beach combo advice

[DrRaymondSnapper]

Have I just broken the record for longest reply.

[slothparade]

9 hours ago, DrRaymondSnapper said:

I guess that i have been doing the same as you [ looking for an allrounder on the beach ] but just been doing it for a lot longer and have tried multiple combinations of rods and reels. After all this time I think that I may have swapped around too much rather than becoming more familiar and confident by using a combo for a longer period. Having said that , I think that I have a fair idea of what suits my fishing type. When I first started beach fishing , it was with an Alvey 650 and a custom 14 ft fibreglass rod. Technology in materials and design has improved so much over the years that you can get the same results with a much smaller setup. I went from the Alvey to a Shimano Aerlex then a Speedmaster on a 12ft Revolution rod but wasn`t satisfied so then changed to Aerowaves with Big Baitrunner then 5500 Ultegra  XR. I also had a Pfleuger Contender 12ft with a Penn 750 Spinfisher at the time too. The Big Baitrunner was a handful at over 700gm for long sessions but with 20kg drag and massive line capacity , it could handle anything with fins , including the odd surfer. I didn`t want arms like Popeye the Sailor so I downsized to the Ultegra XR  which was an awesome reel off the beach --15kg drag / 350 yds of 30lb line capacity and only 455 gm in weight. The Ultegra was also unbeatable for anything that swam. I was fishing almost exclusively with bait and didn`t consider lure tossing to be a factor in rod and reel selection but in hindsight , the Ultegra could have done the job in short sessions but with larger metals or hardbodies.  After a sneaky wave stabbed me in the back on Dudley Beach one night and nearly drowned me , the Ultegra was never the same. I then got the idea that I could try and achieve the same results with lighter gear so started using first a Stradic C14 then a 6000 Saragosa on a 10ft [ or so ] Revolution rod. Then I became hooked on trying more different combinations - 6000 Socorro and 6000 Spheros and Daiwa TD Sol with Wilson Live Fibre and Shimano Sonic etc. The Spheros was definitely the pick of the reels that i used at the time and still use it occasionally. The fish that I was targeting were the typical salmon / tailor / jewie / bream species. Then lure throwing became big and I wanted something that could do that as well as casting big baits for hundreds of metres. The Spheros changed into the smaller Ultegra which still had a fairly strong 11kg drag with almost 300 metres of 20 lb line capacity but only weighed 285 gm. The rod changed from Shimano to Penn Prevails , first at 12ft then down to 9` 6. The lighter unit was a marked difference and was better for lure casting [ mainly the 9` 6 ] and allowed for longer fishing duration without the arm fatigue. I realise that weight is irrelevant if you stick your rod [ s ] in a holder and sit on your esky to fish off the beach but I think that you miss fish if you aren`t holding your rod and I`ve always avoided doing the holder thing. I didn`t feel that the lighter setup cost me anything in terms of stopping power for larger fish and if anything failed , it was usually due to poor knot tying or wrong terminal tackle. I was happy with the Ultegra / shorter Prevail for a long time but soon realised that I was kidding myself if I wanted to do both jobs with one combination. I will say that the 4000 Stradic c14 was also excellent with the Prevail. Now that I`d decided that 9`6 was the perfect bait throwing size , I changed the reel to a 5000 Stradic FL [ the one before the latest FM iteration ] and found it was superior in casting distance. I always prefer a nice big ball handle when retrieving [ snicker ] and found that 5000 was an excellent sized reel. The new Stradics are amazing reels -- very smooth and quiet like the Ultegra. For throwing lures now  I always carry a Shimano T Curve in 7`2 with a 5000 Stella FJ and never changed this as it couldn`t be faulted and performed flawlessly every time. Occasionally I would use an 8`6 Shimano Hardrocker BB with the Stella if I wanted a change for throwing metals further .I still use the Stradic now  but it doesn`t throw huge baits well but I don`t use them so its fine. Then I changed to a T Curve Surf model for a while but found it was disappointing. Then I discovered the Abu Garcia Veritas and it was a revelation.  The Veritas was superior to the Prevail with a faster action and excellent " feel ". its well balanced with the Stradic and I`m very happy with the combination and its my current go-to setup. The only downside to the the Veritas is the grip and it wears badly very quickly. The wrap grips on the Prevails are brilliant and are hard wearing and comfortable. For the Veritas I used tennis raquet overgrips to cover the damage and find it works a treat. Its hard to apply to the small sections but improves rod handling immeasurably. I bought the Penn Prevail Apex to see if it was any improvement on the 2 version but there was no appreciable difference in performance. Its very nice to use but inferior to the Veritas. The Veritas is probably the only rod that I would feel confident throwing  lures with and I think it would do the job with heavier slicers for salmon and tailor or big stickbaits for jewies. If you prefer more rod weight at the butt end and plenty of grunt then the big Ultegra XR would be hard to beat with the 12 ft Prevail 2 and I still use this combination when I expect to be battling larger fish like Jewies if I specifically target them with livies or big flesh bait strips. The Big Baitrunner gets a run too at times.  I don`t throw lures for jewies but would be happy if one accidentally took one when I was using the Veritas / Stradic setup. I recently got a 79cm specimen off Grassy Head when I was chasing tailor with the Veritas and it handled it with no dramas at all. Very exciting. I can only give an opinion on the rods and reels that I have used in the past and don`t have much experience with Daiwa gear. I seem to favour Shimano products for my angling gear. I am also sure that there are other great rods and reels out there that I haven`t tried ....yet. Other people will have different ideas on what constitutes a great beach outfit but the concept of one rod and reel to do the whole range of bait and lure fishing is unrealistic and you will require two different combinations to get the job done consistently. Rods and reels are very specialised these days and no manufacturer would claim that any one setup will be perfect in all situations. They have a vested interest in selling more gear so won`t produce anything that will reduce their capacity to make a profit. My opinions on rod and reel selection are only based on how I fish and what I fish for and will undoubtably differ to other peoples ideas of what constitutes  " beach fishing ". That is why it is important to consider this when choosing gear and getting hands-on experience with it before purchasing it. Don`t listen to sales staff in most cases and ignore exaggerated claims in advertisements. Be sure you know what you want from your fishing gear and choose it appropriately. Your reel maintenance and care is better than mine but make sure you get saltwater rated gear that will endure the harsh conditions of beach fishing.  It is also true that you should get fishing outfits that suits where you are mainly fishing and what you realistically expect to encounter. The right rod and reel won`t let you down when you need it the most and don`t be afraid to pay a bit more for quality gear. I think that I made the mistake of using too many different rods and reels rather than getting familiar with one setup for any length of time but it seemed like the right idea at the time. I hope that you can get some idea from my experiences and hope that I haven`t just confused you. Don`t overthink the subject and be realistic in what you hope to achieve. Good luck and the invitation stands.

Looking at the spheros, it's only 5g lighter than the same size Saragosa. Is there any other benefits of the spheros over the gosa? I can get the Saragosa for the same price as the spheros. 

Will reply to the rest when I get home. 

[DrRaymondSnapper]

Both the Spheros SW 6000 and Saragosa SWA 6000 are very similar in specifications. Both are solid , chunky reels with nice big knobs and carry about 300m of 30lb braid line capacity and have 10kg drags . The Saragosa has one more bearing but the Spheros is slightly lighter and is cheaper by about 25%. Personally , I really love the Spheros that I have and the extra $$ you save with the Spheros could be put towards a nicer rod. A lot of people love the Saragosa and I think that its a great reel but mine is attached to a Terez White 7` 6 and isn`t used on the beach whilst the Spheros performed well in that environment and I never felt under-gunned with the Spheros with any fish..

Edited April 22 by DrRaymondSnapper

[slothparade]

19 minutes ago, DrRaymondSnapper said:

Both the Spheros SW 6000 and Saragosa SWA 6000 are very similar in specifications. Both are solid , chunky reels and carry about 300m of 30lb braid line capacity and have 10kg drags . The Saragosa has one more bearing but the Spheros is slightly lighter and is cheaper by about 25%. Personally , I really love the Spheros that I have and the extra $$ you save with the Spheros could be put towards a nicer rod. A lot of people love the Saragosa and I think that its a great reel but mine is attached to a Terez White 7` 6 and isn`t used on the beach whilst the Spheros performed well in that environment and I never felt under-gunned with the Spheros with any fish..

Yeah, but considering I can get the Saragosa for $20 extra than the spheros, of there's no other benefits, I know which one on picking 😂. 

[DrRaymondSnapper]

Have you decided which beach rods and reels you are going to get and have you purchased anything yet ? I`m curious as to what you think will work best for you.

On 4/22/2024 at 10:34 AM, slothparade said:

Yeah, but considering I can get the Saragosa for $20 extra than the spheros, of there's no other benefits, I know which one on picking 😂. 

 

[Steve0]

On 4/21/2024 at 1:31 PM, DrRaymondSnapper said:

Have I just broken the record for longest reply.

You can edit in a bit more about the drag system if it falls short. Saragosa has dual drag; Spheros has front drag.  

 

[slothparade]

18 hours ago, DrRaymondSnapper said:

Have you decided which beach rods and reels you are going to get and have you purchased anything yet ? I`m curious as to what you think will work best for you.

 

Went and grab a saragosa last night, got it on a huge discount 😉. Then going up the coast in a couple weeks on bday to go pick out a rod. So far though, the saragosa feels a grade above the slammers. 

[DrRaymondSnapper]

Agree with that sentiment. Its great to get a new reel and even better when you get to use it. Good luck up the coast. If you don`t mind me asking , what sort of deal did you get ? No need to tell me where.

[Steve0]

15 hours ago, slothparade said:

Went and grab a saragosa last night, got it on a huge discount 😉. Then going up the coast in a couple weeks on bday to go pick out a rod. So far though, the saragosa feels a grade above the slammers. 

I'm sure you'll be delighted with it.

[slothparade]

15 hours ago, DrRaymondSnapper said:

Agree with that sentiment. Its great to get a new reel and even better when you get to use it. Good luck up the coast. If you don`t mind me asking , what sort of deal did you get ? No need to tell me where.

$250 inc spooling. Mates a Shimano dealer. 

I'll let you know what I end up choosing, and I'll see if I can find those abu's and DM you where they can be found. Thanks again for the great help

[DrRaymondSnapper]

I`m glad that I was able to help in your choice. That`s a good price for a great reel. I think that you`ll find that he Saragosa will be perfect for many situations. Now go and catch some PBs. Good luck.