Surf Casting With Smaller Rods

Posted by f1Sh3rM4n on June 25th, 2010 filed in Fishing

Using live or dead bait and a stout spinning rod usually exceeding 10 feet in length is usually what comes to mind when somebody thinks about surf fishing. It is widely believed that is normal. The use of a stout spinning rod spooled with hundreds of yards of test monofilament.  One of the downsides of this type of raid is that it brings on a lot of fatigue from constant casting into rolling waves. The problem is this type tackle is typically best in order to get the bait properly placed when the surface high and rolling and crashing against the beach. There are however, a number of surf situations where this is just way too much and the only thing accomplished is that the angler winds up exhausted. Fortunately, technological advances in fishing now allow surf anglers to put together a much lighter combination of fishing rod and reel. These are now shorter, easier to cast and are far less unwieldy than the traditional surf stick.

 

Northeast fishing holes provide a number of opportunities for surf fishing. In most of these areas, the tidal currents are not as excessive and the ways tend to be relatively tame. Interestingly enough, while these areas might not hold very large fish, they often have a number of smaller sized striped bass, bluefish, and the occasional bruiser. These fishing areas are ideal for scale down set of tackle, including the graphite surf rod in a length not exceeding 8 feet. Spinning reels of these rods are typically in the 4000 size range. The best thing about these fishing rods is they provide anglers enough length for distance casting and allow them to use a 1 ounce to a 3 ounce lure.

 

Braided fishing line has also made distance casting much easier for new anglers. Spooling a4000 size reel with monofilament backing and adding 200 yards of 30 pound test braid line offers the ability to use this smaller diameter line versus the traditional monofilament. The other advantage is there is less friction on your rod guide, which helps increase your casting distance. Braided lines do not offer the same abrasion resistance that monofilament lines have, and all surf casters must be aware of this. Because these traditional fishing areas often have rocks and boulders fields, surf casters can run into significant issues when casting braided lines. This situation can be mitigated by attaching a long fluorocarbon leader to the braided line before placing a lure on the line. To some degree, this will help prevent breakage if a large fish heads directly for the rocks.

 

For youngsters who are just learning angling, they will enjoy this much more if they are not frustrated trying to learn how to handle the oversized surf rod. In fact, the shorter tackle will make fighting smaller fish much more fun than trying to winch them in on oversized gear. The occasional large fish that gets hooked on the smaller gear will put the most seasoned angler’s skills to the test. What could be more sporting?

 

 

There is no doubt that large surf rigs will always have their place. This is especially true for the angler whose preference is the 5 or 6 ounce sinker who is on the hunt for the largest fish they can find. However, for those that are tired of carrying around heavy rigs along the beach when your main interest lies in catching fish in the 5 to 20 pound range, it is definitely the time to start thinking about scaling back, scaling down, and sporting.

 

When you are out saltwater fishing it is important to make sure you have the right supplies. Some of the most popular brands include Shimano Reels, Penn Saltwater Reels, and Daiwa Fishing Reels.

 

 

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