Thread: Need help selecting pier tackle for late October week of fishing

I'm a Texas bass fisherman who visits Orange Beach in May and late October yearly. I have fished some in the beach surf with shrimp and sand fleas on a "bargin" 10' Ugly Stik rig with no results and some light spinning gear just off the first sand bar for Pompano with sand fleas with no luck.

I'm thinking that I'll try pier fishing when I come down for a week in Late October. Please give me some tips on gear.

Got a few bass rigs: 6' 6" St Croix M/F with Promax baitcaster
6' 6" Berkley Lightning M/H with Promax baitcaster
6' 6" St Croix M/F with President spinning
10' Ugly Stik with Shakespeare Encore
a couple of ultra light rigs

Thanks

Looking forward to visiting your beautiful area.

Hideaway,
most of that will work fine for most species down here. I don't take any of my freshwater baitcasters in the salt air but I've got 3 Pflueger President (3/3000) spinning reels on 6'6" med rods with 12lb mono that I use all the time. Light enough to enjoy the smaller fish and strong enough in case you hook into something big if you work the drag right. Just be sure and rinse them off and wipe them down after each use and they should be ok. Good luck and hope you slay 'em

Thanks

Look forward to fishing the Gulf

The 6' 6" St Croix M/F with President spinning rig should be good for Spanish macs.

The 10' combo is a little long for the pier but manageable, most guys use s 7-8' rod for kings, reds, etc..

Some guys use baitcasters on the pier, mainly for throwing jigs & lures for Spanish. They do make good bait catching rods since you are just dropping straight down.


Here's my normal cart to give you an idea of works:

7' MH rod with a 6500 Spinning reel, 250 yards+ of 15# for chunking live bait for kings, reds, etc..
8' MH rod with a 6500 Spinning reel, 250 yards+ of 15# I now mainly use to chunk large crank baits. Its a little awkward but has lost of whip to get the lures out there.

7' M rod with a Penn 712Z, 12# line, for Spanish, mainly chunking belly strips and small live bait.

2 6'6" M rods with BassPro 4000 spinning reels, 10# test, for Spanish, blues, spadefish, etc...

6' spinning rod for bait.

Fish don't respect you less for bargain tackle nor do they commit suicide-by-hook because you use top-shelf gear [I wish]. Your bad luck was just that, luck, and your gear seems fine. I know that Texas wade fishermen like baitcasters for specks, which is a matter of taste. The [usually] clear water in these parts makes lighter line useful -- for example a person with the handle Viking Guy reported success, even before dawn at the pass, with 2 lb line throwing minnow baits. For that level of work, a quality drag on spinning gear comes in handy.

If the sharks are still here when you get to the pier for Spanish I would go with some 20-30 lb. braid. If you hang one you have to have the drag locked down and be able to reel fast enough to get them through the gauntlet of sharks hanging around.

From a well schooled "newbie" - I would say the most common mistake is on the terminal end of the tackle - not the rod end. Use light line fluorocarbon leaders, and make your own rigs. There are tons of videos on line to help, but a single hook drop line to a 1oz sinker has fit the bill for me - and leave the red beads on the shelf.
Smaller hooks for pompano and flounder - a little larger if you want to target a slot red or occasional drum. Use the light gear and just enough bait to cover the end of the hook - drop your baits from just beyond the break - to 10 feet off the shore. Got to do a little fishing to figure out where they are. Search the posts for "how to read the surf" it's a huge ocean - and they ain't everywhere like we hope they would be. Keep thinking about a funnel- there is a break somewhere in that bar you refer to - and look for where the waves drain back out. Find that spot and fish to either side of the wash.

I fish a baitcaster from the pier. Not very many guys do. I use a carolina/fishfinder rig with an egg sinker, about 15 - 18 inches of fluorocarbon leader and a small circle hook. I bring live shrimp from the bait shop and fish for reds that I spot in the surf, and use pieces (about the size of the last digit of my little finger) of fresh-dead shrimp for whiting, which should DEFINITELY be biting in late October. Flounder should be around, too.