Choosing the right tackle goes a long way

A couple of weeks ago, we were talking about tackle used when fishing on head boats. I said you had to have tackle that was sturdy enough to handle strong currents in 100 to 120 feet of water with sinker weights up to 10 ounces. I recommended conventional outfits with a star drag reel and a sturdy rod rated for the aforementioned weights. Braided line of 30- to 40-pound test with a shot of 40-pound Fluorocarbon leader to protect the line from abrasion from the rough neighborhood where sea bass, flounder and other bottomfish dwell. If you try to use lighter tackle, you will soon meet your neighbors, and they will not be happy.

Before we go any further, all of my tackle, with a few exceptions, are either Penn or Tsunami. I have been using both for many years, and they perform well and hold up when taken care of. I am sure all the major brands will do the same.

Surf-fishing is very popular in this part of the world because we have a long stretch of beach with good access for both walk-on and drive-on. The reservation system on weekends and holidays has been modified so seven of the state-run beaches are now open without a reservation.

If you want to catch fish from the beach, you should plan to be there very early in the morning or plan to stay well past dusk. I have two outfits I use on the surf. The one that gets the most use, and I have two of these, is a 10-foot rod rated for 2 to 4 ounces of lead and it is matched to a 6,000 spinning reel. The reel is filled with 30-pound braid and has a short shot of 40-pound Fluorocarbon leader on the end.   

My second rod doesn’t get much use unless I am fishing for cobia or red drum.  It is an 11-footer rated for 4 to 10 ounces and carries a 10,000 reel filled with 40-pound braid. This outfit will carry a much longer 40-pound shock leader in case the cobia or red drum decide to wrap up in the line.

I have two very good sand spikes that my wife gave me for my birthday a few years ago. I usually fish with one rod in the sand spike while I hold the other as I sit in a chair between the two. I do back off the drag when I have to leave to rebait or get a drink. A good friend of mine told me his friend lost a complete surf outfit because he didn’t back off the drag.

I use the typical top-bottom rig baited with either Fishbites or Gulp! If things are slow, I may dredge up a few sand fleas for bait or cut up a spot if I have caught one.

When fishing Indian River Inlet, I will use one of three outfits. The first is a light tackle spinning outfit with a 7-foot rod and a 4,000 reel with 20-pound braid. This is perfect for casting shad darts and Stingsilvers to shad in the spring and snapper blues during the summer.

The second outfit I use to cast larger lures to big blues and hopefully a keeper striped bass. It is a 7-foot heavy action rod with a 6,000 reel filled with 40-pound braid.

Finally, I have an 8-foot-7-inch medium action rod that I use for drifting sand fleas. It carries a 4,000 reel filled with 30-pound braid. It works well as the sand flea rig is light, and I can detect the pick up by watching the fast tip of the rod.

My favorite rod for shallow-water flounder fishing is a custom rod made for me me by a friend from Virginia Beach. I mounted a level-wind reel from Abu Garcia on the rod and both have served me well for many years. Like all my rods and reels, I spray them down with WD-40 after every use. Never, ever spray your reels with water. It dilutes the salt and pushes into the reel where it can corrode the internal parts. That Abu Garcia reel on my custom rod has to be more than 25 years old and it still works like a charm.

The key to all tackle is buy quality equipment and then take care of what you buy. As with my custom rod and Abu Garcia reel, I have taken care of that tackle as I have everything from my hooks to my boat to my truck. I still have breakdowns, but they are few and far between. 

So now I have covered most everything from knots to hooks to tackle for saltwater fishing in our area. Nothing fancy or expensive, just good-quality equipment that will last a long time with the proper care.