Why the leader above the 3 way swivel?

Extra abrasion resistance. If everything goes according to plan, you're fighting a 4 ft red on a pretty flat playing field. When she makes her runs, it's preferable to have her rubbing on the 100lb instead of 20 lb running line or 40 lb topshot.

It's also nice to have the extra length of heavy line for leadering fish.

Anyone ever used a bait launcher? Like a pvc air cannon?

http://www.baitcannons.com/

If so, what kind of results did you have? Worth the money?

That's what I figured. When I throw live shrimp under a cork, I like the corks with a stick in them so I've started using leader through the cork to keep it from slipping. I also put a swivel above all of it to make switching over to lures much easier.

Great info here. Thanks for sharing.

Family is renting a beach house next week in Galveston just west of East Beach. I don't have the set up to surf fish off the beach but I'm curios if anyone wade fishes the cuts between the sandbars. If so what types of fishing lures typically works best? Topwater, Crankbaits, Spoons?

How's the surf fishing this time of year? Is it wishful thinking I could get into some specs or a possible red?

I am in for the "fun" of it. Salt of the water has some great advice here and on other threads. I just have little time and equipment to prep for this as all my rigging gear is at POC and have no time to go get it prior to the trip to Port A.

I am going to run it on a "quick trip" to Academy. I had envision it as a $50 investment in a rod/reel combo and leaving it at the beach if is crap. $250 dollars later for reel/rod/leaders/hooks/etc. later it is a "little"more serious, but just more than painting a crooked smile on my face and asking "why so serious?" I plan to do this later, so who go disposable completely at this point.

Our weekend is for family relaxation and fun. If we catch a fuggin hardhead, or two, i'll quit for the day. And be good with it. Son has his skim and body boards, I have beer and we all have a metal detector to break the time.

NO pressure. In fact, I am just as interested in using the light and cheap gear to catch Whiting. For bait, but it we catch them easy and several, I will fillet them for an experiment, as I hear they are good to eat.

My only question is how do i go back one year and read this post before going to PINS?

Thanks so much the info. This is the kind of thing that makesOB so awesome!

SAAG93 said:

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Great info here. Thanks for sharing.

Family is renting a beach house next week in Galveston just west of East Beach. I don't have the set up to surf fish off the beach but I'm curios if anyone wade fishes the cuts between the sandbars. If so what types of fishing lures typically works best? Topwater, Crankbaits, Spoons?

How's the surf fishing this time of year? Is it wishful thinking I could get into some specs or a possible red?

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Elnaco laid it out in a post on page one of this thread.

last year we caught many whiting. I filleted them up. Some we fried and others we baked in the oven, they are good. We had enough to feed 8 people and everyone agreed that it was the best fish they ever had.

Bodean said:

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last year we caught many whiting. I filleted them up. Some we fried and others we baked in the oven, they are good. We had enough to feed 8 people and everyone agreed that it was the best fish they ever had.

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I agree, whiting are very tasty. But watch out for bones.

FYI: I know this store is kinda frowned upon here but Penn Prevail rods are 20% off from D's sporting goods

Penn Prevail Rods

Spending all next week on the beach at Bolivar. I have a Penn 309 on a heavy catfish rod I set up years ago for gar fishing. This setup landed a big red 4 years ago on a similar trip. I had a Penn Battle 2 6000 combo delivered today to have another rod running baits this year.

I'd like to spool both with appropriate braid/mono backing/top shot. What is my best option here? PowerPro offers a frustratingly unfitting set of lengths. My reels want 500yd of braid. They sell 300 or 1500. What is my play here?

300 yards 50 lb powerpro on bottom.

However much 30 lb mono fits on top. You can go 40 lb but it'll hurt your cast distance some.

Bolivar is flat for a long way out. You're going to want mucho mono so your braid isn't rubbing on the sand.

What knot to connect the two? The 309 will probably need a backer. I assume the same knot going both ways?

Not much worried about cast distance due to kayak. I've never been dumped in the surf but tempting fate is a lot of fun.

normaleagle05 said:

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What knot to connect the two? The 309 will probably need a backer. I assume the same knot going both ways?

Not much worried about cast distance due to kayak. I've never been dumped in the surf but tempting fate is a lot of fun.

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I use uni to uni. Also use uni on my leaders. There are probably better knots but it's been reliable for me so I haven't changed it.

Don't know why the 309 would need a backer unless it was one of the old hourglass shaped metal spools. Even then I'd just put down a rubber band, powerpro, then a bunch of mono.

Kayak drop the 309 way out at the color change and cast the spinner in closer until you figure out where they are..

That's my strategy regarding distance and reel use. Thanks for the line advice. If you're on Bolivar next week the beer is on me.

My dad and I went last Sunday to SLP again with a couple of bites from FishBites.... Can't really plan when we go so we just go when we can due to work schedule and he lives in East Texas.

Regarding shrimp bait, should I use frozen shrimp as it seem I lost a lot of them while trying to cast?

Where'd you get it from? How were you keeping it? How were you using it?

My recommendation is get it from HEB seafood counter the night before or day of. Keep it in the fridge overnight and then in a cooler on ice (still bagged up) day of. Pull out a couple skrimps at a time, then close the cooler to keep the rest as cold as possible. Peel and cut at the joints, put the pieces on your hooks, and send your offering into the sea.

If you're using whole shrimp looking for bigger fish, you can skip peeling them and double thread onto a hook. That can get expensive quickly though. I only do it in the winter (less hardheads) if I'm trying to catch big uglies and can't get crab for bait.

My dad was at the Asian grocery store the day before so he got the shrimp there. Good to know that I don't have to use whole shrimp each time.

I think next time, I'm going to bring an extra rod just to use to practice my casting.

Surf fishing is easily one of my favorite ways to fish. Mainly because I don't have a boat and don't know many good wading spots! I got skunked last weekend in surfside but caught some really nice and fat Trout from 21 to 23 inches the week before. I'm headed down to matagorda for a guys trip with my dad and a few uncles and cousins. If anyone is in the area let me know! We will be fishing cooking and drinking all weekend!

normaleagle05 said:

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That's my strategy regarding distance and reel use. Thanks for the line advice. If you're on Bolivar next week the beer is on me.

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Having any luck?

Question about braided line, as I've never used it before. When you say 40 lb braid, are you referring to the mono equivalent?

I'm referring to braid with 40 lb breaking strength. The braid has a much smaller diameter than mono. 40 lb breaking strength braid has about the same diameter as 10-12 lb mono.

The reason I use braid beneath mono on my surf rigs is line capacity. You can fit a couple hundred yards of 40 lb braid on a spool and still cast it. Anything big enough to hold that much mono becomes a real pain to cast.

I think it is. When I first got into surf fishing I ran straight 50 lb braid on my 6000 battles. Had multiple breakoffs after 3 or 4 trips, some while casting and some on fish. It's a pretty big bummer to put a bunch of work in to get a fish hooked and then lose it due to line failure.

After I switched to mono topshots I probably average about 10-15 trips before I feel like the mono is getting worn and needs to be replaced. The braid below the mono I keep for 5ish years before replacing.

There's a couple other benefits to the mono on top of just abrasion resistance.

It's cheap so if you lose the end section of your line, its economical to replace.

It stretches, which helps keep the waves from knocking your spider weights loose. The stretch also makes slinging 8 Oz of weight easier on your rod.

The other advantage is the larger diameter. Your fingers will appreciate the larger smoother line when spending a full day casting.


I do use straight braid on one of my bait rods, just so I can cast it farther. I'm extremely diligent about keeping slack out of the line on that one and keep the rod high at all times to limit rub as much as possible. Even then I still get more frequent line failures on that rig than any of my others. Probably replace the line on it every 6-8 trips.

jaggiemaggie said:

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FYI: I know this store is kinda frowned upon here but Penn Prevail rods are 20% off from D's sporting goods

Penn Prevail Rods

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I haven't shopped at Dick's in a long time even before they decided to get political. I ended up ordering a 10ft rod/reel combo with an 8000 Penn fierce 2 for just under $90. I think the rod by itself was $79 for the 10ft. I didn't see the discount being applied, but it was a no brainier to get a reel with the rod for a few dollars more.

rather be fishing said:

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jaggiemaggie said:

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Salt:

Complete novice here

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/penn-battle-ii-surf-rod-and-reel-spinning-combo

Will this be a good purchase for a beginner (6000 reel and a 9' rod)

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Salt owns about 17 of those combos. You should get him to show you his PVC travel system.

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Loading up for a trip and snapped a couple pictures of how I travel with surf rods.

I used to travel with rods loose in the bed. After a couple trips down a bumpy beach, and being short a rod or two due to broken eyes I knew I needed a better solution. I started carrying the rods in the cab of the truck but that got annoying fast due to length. After some thinking, I settled on this solution. I put my rods in a 6" pvc pipe thats as long as the bed of my truck. Wrapped in towels to prevent damaging the eyes.









If you use a mix of 2" and 1 1/2" pvc for rod holders you can save space by nesting the small ones in the 2".

Amazon has Penn Battle reels included on their Prime Day sale, for anybody that needs one. 4000 model is 44% off to give you an idea of the cost.

Great thread....and DOSS stickers still make me laugh!

recommendations on best way to put some kids on fish out of Jamaica Beach tomorrow? Should all be pretty salty right now so maybe popping cork/shrimp around the mouth of greens lake between tides? Think the surf is still rough enough that it will be a pain to keep skrimps in the right place for the kiddos

ag_03_aj said:

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Surf fishing is easily one of my favorite ways to fish. Mainly because I don't have a boat and don't know many good wading spots! I got skunked last weekend in surfside but caught some really nice and fat Trout from 21 to 23 inches the week before. I'm headed down to matagorda for a guys trip with my dad and a few uncles and cousins. If anyone is in the area let me know! We will be fishing cooking and drinking all weekend!

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What kind of set up do you use? What baits work best?

Gig: Check out Breakaway Tackle in Corpus Christi. They make really good stuff for surf fishing. Nick is a super guy and can get you outfitted for the surf in no time, and what he sells is what is needed, do not have to spend $$$ trying to figure what you need.

Bait: We use a lot of fresh dead shrimp, redfish, whiting. If ya catch whiting and do not wanna keep 'em, cut 'em for bait. Also hardheads (yuck)!

I have 2 12 foot rod and reel setups with 500 yards of 80# braid with shark leaders I buy from a friend. I usually kayak out baits 200-300 yards out depending on water clarity. Nothing special but it gets the job done. Each rod and reel setup cost me around 250 max. I don't spend much on the fancy and expensive reels bc I don't go as much as I wish I could. For trout in the surf I have a Penn conflict on a 7 ft rod and an Abu Garcia revo bait caster on a 7ft rod. I have multiple brands of popping corks and topwaters I use in the surf but my fave topwater has been mirror lure 52mr. I've caught Trout and smacks on it in the surf. And a few sharks which scared the crap out of me. When I take the kids ive had them catch nice trout just bottom fishing with a steel double drop using shrimp or croaker. I'm not the best surf fisherman by any means, and many times I come back with only a few fish or none to brag about, but I live in CS and don't get too many chances to sneak off so I go whether the surf is good or not! Been to the coast when the water was flat and got skunked and been there when it was super rough and was told there would be no luck only to catch so many fish I was hurting for days. I will be trying to get down next week to try quintana beach. Had a guy stop buy a few weeks ago while at surfside out by the phone tower and he told me he's been having better luck on quintana. He says the guts are deeper and have stronger drop offs which should hold more fish along the edges of the bars. I think I caught 3 damn fish that day so I'm willing to try another spot! Ive tried wading the bays but I've never had any luck. Might be I'm just not getting to the right spots though.

NRD09 said:

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recommendations on best way to put some kids on fish out of Jamaica Beach tomorrow? Should all be pretty salty right now so maybe popping cork/shrimp around the mouth of greens lake between tides? Think the surf is still rough enough that it will be a pain to keep skrimps in the right place for the kiddos

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The right place for kids to keep skrimps in the surf is...
On the bottom next to some fishbites. How rough it is doesn't matter.

Another great option for Jamaica Beach is fishing the lights at night. If you're talking about greens lake then you probably have a boat. Putt aroundnthe channels until you find an unoccupied light with fish.

SAAG93 said:

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Great info here. Thanks for sharing.

Family is renting a beach house next week in Galveston just west of East Beach. I don't have the set up to surf fish off the beach but I'm curios if anyone wade fishes the cuts between the sandbars. If so what types of fishing lures typically works best? Topwater, Crankbaits, Spoons?

How's the surf fishing this time of year? Is it wishful thinking I could get into some specs or a possible red?

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I'm not a big long-distance, big red surf fisherman, so wading and fishing the guts is the only surf fishing I do. If the water is pretty calm and the tide is right, you can catch nice trout in the first gut right off the beach without getting your feet wet. I like using Nuclear or Electric Chicken mullet soft plastics, bounced slowly off the bottom. Mirrolures and spoons work too, just retrieve through the bite zone instead of bumping.

If you want to use live bait, of course shrimp are the easiest under a popping cork, or on the bottom with weight that allows them to cruise around. You'll get more bait-stealing croaker, hardheads and little sharks this way. Free-lining some live croaker will get you some bigger trout.

If the water is green, you can catch trout with just about anything. I've got a buddy that kills with a fly rod when it is calm.