My grandfather always told me to listen to good advice. Caught a 24" black drum at Packery Channel tonight on cut crab. Thanks for the report.

Here's a bump for people planning their summer trips. If you're planning on vacationing at a beach this summer and want to try your hand at surf fishing, now is the time to start looking for gear to try and catch a sale.

10 ft prevail rods are $70 on amazon right now - they're great rods for 5oz of weight and a decent sized bait.

If you're really serious about surf fishing, I highly recommend finding a way to move up and down the beach with rigged rods until you find the fish. I use a Harbor Freight aluminum cargo basket that sticks into a 2" receiver. I screwed short 12" pvc sections into the sides and use it for all sorts of things:

• transporting rods while moving up and down the beach
  
• pole holder while fishing a small spread to see if we're getting any bites (3 or 4 rods)
  
• cooler holder so I don't have to reach up into the bed to get to my beverages or bait and don't have to unload as much stuff onto the sand
  
• bait cutting board
  
• it has a boat ruler sticker so we can measure fish without sliming coolers
  

https://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-aluminum-cargo-carrier-92655.html



When I started using the basket, there were two problems; I lost my tow point in the back of the truck for pulling people out, and putting my tailgate down limited how big of a cooler I could carry. A dual hitch extender fixed both of these problems, and also helped get the basket up higher to clear bumps and obstacles on the beach.
https://www.harborfreight.com/dual-hitch-extender-69881.html

There are much nicer options like the below out there, but at $75 with a coupon, the harbor freight route is hard to beat.
https://www.amazon.com/Rack-Cooler-Holder-Combo-Finish/dp/B005VU7SG8

I NEVER swim to the next bar. At that point, I become part of the food chain.

I did it a lot... until I almost drowned once. Never went back. Scary shiat when you think there's sand under your feet and you go to bounce and pop up and don't hit bottom.

I always have visions of hooking something big that makes a cocoon out of me with 30# braid and hauls me out to sea.....

Great stringer management advice.

Also looking for any helpful hints on pompano. I've read up some on other forums and articles. Smaller hooks, jigs and smaller spoons, shrimp bits and sand fleas if you can get them etc, but any additional advice is appreciated.

Pomps are tasty! I haven't targeted them specifically, but I've caught them on the same store-bought double drops I use for whiting. Both fishbites and shrimp seem to work well. I don't even know if we have sand fleas in TX... I'd assume small crabs would work well if you took the time to round up enough for bait. I also bet you could chum up a pompano frenzy with a whole mess of ground up coquina clams.

Seems like they're in closer when it's cooler, and they move farther out when the water starts to warm up. Calling them "in closer" may not be the best phrasing though because even at Matagorda where it drops off pretty quick, they still seem to be concentrated around the third bar or further out. They also seem more dependent on water clarity than drum, whiting, and sheepshead.

I've caught pomps with a Carolina rig and #6 treble hook with peeled dead shrimp. Whiting, too. Throw it out just past the second breaker in the smooth water. Have actually caught keeper reds like this on shrimp and live/dead shad or mullet.

I like the setups here. However, I have used baitcasters (Abu specifically) for the entirety of my life. I still use 70's eras 5500's in the saltwater due to having no ball bearings and ease of cleaning afterwards.

my question is, in regard to #2 on the OP and surf recommendation of a Battle II 4000 sized reel....what are suggestions for Baitcasters? I have more than a couple Ball Bearing 6000 and 6500 Abu Reels. Are these the recommended reels for surf fishing with 9' rod? Why are these not suggested over spinning? Is there a considerable advantage outside of the learning curve for baitcasters?

Short answer: if you've got em and like em - use em.

Long version:
I think Abus are what I recommended for the people who prefer bait casters in the second post. The price is right and they're simply and easy to maintain. In fact I still regularly use the 5500 I picked up when I got started surf fishing. It makes a great intermediate rig and I like the way it matches up with 30-40 inch reds.


There's a few reasons why I don't have a bunch more.

-They aren't as rookie friendly as a spinner to cast. On my whiting and croaker rods I want to be able to turn a rookie loose and have them get after it when we get on a decent bite. That means my smaller rigs are pretty much all spinners and not baitcasters.

-On the bigger end when we're using larger baits for bull reds or big uglies I want a higher gear ratio (6+), better drag, and louder clicker.

-Level wind and the sand don't get along. If you're going to use them in the surf a ton, plan on frequent cleanings or removing the level wind.

All that said, I'd love to fish a blue yonder 7000 for a couple trips. I'm sure they're awesome and I've wanted one for a while. It's just hard for me to justify when they're 2x the price of a daiwa saltist black gold with more drag, a better retrieve ratio, and a beefier frame.

I have a Battle II 4000 but I never really thought it for a surf reel that could accommodate a 9' rod. Haven't even used it yet. Its size always seemed to lead me to be better for bay side and wading. Good to know I can accommodate bigger fish.

What did you use for tackle on those?

We caught 4 bull reds on Saturday.

2 of them came on an 11ft rod with Penn battle 6000

1 on a 10ft rod with Penn battle 6000

1 on a 11ft casting rod with a size 35 daiwa saltist black gold

All the reels had 50 or 65 lb braid and about 100 ft of 40 lb mono for a topshot.

All rods were Penn prevail. The 12ft prevail rod is less than $80 on amazon right now. It's rarely cheaper than $100 so it's a great time to pick one up if you're looking to put a surf outfit together.

Great Work! Our tides here in/near Rockport have been so HIGH that all we have lately is Coastal Flooding, not beach, just water.

If anyone is looking for a conventional reel, sierra trading post has a pretty good deal on high speed daiwa saltists right now.

https://www.sierratradingpost.com/product/index/528py/?colorFamily=99&itemCode=528PY-99

$150 with coupon code TA53TF338. That's about $100 off of msrp. Darn good deal for a lever drag reel with a 7:1 retrieve. Nice for cranking baits back from past the third bar.

Rounded up the menfolk in the family and went to the beach on black Friday to skip out on house decorating.

Unfortunately it's still a little warm for the big black drum which means the hardheads are still around too. The good news is that the slot reds are hanging close a little longer and haven't moved out deep to join the bigger breeders.

Drag any small baits on the bottom? Should have been some decent flounder action around there.

.

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)

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.

Guilty.

I like the battle reels. I ride mine hard, put them up wet and have had no issues.

Those rods are meh. Some buddies have a couple and to me there's not enough backbone for really slinging some lead and cut bait. The 10-12 ft prevail rods are vastly superior. If you have time to wait out a sale, battle reels can get down to $75 and so do the prevail rods. You could get a combo for $150 that will put bait past the second bar without requiring you to dunk the boys. Keeping the boys dry is critical in the fall and winter when the bull reds and big uglies move in.

Hitting PINS June 20ish-23. Have a group of at least 5 of us if anyone else is out there and wants to cross paths.

Bought the Penn Battle 4000 from Academy yesterday with their $20 off $100 promotion, ordered the rod from Amazon but they sent me a 10' heavy instead of the 9' medium I ordered .

You could pair them up but for whiting it'd be like swatting flies with a 2x4. For big reds or black drum you'll likely be fishing with 50-75% of your line out. The drag is sufficient but the line capacity on a 4000 will leave you a little undergunned.

What were you hoping to catch (something to eat or something to fight?)
Do you have bay or bass poles?
Did you put line on the reel?

Salt of the water said:

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You could pair them up but for whiting it'd be like swatting flies with a 2x4. For big reds or black drum you'll likely be fishing with 50-75% of your line out. The drag is sufficient but the line capacity on a 4000 will leave you a little undergunned.

What were you hoping to catch (something to eat or something to fight?)
Do you have bay or bass poles?
Did you put line on the reel?

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I don't have any fishing poles but I have a 9' Prevail coming this week. I put a 30# braid on the reel. Probably an overkill?

Is it worth keeping the 10' to put a PB 6000 down the road ?

As far as fishing, I guess looking for eating. Also would like to go this weekend( If I don't, Ill find another excuse to put it off). Any recommendation in the Galveston area?

jaggiemaggie said:

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Salt of the water said:

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You could pair them up but for whiting it'd be like swatting flies with a 2x4. For big reds or black drum you'll likely be fishing with 50-75% of your line out. The drag is sufficient but the line capacity on a 4000 will leave you a little undergunned.

What were you hoping to catch (something to eat or something to fight?)
Do you have bay or bass poles?
Did you put line on the reel?

---

I don't have any fishing poles but I have a 9' Prevail coming this week. I put a 30# braid on the reel. Probably an overkill?
That should be a perfect match. This should be your goto rig for fishing double drops with fish bites and/or shrimp. 3-4 Oz spider weights.

Is it worth keeping the 10' to put a PB 6000 down the road ?
Definitely. Even better if Amazon gave it to you as their mistake. You'd chuck this guy out and wait while the smaller rod keeps you busy.

As far as fishing, I guess looking for eating. Also would like to go this weekend( If I don't, Ill find another excuse to put it off). Any recommendation in the Galveston area?

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If you have 4x4 I'd go to Sargent over Galveston for surf fishing. If you have to do Galveston, I'd fish down towards SLP (be careful).

Went to SLP with my dad last Saturday after the storms just to try it out. Had the 10' and a 9' with Penn Battle 6000 and 4000 respectively. Need to work on casting the 10' Caught a couple of whitings. Used fish bites. Hopefully will remember to buy shrimp next time.

Glad you got out there and got a couple bites.

Here's a decent starter video for heaving the long rods. If you have a park or sports field close by they make for good casting practice spots.


Once you get comfortable with the big rod and start wanting some more distance, then I'd check out the pendulum cast.

Copying some leader pictures from another thread so they can stay with the rest of the info.

This is the store bought mono double drop I use for whiting, slot reds etc. The 2/0 hooks may need to be sized down if there's lots of smaller whiting or croaker and you're not hooking up. Small circle hooks work good too.





Here's what I tie for bull reds and big black drum. This one is tied short so it'll fit in a picture with the approx. lengths I try and make the legs marked up. The 3-way crane swivels are the key. I've only been able to find them online. This one has 100 lb mono, it's about the limit of what I can tie reliable knots with. 60 lb would work but doesn't have the abrasion resistance for really shelly areas. If I get multiple breakoffs on the 100 lb it usually means sharks. I'll switch to crimped wire leaders in the same configuration if the sharks are thick.