# Destin Surf Fishing Trip Advice Needed



## DennyMac (Jun 29, 2013)

Well, it's official. I've over researched what surf rod and reel to purchase and am now more confused than ever. A little about me. I live in Michigan and will be heading to Destin in August. Destin is my go to vacation place now (I love it there) and the last couple of times there I brought some of my bass gear and waded and tossed Kastmasters into the surf and have caught Ladyfish. They are fun to catch, but I want to get a little more serious this time.

I want to toss jigs and lures, but also want to try some bait fishing including taking one of those ladyfish and hooking it up for a bigger prize. I need some gear and want to keep the rod and reel together south of $150. I will only be using it for 1 or 2 weeks a year, but I do want quality without going crazy. Here's what I'm thinking:

- Rod: I'm thinking a 9' would work well
- Reel: Spinning and I'm thinking with a baitfeeder
- Line: Very confused about what to do here. Not a lot of experience with braid, but it seems like the way to go. Is there a mono / braid hybrid type line that is any good?
- Online stores versus the big outfitters?
- Lures: Crippled minnows, banana jigs, Gotcha, etc.

Any and all information is welcome.

Thanks for the help and feel free to PM me.


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## tmilanese (Nov 27, 2012)

I just went through the same thing you're going through a few months back for my trip to mexico beach. I ended up going with a 10.6ft spinning BreakAway Omega with the FIN-NOR OFS 4500 ... It casted well and had no problem reeling in small sharks.


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## DennyMac (Jun 29, 2013)

Thanks for the information.


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## DennyMac (Jun 29, 2013)

I'm considering a Cabelas Saltstriker Baitfeeder SSBF65 reel and pairing it with a Seastriker Beachrunner 8' rod. Any thoughts on the pairing. I plan to use my lighter gear to throw spoons and lures and hook some bait to the larger rig.

I'm also in the market for a backpack with rod holders.

Any and all thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks.


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## Lottatop (May 29, 2010)

I would recommend this setup for you


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## Sand Dollar (Nov 26, 2005)

Bwhahahahahahahahahhaha.....:redface: Ok sorry but that was pretty funny. LOL


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## dchfm123 (Jun 11, 2011)

tmilanese said:


> I just went through the same thing you're going through a few months back for my trip to mexico beach. I ended up going with a 10.6ft spinning BreakAway Omega with the FIN-NOR OFS 4500 ... It casted well and had no problem reeling in small sharks.


Wow he said he wanted to keep it around 150 not 600. He asked a question not for you to brag about your setup.

To answer the question I think an ugly stick or cheaper daiwa surf rod paired with a penn fierce or battle in the 6000 size would be perfect for what you want and your price range. Load it up with 300 yards of 40 pound test power pro. You could handle anything up to 6 foot sharks, large rays and so forth. For 200 bucks you could get a ocean master rod and penn battle which would be a nice step up in rod quality but either should suit you just fine due to the limited use it will be getting.

This setup will be better for bait fishing than casting lures, spoons, etc but it will work ok with spoons and such just not the gotchas. They are more ment to be fished from piers and such and you will not get a good action out of them without using bass tackle size equipment.


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