# Pairing spinning reels with surf rods! (in general & for a 9' St. Croix Legend)



## hawkman (Jun 16, 2014)

There is SO much information out there that sometimes the best of it is hard to find. I can find all sorts of answers to a variety of 'which rod is best' and 'which reel for this rod' but it's hard to glean the basics b/c so often the answers are "i use THIS reel for THIS rod".

Are any of you aware of some thorough sources of info for matching up surf equipment?

I currently have an old Aiwa 12' heaver that I've never used (a gift and at a shop in repair), an 11' surf rod with no name or markings. Haven't used it much but have been using a 6500 Spinfisher with it.

I have some smaller spinning reels which I've paired up with Penn Battle II (2500 and 4000).

Now, I have a 9' St. Croix Legend and am wondering which Battle to pair it with. Will a 4000 be good enough or do I need to go to a 5 or 6000?

I don't surf fish a lot. No 4x4 and limited time. I often fish Emerald Isle NC when I can. I often am fishing the shore for flounder and pompano, but might heave the long rod out with some cut bait or hope for a pompano on a rig. I've also tried to cast spoons for Spanish but can't seem to reach where I want to get. (I need some help on technique for sure!). I got the 9-footer with a bit of flex (more than the SC Mojo) in hopes of casting spoons and maybe topwater, or even pompano rigs.

I'll take what I can get, in fact!

Thanks for your time and advice.

hawkman


----------



## Fish'n Phil (Nov 11, 2002)

I have a Battle 5000 loaded with monofilament that I use on a 9' Tica for bait fishing and it works fine. If you are tossing lures I would go with the 4000 and braid to save weight and not tire yourself out. The 6000 would be too big and heavy.


----------



## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

Well, the old rule of thumb to see if a certain reel balanced with a certain rod was to put the reel on the rod, and then balance the rod with your index finger under the rod just in front of the end of the spool of the reel. if the rod balances on your finger somewhere close to the end of the spool, then that reel is a good balance for that rod.
I have no idea if anyone still uses that method or not, but I find that when I do it with my rods and reels my combos all fall pretty close to this test.

Of course, your real best bet would be to just take the rod with you to a tackle shop and try different reels on it until you find one that feels most comfortable to you. 
How a rod and reel balances in your hand has as much, or more, to do with how comfortable it is to fish than just weight alone.

But if you need to do this kind of research from afar, a good bet might be to start at a Rod Building site or Forum, (There is one here, and there are many more out on the Interwebs...) find people that are building rods similar to yours, same weight, same action, same distance from the butt to the reel seat, and simply ask what reels they are planning to use on that rod and why. 
The whole "New Concept" of guide spacing on spinning rods has created very specific guidelines on what reels work best on certain rods given their guide layout and spacing.
Good Luck.


----------



## Ronaulmtd (Feb 8, 2011)

Depends on your use for the rod...a 9' rod usually has a much longer butt section than a 7' general purpose spinning rod- the 9' rod would be better suited for use in sand spikes and heavy heaving for surf fishing...the rod would never balance properly as described in above post because it was not intended for one handed casting...a 4000 might be a tad light, but if you use it for flounder, pompano, northern kingfish, speckled trout, spot and croaker it is more than enough- I use a Penn 3000 Clash on a 7' Regiment 10-17 rod with 20 Fireline kayak fishing for everything- and it is plenty...


----------



## IPNURWATER (Aug 20, 2013)

4k vs 5k reel should both balance out well depending on the reel manufactor .most Penn are heavier then shimano in there same class.. So you can't say a 4k Penn is gonna balance the same as a different reel manufactor it model. Most printed reel specs are close but not always exact .plus someone using braid vs mono on the spool will change the weight balance of that reel. . There is no exact answer out there .you need to know what your targeting . then you can decided if you need more line or a diff great ratio. Most spinner when they get to a 5k size vs the 4k the gear ratio usually changes other then the line capacity.so that might make you decide on a smaller or bigger reel. Lots of factors out there you need to know Whats gonna make you happy or work for you .


----------



## hawkman (Jun 16, 2014)

Hi folks. Thanks for the replies. I should've gone ahead and tried some reels out in the store, but at that point it was getting a little old for the kids I had with me. I'll get back to the store this week and slap a couple reels on and see.

Trial and error. I guess if I buy a 4000 and realize I need a 5000, then I'll buy one, and that my friends, is how we accumulate stuff.

Thanks again. (I realize there are no simple answers to this).


----------



## ecks (Jun 24, 2007)

With some manufacturers the 4000 and 5000 are the same reel with different size spools. If the weight is the same I would always go with the larger spool.


----------



## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

With the battle there is a big jump in size/weight from 4000 to 5000 class.


----------



## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

Akios 4000


----------



## Mastrbaitr (May 7, 2014)

Mine has a 4K conflict on it. Total combo weight is less than a 6k battle. Occasionally I'll toss the Stella on it.


----------



## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

The problem with the new penn reels are the open spools don't do well with the sand. If you like cleaning them all the time, some times in the middle of fishing have at them


----------

