# Surf rod/reel set up help



## thedeafman (May 14, 2016)

Hello all, new to the forum. 

I've been into fishing for over 20 years now, mainly freshwater, but I have done some salt. I've never surf fished, but always been interested. I decided it was time to get a rod/reel for it and give it a go. 

My goal was to get something that can handle all of the smaller stuff that comes with florida surf fishing, but also able to handle the small/medium sharks that occasionally come by. I don't mind a bit of overkill on the smaller stuff if it means I would be capable of bringing in some of the small/medium sharks etc

I've been looking at the fin nor lethal 100 and also the quantum cabo 80. I can't decide if the cabo would be worth the extra money or if both of these reels were just _too_ overkill for surf fishing (if so, recommendations would be nice)

I originally just wanted to grab something on the cheaper side, aiming for the fin nor lethal 100 and a 10' mh big waters ugly stik BWS1100100 for a total of 175$ for them on amazon with free 2 day shipping. 10-11' rod is preferable 1 or 2 pieces, doesn't really matter which. Plan on using live or cut bait mostly, not planning on throwing any lures with this set up (which is why I didn't particularly mind the lethal100 and cabo 80 being that they're fairly heavy)

I've also been looking into better rods over the ugly stik, mainly the Lamiglas LIS 10 MHS Insane Surf Spinning Rod, St. Croix Mojo Surf MSS106MHMF2

I'd appreciate any input on the matter. I don't _want_ to spend more than 500 on a set up, with that 170 looking pretty nice for a starting combo to see how I like it and then possibly later upgrade to something much nicer. However, I don't want it to end up sitting on my rod rack never being used while I end up buying a 400-600$ set up after I realize it's great fun, but at the same time not dropping 800-1200 on a great set up.

I'm not familiar with larger rods and reels, especially for saltwater. I use baitcasters for freshwater, but felt maybe a spinning combo for surf fishing would be less hassle. I haven't looked at any caster reels/rods, but if you'd think getting a spinning set up would be a mistake for surf fishing let me know.

I'd prefer to get something new off a site that I can just order from (not hunting down old used reels on ebay) 

If anyone has experience with those rods/reels in the surf or other recommendations I'd appreciate any input. 

Thanks ahead of time for any feed back or advice!


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

There are a million different answers to this question... Here's mine.
You would be very hard pressed to do better for your money than to just go to Tommy Farmer's CPS site (he is a sponsor here - look for the Distance Casting Page above) and buy yourself 1 of the following;

11' 2-5 oz either in casting or spinning. With the Casting version you can pair it beautifully with an Akios 5XX series reel. With Spinning, a 5XXX series reel of your choice will match just fine. With that rod you will be able to reach out to the second bar for the big boy pompano and Sea Mullet in your area, as well as play with the smaller sharks. It is a very versatile rod. If you chose spinning (or are good with a baitcaster) it will throw metal beautifully.

Next up would be the 13' 3-6 oz. Tommy's #1 selling rod, mostly due to the serious Pompano guys down your way. It is a casting machine. Pair it with an Akios 6XXX series reel and you will have as good a setup as _reasonable_ $$$ can buy. And it is a rig that you will never outgrow. Very forgiving to cast as a new - to - surfcasting rig, and as your skill grows, that setup will give you all the performance you will ever need for real world fishing. Just a little less versatile than the rig above.

If you are proficient with baitcasters for freshwater, you will take to them for surf fishing very quickly, and the Akios reels are perfect for the beginner caster, but they can be tuned to be complete screamers as you get more comfortable with them.

Good Luck,
Welcome to the site,
TjB


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## thedeafman (May 14, 2016)

Hey, thanks for responding! I think I am going to go with a casting set up after reading what you said, looking into surf fishing a little more.

I looked into akios and what they've got to offer and they're rather solid. I have am older 6500 c3 with a broken level wind that my dad gave me several years ago; ordered an "upgrade kit" on ebay to fix the issues it has and make it slightly better. I'll give it a go in the surf to find out how I'll like level wind vs non level wind and the similar style reels, even though I know a 6500 c3 is definitely not an akios, I think it'll help me peer into what it's about. Then once I decide I'll probably get an akios off his site, likely the 6xx or 7xx.

I'm not sure if Tommy's rods are what I'm after though. I'd really like to stick with the 10-11', but he doesn't really offer what I'm after in his 10-11'. I'm new at surf fishing and want something with a little more heft in the 10-11' range(I don't really plan on throwing lures currently). If I end up the akios with no level wind I'll reconsider at a later date, probably that 13'. I also don't think he offers any type of warranty on his factory rods. Not that it's a necessarily a deal breaker, but that's always a comfort to me with some of the bigger name expensive rods. 

I'm still unsure of what I'll get for a rod for the time being. My opinion has changed a little and I'm leaning towards spending more on a rod since I plan to use the 6500c3 for a month or two.


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

More than welcome,
That C3 will be perfect to start out with, but you might want to consider just converting it to a "CT" version, leaving the levelwind off.
#1, it will cost you some distance, and 
#2, you run the risk of causing blowups or birdsnests from your shock leader knot banging off that line guide on the way out.
Nothing in the world wrong with that reel to start! And you will get the hang of laying the line on evenly with your thumb in about 5 minutes...
And if you don't want to do the work yourself, you have Jerry Foran up near Jacksonville who is one of the best Abu guys on the East Coast. He could convert that levelwind for you in a heartbeat...

http://www.hookless.com/


And Tommy stands behind every single rod he sells, don't ever worry about that! Something goes wrong with one of his rods, you call Tommy. 
Something goes wrong with a Daiwa, I'm pretty sure you don't get Mr. Daiwa on the phone.

And you know, since you are really in just about the Capital for Pompano fishing, you can just go down to the beach and walk for a while and see what the rest of the guys are using.

(_And, I should always add; IMHO & YMMV..._)


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## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

thedeafman,

tjbjornsen has spoken his words of wisdom. I have both of the Tommy Farmer rods that he is talking about. The 11 ft 2-5 is a sweet little rod that will throw three ounces and a double drop WAY out there. The first time I fished with it I could not believe how far I could throw. It was 30 yards farther than I had ever casted in my life. I have a 6500 C3 on that rod because my wife can't lay line on with her thumb. She can cast the thing good. 

The dream rod is the 13 ft 3-6 that I just got. I have an Akios 666 MM3 on this rod. My wife and I took these to Sebastian Inlet in Florida and killed pompano with them. 
There were commercial pomp fisherman on each side of us and the Tommy rods did not disappoint us. You gatta bomb it out there to clear water to get those pomps. 
My wife caught an 18 inch pomp. 

Good luck


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## RocknReds (Jun 13, 2010)

Follow advice of previous post


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## thedeafman (May 14, 2016)

I ordered a 11' st croix rod for some chunking and I also ordered tommy's 10 foot rod. I have plans to order one of his 13 foot rods and an akios reel at a later date for sure. Thanks for replying everyone!


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