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Looking to get into surf fishing. Looking for advice for a few species as well as assistance on gear choice.

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KAJCast

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Note: This thread was created on the main forum, but someone advised me to post here for better answers in relation to my local ocean.

 

 

Hey guys, I'm new to the forums and I've recently become enthralled with the idea hitting the surf for some bigger fish than the 6-inch dinky Large Mouth Bass at my local lake.

 

The thought of using the biggest body of water available to me to catch fish that I can actually take home and eat is extremely appealing to me.

 

The fish I intend on hitting primarily are Perch, Corbina, Halibut, Rockfish, Lingcod, and Striped Bass (if they're around).

 

I am unsure as to whether Rockfish and Lingcod inhabit my local Orange County jetties but they look like loads of fun to catch!

 

Note: I know that Leopard Sharks, Rays, Guitarfish, as well as other larger species inhabit my local beaches so I'd like those fish to be taken into account on the off chance I hook one. I would prefer my gear not to snap and leave me in the hole! :eek:

 

I've been doing a lot of research on gear and technique and have been looking at a few reels and rods and would appreciate advice on my choices.

 

The reels I am looking at (Open to suggestions, of course):

  1. Fin Nor Lethal LT60
  2. Penn SSV
  3. Penn Battle II

 

For the rods (open to suggestions again, and also unsure of what size rod I should purchase):

  1. Offshore Angler Powerstick
  2. Star Stellar Lite
  3. Daiwa Beefstick
  4. Ugly Stick Surf Rod

 

I've been watching a ton of videos on rigs and general fishing tips. So I have a rough idea as to what I need.

 

I know that I need a variety of 1-4oz sinkers (both pyamidic, round, and coin), basic sabiki rigs for bait fish, ~30(?) lb test braid and 30(?) lb test fluoro leader, and hooks (unsure of what size).

 

For baits, I've heard that Berkeley Gulp Sandworms are "Perch Crack", shrimp and sandcrabs are good; however, I am uneducated in swimbaits so I would also be open to advice there.

 

General beginners advice for the species I have listed would also be very helpful.

 

 

Any advice and help is much appreciated! Thank you! :angel:

Edited by KAJCast
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I just recently got a Daiwa BG and I absolutely love it. I would recommend it to you. It seems like your looking for a good all around rod and reel. What I would recommend is a rod that you can throw 2-4 oz weight for throwing out baits in the surf make sure its 8ft plus. As for the line, i would recommend 30-40lb main line and then you're going to want to change what leader you're going to use depending on what fish you are going to want to go for. if your looking for a good all-around size id go with 25 or 30 lb. If you're looking for stuff along the jetty or for surf perch I just use bass gear the majority of the time and it works great because it feels like a big fight. The Swimbaits depends on what you are going to use for them. if you're in the kelp id recommend a 3/4 oz with a 4in swimbait, but if you're going deep using swimbaits for lincods id recommend nothing lighter then 5-6 oz. If you are just starting off id recommend taking down a rod to the beach and getting into some surf perch, they may be small but they are fun to catch just use a Carolina rig with some size 10 i believe and you will be all set. Being in the OC you have great kelp forests that you can target calicos and other rock basses are going to be your main target in there. Lings are going to be deeper out that you will most likely need a boat to get to but on super low tides and some rock hopping you can get to them. Sorry for the long post.

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13 mins ago, indeepship said:

I just recently got a Daiwa BG and I absolutely love it. I would recommend it to you. It seems like your looking for a good all around rod and reel. What I would recommend is a rod that you can throw 2-4 oz weight for throwing out baits in the surf make sure its 8ft plus. As for the line, i would recommend 30-40lb main line and then you're going to want to change what leader you're going to use depending on what fish you are going to want to go for. if your looking for a good all-around size id go with 25 or 30 lb. If you're looking for stuff along the jetty or for surf perch I just use bass gear the majority of the time and it works great because it feels like a big fight. The Swimbaits depends on what you are going to use for them. if you're in the kelp id recommend a 3/4 oz with a 4in swimbait, but if you're going deep using swimbaits for lincods id recommend nothing lighter then 5-6 oz. If you are just starting off id recommend taking down a rod to the beach and getting into some surf perch, they may be small but they are fun to catch just use a Carolina rig with some size 10 i believe and you will be all set. Being in the OC you have great kelp forests that you can target calicos and other rock basses are going to be your main target in there. Lings are going to be deeper out that you will most likely need a boat to get to but on super low tides and some rock hopping you can get to them. Sorry for the long post.

Thanks for the info! What size of a reel would you recommend for a 9ft rod? 4000, 5000, 6000?

 

and where are lingcod exactly for SoCal? As in ow deep? could you catch them from a jetty?

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I  have fished the North OC And South LA County Beaches for over 60 years. The last 15 or so I have been using light weight 9’-9 1/2’ Steelhead rods with size 1500-3000 reels loaded with 6# mono and 20” of 4# fluoro leader, 1/8-1/2 oz  sinkers, #6-8 hook, set up C-rig for 95% of my fishing if beaches and bays. I use heavier gear for sharks an rays, maybe 20-30# 12’rod, 4-6oz, 6/0-10/0 hooks. 

Butch

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On 10/30/2017 at 4:57 PM, KAJCast said:

Thanks for the info! What size of a reel would you recommend for a 9ft rod? 4000, 5000, 6000?

 

and where are lingcod exactly for SoCal? As in ow deep? could you catch them from a jetty?

For a 9 ft i would use a 4000 size. Id highly recommends getting a light set up for perch. tho and for that id do what midnight was saying

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On 10/30/2017 at 7:53 PM, Midnightpass said:

I  have fished the North OC And South LA County Beaches for over 60 years. The last 15 or so I have been using light weight 9’-9 1/2’ Steelhead rods with size 1500-3000 reels loaded with 6# mono and 20” of 4# fluoro leader, 1/8-1/2 oz  sinkers, #6-8 hook, set up C-rig for 95% of my fishing if beaches and bays. I use heavier gear for sharks an rays, maybe 20-30# 12’rod, 4-6oz, 6/0-10/0 hooks. 

Butch

+1 on this ultralight rig. this is what I use for perch and striper on the Central Coast. but I spool up with 20# braid--much tougher and casts further than mono. you need the heavy line for hangups and kelp balls. carolina rig for grubs, Flash Minnow plug if stripers are around or winter perch, fly fishing when the surf is smaller.

 

Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught. 

 

 

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