Our Go-To Surf Rod/Reel Combos

[ProfessorM]

1201-m saltiga 4500

[MAKAI]

Handline.

[Pete F.]

St Croix Mojo 10/6 2-6 oz and 704z
St Croix Avid 10 3/4-4 and 704z
Daiwa Sealine 9 and 710z

[tattoobob]

I forgot to add my bait rods (I fish Sea Worms on a float rig in the Fall at Plum Island)

4 Older Lami Tri-flex 9'6" and Penn 6500ss reels I know they're Braid rods but I fish 20 pound Ande' Back Country with them

[JohnnySaxatilis]

10' mojo 1-4 and a vs200 those schoolies dont stand a chance

[freebie]

132 1l with 3" off the butt, lowrider concept guides. paired with an emblem pro a. plugging rod for the canal and beach. really launches 1.5-2.5 oz with ease. would like to upgrade the reel but unti lit breaks I'll keep using it

132 1m with a foot off the butt. paired with a daiwa exceler 5500. use it for canal jigging and anything else heavy

[rickhern]

1321M with TiCoated SS wire frames/ZB27 for the beach. Wrapped with 7 guides, starting with a 30, it is about the ugliest rod I seen but I don't have to worry about any more cracked rings when I inevitably trip in the rocks.

At the Canal, put the ZB on an Arra 1261mh wrapped dual purpose for big plugs and put an Emblem Pro on 1321m for distance with pencils.

1261mh/525mag for jigs/metal.

[SeaWolf]

being a rod builder, i've built and thrown a lot of rods and blanks. so, it's hard to suggest only a few. and, what works for one person in CT might not work in RI, or the Canal, or Nantucket, etc. but, with that said, here are a few of my highly recommended suggestions:

1.) GSB1321M and GSB1201M: great all around blanks. the 1321m has a little higher top end. both are great eeling sticks and about as durable a series as you can find. i fished my gsb1321m last spring and summer and forgot how great a rod this really is.
2.) SSU1201MH: one of my favorite all around blanks. not as great an eeling stick, but super light and lots of power with a wide lure range. i'm always surprised more people don't fish this series. it was one of lamiglas' better designs, at least the 1-piece ones.
3.) XRA1205: one of the best pure plugging blanks. if i get a call of a blitz around, i know i'll be plugging, and need to muscle fish in, this is one of the first rods i'll grab.
4.) GSB1081M/SSU1081M: both are great 9' rods that can handle Bombers to 3 oz darters and super light. the ssu is a little lighter and faster, the gsb is less expensive. both very similar overall.
5.) 4SRS110MHMF2: this "3-8 oz" St Croix Legend offering was my favorite rod all fall. i was able to throw 1oz jigs to 5-6 oz GRS lures and was never tired holding or casting an 11' rod after a night of fishing. this blank felt like it was a 1-piece rod.
6.) SB1213M: one of the best RI jetty blanks built. being glass it's very durable, can take being smacked around the rocks, strong, and cheap, if you can still find them. great built as conv.

for me, my spinning reel of choice is a VS 250. it could very easily be a VS200 as you really don't need a 250 for stripers. a VS150 is great for 9' rods. my conv reel is usually an Abu 7000C3. 50# braid on both.

as saltheart said, this list could very easily change in a year or 2. there are so many rod companies out now and many are building blanks for the NE surf. some just haven't caught on yet; some have. others are quite expensive. and others are very competitive in price. of course, what one person loves in a rod another hates. do you homework and shop wisely.

[stripermaineiac]

A friend of mine was reading this over my shoulder an commented that those reels are nice for who can afford them but what about some choices for those of us with shallow pockets. 100 reels an such. so question is does anyone have any reels in the lower price ranges they.ve had good luck with?

[ProfessorM]

I used a Stradic 8000 for a long time and never had any issues.
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[1dozenraw]

Shimano Baitrunners 3500B and 4500B were very good to me. Penn 704Z with bail-less kit. 706Z. I also like the Spheros. Mine are older. Have not used the new ones. I also have a Penn Battle that is good so far. Anyway... don't want to start a new topic.

[Clogston29]

stradic seams best for the money. have a fiend who beats on one and it keeps going, although not as smooth as it once was. probably the best bang for the buck out there, especially if you keep it dry.

[Saltheart]

Originally Posted by stripermaineiac

A friend of mine was reading this over my shoulder an commented that those reels are nice for who can afford them but what about some choices for those of us with shallow pockets. 100 reels an such. so question is does anyone have any reels in the lower price ranges they.ve had good luck with?

Penn has taken care of the low budget surf fisherman for many decades.

[JohnnySaxatilis]

take those 2 or 3 crappy reels over the years and one or two not so crappy reels that you keep spending money to fix, and vuala, theres your budget for 1 good reel

[stripermaineiac]

Hard part for some is that would mean not bein able to fish at all as the budget just isn't there for many right now.My ist outfit was a 9ft6in Berkley bucanneer rod with a revelation reel.Then came a Mitchell 302 and a Garcia Conolon 10 ftr.took 2 yrs to save for it.If i didn't have the cheap outfit no fishing.The reason i learned to build rods in the beginning was that I couldn't afford to buy a custom rod.So money for the beginner is important when gettin an outfit.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by Saltheart

Penn has taken care of the low budget surf fisherman for many decades.

Most of the cheaper Penn products now are Chinese junk.

[JamesJet]

Most of the time its an XRA 1205 and a Spheros 8000 (great reel you can load with braid for <$200 all in). I know thats not the flashy combo but its done well for me. I might upgrade the reel this year. I have been known to jig with a Allstar 1209 and older Abu 7000 or a 7000HSN.

[SeaWolf]

one of the best, proven "budget" reels for years is the old reliable 704/704z (705 for lefties). they are not the best for braid, but will work. you can find them used quite often on BSTs and ebay. i know i have a few used green 704s i'd flip. a 710 also works, but is starting to get too small. with the "Z-series" penns, you just needed to clean the drags often and the housing from time to time if you fished hard or dunked it. you will go thru dog and bail springs, but there are manual conversions around for the 704. other options are cabos, stardics, etc.

you will see used van staals around on BSTs too. they really are not too highly priced. i've seen 150s for $450 and once in a while a 200s for $500. if you dunk your reel and are sick of cleaning penns or other reels, van staals are hard to beat. they have manual maintenance options availble too. but, i don't mind spending $60/year to have mine serviced. i don't own a zee bass, but they are another alternative, but i don't see them used at a reasonable price too often. if you don't fish that often, i can see either of these as not a viable option. if you fish a lot, its something you really should consider.

[stripermaineiac]

LOL Well I just saved his budget. You guys sparked my memory so I dug through a tote of old stuff and gave him an older 704z with the good bail and an American made 7500. He's happy as no more fightin with the wife till he gets his income tax back an wants a custom rod since the reels were very cheap LOL

[johnny ducketts]

zebco 202

[Chris The Greek]

XS 101 MSAC 2-5 oz with custom work on it paired with a VS 200

[DZ]

Originally Posted by johnny ducketts

zebco 202

Good one JD!

2nd that - Zebco 202Z customized by sealing and drilled out for drainage. Don't forget to remove the drag clicker. Send in for service once a week to maintain lifetime warranty.

All kidding aside who else grew up with a 202? I personally took a 7lb largemouth while using one casting a hulapopper into a local farm pond.

[Pete F.]

A 202 was my go to reel until I stepped up to a Mitchell 304, the bail spring broke on that. I cut the bail off and fished with it till the gears wore out.

[stripermaineiac]

202's,404's,an Mitchell 300 were the way to go. That and the Sears Ted Williams.

[5/0]

Originally Posted by DZ

Good one JD!

2nd that - Zebco 202Z customized by sealing and drilled out for drainage. Don't forget to remove the drag clicker. Send in for service once a week to maintain lifetime warranty.

All kidding aside who else grew up with a 202? I personally took a 7lb largemouth while using one casting a hulapopper into a local farm pond.

My kids each have one,my daughter can cast her's well she's 12yo.

[Mr. Sandman]

SSU1201MH with Stella 8000, the most comfortable surf set up ever for non submergence operations (75%) First choice for all night time fishing.

SSU 132 1MH with Zbaas for more extreme operations. ( I swap reels sometime on this set up... sometimes I put a saltiga 4500 w/custom handle ) (25%)


For light tackle surf: I always go for a st.Croix premiere or legend surf (7') with a stella 5000. This is an awesome combo. I have had more fun fishing with this rod/reel than any other combo from the surf. The feeling is amazing and you can handle a surprisingly big fish with this. I have caught 50# tuna in my boat with them as well a albies/bones/blues/bass from the beach. My go to daytime rod for sure!


For ultra light surf I fish a 6' Gloomis greenwater with a stella 2500 with 10# braid. (like casting air) What a hoot!! I have been spooled on this a couple times but generally I get close to the arbor but land the fish. A big albie on this is scary.

A couple photos from the light and ultra light category:

[slow eddie]

last year i fished non-convential for the first time. used older abu's from sweeden. 6000 or 7000. usually on either one of two different 9' rods that wickford had made for me. arthritis has ruined my hands for them.
the rods i fished were two lami's from the late 60's. one was for plugs under 2 oz.s the other was slightly heavier for over 3oz's. both 9 ft+. these rods were before they started using # and letters to identify them
reels are the older penn 550's. take a beating but keep on ticking. i buy every one i can find for the parts. used with 20# ande back country, great combo's for the beach or the rocks.

[Adam_777]

I'm no pro but I'll weigh in.Loomis 1266S for spinning is my all around go to rod.I sold one and wasn't able to find a rod that I liked as much.I bought another.Reels on the other hand is another problem.I've tried this and that and those.Had a lefty VS250 on the 1266 and made the mistake of selling it.Good luck finding a silver VS250L anymore.Last year I ruined a new emblem pro in under 10 trips.I got a VM150 and it's nice but just a tad small for what I'm used to.

[Stewie]

I almost always use a Daiwa 20H conventional reel on either an older Daiwa Sealine 11 foot 2 piecer, or my honey 121-3M. Depending on whether or not I feel comfortable with a one piece rod hanging out the back window of the truck.

[Eric Roach]

Good to hear from you, Stewie.
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