Thread: Question about King fishing from the Pier

Let me preface this by saying I am on a fairly limited budget.

My question is, what would be a good rod and reel combo, preferably under $100, to start off King fishing with. I have looked online, and most guides for fishing from a pier have a 2 rod setup, which at this point I pretty much cannot afford.

I am also trying to figure out a fairly comfortable setup for hooks and such. Would a 45lb steel leader and treble hook work, or is it a bit more intricate than that? (I have read a #2 treble hook should work). Without using the anchor rod, how does one keep the bait fish in an area and not running into other lines?

I have fished for Spanish the last couple of years on gotcha plugs and bubble rigs, and am broadening my horizons a little. Any advice to a novice salt water pier fisherman will be much appreciated.

With your budget a good bet would be a Penn Fierce 6000 combo ($99). (w/230 yards of 20# mono)

You will probably do better making your own leaders instead of using the 'gaudy' premade ones with the snap.
A 25' pack of 42# leader wire, a 10 pack of #10 swivels (black) and two 5 packs of #2 bronxe trebles should set you for a while.

When folks freeline a live bait they keep a light tension on the line so the bait swims AWAY from the slight resistance.
If your bait swims under (or over) a neighbor, just swap places at the rail with them.
It is easy really, we call it the "Gulf Shores Shuffle" ;-)

the fierce combo #r mentioned is a great choice. it's what i have used the last 4 or 5 years. as for technique, i spent my first day on the pier just watching and asking questions. didn't even take a rod with me.the cooperation and system they have working is amazing for what i would consider "combat" fishing. arguments are rare.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it. Hopefully some of the Kings will be coming in when I get there in April. You guys are awesome. Would you recommend a 9' surf rod or would it be better to go with a 7' rod for the pier?

I like the action of the 7 foot rod just fine and the shorter length is a bit lighter and less cumbersome on the pier when others are nearby.
Folkses taller than 6 feet seem to handle longer poles with a little more ease though.
I really preferred the 8 foot 2 piece rod the original Fierce came on, but it appears Penn stopped offering that when they rereleased the Fierce II last year.
The 9 footer has an extended handle for surf casting and that is not very 'comfortable' for pier fishing.

But that is just me, and everyone is different.
If you have the opportunity before you buy to hold each combo, try to imagine casting and fishing with it in the conditions you see pictured on the forum for prolonged periods of time.

Hope this helps!

I second the Penn Fierce combo Pier#er recommended You can't go wrong with that It's a good economical combo that will last if you take care of it Also J&M has ready made King rigs 2 for $4.00 I'd grab a couple of packs of those and with your Penn Fierce combo you'd be ready The next thing would be bait Can use frozen cigar minnows which you can pick up at J&M or most bait shops If you want live bait get you a couple of sabbiki rigs This may require another rod and reel but if you have any other outfit it would work If not you'll find someone that would be willing to catch you a bait As for the fishing itself it is surprisingly easy When I moved here I had fished mostly the two rod system you mentioned on the North Carolina coast Could not understand how all those people fished for such a powerful fish without tangles and fights I've fished saltwater for many years but I too spent a morning just watching I saw that it's surprisingly easy You just free line your bait taking advantage of the current or the swimming bait If you cross or go under someone you just change places Everyone co operates with each other really I have never seen a place where so many get along so well If you hook a fish the same will be true and there will be plenty of experienced anglers around to help you Bottom line is get set up and come on down and experience the joy and excitement I should be around so if I can help just ask I'll be glad to help you

It really does, I am used to about a 6'7" rod so 7' wouldn't be to far of a stretch. I was thinking about duel purposing the rod for maybe some surf fishing + pier fishing while at the beach. That said, however, my biggest concern was the fact that the 7' is a 1 piece and the 9' was a 2 piece.

The only other thing is I will only be using the rod one week, possibly two in a year.

Dan, thanks for the advice. I will probably go the route of pre made rigs for my first try at Kings. As I get more comfortable in the coming years I may branch out.

What great advice (from Pier#r), especially about "making your own leaders". Kings can be leader-shy and those relatively thick, gaudy leaders with a big snap-swivel are detractors. As well, a snap (safety-pin design) will often fail from the pressure put on it by a big king mackerel. It's so much better to use the wire leader and swivels. I connect the swivel to the wire and the wire to the treble hook with a haywire twist ( I twist/wrap the leader around about 10 times and I've never had the leader pull loose) on each connection and trim the tag ends with pliers.
The pier shuffle is quite easy and intuitive because you just watch your line and if your bait runs under/over another fisherman's line you just move with your bait down the rail until you're not crossed any more. Usually, if everyone is using similar baits, the baits will react to the wind and the current similarly, in proportion. Still, move down the rail with your bait on a windy day, so that the bow in your line doesn't get in the way of other fishermen trying to cast. It all quickly becomes intuitive and you just naturally move according to the situation.

There's a golden-rule aspect to pier fishing. You want other guys to watch their line so that it's not interfering with your line - So you do the same. Try to throw SOUTH when you're on the end of the pier and east or west from your position, when you're on the sides of the pier, especially when other fishermen are present. I mention the direction of your cast because the end of the pier isn't a rectangle.
When somebody else hooks up, the fish sometimes runs sideways, not straight out. Be aware and reel in your bait if there's a chance that you'll get in the other guy's way. Give the guy who has hooked up plenty of room and you'll be fine. It's what you'll want him to do when you're hooked up.

All great advice. As to the leaders, when you go to J&M in Orange Beach to get your basic tackle, get one of the salesmen to show you how to make a king leader. It really is easier, and works much better than pre-made, except for the pre-made leaders they actually make themselves at that store. If you see my pier cart with the yellow "HAYWIRE" flag, come say hello and I'll be glad to help you. DanS also has a flag on his cart, but he's not nearly as good looking as I am, nor as fat.

You will be amazed at the cooperation and friendliness you'll find at the pier, but remember that politeness goes a long way. If you smile at someone, they'll smile back but if you growl at them they'll throw you a bone and put you in a kennel.

Best of luck.

They have some fierce combo 6000 8 footers on Ebay. I too like the 8 foot models for the pier and they can double as a surf rod. They are a good fit for me.