Clueless fishing rookie needs gear help...

[DaddyBoy]

Hello, total fishing rookie here. I'm looking to get some gear, and I need some help. Here's the situation:

My in-laws just moved near the beach near Kingston, so I'm planning on doing a lot of beach fishing this season. I'm hoping to catch surf perch, flatfish, maybe some salmon, etc... basically whatever I can hook.

The only gear I have currently are some cheapo Daiwa D-Shock spinning combos, with medium-heavy 7' rods. I also have an old but pristine Penn Peer 109 level-wind reel.

I'm thinking I need to upgrade, first because a longer rod will allow me to cast further out from the beach. Two, because neither of the spinning reels I have is built for salt, and they don't hold much line. Three, I'm not sure how the current gear would handle a larger fish, if I were fortunate enough to hook one.

After doing some research, I'm considering five options:

1. $$$: Ugly stick 9-foot medium action, with a Penn Battle II 4000/5000.

2. $$: Ugly stick 9-foot medium action, with a cheaper spinning salt reel (e.g., a Daiwa Opus 4000/5000).

3. $: Ugly stick 9-foot medium action, with an older, all-metal spinning salt reel (e.g., a Daiwa 2600c), which I can find for like $10.

4. $: Buy a casting surf rod in the 9-foot range, and put my Penn Peer on it.

5. Keep my current D-Shock gear and use it until it dies.

Any thoughts? (I picked the Ugly Stick because it seems the most durable, with the best guides, and it's reasonably priced. But I'm open to others.)

Thanks!

[BentRod]

Welcome!

You may not have to worry about salmon this year as we still don't know if there will be a season for them.

For starry flounder and surf perch your current setup will work ok. Just make sure you clean your gear well after using it in the salt (rinse with fresh water or a salt-away type product and use a corrosion resistant treatment). That should help it hold up for a long time.

A longer rod will allow you to cast further if you're fishing from the beach, but you might try fishing with your current gear before jumping into additional to see how you like it. That may give you the opportunity to see what others are using as well.

For typical beach casting for salmon I prefer a 10' medium action rod paired with either a 3000 series spinning reel or a 200 series casting reel spooled with 30# braid and using a 5-10' section of 12-15 lb mono at the terminal end.

FWIW.

[DaddyBoy]

You may not have to worry about salmon this year as we still don't know if there will be a season for them.

Oh yeah, that's right.

For starry flounder and surf perch your current setup will work ok. Just make sure you clean your gear well after using it in the salt (rinse with fresh water or a salt-away type product and use a corrosion resistant treatment). That should help it hold up for a long time.

A longer rod will allow you to cast further if you're fishing from the beach, but you might try fishing with your current gear before jumping into additional to see how you like it. That may give you the opportunity to see what others are using as well.

For typical beach casting for salmon I prefer a 10' medium action rod paired with either a 3000 series spinning reel or a 200 series casting reel spooled with 30# braid and using a 5-10' section of 12-15 lb mono at the terminal end.

FWIW.

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely use my current stuff a few times and see how it goes. Nice to know that you prefer the 3000-ish range of reels for these purposes; I can take my time and just keep my eyes open for deals on such reels (including at thrift stores!) I suppose that size reel would be better for other stuff I might do as well, including fishing Lake Washington occasionally...

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

I used trout gear for years in the salt, when fishing for perch, flounder, and other bottom fish. You really don't need long rods or high end gear for them--you don't need to cast out too far. Just look for the environment. The perch will hang out around rocky shorelines and pilings near shore. The flounder usually at muddy or sandy beaches.

As said above, try the gear you have first, before investing in other stuff.

Be sure to un-barb all your hooks for Puget Sound.

BTW Lake WA is currently closed to ALL fishing

[DaddyBoy]

BTW Lake WA is currently closed to ALL fishing

Yeah, another closure! I'm hoping that at least the Lake Wa closure is lifted in the not-too-distant future...

Thanks!

[hewesbob]

Welcome to fishing in the northwest. I see your starting to buy fishing gear, the thing I learned a long time ago is if you want to make a small fortune fish you just start out with a large fortune. Good luck

[Amx]

salmon season set, opening soon, read WDFW e-mail here;

http://www.northwestfishingreports.com/ ... =4&t=23102" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JoshH]

I fish Coho from the beach with a 7 foot medium action ugly stick. Works beautiful. Depending on the beach, casting out longer does not equal casting to where the fish are. Beach fishing for salmon, most times I get into the fish within 30 feet from shore.