Surf to Pier

Hello everyone,
I live in Daphne (about an hour from the pier). I try to visit the beaches every weekend but I have not been to the pier yet. I have accumulated a few rods and reels over the years for the surf and I am wondering if any of these will be useful for the pier or should I pay a visit to J&M as suggested by many of you to the new comers. Here is what i have:

8' penn powerstick12-20#, 12' penn powerstick20-40#, 9'finn norr15-30#, 7' quantum 6-12#, 7' penn squadron 10-30#
Penn fierce 4000, penn slammer 560, penn spinfisher 750

Thanks for your valuable opinions in advance. - MAB

IMHO the 7, 8 and probably 9 foot rods are probably fine for pier use.
The 12 footer is just too long to work practically for most applications pier fishing (king fishing).
It would probaly work OK for heaving a bait out for redfish though.

My advice is try it, see what works for you and adjust where needed. :fishing:

Thanks Pier#r,
I appreciate your guidance. It looks like I have a few setup options to get me going. I guess the next thing is to work on the tackle. Is there a common rig that one must have?

Your welcome! Others may have additional or other opinions too...

For king fishing, a roll of 27# leader wire and a pack of #2 treble hooks ;-)
Buy a box of cigar minnows or catch live bait on a sabiki or ribbon rig if you have any.

Question: do you have any other lighter tackle besides the 7' Quantum?
It can pull 'double duty' as a bait catcher or spanish rod for you though.
Another question: What @ line do you have on these rigs?

Is the 27# wire a single-strand wire? Do i need a tool to twist it?
I have a couple packs of sabiki rigs but I do not have a ribbon rig. I would love to start the day by catching my own bait.
I can look up in detail later but i do have a few ugly sticks (6'6, 6' and a 5') with small reels. Did i understand your question about the light tackle?
I recently put 20# power pro over the 10# mono on the fierce4000 that goes with the two 7' rods. I have a 20# mono on the slammer560, which goes with the 8' and 9' rods and i believe there is a 30#mono on the 750, which stays on the 12' rod (it has been a while since I took it out). Any of these lines can be changed to what may suit the best for pier conditions. 20# and 30# monos are due for change if I take them to the pier, anyway.

Yeah, the single strand wire. You can trim the tag end with nail clippers.
You could use the 6'6" or 6 foot rig as a dedicated 'bait rod' with a sabiki.
That will free up you 7' for spanish/small kings and you can use the Slammer combo for kings.

Starting with 3 rods is a good idea, then as you gain experience you will know how you want to expand your quiver.

Thanks a bunch Pier#r,
That sounds like a good plan. I am really excited about this.

I would reccomend sticking with Mono for the kings. If that braid gets wrapped up with other people while drifting baits/fighting a good fish, it is a pain to get that braid untangled. The mono seems to be easier on everyone.

Thanks for the heads up, TyJ.
The last thing that I need is to cause annoyance with the folks. That would take all the fun out of the whole thing.

[font=comic sans ms][size=12pt]If you are going to re-spool your King reels, most of us use 12 to 16# mono; casts better than 20# and gives you more line capacity.

Thank you, FinChaser, for the practical tip. 12-16# mono it is!
I have no problem with respooling all the reels with what works the best. Afterall, it may be a relatively inexpensive insurance for having more fun and being more productive.
Question: where can I get one of these ribbon rigs?

Any of the local tackle stores---J&M has them custom made and I think they work better than others. There's a tackle store at the pier, too. Looking forward to making your acquaintance.

Thanks, Haywire. That is, surely, another great observation to remember. I hope to be there soonest to meet you all in person.

Check with David Allison, he is usually at the pier most days. Ask anyone at the end of the pier and they will point him out to you. He makes them and normally has them on hand if you need one, he does really good work. I think he charges @ 8.00 for them. Hope that helps a little.

So what's the advantage to the single strand leader? ... I know pier#r has a reason. I've always used 7 strand Yin the past, and tied it on the hook, then twisted. How do you attach single strand?

You use a haywire twist to tie single strand. And it is just a matter of preference.

It is for sure all preference. It's whatever you have more confidence in. Both leaders will almost certainly be bit through. But if you go too heavy a leader, you won't get eaten. You can't go wrong with either. I like single strand personally as well. You can find plenty of arguments either way

Fellows,
What about the cooler & rod storage setup? I drive a 2005 impala. I do not think I can fit one of those carts in. I see many carts in the pictures but is there an alternative setup that is more suitable for someone without a truck or suv?

I found FinChaser's post about the carts from October 2011. Thanks!
All I can say it that I need to get creative. I may outfit a large cooler on wheels with attachments or some other foldable design that holds the cooler, rods, etc. Any suggestions and ideas are highly appreciated.

Mab I drive a Buick. There are three sizes of carts. I bought the mid size. Take the handle off, unload, turn sideways and it fits in the back seat fine. Leaves the trunk for tackle and ice chest. Rods either through the opening in back seat to trunk or passenger to back if the wife isn't with me.

30 MPG makes the extra trouble worth it....after a few times its routine. Not nearly the trouble a car seat is.

Before that was a cooler on wheels. Carrying rods with no place to leave them was way more trouble than loading and unloading the pier cart.

I can do ya one better Rich. I drive a VW Jetta. I can get the cart(after removing the handle and bait board), bait bucket, gaff bucket, and pier net in the trunk. Cooler goes in the back seat and tackle backpack and rods go in the front seat.

Rich1,
Is this considered the "mid size" that you have mentioned?

http://pensacola.craigslist.org/spo/3216168064.html

Looks like it. Cabela's has all three on their website if you want to compare. That one in this pic has the same number of rod holders as mine and the bait cutting board. I don't use that myself. Gives you another spot for a rod.

That's a great price BTW.

we bought a collapsable garden cart at sam's club that i am modifying. it will hold a 70 qt cooler and i have 6 rod slots.


http://www.samsclub.com/sams/folding...sku=sku3494154

Thanks to Rockinchef88, Rich1 and stik for taking time to share their experiences. I am looking around the house, garage, walmart, etc. for ideas as well as craigslist for a used cart before I head to the store/online for a new one. Thanks again, guys!