Hello and need rod and reel opinions

[jhook]

Just registered a few days ago and have been reading up on rod and reels.Lots of great info on this site. I`m up here in upstate N.Y.,but my wife and I travel south as much as possible and sometimes bring our kayaks( I`m also jhook on georgiakayakfishing.com and a few other kayak sites), but always bring fishing rods.My usual tactics for surf fishing in areas we visit-Florida & coastal Georgia is to cast net whatever baitfish are in the surf, sink a hook in one and fire it out there.I would like to add to my arsenal of fishing tackle because I don`t yet have a rig that would throw larger weights and bigger baits.I`m not after Jaws or anything.My biggest outfit is a 10ft. Ugly Stik with an Abu spinner with 20lb. test.I`d like an outfit that will give me more length on my casts.A good all around surf rig.I`ve got my eye on a Penn 525mag.spooled with 20lb.Trilene Hi Test, and Ocean Master 10ft. 4-8 oz. rod. Or would I be better off with the 12ft. 3-6? Thanks in advance-Joe

[sprtsracer]

Just registered a few days ago and have been reading up on rod and reels.Lots of great info on this site. I`m up here in upstate N.Y.,but my wife and I travel south as much as possible and sometimes bring our kayaks( I`m also jhook on georgiakayakfishing.com and a few other kayak sites), but always bring fishing rods.My usual tactics for surf fishing in areas we visit-Florida & coastal Georgia is to cast net whatever baitfish are in the surf, sink a hook in one and fire it out there.I would like to add to my arsenal of fishing tackle because I don`t yet have a rig that would throw larger weights and bigger baits.I`m not after Jaws or anything.My biggest outfit is a 10ft. Ugly Stik with an Abu spinner with 20lb. test.I`d like an outfit that will give me more length on my casts.A good all around surf rig.I`ve got my eye on a Penn 525mag.spooled with 20lb.Trilene Hi Test, and Ocean Master 10ft. 4-8 oz. rod. Or would I be better off with the 12ft. 3-6? Thanks in advance-Joe

I'd personally go with the 12' OM for the surf. Also, 20 lb on the 525 won't give you much line capacity and will cut down your distance some. I'd go with 17lb Suffix Tri Plus. Most important part is to work on your casting technique (which I am still plodding along with myself) but there is some good info on here, with links to you-tube videos, etc. Do a search and check out some of Tommy Farmer's videos. Go to the "Distance Casting" Forum and read up also. Good Luck and Welcome Aboard!:beer:

[RuddeDogg]

I'd personally go with the 12' OM for the surf. Also, 20 lb on the 525 won't give you much line capacity and will cut down your distance some. I'd go with 17lb Suffix Tri Plus. Most important part is to work on your casting technique (which I am still plodding along with myself) but there is some good info on here, with links to you-tube videos, etc. Do a search and check out some of Tommy Farmer's videos. Go to the "Distance Casting" Forum and read up also. Good Luck and Welcome Aboard!:beer:

yep. BTW, welcome to the family.

[Cerberus]

Welcome.

I agree that 20# is too much for a 525.

I am running 15# Ande Backcountry on mine, got a bit over 300 yds on the spool.

The line "over-tests" at about 20 lbs anyway, and it's a nice balance between capacity and strength.

[jhook]

Thanks for the advice. You`ve brought up a very important point about the line capacity. That ,in effect is my main problem with the rig I have-maybe about 200yds. of 20lb. mono. A 100 yd. cast would only leave me about 100yds. on the spool, and I`d be in trouble if a big fish were to hit.There is an Ocean Master combo spinning rig with an 11 bearing reel that also had caught my eye, not only for the $149 price (just in case the wife torpedos the Penn idea),but it`s capacity is 350yds. of 20lb. line. That would be a big improvment over what I have now. Also the Ande over testing is great to know because you get the about same 20lb. strength at a smaller diameter allowing more capacity.Also I`m just not a braid guy. I like working with mono,especially bright colors so I can see it.

[Cerberus]

It's not just Ande line that over-tests, most any non-tournament of non-IGFA line breaks at higher then the rated test, though some are weaker:

Initial Dry Break Strength
The actual breaking strength of 73 lines
Aug 3, 2007

Monfilament Lines

Manufacturer Line Color Stated Strength Break Strength

Ande Premium Monster Yellow 20 25.2
Bass Pro Shops Bass Pro Shops Excel Clear Blue Fluorescent 20 23.9
Berkley Big Game Solar Collector 20 29.3
Berkley Big Game Hi-Test Electric Green 20 30.7
Berkley Big Game IGFA Electric Blue 20 18.6
Berkley Big Game Supreme Clear Steel 20 36.5
Berkley Trilene XL Clear/Blue 20 25.9
Berkley Trilene XT Clear 20 31.1
Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon (Fluoro) 20 24.6
Berkley Vanish Transition Clear/Crimson Red 20 22.5
Cortland Endurance Super Premium Orange 20 26.8
Hi-Seas Black Widow Camouflage 20 20.6
Hi-Seas Grand Slam Pink 20 28.1
Hi-Seas Quattro Plus Camouflage 20 26.9
Hi-Seas Red Devil Hi-Vis Red 20 29
Hi-Seas White Lightning Fluorescent clear 20 21.3
izorline First String Marine Blue 20 32.2
izorline Platinum Hi-Vis Yellow 20 31.7
izorline XXX Super Co-Polymer Clear 20 32.7
Maxima Crystal Ivory Crystal Ivory 20 22.7
Maxima IGFA Class Line Tournament Silver 20 18.3
Momoi Hi-Catch Fluorescent Yellow 20 36.2
Mustad Thor Green 20 27.8
Offshore Angler Tight Line Yellow 20 22.9
Penn Premium Pink 20 23.9
Penn Professional Hi-Vis Yellow 20 31.1
Platypus Classic Red 20 24.5
Platypus Lo-Stretch Pink 20 21.3
Platypus Platinum Clear 20 23.7
Platypus Pre-Test Clear 20 21.5
Platypus Super-100 Clear 20 19.9
Pradco Silver Thread AN40 Silver 20 25.5
Pradco Silver Thread Excalibur Clear 20 27.1
Pradco Silver Thread Fluorocarbon (Fluoro) 20 25.1
Pradco Silver Thread Salt Water Green 20 27.6
Pradco Super Silver Thread Clear 20 27.3
Shakespeare Cajun Advantage Red 20 29.8
Shakespeare Cajun Red Cast Red 20 24.6
Shakespeare Cajun Red Lightnin' Red 20 22.5
SpiderWire Super Mono XXX Crystal Clear 20 28.7
Stren DuraTuf Clear 20 31.4
Stren High Impact Smoke Blue 20 30.9
Stren Original Hi-Vis Gold 20 27.3
Stren Super Knot Lo-Vis Green 20 26.5
Sufix Elite Hi-Vis Yellow 20 27.4
Sufix Key Lime IGFA Neon Lime 20 21.5
Sufix Siege Neon Tangerine 20 31.2
Sufix Tritanium Plus Chartreuse 20 29.3
Triple Fish Armor Tough Clear 20 26.1
Triple Fish Camo-Escent (Perlon) Camouflage 20 28.4
Triple Fish Fluorocarbon (Fluoro) 20 21.3
Triple Fish Rx Spinning Clear 20 24.8
Triple Fish Ultra Viz Perlon Four Fluorescent Colors 20 25.2
Triple Fish X-rated Green 20 22.4
Yo-Zuri Hybrid (Fluoro/Mono) Smoke Purple 20 31.1



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Braided Lines

Manufacturer Line Color Stated Strength
Break Strength

Ande Braid Yellow 20 30.8

Berkley Big Game Braid Cabo White 20 37.5
Berkley Fireline Crystal Crystal 20 47.1
Cortland Spectron White 20 33.8
Daiwa Saltiga Surf Yellow 20 21.6
izorline Brutally Strong White 20 26.7
Offshore Angler Magibraid Green 20 27.8
Platypus Super-Braid Yellow 20 37.5
PowerPro Superline Yellow 20 36
Shakespeare Ugly Braid Green 20 26.4
SpiderWire StealthMoss Green 20 39.7
SpiderWire Ultracast Hi-Vis Yellow 20 51.6
Stren Sinking BraidCamo Green 20 21.6
Stren Super Braid Hi-Vis Gold 20 34.2
Sufix Performance Braid Hi-Vis Yellow 20 31.7
Triple Fish Bully BraidMoss Green 20 48.4
Western Filament TUF-Line Salt and Pepper 20 26.8
Western Filament TUF-Line XP Yellow 20 21.1

[jhook]

All I can say is WOW! That is some great info.And it will be saved for future reference.Thanks.

[inshoreangler95]

holy snap spiderwire ultracast hi-vis yellow 20lb test breaks at 51???wow great info cerberus! got any idea on momois nylon monofilament?

[Cerberus]

holy snap spiderwire ultracast hi-vis yellow 20lb test breaks at 51???wow great info cerberus! got any idea on momois nylon monofilament?

Momoi Hi-Catch Fluorescent Yellow 20 36.2