# Help a starter with tackle box and gear



## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

I'm new to the forum and to surf fishing in general. We just got back from 10 days on Kure beach where the house we rented had a couple rods already rigged up sitting in the garage (they looked like a standard rod to me - spinner on a 7 ft rod). The guys at the pier helped me pick some bait (shrimp) and my 2 boys spent the mornings and evenings catching a ton of spot, pin fish, and whiting from the beach in front of the rental house. Needless to say they loved it.

So now we want to plan a surf fishing trip in Oct/Nov. According to a couple sites I read there should be a lot more fish (quantity and variety) around at that time. I would love to catch something we could fillet and eat (we threw everything back last week) - flounder would be great - but honestly - we won't be picky. We do know how to fillet fish (my wife likes to buy whole fish from the local Asian market - so we have lots of practice there).

I already got the fishing licenses - so we are set there.

My question is about what type of tackle, rigs, weights, floats, ..... should we invest in. Right now I just have the bottom rig the pier guys outfitted me with. It has 2 hooks and 2 oz pyramid weight.

What else is a good idea to have around. I took a trip to the local Bass Pro shop today and there was a ton of stuff to consider. Flounder rigs, all kinds of rigs. Tons of different size hooks. Dozens of weights and shapes.

I am really just looking for versatility - we won't fish for just flounder unless someone tells me "if you use this rig - I guarantee you catch that fish" - in which case I will buy that rig.

I have a couple old spinner rods from when we used to fish lakes around the house - so was going to use those for the kids and then get a couple longer rods for me and my brother (maybe a 10 ft and a 15 ft). Nothing fancy - just a couple starter setups - and we will use the local parks to practice our long casting technique ahead of time.

Help me out please. Any advice is well received.

We will be fishing the NC coast - probably around the same area (Topsail, Kure, Wrightsville, Carolina beaches). We have considered Hatteras but it sounds like that is a really popular spot and given we are newbies with kids, we don't want to get in the way of more serious fishermen (although watching and learning would be great).

Thanks in advance for any help


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## marv1234 (Nov 10, 2014)

Beginner rods is good at 7-8FT Shorter rods for the kids of course.
20-25 LB line test.
Spinning Reel (Bass Pro Brand Sealion) or something decent but not too cheap.

Personally for me I have several tackle boxes but now I'm using just a backpack to carry my tackle its much easier. So like tackle containers in a backpack. But if you wanted a tackle box plano is a good brand.

As far as rig goes you could always make your own but double drop rigs are readily available and cheap but they do break easily. As of right now I just buy Berkley big game lines and make rigs out of those with swivels. If your just targeting croakers and spot then double drop rigs are great.

I always have a collection of sinkers so 1oz, 2oz, 3oz, and 4oz sinkers is a must. At least a few of each one.

For hooks you can buy south bend brand hooks in the orange container pack since they are cheap and work well.

Anyways have fun and fish on. :fishing:


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## ecks (Jun 24, 2007)

This book from Amazon will answer all of your questions. 
Robert J. Goldstein
Coastal Fishing in the Carolinas: From Surf, Pier, and Jetty


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## can't fish today (Oct 8, 2003)

This question has probably been ask'd a couple hundred times. But I enjoy reading the answers anyway. Personally, I'd not go for 15ft rod which can be awkward. I'd stick with 10 or 12. Try trying your own rigs, that's part of the fun. Store them in baggies to keep them from tangling. If you get the opportunity, try the sound side as well. That can be productive.


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

Thanks Guys

I appreciate it. I had reviewed the other threads of this nature and didn't know if the locale was a factor or not (ie, fishing the NC coast - using XXX gets the best result). Sounds like it is pretty uniform.

I wandered around Bass Pro this weekend and didn't see the brand noted. I will take a look on their website. I am going to try to tie some of my own rigs (I have a few months to get it right) and will definitely be using swivels. I cannot see getting good enough to tie rigs across 6 to 8 rods quickly as the kids have at it.

Thanks again


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## Phaedrus (Mar 25, 2011)

If I was setting up just for myself (and was relatively new at it and knew that I was "all in"):

Rods
10-12 Foot rod rated at 8oz or more (I like Tica rods for the money) with 6000 (6500) series penn spinning reel (Battle II or more preferably Spinfisher V)
9 Foot rod rated to 3 or 4 oz (I would splurge on the rod here a bit and get one of Tommy Farmer's) with a 4000 series Penn Battle to chuck metal or throw lighter weight rigs a bit longer
Bass Size rod that I already have to catch the smaller stuff or fish inside the first bar

Bag
Spiderwire big backpack has held up very well for the last two seasons for me (I take care of it). Fits a ton of stuff and is easier to carry if you have to walk. I use the drink compartment to put a light tupperware-like container with rigs in it.

Tackle

Metal
Gold and Silver Hopkins spoons with leaders and swivel already tied on
A couple of sting silvers with leaders and swivel already tied on
A couple of gotcha plugs- white with red head and maybe pink

Flounder
A couple Carolina rigs
I would learn to tie Skinner Bucktail rigs and have a few SPRO buck tail sizes and colors (green and white)

Puppy Drum (and other fish)
6 total River Rigs with a couple sizes
a bunch of standard off the shelf drop rigs to tie on kids rods 
a couple of standard off the shelf bluefish drop rigs with metal leader
Red and yellow jig heads already tied with a bite leader and swivel (a couple of sizes)

Larger drum
I would learn to tie my own fish finders with 8/0 good hooks

"Bait" and plastics
Fishbites bag o worms
Fishbites sandflea color
Fishbites shrimp
Gulp swimming mullet in white and chartreuse or Zman minnows in white, chartreuse and houdini with procure shrimp and inshore gels

Terminal tackle
2 extra mono and 2 steel snelled hook pack for drop rig replacement (this is what the kids would fish the whole time- it is easy to keep one rig on and just switch out the already snelled hooks)
30lb fluorocarbon for bite leaders
50 or 60lb berkely big game line for shock leaders
extra swivels
Different sized pyramid weights (1, 2, 3 and 4 oz)
Different sized tongue weights (4, 6 and 8 oz)

Fishing knife
Pliers with a sheath to go on belt
headlamp with extra batteries
reel oil
small glow sticks to attach to rods when night fishing

Some may think this is dopey, but I always keep a l gallon pump spray bottle in my car with fresh water for the inevitable dunking of a kid's rod in the sand and saltwater. 

Probably over the top, but this is how I would have set myself up if I knew then what I know now.

When you buy all this stuff, do not pre clear with your wife. It is far better to ask for forgiveness.

Phaedrus


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

Phaedrus - that is awesome information - Thank you.

My biggest concern would be that I would not know when to use all the different rigs. I was thinking of sticking to the Fish Finder Rig, River Rig, and Drop Rig to reduce the complexity of what I have to think about. 1 Fish Finder Rig on a 12 ft rod, 1 River Rig on a 12 ft rod, and then Drop Rigs on the kids rods.

The fresh water for the kids' rod cleanoff is actually something I learned after day one on the beach - so I think it is a great idea.

I am struggling to find specs on some of these rigs in order to tie them. The Fish Finder rig is pretty well documented and while there are some variations - I think I get the gist of that one.

For the River Rig - I see all kinds of diagrams and am getting a bit confused as to what it is - Bass Pro did not have anything labeled "River Rig" when I went there. From what I can tell searching online - it is a rig with a double drop for 2 hooks and then a weight (pyramid) at the very end. Some diagrams seem to use 3-way swivels vs drops, some use one hook vs 2. Is my description correct?

A Drop Rig sounds very similar to what I described for the River Rig - but it only has 1 hook - am I right?

Thanks again guys for all the help.


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

To help clarify what it is I am planning to "tie". Here are a few quick diagrams. The heavy use of swivels is to allow me to quickly put different hooks and weights on and off of each rig. And then the swivel on the main line lets me switch between the rigs quickly while the slider on the main line lets me quickly do a Fish Finder rig without changing anything up.

Basically - going for versatility.

I included what I "believe" is a River rig - but I could be entirely mistaken on that one.

I did my best to find which knots to tie - but let me know if any of this seems wrong. I am used to tying knots for boat moorings, anchors, and such - so the knots don't scare me too much. But if there are better knots to be using or if these are just overkill or if there should be more beads anywhere - let me know.

Thanks again for the help.


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## ecks (Jun 24, 2007)

If you do a search on the River River you will find a 26 plus page thread. If you dare read the whole thread you will discover the meaning of life.


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

I read the 33+ pages and I hope I am not offending anyone by posting what I believe the rig looks like. I tried to buy one but could not locate one around here. I will try the information from thread to purchase one as well. Or if River wants to shoot me the info directly on how to buy a few - happy to do so.

I did not find the meaning of life though.......but the debate about beads was intriguing.....not having much experience, my vote may be discounted - but all things being equal - I like the look of the added bling....and I'm sure the kids will be happy to pick a favorite color for me to put on theirs...


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## cooper138 (Aug 8, 2012)

Carolina cast pro site sells them as well as tradewinds or teachs lair. You won't find the river rig at bass pro.


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

Seahawk2000 ..... Carolina cast pro and Frisco Rod and Gun sells RiverRigs on their on line store ..... They are very easy to ty but the example is not a RiverRig ....... To ty a basic RiverRig, take about 60 inchs of 25 or 30 lb fluorocarbon, pure flouro ...... Go down about 15 inches from one end and ty a small loop using double overhand knots/surgeons loop to àttach your main line to, then go 15 inches from that loop and ty a larger loop the same way for the weight to be looped on, hopefully according to your loop size, you'll have a tag line on that end around 15 inches long, now tie a Owner Mitu Light circle hook on both 15 inch tag ends ..... Now grab the loops, one in each hand .... Hold out tight and you should have a RR ..... The drops should be about 13 inchs long after you put the hooks on and 15 inches between the loops ..... There are no swivels on a RIverRig .....Hope this helps ..... River


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## spydermn (Apr 26, 2009)

My best adivise as someone who got into the sport somewhat recently (10 years) and was a complete novice from the Midwest is as follows.

1) If you like to fish and plan on doing it more than a couple times a year buy the best gear you can afford first off. You will spend so much money and time replacing cheap gear, do it the best you can the first time.

2) keep it simple until you learn what you need and will be using. Fishing the OBX (Hatteras, Buxton, Oregon) is MUCH different from fishing Wilmington, Jacksonville or the SOBX (south of cape lookout).

3) Read and ask. I have learned more from reading and applying info than just going to the sand and throwing in bait. 

4) I do not know whos signature is it but someone on here says "there is a big difference between beach fishing and standing on the beach with a rod in your hand" or something like that. go on youtube and watch videos on reading the beach while you are not able to have your toes in the sand. You will catch many more fish this way. All the bad a$$ gear in the world will not get you fish if there are no fish to be had. I am going to give you this link to my youtube page of a collection of videos to help you read the beach. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk3nyojOMYbteDheIG_JJbm-BCXpWxLDe I hope the link works.

5) Get to the beach and stop by a GOOD tackle shop (RDT, Tradwinds, TW, Frank and Frans etc) and ask what is biting and on what. They will be more than happy to set you up and (usually) will not stick it to you.

6) Rods: I like TICA, Tsumani, and some of the bass pro shop branded rods (if you are not going to be buying on the beach). If you can wait, spend your money at the beach. The local shops will love you for it. Ugly sticks are pretty good for the money but cannot throw big weight.

7) Reels: If I am fishing one reel it is a Shimano bait runner. They have never failed me. I know a lot of guys who fish Penn, Diawa etc. Just buy a decent reel and you won't be sorry.

8) Rigs: Mono double rigs, learn a dropper loop, learn fish finders. I would wager more fish are caught with these rigs than any others

9) Bait: ask what is getting bit

10) Lures: metal spoons, gotcha plugs, some gulp

***can you tell its a slow day at work...***

11) weight: ask what is needed to hold. I have everything from 1/2oz to 8oz in various shapes. Pyramids are the most common. Unless it is really kicking you would probably be ok with 6 being your top 

12) Knots: learn how to tie a shock leader on. Uni to Uni being common. Not the smallest knot but trust worthy. Learn a Dropper Loop for rigs. Your uni or Albright will be fine for hook knots. 

13) Tackle box: I also have the spiderwire back pack and it has become my go to, esp when walking or fishing with kids (keeps your hands free to grab hold of the little ones when needed and carry rods). If not I like the front opening plano boxes that are blue. They hold a lot of gear, are not real expensive and you a can change out the trays for what is in season or biting.

14) Coolers: keep bait and food separate. I learned this the hard way. Beer does not taste very good flavored with shrimp and fish bits. buy a small cooler for bait only. Label it as such. I cut bait on mine, store bait in it etc.

15) know that I am a much better talker than fisher man and have stolen most of my knowledge from this and other sites. These guys have forgotten more than I will ever know. Have fun. Keep the sunscreen off your fingers before you bait up. Tight lines


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

Thanks guys

This is great - I will watch the videos later today. I bought some River Rigs from Carolina Cast Pro's website - so that should take care of that rig for me. And thank you for the description River - I didn't realize the rig's namesake was a member here - how convenient.

I agree - my plan is to keep it simply. Just a couple rigs to worry about to start with. I like the cooler info - I have been thinking through which coolers to bring and for what purpose. For the cooler that you plan to store any caught fish in (I am an optimist - I plan to catch something) - do you pre-fill that with ice or just buy ice as needed?

For rod/reel I was thinking of a Penn Battle II 8000 reel and a 12' Offshore Angler Power Plus. I will probably use 17 lb mono for the main line to start with. This allows me to use the same 17 lb mono for the shock leaders on the smaller kids rods (bonus). I would love to buy them at the beach like we did during our trip to Kure as they were extremely helpful but am afraid I could not get the reels wound and everything rigged quickly enough since we are only going down the day of the trip this time and will be buying 4 setups (my father and brother are coming along too).

Any thoughts on the other rigs in the diagram (attached with the wrong River rig removed)?









Look about right?

Thanks again


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## spydermn (Apr 26, 2009)

I was also just looking at your rigs. There is a lot of metal there. Learn your knots and use less metal. You will be more successful for it.


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## Shanep (Jul 1, 2015)

consider also adding a small cast net and livewell to your gear.

really simple. Just get a 3-4 foot cast net, don't try to go bigger. A lot of times there are live finger mullet schools in the surf and if so, you want to be able to catch them and keep them for bait.

For the livewell, a 5 gallon bucket with a 20 dollar aerator. The big bubbles one works good and will go for days on 2 D batteries.

small net. Mine has scooby doo on the handle.


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

Shanep - good to hear the 5 gallon buck and battery aerator work well. I picked that setup up yesterday.

spydermn - I was wondering the same thing. My initial thought with all the swivels was to allow me to swap hooks out quickly for different sizes and configurations. Is that not a very common thing to do - so really - just picking a circle hook and a certain size should be fine - no need to change out very frequently at all? And instead of all the crimps - does a 3-turn uni take care of all the connections just fine?


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## spydermn (Apr 26, 2009)

Pick the hook to fit the fish that are in the water. plenty of fish have been caught on small hooks, plenty of bites have been missed by using big hooks. 1/0-3/0 should do you very well. unless you are going to something really big (shark, big drum, cobia) you wont miss a lot with 1/0 circle hooks. I would use a 5 -7 turn uni depending on the size of the bite leader.


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## letmefish (May 23, 2015)

Phaedrus said:


> When you buy all this stuff, do not pre clear with your wife. It is far better to ask for forgiveness.
> 
> Phaedrus



Everything was good, but that is very best advise right there


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

I have just been buying in small quantities - $50 here ... $25 there.........spread it out like groceries and gas 

I don't want to start a flouro/mono debate - just looking for what is easier for a beginner to ty but still be protected from some abrasions and not risk something snapping off and losing fish. (I did buy a tension scale so will be setting our drags at 30% of the main line as protection against this as well)

Would I be better off using at 30 lb flouro instead of the 110 lb mono for all the rigs? I did not scientifically select the 110 lb mono - it just seemed to be pretty common to a lot of what I was reading. But River's comment about his rig and the 30 lb flouro made me wonder if 110 lb mono is way overkill. The 110 mono is why I went with all the crimps - it seemed tying 110 lb line was not the easiest thing to do. 

I'm not looking to catch a shark. But if one got hooked - I wouldn't want to lose him either  My family's motto is "anything worth doing is worth over-doing"......but more might not always be better here.


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

So if I snell the hooks - that gets rid of those swivels.

For the weights - is this the preferred method? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw3PmYgUEZM


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

seahawk2000 .... You will not be able to ty or buy a Sea Mullet/Pompano Rig that will catch a decent sized Shark ..... For big drum, use the fishfinder rig, for Mullet, Pomps, etc up to smaller yearling Drum, use a 2 hook rig ...... and I don't believe anybody uses 110 mono on the beach except for Shark rigs .... Also remember your Rod needs to match the weight you'll be throwing, if your rods built for 4 - 12 oz, it'll be a broomstick when you're throwing 2 or 3 which is the most popular weights for a 2 hook rig .... it's very easy to over do when you're new to surf fishing ....... And overdoing will sometimes cause you to wear out easy, not catch fish which kills the fun a little ..... If I could have only two spinning rods to surf fish with, remember, I don't fish for citation Drum or Sharks ..... It would be a 10 ft fast tip, medium action rod, 1 to 3 or 4 oz with a 4000 Stratic for the high speed retrieve, then a 7 or 8 ft Rod, fast tip medium action, 1/2 oz to 1 1/2 oz with a 3000 Battle for throwing jigs and dragging jigs for Flounder ..... When I started out surf fishing, I did the same thing and went to big ..... If you're not careful ..... You'll end up with things you won't use in a few years, that is íf you get hooked on the surf like many of us have ... River


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

Man - you guys are quick.

The rod - 12' Offshore Angler Power Plus Spinning Rod - says 3 oz to 8 oz Medium action. The 10' one is listed as the same. Given I have the 7 ft rods covered with ones I already have - I felt having bigger (12') was better than the 10' given the same spec.

I will back down on the 110 lb.

Any thoughts on that weight tying youtube - does that look about right.


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

The YouTube video's fine, that's the way I loop mine on, remember rods have a sweet spot when it comes to weight, and usually it's not on the low end ..... Also, if you have a 4wd, get a beach driving permit and air down properly ... You can always find a place to fish on Hatteras out of everyone's way, just avoid the Point if there's a bite going on, but drop by there ànd watch ..... It can be very entertaining ..... Good Luck ... River


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## kbueno1 (Jun 3, 2015)

River said:


> Go down about 15 inches from one end and ty a small loop using double overhand knots/surgeons loop to àttach your main line to,


Which knot or swivel-free technique to use to connect the small loop on the rig to the main line?

Tx,
KBueno


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

Thanks for all the help River. I will do some more hunting on the rod - doesn't sound like that one is ideal.

Here is the updated rig diagrams (much less metal, 30 lb flouro instead of 110 lb mono, hook sizes noted). 

Now that I am using more knots and no crimps - is there a need for beads to protect the knots? Or are these fine as-is?









My brother has the drive on permit and 4x4 - so will have to see if we can get up there. Right now we have a cabin on Portsmouth Island booked - looks like it will be a fun time.


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

spydermn has a nice diagram of a Fishfinder rig on post 15, I'd use that example .....


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

so much different advice on here it is unreal, might as well throw in my 2c:

i am not an expert, nor do i have as many years under my belt as some, but i have put some eating fish on the beach in my time (sounds like your wife likes to eat fish). i have 4 kids under the age of 12. they love to surf fish, but their attention is short. my 7yo boy, who loves it the most, LOVES to reel in the fish. i have them trained well, they know the slot on drum and they get real excited when a citation pomp is dragged up the beach b/c they like to eat them. my approach is to put as many eating fish on the beach as possible with tackle THAT IS ENJOYABLE FOR MY KIDS TO FISH WITH. my kids would rather reel in a 1lb mullet every 5 min than a 40lb drum every 2h. most kids are like that. i mainly target "pan fish", i.e. fish <10lbs - pompano (mainly), puppy drum, flounder. I would just keep it simple.

11' carolina cast pro, 2-5oz (or 10' 1-4oz): excellent rod for light bottom fishing
metal spinning reel, penn fierce or battle 5000-6000 probably fine
12 mono mainline (or 15lb braid) with 30-40lb shock if you are planning on trying to do more than lob it out there (remember the rating of your terminal rig though)
river rig (tied out of fluoro) with #4 or #2 mutu light circles
sand fleas (my preference), strips of fishbites, or fresh shrimp for bait
3-5oz pyramid sinker
no terminal tackle other than hooks, if you must then you can use a swivel to connect river rig to main line. 

put out fleas, reel in fish every 5', repeat. then fish fry or grill later. kids will be happy with steady action with tackle that is fun to use. wife will be happy eating mullet, pomps, pups, black drum. if the action is slow have the kids dig up more fleas. but if you know how to read the beach and put out this set up you will catch fish.


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## Greywalls (Aug 17, 2015)

greg12345 said:


> so much different advice on here it is unreal, might as well throw in my 2c:
> 
> i am not an expert, nor do i have as many years under my belt as some, but i have put some eating fish on the beach in my time (sounds like your wife likes to eat fish). i have 4 kids under the age of 12. they love to surf fish, but their attention is short. my 7yo boy, who loves it the most, LOVES to reel in the fish. i have them trained well, they know the slot on drum and they get real excited when a citation pomp is dragged up the beach b/c they like to eat them. my approach is to put as many eating fish on the beach as possible with tackle THAT IS ENJOYABLE FOR MY KIDS TO FISH WITH. my kids would rather reel in a 1lb mullet every 5 min than a 40lb drum every 2h. most kids are like that. i mainly target "pan fish", i.e. fish <10lbs - pompano (mainly), puppy drum, flounder. I would just keep it simple.
> 
> ...


Great advice. This is pretty much my strategy. I would also add the Okuma Cedros reels for pretty inexpensive yet pretty nice gear... Although, admittedly, the 5000 Battle II seems a better reel...


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

my kids actually love using steelhead rods and carp rods for light surf bottom fishing the most as those are very easy to handle with little hands/bodies, have them paired with 4000 battles. i have 3 11 foot carp rods and 5 steelhead rods anywhere from 8'6" to 10 feet, the young kids have put many citation pomps and mullet on the beach using those rods...i have to tell them about 100 times during the fight "don't reel if the drag is getting peeled out!"...they get excited when they feel the pull and just want to horse it in as fast as possible...sometimes dad has to "take over" when the fish gets in the wash if it looks like a "good one"...

have plenty of "normal" surf tackle that is heavier and they have beached fish using 12' 2-4oz pomp rods but just wears them out when the rod is heavy & 3x their height....


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

Very good advice greg12345, luv the 11' 2 - 5 oz CCP Rod but the 10' 1-4 is my faverite because I like to lob in close a lot and the 11' loads a little fast for lobing in the suds .... Very nice to hear about kids fishing and having fun, that's what it's all about .. River


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## Shanep (Jul 1, 2015)

I'm going to post a picture of my tackle box when I get home.


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

greg12345 - this is pretty much exactly our plan. I totally agree - the kids loved catching fish left and right. I figure they will catch a lot of our "bait" on the 7/8 foot rods and if they get something we can eat - great. Then Pops, my brother, and I will try for other stuff on the bigger rods and hopefully get something we can eat 

Glad to hear this is a common/good approach for the kids. Based on feedback - I did some more research and found a Okuma Tundra that is rated at 2-6 oz on sale. Sounds like that would be better than the previous rods? Yes/No?

I think we settled on the Penn Battle 2 6000 reels. I took the kids this evening to try the various models out and the 8000 nearly pulled them to the ground alone. So I will give up a few yards of line to keep them from having to be baby Popeye to reel something in 

I bought the barrel swivels, flourocarbon (30 lb), some 2/0 hooks, and some beads today - so will have my hand at tying some of these rigs this weekend.

It feels like it is all coming together now.......keep the advice coming. I appreciate all the input.


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## marv1234 (Nov 10, 2014)

I've tried the Okuma tundra and maybe its just my bad luck but the rod is poorly made and broke apart in my second trip using it. Threw it straight to the trash after I got mad it broke and smashed it some more. But the reel that came with the okuma tundra is pretty good. No problem at all.


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

you can do what you want but i made my recs for a reason, as did river. CCP rod is what i would recommend. i estimate i would have saved more than a $1000 if i would have bought good gear up front rather than doing what you are doing right now, which is ignoring the advice of people who know more than you in the attempt to save money. take it from someone who was in your position and who made the mistakes you are about to make. just my 2c.


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

greg12345 - Is the rod the only component of concern to you?


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## Islander80 (Mar 27, 2010)

I love my CCP rods. I have a the 10' and the 11' 2-5oz. Great rods made by a great guy. If they are more than you want to spend the Tica TC2 9' 2-6oz with Penn 5000 battle or fierce loaded with 20lb fireline is one of the most versatile rigs you can have. It will throw 2oz metals, up to 4oz on a bottom rig and snag bunker. It's a great setup and a great place to start.


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## Byron/pa (Mar 14, 2007)

Well, I've been following all the good advice since the beginning, and now I'll throw in. 

I'll start by repeating what others have said; Think light. Just like everyone else, when I got started, I started with tackle that was way to heavy. I think it's a mistake we all made, after all, we are going to catch huge fish right? Well, not really. I do like catching big drum as well as big sharks, or anything else that qualifies as big. BUT the reality is that I also just enjoy catching fish, and that often means smaller "panfish". Again just repeating what others have said.

On rods; Be honest with yourself on your budget. If the cost of a rod is the same as the cost of spending three days at the beach fishing, you'll be better off spending the money to go fishing. I am not knocking higher end tackle ( I just ordered my fourth CCP yesterday) and if you decide you really enjoy surf fishing, you WILL want better tackle at some point. But I still have and use many lower end rods such as Tica's, Tsunami's and Penn's. But hey, if your budget allows it, go all out, just don't feel like you have to in order to catch fish.

Get some casting spoons. Every tackle shop on the OBX has them, Glass Minnows, SlingSilvers, Hopkins, Generics - Keep an eye open for jumping baitfish, often they are jumping because something is chasing them, cast the spoon past the breaking baitfish and retrieve rapidly. Again, no need for huge spoons, generally ones in the one to one and a half ounce range work just fine. Tie them directly to your line or attach via a small snap. 

Have fun...........


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## seahawk2000 (Aug 15, 2015)

All sound advice.

I think I get the idea. Originally I was thinking of the rod as just the delivery mechanism to throw a bottom rig out 25 to 50 yards within +/- 20 feet of my target (so long as I don't cross another line - no worries). Then the rig sits there and when a fish bites - it gets reeled in. 

I was not considering the scenario where I am regularly casting for accuracy and reeling in repeatedly over the course of hours. In that scenario - I can definitely see where having something that reacts better to the mechanics of a cast and is suited for the weight of lure being thrown would be better.

The $50 vs $225 isn't going to make or break anything. I just don't want to overdo it out of the gate - which is my natural tendancy 

Cast Pro seems to be a favorite among the group - I will have to see about making a trip to the store to check one out.


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

most important things to putting eating fish on the beach and/or in the cooler:

1. reading the beach
2. FRESH bait
3. the right hook (better to go too small rather than too big, which most people do, sharp circles all the way for small fish)
4. the right rig: fluorocarbon, NO terminal tackle at all
5. the right rod: most people use rods WAY too heavy with HORRIBLE bite detection. BITE DETECTION is key.

there is a phrase, jack of all trades but master of none. so it is with rods. going after drum? get a heaver that can throw 8oz + bait. going after spanish or blues? get a 9-10' 1-3oz rod with a LIGHT spinning reel (e.g. shimano stradic) with a high retrieve...you can cast all day with this set up and not tire out. Going after pompano? get a 13' parabolic rod and conventional reel to really get a bait out there in case you need to. reel for bait fishing is less important, you just need one that is corrosion resistant and has a good drag (most important), battles are not the smoothest but have excellent drags. the larger sizes are heavy so I try to get away with the smallest/lightest, I use the 5000 the most. yes i will get stripped if I am fishing mono if I hang into a monster ray which happens but anything under 10lbs is no problem. I have mine with 15lb braid, 300+y, no fish that I am keeping for the dinner table is going to strip 300+ yards of line. 

The cloesest thing you can get to a highly versatile rod would be the 10' CCP 1-4oz, excellent metal rod for spanish/blues and excellent for bait fishing for panfish. Not to mention this will be fun to fish with. You can catch plenty of 1lb mullet on heavy rods but you might as well just buy them from the seafood market and just go to the beach and throw out a heavy sinker and reel it back in because that's what it will feel like on a heavy rod, you won't even be able to tell you have a fish on. 

If i could only have 1 rod (I have 30+) for surf fishing it would be a 11' 2-5oz CCP, can handle pups up to 10lb easy, fun to fish with for smaller eaters, can double as a metal rod in a pinch.

you will notice that may on here recommend a "river rig". that happens to be named after the guy on here, river. when you have a rig named after you it probably indicates that you know what the heck you are doing. you would be well suited to listen to people like that. he has given good advice and i would follow it if I were you.


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## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

i will add a disclaimer that all my recs are based on the fact that i like to feel the fight of the fish. i am about to go chase 5-7" native brookies with a 3wt fly rod in a small mountain stream this afternoon, C&R. so "that" is the kind of fisherman I am. i guess if you are just after meat you can get a broomstick.


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