Thread: I am planning a surf and pier fishing trip in Oct

When I'm there if you ever need any help I am always willing to help out however I can. I'm thinking of taking 2 spinning rods and a bait rod. I'm not sure in what size rods I should get and I'm not sure which one is better a one piece rod or 2 piece rod.

Originally Posted by Ron_Wooz

I'm not sure which one is better a one piece rod or 2 piece rod.

I prefer a 1 pc rod but a 2 pc is more convenient for travel.

Welcome Ron. Hope you have a good time. Some good 7 foot medium action or medium heavy rods will do fine. I have both one piece and two piece rods. They both handle fish well. I bought one of the cheap Walmart combos by Shakespeare several years ago. Tiger, I think was the name. The reel is long since toast but the rod is doing great. Make sure your reel holds enough line.

What days in Oct will you be down there?

Thank you. I have been doing some research on tackle and rods and reels. I am going to try to gather most of everything I need before my trip. I plan on bringing one med and one med heavy rod and I have a cheap freshwater rod that I can use to catch bait. I also have a five gallon bucked with bubbler that I use to keep bait alive when I go catfishing. What size line and what kind of line should I get. I'm going get hooks, sinkers and swivels and I might get some jigs. Any suggestions

X2 on the cheapish Tiger rod by Shakespeare sold at WM for $20 as a combo. I've caught more 20"-plus trout on that cheap little thing than any other of my rods costing a lot more. The reel is now on a rod used for family and friends when they visit and I have since replaced it with a 4000 size Shimano loaded with 10lb Hi Seas mono.

If you want to try for bigger fish on the end of the pier you need at least 250 yards of 15#-20# mono on a reel with a smooth drag.
I've used clear Ande for the past 30 years, but they charge much more for it these days.
I have found most of the less inexpensive premium clear monofilament lines to be sufficient.

As far as jigs, you can get an assortment of Looney Jigs for under $10.
Just be sure to have some 30#-40# clear mono or light wire (15#) to protect them from mackerel teeth.
And a drop or two of 5 minute epoxy on the threads won't hurt either ;-)

Hope this helps!

Welcome to the Forum, Ron_; you have found a valuable resource for improving your salt water experience. It isn't stressed often, but some of the most simple things may make all the difference in a trip being o.k., or great. Tying knots is that sort of simple thing. If you are already a past pro, forgive me for mentioning it. Hope your experience on L.A. shores is all you could hope for, and good luck.

Thank you. The clinch knot is what I use

Originally Posted by Pier#r

If you want to try for bigger fish on the end of the pier you need at least 250 yards of 15#-20# mono on a reel with a smooth drag.
I've used clear Ande for the past 30 years, but they charge much more for it these days.
I have found most of the less inexpensive premium clear monofilament lines to be sufficient.

As far as jigs, you can get an assortment of Looney Jigs for under $10.
Just be sure to have some 30#-40# clear mono or light wire (15#) to protect them from mackerel teeth.
And a drop or two of 5 minute epoxy on the threads won't hurt either ;-)

Hope this helps!

Ron
I was just down for a week and fished the pier 3 mornings and twe evenings. The first morning I fished with David (pier#r) I would recommend fishing with him the first time. He teaches a lot and like someone else said he's good company. The other locals will help as well. As far as what you need the quote above is what I used and had a blast the only other thing you may want is a bubble rig hope this helps