Need advice for surf spinning rod

[Clumsy fisherman]

I am trying to decide about which surf spinning rod to buy. I am a novice. I have never surf fished before. We will be traveling to Folly Island, South Carolina and there is what I would call moderate wave and undertow there. So this is not like casting on a Gulf beach that is calmer. I will have to use a 3-4 ounce weight to hold the bait in place. I have tenatively selected a team Daiwa surf spinning rod. I will be using a Daiwa BG 4500 spinning reel. I am only 5'6" tall. I have looked at some 10' rods and was somewhat intimidated by the length. Should I go with the 9' or the 10'? they both have the same rating for line and lure weight. Thanks for any advice you can give.

[bulldog1935]

I have fished 2-oz spider weights + meat with 7'6" inshore rod and 8'6" steelhead rod, but not on the east coast.  

In general, shorter rods are better for throwing lures in the surf.  

I'm not familiar with the Daiwa rod, but the rod I would take for this chore is 11' Tsunami Airwave Elite 1102H.  

Between the 2 rods you listed, I would choose the 10' for 4 oz spider weights + meat.  

However, if you foresee using the rod later for throwing lures in the surf, the 9' rod would be more desirable there, and could get the surf-bait job done, also.  

[casts_by_fly]

Since you're a first timer I assume you're going for some casual 'chuck it out there' type surf fishing and not a serious "I'm going for the redfish run in February".  We've done that a bunch the past couple years in OBX.  I would take a couple rods and chuck out some bait to soak while we hung out on the beach and had some beers.  Super casual type stuff.  

 

I started with a big heavy rod that I already had which was way too much for that.  I also brought a smaller medium bass sized setup with a 4000 sized reel which wasn't enough, though I grabbed a cheapie 9' rod at the local store for $20 and threw the reel on it and was kinda good until the reel crapped out from sand and salt (it wasn't meant for what I was doing to it).  Since we were doing it more, I decided to put just a little more money into a setup and I landed on a Penn fierce.  I'm super glad I did.  Its the proper tool for the job.  Most of the time its 3 oz plus two chunks of meat.  I've gone up to 6 oz with it and down to 1 oz with it.  Mine is the 9' MH, 1-3 oz and a 6000 sized reel.  Its enough to throw 3-4 oz plus bait out into the trough or first bar, but definitely not enough to get past the second bar with anything.  If you want to throw lures on it you can.  Grab a 600 yard spool of 15 -20 lb big game and you're set.  The you just need a couple bottom rigs, a handful of weights (I'd carry one 6 oz, 2-3 each 3-4 oz, and two 1 oz) and local bait.

 

You'll also need a good sand spike.  I went with the longer aluminum type from bass pro to keep the rod up higher.

 

rick

 

[Clumsy fisherman]

 I am waiting for other responses. I appreciate the comment about the sand spike.

[padlin]

I’m not a bait fisherman so gear choice probably differs. My surf casting is with poppers and the like, so I’m constantly casting, all my salt setups are spinning. The rig gets heavy after a few hours so  weight matters. A casting trigger helped a lot for heavy baits.
 

It’s been a while since I bought my salt water gear but for me I like a 10’ 2pc with a 5000 reel. I went with an Offshore Angler combo from Cabela’s, decent gear and price, in today’s prices it’d be maybe $150. I didn’t spend big cause I fish off the rocks and jetties, equipment takes a beating. I also carry an Inshore rod/reel for when I get worn out casting the surf caster and go to smaller baits. A salt worthy bass setup would work for this but I wouldn’t use my good ones. Mine is a St Croix inshore 3pc rod and an older Capricorn reel.

[Chris at Tech]

Don’t discount the many creeks, marches, inlets and backwater in the area as well.  Assuming you’re a bass fisherman since you’re on this site, so your bass gear is perfectly appropriate for targeting reds, trout and flounder in the above-mentioned areas

[heavyduty]

I'm a novice but wanted to surf fish to pass the time on the beach. My wife loves the beach and likes to stay out all day. Since kids are grown, there's only so much walking and shell looking you can do. I bought a 8' catfishing rod from Walmart and a Penn reel. I got a rake to catch sand fleas and use them and Fish Bites to catch whiting. I enjoy it and the bite usually stays fairly consistent. Now if you're going for blues or bigger, then the rod/reel combo takes you to a whole different level.