Beginner surf saltwater fishing gear tips

[miyatmpelw]

I was wondering If you guys can help me here I'm looking to get me some new gear but I'm running on a budget and can't afford the VS and ZB and highend expensive reels what is a good quality and performance reel(s) for surf fishing that can with stand the dunking of water and sand and the big bass and blues thanks in advance the rod I'm playing on getting is either a 10ft Penn Spinfisher or and 11ft.

[basscrusher]

You're in a predicament.   No reel stops sand.   And while some reels can withstand a splash, the only ones that can survive repeated dunkings are the VS and ZB reels you can't afford.   So you have 2 options...go inexpensive and thus disposable,  or get the closest to sealed as possible.   If you decide to do semi disposable I'd look at okuma avenger or stratus series.   I got them for just this  yet they're still kicking.   If you go higher quality,  shimano spheros would be my pick, although many Penn reels are supposedly pretty sealed.   I just have no personal experience with Penn spinners.

[Chris at Tech]

@basscrusher summed it up well.  A Penn Spinfisher may fit the bill though

[Jigfishn10]

Agree with the first 2 replies. I actually went the "cheap" disposable reels way. After every outing I really rinse both reels and rods (2, 1 for my son and I) with a garden hose, towel dry and then use an 18V leaf blower to really get the reels dry. So far I'm coming up to my 5th season.

 

Sand, is just a nuisance, I actually end up taking my reels apart and really cleaning the sand out of them. 

 

I know my way isn't going to make my reels bullet proof, but if I can delay the time I dispose and replace my reels, then I'm all for it.

[padlin]

I use the Cabela's or BPS house brand of salt water rods and reels. I fish mostly from the rocks, both rods and reels take a beating pretty quick.

 

Darn things get pretty heavy after a while so keep the weight in mind.

[king fisher]

Diawa BG.  Best salt water spinning reel for the money.  I have saltwater spinning reels that cost 3 times as much as the BG and prefer the BG,  I have been a big Shimano fan all of my life but I have to admit they can't compete with the Diawa BG in the price range.

[bulldog1935]

There are two things to do in the surf, and I split my tackle into two functions - stake out meat on spider weights gets the 11' rod and the reel weight just about doesn't matter.

For casting lures, you want something light enough to cast all day, on an 8' rod.  The Japanese make 10' rods light enough to do this, and both Tsunami and Okuma have some good 8-9' rods.  Here, think 1/4- to 1-oz. 

 

My 11' Tsunami 1102H to cast 1-4 ounces gets the Tica Samira SBAT long-cast - this is a honking big reel with a 74-mm spool diameter and weighs 20 oz. 

 

That said, I used to fish my 7-1/2' inshore MH rod in the surf with 2-oz spider weights and got spooled by plenty of bull reds (landed a few, too). 

 

The most important seal on a spinning reel is the A/R roller bearing.  Every Tica in the size class has an effective seal there - and so does Daiwa because they share Tica's design (Tica builds many Daiwa reels). 

No worries at all with the BG here. 

 

As far as line roller goes, Shimano would be my last choice for the surf - Tica and Daiwa also share line roller design - no seals, but simple, effective, and easy to clean.