing and what you plan on catching. If you plan on heading to the Outer Banks with your new combo, you better go packing. A rod of 13' is not a bad choice there. So far as spinning vs. baitcasting, if you have never played with a baitcaster plan on a lot of time untangling your line. I have found some of the best surf fishing rods are around the 10' mark at calmer beaches, but in other applications you really need to reach out and touch someone. Don't spend all your money until you get a feel for what you like and upgrade. Good Luck, The Lollipopman

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2. 4/28/04 10:52:00 AM Submitted by UFM82 from OHIO says I sent you an e-mail...
   I personally have never used a rod longer than 10' for surf casting- those big rods will just flat wear you out if you plan to do some lure tossing for any length of time. I have found that on the east coast beaches, the beach falls away fast enough that a 10 footer works fine. The further south you get, the flatter the beaches are and the further out the first and second cuts are. Those may need a bigger rod to toss the baits out that far, but you can do pretty well with the smaller rods. A 10 footer is a good all around rod for tossing plugs and/or cut bait. I have used mine for both and have had good success. My biggest surf fish was a 35lb hammerhead I caught in Florida years ago. It was caught within 50 yards of the beach.

   The Daiwa Sealine rods are nice and run around $70- pair that with a Daiwa Jupiter reel and you can get a workable combo for around $125 or so.

   UFM82

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3. 5/6/04 12:09:00 PM Submitted by shelby (66.152.29.2) from SOUTH CAROLINA says better solution
   I have spent a lot of money on my surf rods and reels. I use the saltwater shimano baitcasters with clickers and such, very nice and smooth reels. I also use them for the big santee catfish up in the lakes. A buddy of mine went to BPS and bought a big catfish combo. I was making fun and so forth because it was cheap and I didn't trust the BPS cheap junk. Well we fished together and his cheap bps catfish junk casts farther and actually seems to work as good as big shimano's do. I think if it came down to pulling in a 50 pounder or so I would have a bit if an advantage but he only paid around 50-60 dollars for his combo. I have well over twice that in mine.

   I would say to do the same get the catfish combo from bps. Its cheap and does as good a job as my expensive stuff almost, but very close. you really should check them out.

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4. 5/14/04 10:49:00 AM Submitted by 5-20 from VIRGINIA says Shelby...
   Thanks for the advice but I ended up going with a Daiwa Emblem XT 5000 and a '10 Tica... The combo worked great when I was down at Hatteras and I can only wish I saw that huge fish that broke my line... Still had an absolutely awesome time.!

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5. 6/1/04 10:58:00 PM Submitted by dave (68.86.67.115) from MISSOURI says Bait casting reels ?
   I am from the mid-west and fish with them in fresh water. Is there a differance between bait casting reels for fresh water and salt water? What my choice of reels in fresh water is the ABU Ambassadeur 5000 with 12 to 15 lb. test. Depending on structure. Would this be as good of a reel for salt water as it is for fresh water? Learning how to salt water fish, Dave

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