I am soon to buy a surf rod and was thinking of pairing a Penn Firece ($70) or Battle 8000 ($100) on a 12ft Penn Prevail($100) with 500yd of 50# Power Pro braid ($45). Other surf rods and reels are not out of the question this is just what I’ve been looking at so far because of the trust in the name. I am trying to stay under $250 with the total package any advice or opinions would be appreciated.
17ft Key west
The reels are good, I prefer a shorter rod, I use a 8 and 9 foot myself. You dont have to cast very far around here in the surf for fish, 9 is more than enough unless you are targeting sharks only, where it might be better for casting distance. I use a 6000 or 7000 size real myself with 15 or 20 pound mono. Even use a 5000 with 12 pound mono. Bigger reel might come in handy if you are after sharks, if not 5000-7000 would do. Alot of people are unlucky with braid in the surf, as lots of shells/sand etc cause abrasions and broken line.
40inchred,
check your PM
If you’re looking to catch smaller fish in the surf that is way over kill. Go with what inshoreangler suggested. If your going after sharks either reel in an 8000 size is good. I have a battle myself because it has a better drag than the fierce. You could get away with a smaller reel but you lose a decent bit of capacity. I run 300yds of 65lb power pro and tie in 50lb mono the rest of the way. Use whatever knot you want but I haven’t had the alberto knot fail on me ever. This will give you about 360yds total. Plenty to run with but you can also crank it down pretty good if you have to. I have hooked several that needed the capacity and the drag to land. Just make sure that you have a mono topshot for abrasion resistance or you will lose some good fish. As far as rods go, I would stay away from penn rods made of graphite I have heard of quite a few people having them break along with myself. I had a brwnd new spinfisher surf rod snap in half in the middle of a cast. A lot of guys that I have talked to seem to love the ocean master surf rods by bass pro shops for casted shark rigs. They cost a bit more ($150-$160) but are really strong and cast very well. I haven’t got one myself but my next heavy surf rod will be an ocean master. Hope this helps.
quote:
Originally posted by 40inchredsI am soon to buy a surf rod and was thinking of pairing a Penn Firece ($70) or Battle 8000 ($100) on a 12ft Penn Prevail($100) with 500yd of 50# Power Pro braid ($45). Other surf rods and reels are not out of the question this is just what I’ve been looking at so far because of the trust in the name. I am trying to stay under $250 with the total package any advice or opinions would be appreciated.
Sounds like a pretty stout set-up for “surf” fishing. Seems like a good combo for bigger sharks. I will still carry my 6-1/2’ spinning rig, used for pond fishing, on vacations to Florida. Have caught alot of surf fish with it. And my opinion on Penn? I have a v5500 and dont like it at all. As far as a rod, dont over drag it. Meaning, dont put a real with 50lbs of drag on a rod rated for 40lb max line weight. Also 50lb line on the same rod, probably not the best idea. My opinion. Good luck.
I have been an avid surf fisherman all my life and have fished a large portion of the surf in SC. I have enjoyed a lot of success especially in the fall of the year when the finger mullet move into the surf in schools. Everything turns on then, especially the redfish (my favorite). There are many rods and reels available that will suit your needs. Like InshoreAngler, I too prefer an 8-9 foot rod. Longer rods are really not necessary to effectively fish the SC surf because I have found the most productive areas to be close to the beach (just beyond the breakers, in the breakers, and in deep troughs between the breakers and the beach). My suggestion is to consider going to the Abu Garcia website. They have an Ambassadeur 7000I combo (8’ MH rod) for $129.99. The reel purchased alone is around $145.00 so this is a bargain. What I have personally done is but the combo and then go to the Digital Gagger website and purchase a Tica 9’ spinning rod (UEHA527402S) for $80.00 and an Ambassadeur 6500C3 reel for $98.00. I take the 7000I off the 8’ Ambassadeur rod and put in on the Tica 9’ rod. I put the Ambassadeur 6500C3 on the 8’ rod. These are great prices and you end up with 2 well balanced rods and reels. Total price is $308 plus taxes and shipping. Hope this helps. All the suggestions posted in response are good ones. Good luck and good fishing.
The prevail 12ft rod has a rating of 40lb mono or 65lb braid. I used 50lb braid and it worked fine. I have used the rod about 20 times. it states that you can use a 10oz sinker, but i would not do that. i have used a 6oz weight in rough surf and i had no problems at all. the 8000 reel and prevail 12ft is definitely a big fish reel.
This is a repost to correct misspelled words. I have been an avid surf fisherman all my life and have fished a large portion of the surf in SC. I have enjoyed a lot of success especially in the fall of the year when the finger mullet move into the surf in schools. Everything turns on then, especially the redfish (my favorite). There are many rods and reels available that will suit your needs. Like InshoreAngler, I too prefer an 8-9 foot rod. Longer rods are really not necessary to effectively fish the SC surf because I have found the most productive areas to be close to the beach (just beyond the breakers, in the breakers, and in deep troughs between the breakers and the beach). My suggestion is to consider going to the Abu Garcia website. They have an Ambassadeur 7000I combo (8’ MH rod) for $129.99. The reel purchased alone is around $145.00 so this is a bargain. What I have personally done is buy the combo and then go to the Digital Dagger website and purchase a Tica 9’ spinning rod (UEHA527402S) for $80.00 and an Ambassadeur 6500C3 reel for $98.00. I take the 7000I off the 8’ Ambassadeur rod and put in on the Tica 9’ rod. I put the Ambassadeur 6500C3 on the 8’ rod. These are great prices and you end up with 2 well balanced rods and reels. Total price is $308 plus taxes and shipping. Hope this helps. All the suggestions posted in response are good ones. Good luck and good fishing.