Googan with a good bit of 'googan' questions regarding lures/setups..

Hi all, I just have some questions regarding a few things. I'd like to fish the Gulf Shores pier more often this year..I live in Mobile and mostly fish Cedar Point Pier Dauphin Island but am getting a little tired & burnt out of the shenanigans that seems to constantly being on there. I mostly fish the GSP in the winter for Whiting when Cedar Point is closed but would like to "transition" to making Gulf Shores my main destination..

From talking to a few fine gentlemen on the pier & searching the forum, have come to the deduction that a good bit of my gear is oversized. The two most feasible setups (I think) I got is a 4500 Spinfisher w/ 12# mono on a Abu Garcia 7ft MH rod and a 6500 Spinfisher w/ 50# braid on some generic Chinese knockoff 8ft rod I bought from the tackle shop on Cedar Point. I would really like to upgrade the 8ft rod.

Would the 4500 be good for Spanish and the 6500 be for Kings? I have been told by few that a 6500 would be great for Kings but would like other opinions.

What kind of X-Raps are most commonly used off the pier? I have noticed when shopping tackle stores there's all types of X-Raps. I have a bought a few clearance lures that I think would work (XR12 X-Rap, 6 inch Windcheater, some other generic Bass Pro hard plastics, Gotcha plug).

What kind of rig do most people commonly use when fishing with live bait? I am used to soaking big pieces of dead bait on the bottom but do not think that is going to be very effective or welcomed on this side of the pond, lol.

Last, what kind of leader do most people use when going after Kings/Spanish?

Thank you for all your help, I have looked thru numerous threads on this forum and the amount of advice & posts has helped me tremendously so far. Tight lines. :)

I will try the easy part with leaders. Spanish can be taken with floro/mono of 20 to 40 lb, but single strand wire closer to the low test end works and is easy to knot. Avoid shiny hardware. Kings are caught on 30 to 60 single strand wire, coffee-colored. For picky days and/or clear water, going lighter/thinner increases risk of bite-offs but adds bites.

Your reel/rod selection is spot on.
I use 50lb mono for Spanish and 27lb single strand for kings. For live bait I like a 2x #2 or #4 treble, 6-8” single strand leader and small black swivel. Some days I use a float most days I don’t. Bring a bait rod for using sabikis or ribbon rigs to catch bait.

Baitfishing targets include kings and spanish with live lys or other small live fish near surface; mid-column fish like sheepshead and specks, and bottom targets like pomps, flounder, croaker and various whiting. Reds, jacks and cobia occasionally partake of baits for others.

Point is, the rigging varies by target, with three basic themes: lighter leaders and less weight/hardware is better; smaller hooks (but strong) are better; live or freshly-dead bait beats dead or frozen.

A 4500 will get heavy after repeatedly slinging gotchas and bubble rigs. It will be fine for a bottom rig for pompano, reds, flounder and even sheepshead. It would be fine for drifting a live minnow. I prefer a 3000 size reel with 15lb Power Pro Super Slick 8 and a 40 or 50lb mono leader on a 7' graphite rod for Looney jigs, gotchas and bubble rigs. Your 6500 would be fine for kings. I would keep the old rod. If it is stiff use it to throw big plugs and spoons provided it isn't super heavy. If it is more of a medium use it for throwing cigar minnows or LY without slinging them off. As far as kings go I used to catch a few on Windcheaters but the last few trips I seem to be snake bit. As soon as a fish bites so do the sharks. As for X-Raps the first and only cast with the SXR14 a big jack got it and still has it. I'm too poor to get another one.

You have gotten some absolutely excellent advice. I'll only add that you might want to go down to 30# braid on your 6500 and use a 75 yd. topshot of 15# hi viz mono to help in knowing where your drifting bait is, and to undo the occasional inevitable tangle.

I, also, would get a reel one size down from the 4500 if you're going to do much casting.

If you use an Xrap, the fish that bites it will be eaten by a shark that will also eat the Xrap.

I am a big fan of Momoi mono which is sold at J&M Tackle. It tends to test a good deal higher than its rating. I am also very fond of the "Store Custom" rods they make for king fishing.

Spit on your bait. Or not.

I do have a few smaller 3000 series reel that I mostly use for slinging very small jigs (1/16 oz, 2 inch Fin-S minnow) for speckled trout at pier lights @ night I supposed it would be fine to substitute for the 4500 if it winds up being too heavy.

Thanks all so much for the advice, hope to pass some on some day when/if I ever become knowledgeable enough. Praying for my first King this year..although I suspect a few (or many) trial and error trips await :D.