Thread: Rod and reel question

I need help! Gearing up to start saltwater fishing at orange beach.

1) what rod and reel for bubble rig fishing?

2) what rod and reel for jig?

3) what rod and reel for spoon and plugs?

are y'all using surf rods and 30 braid to get the live bait rigs way out there?

rod and reel for ribbon bait rig?


Thanks for any and all help..

need to know your price range as far as the ribbon rig any rod and reel will work, I usually use one of my older ones for this

Any medium action spinning rod in the 7' range will work for jigs or bubble rigs and any other method you choose for the smaller fish like Spanish or trout. Larger fish like kings, reds, and Jacks need something in the 8' range, not exactly surf tackle. Some use braid for various reasons. Most bites I get are pretty close in. It is structure, after all. But a good spinning reel with 300 yards of 15# mono will land the bigger fish. Braid is problematic in the hands of a beginner. Ask questions, watch what others are doing. Don't forget treble hooks and wire leader. Good luck!

You also need to plan on how to transport the gear that you carry on and off. It's a long way and can be a game changer in this heat. You may also need a cooler with drinks and ice. My 2 cents

I bought an Okuma Avenger 50 several years ago on Amazon for my king reel due to it having a bait feeder drag and good line capacity for the price range. If you want, look up the specs on that to get an idea of what most people's reel sizes are like. There are similar offerings from companies like Penn, Daiwa, Shimano, Abu Garcia, etc that will get the job done. Main priority is line capacity of ~ 300 yards of line to absorb the run of a fish that you cannot stop by force.

I use an 8-foot 2-piece Ugly Stik. Is it extra sensitive? No. But it packs in my mid-size SUV without drama and doesn't break easily, and doubles as a surf rod pretty well.

I bought an inexpensive 11-foot Brawler surf rod from Bass Pro several years ago to replace a 15-foot 3-piece monstrosity that I bought before that. In general, huge rods help a little with casting, but create problems with line tension during the cast creating pyramid-weight-missiles, so you have to start using shock leaders or heavier main line to avoid killing anyone. Ironically (to the newbie like me), most of my fish I've caught were not "way out there", but just past the first sandbar, or at least at a distance that didn't require a giant surf rod to reach. I've probably caught more fish on my king rod than the actual surf rod...

In my experience, the biggest benefit of the tall rods is when the rod is staked into its PVC pipe holder - the line comes off the rod at a higher elevation, and doesn't enter the water until it's farther out. This keeps the waves from dragging on the line and moving it around as much, as well as adding visibility to the folks wading in the area. As swimmers get more frequent in the morning, you may be forced to cast farther out to keep people out of harm's way. I seem to catch fewer fish during those times.

I bring 4 rods on our annual beach trip -
1: 6-foot spinning rod with 8 or 10-lb test to use for catching bait on the pier. Doubles as light action rod for shallows or specks/flounder in backwater.
2: 7-foot rod with 10-12 lb test for Spanish and throwing lures in general. This can be a backup king rod in a pinch. Mine has ~250 yards of line.
3: 8-foot king rod
4: surf rod. Considering replacing with another 8-ft that could be used in surf or leaving rigged with a jerkbait for the pier

Those first three rods are very common to see on the pier. The last three are very common in the surf.

Originally Posted by crosshairy

I bought an Okuma Avenger 50 several years ago on Amazon for my king reel due to it having a bait feeder drag and good line capacity for the price range. If you want, look up the specs on that to get an idea of what most people's reel sizes are like. There are similar offerings from companies like Penn, Daiwa, Shimano, Abu Garcia, etc that will get the job done. Main priority is line capacity of ~ 300 yards of line to absorb the run of a fish that you cannot stop by force.

I use an 8-foot 2-piece Ugly Stik. Is it extra sensitive? No. But it packs in my mid-size SUV without drama and doesn't break easily, and doubles as a surf rod pretty well.

I bought an inexpensive 11-foot Brawler surf rod from Bass Pro several years ago to replace a 15-foot 3-piece monstrosity that I bought before that. In general, huge rods help a little with casting, but create problems with line tension during the cast creating pyramid-weight-missiles, so you have to start using shock leaders or heavier main line to avoid killing anyone. Ironically (to the newbie like me), most of my fish I've caught were not "way out there", but just past the first sandbar, or at least at a distance that didn't require a giant surf rod to reach. I've probably caught more fish on my king rod than the actual surf rod...

In my experience, the biggest benefit of the tall rods is when the rod is staked into its PVC pipe holder - the line comes off the rod at a higher elevation, and doesn't enter the water until it's farther out. This keeps the waves from dragging on the line and moving it around as much, as well as adding visibility to the folks wading in the area. As swimmers get more frequent in the morning, you may be forced to cast farther out to keep people out of harm's way. I seem to catch fewer fish during those times.

I bring 4 rods on our annual beach trip -
1: 6-foot spinning rod with 8 or 10-lb test to use for catching bait on the pier. Doubles as light action rod for shallows or specks/flounder in backwater.
2: 7-foot rod with 10-12 lb test for Spanish and throwing lures in general. This can be a backup king rod in a pinch. Mine has ~250 yards of line.
3: 8-foot king rod
4: surf rod. Considering replacing with another 8-ft that could be used in surf or leaving rigged with a jerkbait for the pier

Those first three rods are very common to see on the pier. The last three are very common in the surf.

This is funny. I am in my second year of doing this and your loadout looks almost identical to mine, give or take a few minor variations. Luckily, I retired my 15ft rod this year.

IMHO, the Avenger baitfeeder is one of the best kept secrets out there. A Van Stahl it's not, but mine has has performed and held up much better in the salt than several more popular and more expensive "name brand" reels that I have of similar capability.

Like the Ugly Stik, I find that the Berkley Big Game rods, at around 8ft. make good "in between" rods. They can fish lighter stuff ok, but also chunk pyramids almost as good as a surf rod.

You will need to decide what you are going to target and how. Surf fishing is not the same as pier fishing. Additionally, trout and Spanish are a lot different than jacks and reds.

My gear has evolved quite a bit the past three years. I now bring a handful of rods. All of my 8ft plus rods break down to two pieces for travel.

First, I have two 7ft medium light trout rods I bring for floating shrimp and casting small jigs for trout sized fish. These are paired with shimano Siennas. These rods are a ton of fun when fishing is hot. This past week, my first fishing trip I only carried these. Huge mistake as schools of jacks continuously stole my equipment and forced me to break them off before being spooled. Another note on these reels, I would use braid for line capacity. 15lb worked well for me.

Next, I bring my 8ft and 9ft rods - unsure of brand, but medium - for casting bigger lures and chunks of cutbait. These are combined with an Okuma Avenger 45 and Penn Fierce. They would be what I consider an all around setup that is OK at most things. By the end of last week I was using these for "trout" fishing because I was more likely to run into bigger fish. I loaded these with 20lb mono, but am considering 30lb braid here as well due to running out of line twice.

lastly, because I only surf fish I bring a 10ft and 12ft prevail rods with 8000 Conflict and FN Lethal 100. I used the rods for chunking cutbait. I try to have these lines in the water at all times. You never know what's out there. These setups handle anything thrown at them. Jacks on the 10ft setup are still a ton of fun. They are also able to handle 100+ lb stingrays. You would not really want to use these for smaller fish. I highly recommend the 10ft Prevail and Penn Conflict 8000, as well as the FN Lethal 100 for jacks, bull reds, sharks, and stingrays from the beach. I use 65lb braid here, sometimes with mono topshot of 40lb.

I will mainly be pier fishing. For a bubble rig could I use a 9 ft med action that I could also use on the beach?

You will find a rod that long to be unwieldy for a bubble rig, or for much pier fishing at all unless you are one of those rare people who can keep the rod pointed straight out from the pier all the time. There are a couple of pier rats who use rods longer than 8', but those guys have more experience than I have years left to gain it, and they use those rods for snobbling cigar minnows, throwing into the wind.