Surf rod talk and the likes...

[Bryce Neyland]

Raiders,

Looking at buying a new rod shortly to suit beach fishing.

I am looking at a surf rod to get out there a bit amongst the devils. I am in SA atm, so will probably be targeting whiting and the sort (so lighter fish, but will chase any fish I can later on).

I was wondering your opinions on what length rod and reel for beach fishing? I like quality gear, so I dont mind spending more for some good stuff that lasts. I have heard Alvey's been talked about, but do they have more benefits then your usual eggbeater? And am I going the right way (should I be buying a flick stick for plastics on the beach?)

Any advice would be great.

Cheers,

Honk

[tyse01]

ive got a 13'6 live fibre chamion trophy from wilson. The rod works a treat. can hanlde salmon, taylor with ease.. if your targetting bream/whiting etc i use a 12 foot rod, nothing wrong with useing 2 rods off the beach.. I use the live fibre with a 650 alvey. I prefer alvey, especially off the beach as there is no problem with getting sand in it and it casts further. If you get sand in an alvey, just piss on it and its good to go again

[Bryce Neyland]

ive got a 13'6 live fibre chamion trophy from wilson. The rod works a treat. can hanlde salmon, taylor with ease.. if your targetting bream/whiting etc i use a 12 foot rod, nothing wrong with useing 2 rods off the beach.. I use the live fibre with a 650 alvey. I prefer alvey, especially off the beach as there is no problem with getting sand in it and it casts further. If you get sand in an alvey, just piss on it and its good to go again

Is the 13 6 any good for catching both fish? or is this a case of two different kettles of fish?

Haha and I thought messing around with stinking bait was rough..

[tyse01]

dont get me wrong, ive caught plenty of bream on the 13'6 but i prefer a lighter weighted rod for bream/whiting.. i use both set ups.. personally i havent had much luck with plastics off the beach, nothing better than live bait, worms, yakkas.. catch heaps of salmon, taylor, flat head on gang hooks and pilchards..

Cheers

[Bryce Neyland]

dont get me wrong, ive caught plenty of bream on the 13'6 but i prefer a lighter weighted rod for bream/whiting.. i use both set ups.. personally i havent had much luck with plastics off the beach, nothing better than live bait, worms, yakkas.. catch heaps of salmon, taylor, flat head on gang hooks and pilchards..

Cheers

thanks for the help mate. How do you go if your lucky enough to hook up a salmon or taylor on the light rod? as I can only buy one rod for now, trying to cover my ass.

[tyse01]

yeh fine mate. But i would recommend at least 12 foot for the beach.

[iphone4]

As you know, there is no all purpose reel and rod. Also when you want to buy a rod for the beach, you want it to be paired with something that is good with the reel you have.

If you want something fun, I would definitely go something light. and a 12 -13ft rod for whiting? isnt that an overkill?

[tyse01]

yeh its definately overkill. ive actually got a 10ft light rod too for inclose shore fishing

Just figured a general rod for beach would be 12 foot

[Bryce Neyland]

As you know, there is no all purpose reel and rod. Also when you want to buy a rod for the beach, you want it to be paired with something that is good with the reel you have.

If you want something fun, I would definitely go something light. and a 12 -13ft rod for whiting? isnt that an overkill?

Yeah, I definitely realise that in most cases one rod is for one application.

I guess I am chasing the smaller fish, and when I want to get amoungst the bigger stuff should get another set up then.

I am a little concerned that I need a long rod to get it out there. 10 foot enough? And still run with the alvey for a bit more distance?

All your help is much appreciated crew.

Cheers,

Honk

[bennoz]

the size of the rod is mainly to help with casting and getting the line above the waves

sure you can use a 6' light boat rod, but from my past experience the longer rod helps ALOT fishing from the beach / rocks.

the weight class of the rod doesnt have alot to do with the size.

Wilson Shoreline, 10'6" running 10-12lb on a 3000-4000 size reel is a decent light surf kit

[Bryce Neyland]

the size of the rod is mainly to help with casting and getting the line above the waves

sure you can use a 6' light boat rod, but from my past experience the longer rod helps ALOT fishing from the beach / rocks.

the weight class of the rod doesnt have alot to do with the size.

Wilson Shoreline, 10'6" running 10-12lb on a 3000-4000 size reel is a decent light surf kit

And any opinion regarding alvey or spinning reel?

Thanks for your input mate.

[abecedarian]

the size of the rod is mainly to help with casting and getting the line above the waves

sure you can use a 6' light boat rod, but from my past experience the longer rod helps ALOT fishing from the beach / rocks.

the weight class of the rod doesnt have alot to do with the size.

I second that! The rod length has nothing to do with the size of fish you catch. It's to do with being able to cast further and keep the line above the waves or off the rocks. A lot of the time a shorter rod is preferable for big fish as the longer rods have too much leverage working against you.

If you plan on fishing bait then a 12ft rod is ideal. If you get one about 10kg you'll easily land salmon and small kings off the stones. Plus if you get a good graphite rod you'll have no trouble casting light weights for bream etc. A 10kg rod is overkill though for these fish, but fish light leaders and you'll still have fun!

If budget permits I highly recommend a nitro surf assassin. Closest rod you'll get to an all rounder for beach and rocks.

[Guest SnaggedAgain]

The other raiders already gave great info.

Here is my 2 cents worth:

Silstar Crystal Blue Power Tip 10 footer[$100-$130] + 6000 series reel (Daiwa Emcast[$140] or Windcast - depending on the budget)

I prefer 10' because I can also use it when rock fishing. 12' gets too bulky for me, I am on the short side. The rod is light enough but can handle quite a bit. If you can handle 12'then go for that one. It will help you to get some extra distance and clear the waves.

Alvey rod and reel both will do great. But it might take few practice cast just to get the hang of it. Easiest thing to maintain/service.

[bennoz]

alvey reels are THE beach fishing reel. Tough, no moving parts. Can take all the sand salt knocks you can through at it.

BUT - no moving parts means 1:1 retrieve ratio so it can take a good minute or two of solid winding to reel a long cast in. i wouldnt be using lures with it either. Also i could never use the side cast system that alvey reels use - but im just unco

you'l also need a specific rod to use the alvey with - low reel seat and a xtra large 1st guide. their fairly common but it will limit your options

spinning reels are fine to use. id get a 4000 size minimum. you want enough line on your reel in case you get a solid run... or a weed monster more likley

i wouldnt be spending big either. the salt and sand will eat through any reel over time. If fishing from the rocks you may like to get a high retrieve ratio if you'd like to spin a few lures.

overhead reels great on the beach. abit easier to maintain. cast further when used correctly. Although if you havent used an overhead before id stay away. getting birds nests its just painful. Also if you want to stay light on the beach then getting a suitable size takes abit of shopping around

The most important thing is BALANCE. make sure you try the reel, rod and line together before you buy. you can use a balanced outfit all day. When holding the outfit in the shop, it should be balanced between the front of the reel and the end of the top handgrip

Ive got a heavy spinning outfit that weights close to 2kgs. yes it sounds heavy but i can spin all day and not feel tired

[rockfisherman]

I switched to Alvey not long ago, only because I lost a couple of reels to the sand, it dosnt take long to get the hang of an Alvey, ie using the side cast, using your finger to guide line on ( which you get a hang of when you spool your reel ) further more, I appreciate the fact it takes a little technique to use one of these fantastic aussie reels. Also 1:1 ratio means you don't have to pump and wind, just wind, but some reels have the rapid retrieve feature which gives you 2:1 ratio.

Gradually iv been getting rid of my spin gear and have been replacing it with Alvey gear. Less maintenance, with the added comfort of knowing that it will still be ok.

[Bryce Neyland]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I have a lot of looking around to do.

[stricko4]

Hey Honk,

My light tackle beach rod is a Snyder Glass Mag Bream 11' It's a composite blank, very light & easy to handle. I run a Diawa 4000 size reel with 10lb braid. It's a fantastic set up & has accounted for some whopper bream & whitting. This is by far my favourite beach outfit

My heavier outfit is a Wilson Live Fibre 12' that is a graphite blank & again very light & easy to handle. On it I run a Shimano 4500 baitrunner & 15lb braid & it has accounted for everything up to 3kg salmon & tailor with ease.

I've spun metals on both with success but I think the Wilson is more suited to this sort of fishing.

I've got an Alvey as well but I'm in the unco box as well & haven't been able to mater it yet although I haven't used it very much to be honest

Paul

[davebrewer]

I also have a Magbream extended to 13' with a lowmount winch-I use it for luderick fishing with an old Avon,and for general light rock and beach with a 6" Alvey loaded wth 12lb mono.My biggest salmon was landed on this outfit also,so it's pretty versatile.I have a 4120G for spinning,with a Stradic 8000 and 14lb braid-I can use either outfit for hours without fatigue.I have heavier outfits but rarely use them these days.