Best Surf Fishing Rod

[Fish Ninja]

I'm keen to get into surf fishing and wanted to get a really solid setup to stick with for a while without wanting to upgrade. I'd like to hopefully just get it right the first time.

At the moment I'm looking at an Samurai Ledge 10ft, Assassin Beachmaster Zero 13ft, Nitro Messiah 13ft and a Nitro Surf Assassin 12ft.

I'll be surf fishing mostly off the beach around Surf Coast Victoria. I'm keen to be as active as possible. I'd like to try bait and lure based fishing but whatever is best for catching snapper and salmon.

What would you guys recommend from those options or is there something better than those for surf fishing? Thanks in advance for any help with this.

[Sebb]

I like Penn Prevail and Daiwa Seajigger., And Sensor. Or go crazy to Saltiga surf.

[Fish Ninja]

Thanks mate, I'll check those out!

[4liters]

For soaking baits I wouldn't bother spending heaps. Just a decent composite rod and a solid reel like a Spinfisher or something is fine unless you're going for massive casts.

[Fish Ninja]

Thanks mate. I've got a disability that will make fishing a bit more difficult for me. For that reason I'm looking at the lightest gear because it should make things a bit easier to manage. As I'm looking for super light weight, I figure I might as well get the best performance while I'm at it if it'll help me at all.

For the reel, I've settled on a Shimano Stradic 5000 because they seem to be the point after which, returns dimish and most importantly for me, out of all of the reels I've held at the shop, the handle was the easiest for me to manage. I was originally looking at getting a Daiwa Aird but found that when I tried it out, the handle was more difficult for me to manage due to the size and shape compared to the Stradic.

[4liters]

Without knowing the specifics of your situation lure fishing with a 8-9’ rod might be more manageable in that case. Casting a 12’ rod with a bait plus 4oz of lead requires a fair bit of strength, although it does have the advantage of being able to leave the rod in a rod holder.

[Fish Ninja]

From what I've read, 12ft seems to be the sweet spot. If I can get away with less though, it might be better for me. I'll be casting one handed. The guy at the fishing shop said casting with one hand should be fine and showed me how he would do it. If you think an 8-9 foot rod would be ideal for a one handed cast, I might go with that. I'd probably be more keen on something 10-12 feet though.

I tend to figure my way around things and would prefer not to limit myself if I can manage a 12 foot rod. If an 8-9 foot rod was easier to manage but less effective, I'd prefer a bit more difficulty for a more effective tool for the job.

The shop I went to didn't carry the Nitro gear, but the salesman said he had the Surf Assassin and Messiah and recommended the Messiah of the two. Then I saw the Samurai Ledge, which looks pretty light so I think I'm between the Messiah and the Ledge right now. The Assassin rods look nice too though.

[4liters]

In that case I'd go with a shorter rod to begin with.

It's one thing to pick up a rod in a shop, but casting an actual bait or lure when you're trying to achieve distance is a completely different box of frogs. When casting, a rod is essentially a lever and the longer the rod the more the laws of physics will try to punish you.

The only long-ish rod I have that I'd be comfortable (and effective) casting one-handed is my Rui egi rod. It's 8'6" long and with a 3000 size reel paired with it it's super light. I quite enjoy using it to flick 20g metal lures and plastics for salmon in light surf conditions.

He doesn't sell the model I have any more but this is his current version: https://www.eging.com.au/collections/ro ... 803m-eging

It's a pretty common style of rod so there's plenty of similar models to choose from.

[Fish Ninja]

Thanks a lot for the advice mate, I really appreciate it! Checking it out now. Looks great and super light! Is something like that ok for snapper? I'm looking to fish around Jan Juc (which is a surf beach that can be rough with waves well over a meter at times) and it sounds like it's quite possible to get gummies on the line there. I want to be able to handle anything on the line. I do want to eat what I catch though and salmon and snapper is what I'd be hoping for.

Are lures a good way to go? Bait sounds more successful but cutting things up might be a bit difficult for me and I do like the idea of lures. I would prefer to be as active as possible with fishing rather than casting and waiting for bites so I think targeting shallower gutters with lures might be better than just flinging bait to the horizon.

[Sebb]

Lures/bait, they have their own place. Sometimes lures outfish bait and sometimes its the other way around.
The length of the rod helps during high swell especially outside the bay. When it's flat, an 9ft rod will do. Inside the bay, usually 9ft is okay.

If you're casting lures and light bait fishing, and got a high budget, check this one. It weighs only 90gm. My mate has it and it's amazing.
Probably too light for bait fishing in Jan Juc though. But it can cast 20gm metal lure far enough for aussie salmon.

https://www.plat.co.jp/shop/catalog/pro ... pping.html