# Why you need a long rod for surf fishing.



## sharkchum

There are several advantages for using a long rod for surf fishing. One of the most important reasons is to keep your line off the sand bars where they can get frayed and cut. A longer rod also keeps more of you line out of the water {see drawing below**, this can keep the current from dragging your sinker and also helps keep more seaweed and other debris from fouling your line. Now lets talk about casting. Sure, I can cast a 8' rod just as far as a 12' rod, but only with just a weight tied to the line. When you add a 4' to 6' leader, casting a short rod becomes almost impossible. While we're on the subject of rods lets talk about rod action. When surf fishing there is no such thing as to heavy of a rod, they just don't make them unless you have one custom built. You need a heavy action rod to be able to launch a long leader, 4oz to 10oz weight, and a big chunk of bait. A long rod will do you no good if it whips around like a wet noodle. Rod brand and price is just personal preference. Most of my rods are 12', rated for 25# to 40# line, and cost between $40 and $100. There is no need to spend a ton of money on a surf rod, a $50 rod will catch just as many fish as a $500 one.


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## peckerwood

Man your screwing up if you don't write a book! There's money to be made about something you know and love,and it'll stand out in a book.Your easy to read and understand,and kick-*** photographer to boot.Enough praise,just had to be said.Keep the info coming.


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## JFolm

X2 on writing a book. You should seriously consider it and you would get a ton of support from 2cool.


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## Bankin' On It

SC needs to put on a clinic and invite folks to pay and learn one weekend! I'd be in. Dude's got chops man. Much to learn from him.

$50 gets you a chair and a free homemade leader. I'm dead serious too.

Take that money and make a well produced video then do annual clinics to generate new interest.


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## sharkchum

I would love to write a book, but I lack 2 out of the 3 things needed. The knowledge of fishing I have, not just mine, but from generations back, I was taught by the best. Fishing does't take any special skill or talent, it's all based on knowledge. I'm no better than anyone else, the only thing that sets me apart is whats in my head. One of the things keeping me from writing a book is know how. Where I excel in fishing, I fail miserably in "book smarts", no pun intended. I wouldn't know where to start, publishing, printing, marketing, advertising, I would be totally lost. Now we come to the biggest road block, MONEY. It's my understanding that to get a book on the market would run from $20,000 to $50,000. I just had to scrounge up all my change and take it to the coinstar machine to get enough money to pay for the entry fees for the tournament I'm fishing tomorrow, so there is no way I could ever afford to publish a book.


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## sharkchum

Bankin' On It said:


> SC needs to put on a clinic and invite folks to pay and learn one weekend! I'd be in. Dude's got chops man. Much to learn from him.
> 
> $50 gets you a chair and a free homemade leader. I'm dead serious too.
> 
> Take that money and make a well produced video then do annual clinics to generate new interest.


I've already done that, but for free. None of the old timers ever charged me money to teach me how to fish, but what they did do is made me load and unload all the gear, catch all the bait, set out all the rods, and clean all the fish. I basically got treated like a slave for the "privilege" of getting to fish with them, $50 would be nothing compared to what I was subjected to.


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## killntim

With the advent of online publishing it is not that expensive to publish and sell your book on line. Also what might be of more interest to fishermen may be a teaching series like the trout and redfish DVDs mentioned here frequently. I would think this could be done fairly reasonable.


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## Salty-Noob

I am available for a lesson this weekend!!


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## Jean Scurtu

:texasflag

I agree with "sharkchum" about the advantage of long rods.

I don't fish on the surf ,i am fishing from the bank at ROLLOVER PAS using long spinning rods(longest 16'4' telescoping spinning rod build by me on telescopic graphite blank TRIANA ,made in Italy.I install long leg spinning guides with SIC insert and reel seat.The rod weight 6.7 ozs.).

With this long rods i can cast long distance,keep the minimum line on the water ( i am fishing all the time with braid +fluorocarbon leader),because i am fishing with the rod tip at 45 degree and i can strike better when i have a bite.

I am fishing just with artificial and never with short rods.


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## 535

^^^This guy knows LONG rods^^^


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## matagordamudskipper

Cast that 8 n bait a quarter mile. Woo doggy. Ain't no seawizzle getting on my line


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## DANO

This is how I learned to surf-fish, you had to watch & learn and you best pay attention or you would miss something. Being questioned about missing something was short of mental torture. 


sharkchum said:


> None of the old timers ever charged me money to teach me how to fish, but what they did do is made me load and unload all the gear, catch all the bait, set out all the rods, and clean all the fish. I basically got treated like a slave for the "privilege" of getting to fish with them, $50 would be nothing compared to what I was subjected to.


Keep going sharkchum, they are learning.


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## JetSkiJack

sharkchum said:


> I would love to write a book, but I lack 2 out of the 3 things needed. The knowledge of fishing I have, not just mine, but from generations back, I was taught by the best. Fishing does't take any special skill or talent, it's all based on knowledge. I'm no better than anyone else, the only thing that sets me apart is whats in my head. One of the things keeping me from writing a book is know how. Where I excel in fishing, I fail miserably in "book smarts", no pun intended. I wouldn't know where to start, publishing, printing, marketing, advertising, I would be totally lost. Now we come to the biggest road block, MONEY. It's my understanding that to get a book on the market would run from $20,000 to $50,000. I just had to scrounge up all my change and take it to the coinstar machine to get enough money to pay for the entry fees for the tournament I'm fishing tomorrow, so there is no way I could ever afford to publish a book.


It's very easy now with Amazon to publish a book! Seriously, very inexpensive. Don't let that be a lie that you have to be booksmart to publish a book. Most people want to the point information and photos which you show here. You don't need a 500 page book either, a small 20-30 page book would be a perfect starting point.


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## shadslinger

Reading what sharkchum wrote about being schooled,(slave labor is pretty accurate, lol!), by mentors brings up a lot of memories and thoughts. I think about my days growing up learning to fish from dad and some other men. I was catching first insects, then perch, then we would all go for big river cats on trot lines. It took a lot of gearing up and preparation for those trips and participating in them was great fun, and work.

When you first learn how to catch bait, it could be grasshoppers, craw fish, frogs, crabs, mullet, whiting, jacks, stringray.
You learn where the bait hides from predators, and how the predators roust them, under what conditions, etc...
And you learn the _"Rule of Meat"_ ( a Jack London story of the arctic), of how the food chain where you are fishing works from being exposed to and a part of it.
Loading gear, well that certainly teaches what is needed and what is essential gets pointed out in extreme style if it gets left out by these salty old guys who are a learning ya.
Nothing makes it stick in your mind better than an arse chewing in front of the crew by an old salt.
Cleaning the fish exposes you to what they eat and how their mouths look, work, it lets you imagine how their fins propel them and other secrets of fish by taking them apart.
As a kid you get to watch grown ups fight big fish and talk about it as they do, which gives you a little help when the drag starts to burn the first time and it gets real exciting real quick.
That's a real fishing education.

Without forums and people willing to share, both on the board, and by actually taking them along fishing, these traditions skills and knowledge get lost quickly.
Thanks for always bringing it to others sharkchum.

I do like rods with limber fast tips then strong back bones on down the rod while surf fishing for bull reds and big drum. I have more fun fishing with them, but I do keep a couple of pool cue rods for heavy wind and waves surf fishing.


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## popeye_iv

Kind of a stupid question.... Should I be targeting the 3rd cut? Are you casting it that far or walking up on the first or second bar?


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## firedog4$

I have used a potato gun to toss my line out 200 yards. I just hollow out a potato and insert my lead weight then peel off about 40 yards of line on the beach and open the bail of my reel and shoot the potato.


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## TexasTom

popeye_iv said:


> Kind of a stupid question.... Should I be targeting the 3rd cut? Are you casting it that far or walking up on the first or second bar?


Popeye, Although it may depend on what kind of fish you are targeting, most of the time you don't need to get that far out. As you will find many times in threads on this forum, most fish are caught in the first and second gut. The one exception that I am aware of is those who target medium to large sharks, in which case they are typically kayaking baits out well beyond casting range. If you use multiple rods, stagger them in various guts (as well as each side of the sand bars) until you find the fish.


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## mgoodman2014

Maybe not a full on "How to" book SC, but a surf fishing for dummies or a tips/tricks type book. Amazon Publishing is super easy and there are a ton of simple programs out there to help as well with the writing/formatting of it... and I will bet there are 20 guys here that would jump to help you get it formatted properly, etc.

I read all your posts, just for the info.... I'd buy a "Dummies" book in a heart beat.....autographed please.

M


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## sharkinaggie

Good info SC.

Whether not you are not your line is rubbing on the bars has a lot to do with the type of beach you are fishing. Take SS beach near SLP vs say the high banks on Gorda. On SS, you would need a platform plus a twelve foot rod in order to get your line off of the second bar because that beach is so flat and the guts are shallow/wide. On the high banks in Gorda, you cast usually hit the second gut from the wade gut and put your rod in a holder on the "high bank" and be well off the second bar because of the natural elevation of the beach and the guts deep/narrow (very similar to the diagram you provided). 

As you stated, longer rods will dramatically improve your casting abilities when you are launching the proverbial "8 + bait" type of rig. 

-SA


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## sharkchum

Just bringing this to the top for people looking for surf fishing info


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## kneekap

I have always used the long rods also. Had guys at the tackle store laugh at me for buying my 14 footers. They think small guys need a big rod to feel like a man. Nope, just to keep the line out of the seaweed and sand bar tops. I was taught surf fishing by the old timers in the late 60's. They were some tough dudes and knew their stuff. When is the last time you saw a Calcutta pole with hose clamps for a reel seat?


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## Nutnhoney

Stickie quality post here. Put the shark chum tutorial s together. Lots of new and old surf folks will benefit.


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## sharkchum

Nutnhoney said:


> Stickie quality post here. Put the shark chum tutorial s together. Lots of new and old surf folks will benefit.


The bad thing is no one has much interest in surf fishing anymore.
Now all anyone is interested in is taking their $80,000 truck to launch their $100,000 boat, that will run 97 miles a hour in 2" of water, and travel 184 miles across a grass flat to find secluded water where they can get out of their $100,000 boat with a $500 pair of waders, $200 wadeing boots, $250 sunglasses, $300 worth of quick dry micro fiber fishing clothes, with matching hat, a $400 reel with 33 bearings, mounted on a $500 custom rod with their name on it , and throw a topwater all day long, to catch 1 trout that they just throw back in the water. 
To me that's not fishing.


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## jimj100

sharkchum said:


> The bad thing is no one has much interest in surf fishing anymore.
> Now all anyone is interested in is taking their $80,000 truck to launch their $100,000 boat, that will run 97 miles a hour in 2" of water, and travel 184 miles across a grass flat to find secluded water where they can get out of their $100,000 boat with a $500 pair of waders, $200 wadeing boots, $250 sunglasses, $300 worth of quick dry micro fiber fishing clothes, with matching hat, a $400 reel with 33 bearings, mounted on a $500 custom rod with their name on it , and throw a topwater all day long, to catch 1 trout that they just throw back in the water.
> To me that's not fishing.


I have sold my boat and am now nearly 100% surf. I was headed this direction the last 5 years or more. Soooooo many days, I will have 3 45" reds, or 8' shark, or whatever already on the beach, and be sitting there thinking how I would still be in the boat barn, lubing hubs, jiggling light connections, checking for horns and counting life preservers, etc if i were fishing from a boat that day. sooo many days I am already having a cold one on my couch, thinking how i would be spraying that boat down and flushing and re-lubing back at the barn. When i get sick of catching all these fish in the surf, maybe I'll get another boat. but i don't see that coming any time soon. I enjoy many, many aspects of the surf,but park and catch fish might be the best...


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## bmccle

*fishin*



sharkchum said:


> The bad thing is no one has much interest in surf fishing anymore.
> Now all anyone is interested in is taking their $80,000 truck to launch their $100,000 boat, that will run 97 miles a hour in 2" of water, and travel 184 miles across a grass flat to find secluded water where they can get out of their $100,000 boat with a $500 pair of waders, $200 wadeing boots, $250 sunglasses, $300 worth of quick dry micro fiber fishing clothes, with matching hat, a $400 reel with 33 bearings, mounted on a $500 custom rod with their name on it , and throw a topwater all day long, to catch 1 trout that they just throw back in the water.
> To me that's not fishing.


LMAO. Partially guilty as charged!: $30,000 truck; $15,000 boat; 48 mph; 8" of water; 10-40 miles around a bay; don't get out of my boat...but would if I thought it would help; no waders; $180 sunglasses; $50 of quick dry clothing (i buy off brand); do have a hat but i always forget it; $175 reel with about 20 bearings; $225 custom rod; love throwing topwater; 1 trout if I'm lucky. Lol.


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## fishingmagnet

This has some good information for those that like surf fishing. May I ask a few questions: 

1. What brand of 12 foot rod would you recommend?
2. What brand of reel would be good ones?
3. What size of line do you use?
4. Braid or mono?

Thanks,


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## Sancroix

fishingmagnet said:


> This has some good information for those that like surf fishing. May I ask a few questions:
> 
> 1. What brand of 12 foot rod would you recommend?
> 2. What brand of reel would be good ones?
> 3. What size of line do you use?
> 4. Braid or mono?
> 
> Thanks,


Sorry to see it looks like a month w/o a reply. I'll try my best, and these are mostly my opinions.
1. I had bad luck with Penn Prevail rods for years, with Fuji guides that would break. I don't know about the Prevail 2 rods, but they did change out the guides. I like my Carnage rod, but it's heavy. Love the St Croix Mojo Surf. Ugly Sticks, and some store brands are decent low cost options.
2. Penn makes many models useful in the surf. I have Battle 2s, Spinfishers, and one Slammer. Diawa BG is a great option, too. All these are spinning reels. I have one Penn Squall40 (no level-wind) but I'm not great at casting it yet.
3. 30 pound braid, for the most part. I do want to spool a couple of reels with 20 pound braid, but haven't done so yet. A top-shot of mono to help with sand abrasion is recommended; and I use an FG knot to join them as I find it goes through guides very well.
4. I prefer braid with a mono top-shot. I can get more braid on a reel, due to smaller diameter. All mono is low cost, though you have to decide to either get a big reel to get a lot of line, or use a smaller test line and risk introducing a weak point in your fishing system.


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