Help With Inshore Saltwater Setup? 2024
The Brim Reaper reply :
I'm new to inshore saltwater fishing and don't know what size and species of fish I should expect to catch. I'll be fishing with shrimp. I've already decided on a reel (Penn Fierce), but need a rod to go with it. I'm looking at these:
Offshore Angler Gold Cup: http://www.basspro.c..._10051_10204611
Daiwa Coastal Inshore: http://www.basspro.c..._-1_10051_97106
Shakespeare Ugly Stik Tiger Lite: http://www.basspro.c..._-1_10051_71840
Shakespeare Ugly Stik Lite: http://www.basspro.c..._-1_10051_17946
Which rod do you recommend and what model? What size braid line should I put on it?
Thanks in advance!
Bassn Blvd reply :
I would strongly reccomend Red Bone by Hurricane. Dick's Sporting Goods ansd Sports Authority carry them as well as many other stores for under 90 dollars. I'd get a 7' or 7.5', M/H, 10-20 line class. You will be hard pressed to find a better rod at that price.
I'd use #20 braid or #12 mono.
http://www.google.co...MQSSbsgTeXF94Mw
SirSnookalot reply :
I have 8-10 inshore outfits, I use the appropriate one for the species I'm fishing for and the location (beach, boat, pier jettie, etc), so recommending the perfect rod and real is difficult. I inshore fish just about everyday, my observation is the most popular all around set up is an ugly stick with 4 or 5000 series reel, I see more Penns( the Penn Battle is becoming very popular) than anything. My first suggestion would be checking a saltwater forum in your geographic location and see what those anglers are using. For the freshwater fisherman making the occasional trip into saltwater, freshwater gear is ok, but it isn't if inshore is the sole focus.
As Bassn suggests Redbones are an excellent choice, I own 6 or 7 of them, I have a few others that I like very much too, but I don't like to get into specific brands. If you buy something on my recommendation and don't like, I have to live with it, so I don't spend other people's money. Yes for an all around set up a MH 10/20 7 or 7'6 rod would be my choice too, but pay attention to lure weight parameters. Shrimp and most lures are fairly light, but if you fish live bait like greenies or pilchards you need a heavier rod.
About the closest thing to bass fishing is snook fishing, I don't know if they are in your area, but as faint as the bite can be with them you won't need a super sensitive rod. Backbone is very important, you can just as easily hook a 30# tarpon, jack or redfish as 1# blue runner.
I can't emphasis enough about getting local information.
The Brim Reaper reply :
On 7/4/2012 at 11:43 AM, Bassn Blvd said:I would strongly reccomend Red Bone by Hurricane. Dick's Sporting Goods ansd Sports Authority carry them as well as many other stores for under 90 dollars. I'd get a 7' or 7.5', M/H, 10-20 line class. You will be hard pressed to find a better rod at that price.
I'd use #20 braid or #12 mono.
http://www.google.co...MQSSbsgTeXF94Mw
On 7/4/2012 at 2:53 PM, SirSnookalot said:I have 8-10 inshore outfits, I use the appropriate one for the species I'm fishing for and the location (beach, boat, pier jettie, etc), so recommending the perfect rod and real is difficult. I inshore fish just about everyday, my observation is the most popular all around set up is an ugly stick with 4 or 5000 series reel, I see more Penns( the Penn Battle is becoming very popular) than anything. My first suggestion would be checking a saltwater forum in your geographic location and see what those anglers are using. For the freshwater fisherman making the occasional trip into saltwater, freshwater gear is ok, but it isn't if inshore is the sole focus.
As Bassn suggests Redbones are an excellent choice, I own 6 or 7 of them, I have a few others that I like very much too, but I don't like to get into specific brands. If you buy something on my recommendation and don't like, I have to live with it, so I don't spend other people's money. Yes for an all around set up a MH 10/20 7 or 7'6 rod would be my choice too, but pay attention to lure weight parameters. Shrimp and most lures are fairly light, but if you fish live bait like greenies or pilchards you need a heavier rod.
About the closest thing to bass fishing is snook fishing, I don't know if they are in your area, but as faint as the bite can be with them you won't need a super sensitive rod. Backbone is very important, you can just as easily hook a 30# tarpon, jack or redfish as 1# blue runner.
I can't emphasis enough about getting local information.
Thanks for your responses. I will look into the Red Bone rods. I'll be fishing the Lake Charles area in Louisiana. From what I've read, the most commonly caught species are redfish, specks, black drum, flounder, and croaker. Shrimp is what I'll be using as bait. What size line do you recommend, Snook?
SirSnookalot reply :
20# braided line would be my choice..........I wouldn't over look using a gold spoon for redfish.
The Brim Reaper reply :
So I'm thinking:
Ugly Stik Tiger Lite (6'9'', Medium, 10-25)
Penn Fierce 4000 (10/230, braid capacity 20/275)
20# Power Pro
I imagine I'll only do inshore saltwater fishing occasionally, so I don't want to spend too much. I'd use my freshwater rods, but they're far too weak.
Bassn Blvd reply :
SirSnook is dead on. In fact, go to your local mom and pop tackle shop. They probably build rods and can reccomend you a good one.
I'm telling you now, you will be sorry you bought a 6'9" rod for the species of fish you mentioned. You don't want anything under 7'.
You asked for advice and you're getting some darn good advice from 2 guys who grew up fishing the inshore salt. SirSnook fishes inshore EVERY DAY, unless his arthritis is acting up, Hahahahahaha. Sorry Stu, I just had to take a poke.
SirSnookalot reply :
Although many people use Ugly sticks for a various types of saltwater fishing, they aren't my choice, if interested I will give some options that are in the same price range as the Ugly sticks, I personally think you will have more fun with them. I would stick with a mh rod 10/20 rod, 7 -7'6 with a fairly wide range in lure weights, like 1/4 oz to 1 oz. Don't hook your shrimp in the head, put the hook thru the tail, I like a 1/0 or 2/0 circle.
Bassn Blvd reply :
^x2. Remember, you will be fishing inshore which will most likely require casting and using unweighted bait, such as live shrimp, or 1/8-1/4oz weighted jigs and plugs. You're not going to get very close to schooling redfish and snook without spooking them so you're going to need the longer rog to make casting an easier task.
You will more than likely be fishing open water which means you can get away with lighter gear. The important thing is to use a reel that has a very good drag and large line capacity. You can land anyfish with lightweight gear in open water as long as you have enough line and a good drag.
SoFlaBassAddict reply :
On 7/5/2012 at 11:51 AM, Bassn Blvd said:SirSnook is dead on. In fact, go to your local mom and pop tackle shop. They probably build rods and can reccomend you a good one.
I'm telling you now, you will be sorry you bought a 6'9" rod for the species of fish you mentioned. You don't want anything under 7'.
You asked for advice and you're getting some darn good advice from 2 guys who grew up fishing the inshore salt. SirSnook fishes inshore EVERY DAY, unless his arthritis is acting up, Hahahahahaha. Sorry Stu, I just had to take a poke.
Make that three guys...
Anything under 7 is a no no for my inshore gear. Those red ones are about the best bang for the buck you can get on inshore rods. Reel....eh, big spool, big smooth drag. Take your pick on that one. I like one with a darn good handle on it though. I can't even begin to tell you how many handles I've jacked up trying to stop freight trains from diving into mangroves.
It's fine to go on the cheap and use very budget minded rods and reels, it's another thing to buy really cheap gear and have to replace it when you don't like it.
SirSnookalot reply :
The Penn fierce 4000, I would not go smaller, has a pretty decent paddle handle, it isn't real small. Some reels out there have handles that I find too small to my liking. For an entry level saltwater reel I think it's more than acceptable. At twice the price I haven't used many rods that rival a redbone. I have only 2 complaints with it, 7' rods have a shorter than I like rear butt, the 7'6 is great, secondly the 10/20 rods have max lure weight of only 1 oz, their 15/30 model is 2 oz I think. I'm using both a Star stellar lite mh10/20 and Quantum blue runner mh,for use with my heavier lures, I like both those sticks.
The Brim Reaper reply :
On 7/5/2012 at 12:56 PM, SirSnookalot said:Although many people use Ugly sticks for a various types of saltwater fishing, they aren't my choice, if interested I will give some options that are in the same price range as the Ugly sticks, I personally think you will have more fun with them. I would stick with a mh rod 10/20 rod, 7 -7'6 with a fairly wide range in lure weights, like 1/4 oz to 1 oz. Don't hook your shrimp in the head, put the hook thru the tail, I like a 1/0 or 2/0 circle.
Yes, I would like to hear your other rod suggestions, Snook. Thanks for the advice about hook sizes and shrimp rigging techniques.
The Brim Reaper reply :
On 7/5/2012 at 11:51 AM, Bassn Blvd said:SirSnook is dead on. In fact, go to your local mom and pop tackle shop. They probably build rods and can reccomend you a good one.
I'm telling you now, you will be sorry you bought a 6'9" rod for the species of fish you mentioned. You don't want anything under 7'.
You asked for advice and you're getting some darn good advice from 2 guys who grew up fishing the inshore salt. SirSnook fishes inshore EVERY DAY, unless his arthritis is acting up, Hahahahahaha. Sorry Stu, I just had to take a poke.
Lol! Okay, so I'll stick to the specs you've all mentioned. I really appreciate your help, guys!
SirSnookalot reply :
For the fishing you will be doing a max lure wt of 1 oz should be fine, that being the case this is what I would pick.
Hurricane redbone 7' 10/20..........$89.
Calico jack 7' 10/20..........$55, made by the same company as the redbone, this rod is a sleeper.
Star steller lite 7' 10/20..........$ 99, will handle a heavier lure.
Tsnumai air wave
new2BC4bass reply :
SirSnook, I still haven't picked up any of the rods you mentioned. Seems something else comes along to put it off. I bought a new Abu Villain ML 7' spinning rod earlier this year at almost 50% off MSRP even tho its rating wasn't in the desired range. Too good a deal to pass up. It is rated 1/8-3/8. I wanted something for much lighter lures for going after panfish. Think the Villain will become my 'Medium' which means I will need another spinning rod to handle the very small stuff. Some of the lures will definitely be below 1/16 oz.
I will research, but wondered if you might already know if any of the brand rods you just mentioned would fit the bill? For some reason the Tsunamai Air Wave struck my fancy when I was researching them the last time.
I have an old (very old) Berkley Lightning/Penn 430SS that has been pulling this duty, but it isn't ideal for those really light lures. Also it is 6' and I have come to prefer longer rods. Already have a MH spinning rod so not interested in that power, I just wanted to cover my spinning rod bases for when/where I can't use a baitcasting rod. Besides, you can't have too many. 
SirSnookalot reply :
You can't have too many, I do, but I still bought a new rod last week and of course I needed a reel for it. may be a first for me, but I order a reel on line without ever touching it first, I took a flyer.
I believe all the companies make something you might like, I have a 6'6 redbone light that I use for freshwater.
I like all these rods, but you being experienced I would advice doing some homework, I don't like taking responsibilty if you don't like one of my picks.
The airwave to my knowledge can only be bought on line DSG, no longer carries them. They are made for Bimini bay outfitters.....http://www.biminibayoutfitters.com/
The Brim Reaper reply :
On 7/6/2012 at 12:51 PM, SirSnookalot said:For the fishing you will be doing a max lure wt of 1 oz should be fine, that being the case this is what I would pick.
Hurricane redbone 7' 10/20..........$89.
Calico jack 7' 10/20..........$55, made by the same company as the redbone, this rod is a sleeper.
Star steller lite 7' 10/20..........$ 99, will handle a heavier lure.
Tsnumai air wave
I've got my eye on the Calico Jack. I found it on the Wal-Mart website for $53.99. The CAJ-454 is the one you're talking about, Snook?
The Brim Reaper reply :
My mistake, it's the CAJ-456!
SirSnookalot reply :
Yep..............The MH is probably your best bet. I don't want you to get the idea that this rod competes with a $500 rod, it doesn't, but it's a very decent entry level rod. I have the medium and I use mine for bass fishing, for me it's light enough to fish it all day with no fatigue and it handles the fish quite well.
new2BC4bass reply :
On 7/6/2012 at 10:32 PM, SirSnookalot said:I don't like taking responsibilty if you don't like one of my picks
First of all, thanks for the link. Second, the final decision on which rod to buy is mine. Why should I blame you if I make the wrong decision?
My Tec Spec, Jupiter and 2 XMLTi rods are the only ones I got to handle before buying of the 18 rods I've purchased over the past 3-1/2 years. Even then I didn't buy them based on anything to do with my experience or knowledge, but because of reviews I had read. I realize reviews can be bias (and sometimes outright funny), but they are all I have to go on. Which is one of the reasons why I read these forums. Although I still read product reviews on Cabela's, these are taken with a grain of salt (and some laughter).
I know I can trust someone of your experience to tell it straight. As far as I know you are not affiliated with any company selling fishing gear, and therefore your only bias will be based on actual use of the gear. And, of course, the type of fishing you do.
EDIT: I am having a hard time finding a rod in the range I would like. Star Stellar Lite rods list their Light model as 6-12 and 1/4-5/8 oz. To me this rating is a Medium power rod. Finding a lure range listing for the Calico Jack rods is impossible so far. Only rod I could find in the Tsunami is the Gulf series rod (7' 6-12 1/16-3/8 oz. rating) unless I am willing to go with a 5'6" or shorter rod which is much shorter than I would like. It would seem my choice is very limited in these brands.
The Brim Reaper reply :
On 7/8/2012 at 11:14 PM, new2BC4bass said:First of all, thanks for the link. Second, the final decision on which rod to buy is mine. Why should I blame you if I make the wrong decision?
My Tec Spec, Jupiter and 2 XMLTi rods are the only ones I got to handle before buying of the 18 rods I've purchased over the past 3-1/2 years. Even then I didn't buy them based on anything to do with my experience or knowledge, but because of reviews I had read. I realize reviews can be bias (and sometimes outright funny), but they are all I have to go on. Which is one of the reasons why I read these forums. Although I still read product reviews on Cabela's, these are taken with a grain of salt (and some laughter).
I know I can trust someone of your experience to tell it straight. As far as I know you are not affiliated with any company selling fishing gear, and therefore your only bias will be based on actual use of the gear. And, of course, the type of fishing you do.
EDIT: I am having a hard time finding a rod in the range I would like. Star Stellar Lite rods list their Light model as 6-12 and 1/4-5/8 oz. To me this rating is a Medium power rod. Finding a lure range listing for the Calico Jack rods is impossible so far. Only rod I could find in the Tsunami is the Gulf series rod (7' 6-12 1/16-3/8 oz. rating) unless I am willing to go with a 5'6" or shorter rod which is much shorter than I would like. It would seem my choice is very limited in these brands.
http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11557047&cp=&sr=1&kw=calico+jack&origkw=calico+jack&parentPage=search
According to this site, the 7' medium Calico Jack has a lure weight of 3/8 oz. to 3/4 oz.
I'm still searching for the medium-heavy.
The Brim Reaper reply :
Found it! The medium-heavy holds lures from 3/8 oz. to 1 oz.
Source: http://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/HCROBNNCJ/title/hurricane-calico-jack-7ft-spinning-rod
new2BC4bass reply :
Well, Brim Reaper, bream fishing is what I want the rod for. Already have a Cielo MH for jigs and worms. Plus the Villain for 1/8-3/8 oz. lures. Looking for lighter. I didn't mean to highjack this thread when I posted. Should have started a separate one. My apologies to the OP.
May have to go with something like the Fenwick River Runner 7'2" which is rated for 1/32-5/16 oz. and 4-8 lb. line. The 6'8" carries the same rating.
EDIT: As you can see, the rods suggested by SirSnook are strong rods. My Falcon Medium rods are rated from 1/4-1/2 oz.
SirSnookalot reply :
You are right, they are strong. I've noticed what other brands call MH, mine are mediums, I don't really know if there is a difference between a freshwater rod and an inshore, except from the labeling.
The 3 rods I use for freshwater are all inshore, even my older clarus (med 6/12) had that title. I'm very pleased with them, I do have a couple of dust collectors and the reason they are collecting dust is because I don't like the rods.
tomustang reply :
well the main difference would be the guides since you need salt resistance
The Brim Reaper reply :
On 7/9/2012 at 10:26 AM, new2BC4bass said:Well, Brim Reaper, bream fishing is what I want the rod for. Already have a Cielo MH for jigs and worms. Plus the Villain for 1/8-3/8 oz. lures. Looking for lighter. I didn't mean to highjack this thread when I posted. Should have started a separate one. My apologies to the OP.
May have to go with something like the Fenwick River Runner 7'2" which is rated for 1/32-5/16 oz. and 4-8 lb. line. The 6'8" carries the same rating.
EDIT: As you can see, the rods suggested by SirSnook are strong rods. My Falcon Medium rods are rated from 1/4-1/2 oz.
It's fine, I don't mind.
Mike L reply :
Check out the Shimano Teramar inshore rods.
I have 3 that I use for all salt water...snook, red's, trout, small tarpon and shark. They handle it all.
Mike
jkim reply :
On 7/4/2012 at 11:43 AM, Bassn Blvd said:I would strongly reccomend Red Bone by Hurricane. Dick's Sporting Goods ansd Sports Authority carry them as well as many other stores for under 90 dollars. I'd get a 7' or 7.5', M/H, 10-20 line class. You will be hard pressed to find a better rod at that price.
I'd use #20 braid or #12 mono.
http://www.google.co...MQSSbsgTeXF94Mw
What reel size would you recommend with this rod??? And what brand?
On 7/6/2012 at 12:51 PM, SirSnookalot said:For the fishing you will be doing a max lure wt of 1 oz should be fine, that being the case this is what I would pick.
Hurricane redbone 7' 10/20..........$89.
Calico jack 7' 10/20..........$55, made by the same company as the redbone, this rod is a sleeper.
Star steller lite 7' 10/20..........$ 99, will handle a heavier lure.
Tsnumai air wave
Would you say a 7 is better than a 7'6 rod for inshore fishing ??
Maxximus Redneckus reply :
7 is eaiser to transport and 6" wont make much diff in distance but it can make a diff in action of the rod a mh 7' may be a pool cue where as the 7'6" may have a softer tip for shrimp .or vice versa
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