I was curious for your opinions on a plugging rod and reel set up. This is my first venture with surf fishing. I plan on staying with it but I want to be budget minded for my first set up. I do want to throw plugs and this is a couple of items im considering. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I have a question is far as reel sizes in this model and what size is appropriatte?

Spinfisher V | pennreels.com (http://www.pennreels.com/products/reels/spinning-reels/spinfisher-v)

And here is the rod Im considering

Prevail Surf | pennreels.com (http://www.pennreels.com/products/rods/surf-rods/prevail-surf)

It would be the 11 footer in this model.. Thanks so much

What size plugs and where would you be fishing?

Why stick with Penn, lots of other options out there.

What size plugs and where would you be fishing?

Why stick with Penn, lots of other options out there.

Thats just it. Im very new to salt water. So when you ask about penn. Its the only name I really know. And as far as plugs go. Your guess would be as good as mine. Its my second post. My first was my greeting.

for entry level/budget reel that are quality, look at the shimano spheros, proven reel, low cost, good return on investment if you decide to sell it and easy to maintain.

for rods i would stay with a company that mainly makes rods as their primary focus.

for rods that wont break the bank, I loved my lami surfking 11ft, it was rated 3 to 8oz, which is a joke, it thru loaded redfins to 5oz grs plugs, was a great surf rod for the money.

the TFO rods are really popular and so are the star stella rods. Ive never fished either one.

Stay away from the Mojo rods, to many issues, cheap guides that are angled the wrong way, and lots of issues with the handles/grips.

Plenty of options really only limited by budget and what you are planning on throwing and areas you fish.

always lots of killer used gear here to in the classifieds

Whats your Budget? That way you may get people chiming in with a combo that fits it for you.

Also would you be fishing Beaches or off the rocks? Both?

Whats your Budget? That way you may get people chiming in with a combo that fits it for you.

Also would you be fishing Beaches or off the rocks? Both?

Probably around 250 max as far as money. Im sure it will be both rocks and beaches. Im a freshwater fisherman. This a completely different world to me.

for entry level/budget reel that are quality, look at the shimano spheros, proven reel, low cost, good return on investment if you decide to sell it and easy to maintain.

for rods i would stay with a company that mainly makes rods as their primary focus.

for rods that wont break the bank, I loved my lami surfking 11ft, it was rated 3 to 8oz, which is a joke, it thru loaded redfins to 5oz grs plugs, was a great surf rod for the money.

the TFO rods are really popular and so are the star stella rods. Ive never fished either one.

Stay away from the Mojo rods, to many issues, cheap guides that are angled the wrong way, and lots of issues with the handles/grips.

Plenty of options really only limited by budget and what you are planning on throwing and areas you fish.

always lots of killer used gear here to in the classifieds

Thank you for the advice on brands. With my Baitcasters. I love my shimano curados. Im just not to keen on there saltwater products.

good luck man....it can be a challenge. I use an 8ft Ugly stick that's served me fine for jetties, piers and small river entrances, and a 10ft no name that was given to me and would probably be laughed at by most people if the saw it, but it gave me a way to get to the fish. I use the Okuma Bait Caster Reels, pretty cheap($60-$80) and have been pretty happy. I fish 5-7 nights a week in the summer.

for entry level/budget reel that are quality, look at the shimano spheros, proven reel, low cost, good return on investment if you decide to sell it and easy to maintain.

for rods i would stay with a company that mainly makes rods as their primary focus.

for rods that wont break the bank, I loved my lami surfking 11ft, it was rated 3 to 8oz, which is a joke, it thru loaded redfins to 5oz grs plugs, was a great surf rod for the money.

the TFO rods are really popular and so are the star stella rods. Ive never fished either one.

Stay away from the Mojo rods, to many issues, cheap guides that are angled the wrong way, and lots of issues with the handles/grips.

Plenty of options really only limited by budget and what you are planning on throwing and areas you fish.

always lots of killer used gear here to in the classifieds

ChefChris is right about the Spheros reels. Great bang for the buck. The Lami Surf Kings are good rods for the money and Lamiglas has always been good to me with the warranty. I had a 9' Surf King with a Spheros that I gave to my 8 year old son for his first surf combo.

As far as the Mojo's, I've fished 2 of them for well over a year and had no issues whatsoever. They get dropped and banged around on the rocks a lot and hold up better than some of the thin-walled custom rods out there that break if you look at them the wrong way. No problems with handles or reel seat on mine, either. Also, St. Croix stands behind their products as well as anybody from what I've been told, but I've never needed the warranty.

I'd recommend the Mojo but if you're trying to stay around $250 for the combo, the Surf King and Spheros is a good choice and you won't break the bank. You also might want to look at the Tsunami or Tica surf rods. I have no experience with them, but have heard good things and they are definitely budget friendly.

I went through the same process a few years ago and the owner of my local tackle shop set me up with something that chefchris basically just mentioned. I bought the shimano spheros 6000 class reel and paired it with the Star Stellar lite rod 9 footer 2 piece. I loaded it with 40lb braid and was off and running. I have used it for tossing chunks of clam and macks with 2-3 oz sinkers, wood plugs in the 2-3oz range, sluggos with jigheads, bucktails, swimming minnows and even eels. I have since bought some set ups that are more specific to locations and what I'm using for lures/bait, but it was a great set up that let me fish a lot of different ways and figure out what I needed down the line.

11' might be overkill for you for now. Try going with a 9 ' or 10' rod.

If you are going to throw mostly Bombers, Redfins and Rubber like Sluggos try a 9 foot Tica UEHA427402S 1/2 -3 oz. for $80 and pair it up with a Penn 650ssm for $90. Throw a spool of 30 lb Suffix Performance Braid on it for $32.

That comes to $202....that leaves you $48 to buy Bombers, Redfins and Sluggos :hee:

You'll find as you get more into Striper fishing (and you will) you'll need different setups for the different ways of fishing and lures you are using.

Hope this helps....


Tica Rods (http://www.digitaldagger.com/rods/tica.html)

Penn Spinfisher Reel (http://www.tackledirect.com/penn-spinfisher-ssm-reels.html)

Suffix Braid (http://www.tackledirect.com/sufix-braid.html)

Bombers (http://www.saltwateredge.com/store/Bomber-A-Salt-Bomber.html)

Redfins (http://www.saltwateredge.com/store/Cotton-Cordell-Red-Fin.html)

Sluggos (http://www.kitterytradingpost.com/product.php/pid/3/sid/34/tid/192/prodid/14206)

Spheros, for sure

This is truly alot of information to soak up. Like I said in my greeting. This isnt just throwing jigs into structure like I normally fish. Alot of different tactics and approaches to this type of fishing.


But I noticed a reply that said an 11 ft rod might be to over kill for now. Please correct me on this but isnt a longer rod gonna get a good flying bait out there farther? And is 30lb braid kind of the norm for entry level surf fishing??

If you decide to stray from the 11' rod idea, I have a 9' TFO surf rod that we could work something out on. Throws a really great range of weights.
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Hi Lee,
I too made this same change from exclusively freshwater to salt. With anything unfamiliar, there is hesitation and at some point you just have to pull the trigger and do that thing. I bought a cheap 9' Okuma surf combo at #^&#^&#^&#^&'s and it lasted 4 years. Only two years if I had caught more than 10 fish in the first 2 yrs, but it worked enough to change my confidence. At that point, I then stepped away from entry level gear because I knew what I wanted to accomplish with lures or eels and how/where I'd be fishing.

So I agree with what the guys here said 9-10ft. rod. The Tica is far better than the rod I first purchased. And the Spheros is a solid choice first reel. 30lb braid Suffix/Power pro are good. & keep lure choices simple like the Dad Fisherman said. Good luck, fish with a friend that knows enough about a locale, and have fun.

Get a Tsunami Rod and spend more on the reel. Those are great rods for the price

If scratch is willing to sell the 9' tfo that's the rod I would buy. They are good rods for less money then most rods in there class. I'd also agree with the spheros
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when i got serious I went from 9ft rods to 11ft rods, never bothered fishing a 10ft.

Its all personal preference in what size rod you want to use, some people never go 11ft rods, its a matter of choice.

Personally I wouldnt go with power pro for line either.

I like spiderwire invisabraid, sufix or the daiwa samurai

I prefer 50lb braid over 30lb as youll get less wind knots starting out as the lighter stuff seems more prone to it.

As far as the reel size, it depends on what size rod you go with.

The 8000 spheros would be my pick.

Lee I tried to send you a PM but where youre new to the site I dont know if you know how to retrieve it yet. I have a 10 ft Lamiglas 1205 XRA posted in the classified section, that is a little more than a starter type rod, but is an overall excellent plugging rod. I have an old Spheros 8000FB in good condition with some 50 lb PowerPro on it that I will sell to you as a combo for $275.00 if youre interested. This would be a great setup, and cover all your needs in the surf.

Lee I tried to send you a PM but where youre new to the site I dont know if you know how to retrieve it yet. I have a 10 ft Lamiglas 1205 XRA posted in the classified section, that is a little more than a starter type rod, but is an overall excellent plugging rod. I have an old Spheros 8000FB in good condition with some 50 lb PowerPro on it that I will sell to you as a combo for $275.00 if youre interested. This would be a great setup, and cover all your needs in the surf.

you could do alot worse that this for starters, assuming you can transport and store a 1 piece rod.

for rod length, i'd recommend 9' or 10'. 11' is kind of a specialty length IMO, almost all your needs will be better suited with a 9 or 10, especially in the beginning. 11 will wear you out and be overkill in 95% of situations (i don't own one and never feel the need for one). If I could only have one rod it would be a 10' lami 1201m. If you can find a used one of those in your price range, jump on it.

A used rod is a great idea. You buy them new, decide a year later that you need something different, and you will get back 1/2 of your original price, maybe.

If you buy them used, you can probably get your money back if and when you decide it's time.

Whatever I bought, I'd start with a ten footer, a happy medium.


If you buy a used rod from someone on this site, You stand a terrific chance of being treated fairly, much better than Craigslist or other sources.

I'll take a turn in the barrel
If I was just starting I would get a 9' rod, 6000 series reel and 20# Fireline
Remember it's not a distance casting contest
Just be happy if you catch some fish
Bigger fish and rods will come or not
Have fun
Now you can start a what plugs should I use thread so we can avoid the shack nasties

lee your the first one to know of the bill&juls tackle sale at our house we have 20 rods and 20 reels spinning baitcasting reels penn shimano daiwa abu garcia rods many customs and okumas loomis st.croix fenwick surf rods from 7ft.to 11.6ft.also 5 baitcastingrods also hundreds of lures of evry kind and size new and used . also i am a experience surf fisherman and charter capt. sale is march 2&3 at my house .if interested you can get in touch with us at julbil @ comcast .net:):)

My suggestion is to buy the all star 1208 in the bst forum and put a penn 710 on it. You could have that rod and a 710 greenie for about your $250 max. Fish the 710 w/ 14 lb fireline. If at somepoint you decide you want something more modern, like a spheros, sell the 710 for the $30 you payed for it and use the money toward a new reel. The 1208 is pretty much the one rod that is capable of doing everything and the 710 will handle almost anything you would hook. Maybe buy new washers right away for a few dollars.