Rod suggestions

[dnice]

Hi Folks,
Noob here :)

I am pier and shore fishing in the Gulfport/Biloxi area. I am kinda new to saltwater fishing and I'm having trouble pairing a decent rod with my reel.

Firstly, I only use cheap gear. Not cheap as in crappy, but cheap as in low price.

So I got an Okuma 300L and I like it. I first got a baitcasting rod rated at 1oz tackle and I quickly learned that the bait and sinkers I need weigh much more than 1oz... So I upgraded to a shimano 8' spinning rod rated for 4oz tackle (25lbs test line rated 8' two piece rod).

Its not bad, With a 2oz wieght by itself, I can cast somewhere around 60-80 yards. But I need atleast a 2oz weights to hold bottom (I think anyway), and adding a whole menhaden or mullet is almost out of the question, I have to cut my bait just to cast it more than 30 yards. I'm using 20lbs line and 1.5oz led and its still too much weight to get a good cast.

I don't need surf casting distances, but I do want a good 50+ yard cast.
I know the reel can do it, so it must be the rods fault :)

So my question is: what rod should I get to be able cast heavier weight? I like the 8' size range and I think my reel can handle whatever I throw at it (at least this year).
My problem is in this area there are no tackle stores other than walmart and Academy, so thats it. Which is fine for me since I buy cheap stuff , but I don't see anything other than 10+' rods for surfcasting, and too short boat rods that can handle the weight.

are there any decent not so expensive casting rods in the 8' range that are rated around 8oz? and what are they and where to find them?

thanks.

[RuddeDogg]

welcome to the family.

[Mark G]

1.5 oz isn't capable of towing a piece of cut bait, especially when using 20 lb line.

Even if you don't need the weight for holding power, tossing at least a 4 or 5 oz sinker will give you the ability to tow a much larger piece of bait.

I'd look for a rod in the 10 ' range (minimum length) rated for at least 3-6 oz, rated 5-8 oz might be preferable.

Either switch to braid, or go down to around 15 or 16 lb mono test for your main line.

You will need a shock leader for casting the heavier weights, or you will just wind up breaking your main line. Shock leader should be in the neighborhood of 40 or 50 lb test.

If local outfits don't carry the rod you need-- consider mail order-- there are plenty of rods to be had-- and you can get them delivered to your door.

[dnice]

Thanks. I understand the heavy weights now, I thought it was all about holding power but towing power makes much more sense :)

At what point does a shock leader become necessary?
If I have 50lbs braid will I still need one?
I doubt I will be throwing as hard as I can, I mostly just want a nice lob.
Also since my reel is a levelwind I'm not sure how well a shock leader will work.

[dnice]

So While I was out this morning I stopped and did some casting practice. I learned 2 things. 1: I need a shock leader and 2: thinner line will go farther. :)

Not that I doubted you Surf Cat (or the other posts I've read here) but it was interesting to see in real life.

After about 8 casts with 20lbs big game and 4oz weight (on the 8' spinning rod) My line snapped clean off and lead went soaring! the lead flew about 20+ yards further than I had been casting, which proved the lighter line thing...

I was casting next to 50 yard pier to get some distance judgement. I was able to consistantly hit 50 yards, but it was obvious a more stout rod is needed.

Anyway, my question, I have been reading this site and others trying to find a solid answer to this... If I understand shock leaders correctly, I only need sufficiently strong line to prevent breaking, but the shock leader allows for thinner (weaker) line to be used for casting distance, correct?

So will upgrading to 65lbs braid solve both these problems for me without having to add a shock leader? The reason I don't want a shock leader is because of the level wind on this reel. Keeping in mind I am not going for distance casting, just want to keep hitting the 50 yard mark with a hefty chunk of bait. Although it is apparent that until I improve my casting technique I do have to throw pretty hard to get it out there. Actually I am sure the line broke because I was getting better, If I had good technique it probably would have broke on the first cast.

[eric]

even with braid you can use braid as a shock leader.

ive done so before with both mono and braid.
thin mono 12-18# to 80# braid on spinners
thin braid 15-30# to 80# braid on spinners

both actually work pretty well

but. since your starting, i recommend you stick to mono for now.
use straight 30# if you dont want a shock leader.
30# usually allows up to 5oz lobs, yes LOBS not CASTS with no problems.

[dnice]

am I just doomed to become a surf caster? :D

[dnice]

good, so maybe mono to braid will be a much smaller knot and should pass through the levelwind easier.
If I filled my spool with braid, it would cost more than a new reel, so I'll give mono/braid a try, thanks.

[dnice]

So I thought I would post the final results here for anybody interested.

I went with a 7' MH conventional rod (daiwa beefstick) rated for 1-5oz, I choose this one because it was on sale and it appeared heavy enough to handle much more than 5oz.

Since my reel holds 510yrds of .04mm line, I put 330yrds of 17lbs mono and 150yrds of 80lbs braid on it. This way I don't need a shock leader for casting, but we'll have to see how my knots hold up if a fish runs more than 100yrds with it :) I used a SH->no-name to tie it. Next time I re-spool it, I'll probably go with 20-25lbs test and use a bimini (i'm learning!) for the backing just to be safe.

It works. Today I was casting 7 ounces right around my 50 yard goal with out any problems. I can really chuck 4 ounces now too. The rod is quite heavy, it only took about 15 casts before I was done, but That won't be a problem with the sit-n-wait type of fishing I'll be doing.

Its certainly no casting/beach setup, but for my uses (piers and jetties) it'll do the job, and for a total cost of $55 (including line) I'm pretty happy with it.

I'll post some pics after I haul in one of those 30+" reds :)

[BubbaHoTep]

Welcome to P&S!