Surf Rod & Reel Setup $150 Budget

[Elrod74]

Hi guys!
Okay, I've been searching for some posts on this and really haven't found much. I do see there are a few of you that do some Surf fishing from shore & am hoping for some advice.

I live in Michigan, but once or twice a year make it to the Ocean & plan (hope) to do this every year. Our trips are family trips and we really enjoy the Carolinas (Hilton Head -APRIL & Wrightsville Beach or Outer Banks-MID SUMMER), but will likely do the Florida thing a bit too...and occassionally some other spots along the East Coast & Gulf. I'll do a little pier fishing, but I have a couple short rods that should work for that.

This is what (I think) I'm looking for:[LIST][*]BUDGET: $150 or less
REEL TYPE: Spinning reel for casting from shore & occassionally pier fishing (80/20 shore) may use it for my salmon rod here at home too. (I say spinning because that's what I'm most familiar with and expect to be most versatile)
REEL SIZE: Need some help here regarding minimum capacity (250yds 25lb? I may run braid with a top-shot(?) of mono if I can learn how to put the two together)
ROD:[LIST][*]LENGTH-I'm thinking 10' 2-piece surf/spinning for ease of travel (would consider 8-12' depending on your reccomendations. ACTION: Perhaps Medium or Medium Heavy action for the surf
LINE WEIGHT - probably 15-40?
LOCATIONS: would likely be NC, SC & FL (ocean & gulf)
SPECIES: Whatever bites, though I figure some small shark (blacktips perhaps?), blues, drum, flounder, etc. Preferrably something that will put up a bit of a fight. Wasn't impressed with the small croaker I caught - would have preferred to use it as bait.

From what I have read here and on some other sites, I've heard some good things about the Cabelas SaltStriker & BassPro Shops OceanMaster rods. BassPro seems to have some nice combos around $150. They also have combos (Diawa EmCast Plus (nicer) & Sport (cheaper) models with the OceanMaster Rods. They also have some Offshore Angler reels (not sure who makes them for BassPro) I'm thinking Reel is probably slightly more important (castability & drag) than Rod, for surf fishing, but looking for advice.

If you care to share both a MINIMAL SPECIFICATION / PREFERRED SPECIFICATION or $100 setup / $150 setup / $200+ setup it might be helpful to some other poor sap like myself looking for his fishin' fix while on family vacation.

I enjoy bargain shopping & am on ebay every day, so suggestions just over or under the budget would be fine, but I'm looking to get set up before my trip in early April. I see a lot of stuff on ebay, but am not familiar with brand quality/durability, etc. of some items. Thanks in advance for your opinions & recommendations!

E-

[bohica]

Penn 525mag = $75 on ebay

Tica 9' rod = 75' on ebay.

Done and done.

[Elrod74]

Thanks Bohica...any particular reason for those choices?

Does Tica make more than one style 9' rod?

I have an old Penn casting reel, but have never used it. I am concerned about ending up with a birds nest every cast. It does sound like the 525Mag is a nice reel and may work fine even given my lack of experience with a casting reel. That's why I figured a spinning reel would work best for me...but if easy enough to learn...I'll take the chance if it's worth it. Anyone have any experience with these? It looks like they have been going for $107+ on ebay...probably a little out of my budget unless I happen to stumble across a used one that stays low.

Any other suggestions guys? Is there a good place to read reviews, etc. on rods & reels?

Thanks much!

[Bay Fishin]

Go with the Emcast 6000 plenty of line capacity then its pretty easy on the pockets. Finding a quality rod on the budget might be a little bit tougher.

[Elrod74]

Thanks Bay Fishin!
The Emcast sounds like it would work well for me. The Sport (7 bearing) version is about $20 cheaper than the Plus (11 bearing) version. The Sport is slightly lighter & the Plus has a "wormgear levelwind". Are you familiar with the differences between the Emcast Plus & the Emcast Sport? I'd probably lean toward the plus if all else is the same. I see a Sport & fiberglass only rod sell for about $80 where as the plus and a graphite/glass rod go for twice that.

Is there a noticeable difference between surf rod quality and if so, what are the primary areas of concern? I'll do a search on rod construction. I see some are Fiberglass only & some are graphite/glass composite which sounds like a better setup.

I realize most on here are probably charter boat guys & likely most often fish from boats, but I do appreciate the help from those of you that surf cast. I just want a decent setup. I like buying value, but don't like cheap stuff.

Take care!
-E

[RocksandReds]

Thanks Bay Fishin!
The Emcast sounds like it would work well for me. The Sport (7 bearing) version is about $20 cheaper than the Plus (11 bearing) version. The Sport is slightly lighter & the Plus has a "wormgear levelwind". Are you familiar with the differences between the Emcast Plus & the Emcast Sport? I'd probably lean toward the plus if all else is the same. I see a Sport & fiberglass only rod sell for about $80 where as the plus and a graphite/glass rod go for twice that.

Is there a noticeable difference between surf rod quality and if so, what are the primary areas of concern? I'll do a search on rod construction. I see some are Fiberglass only & some are graphite/glass composite which sounds like a better setup.

I realize most on here are probably charter boat guys & likely most often fish from boats, but I do appreciate the help from those of you that surf cast. I just want a decent setup. I like buying value, but don't like cheap stuff.

Take care!
-E

Bass Pro, 10ft ocean master with the daiwa emcast is a great combo, good all around not to long for the pier good for the beach!! I think there around 150 bucks..

Chris

[RocksandReds]

Can anyone tell me how to resize these pictures??

Chris

[afishhunter]

Mitchell 302 Spinning Reel (usually under $50.00 with shipping at the big auction site) and Ugly Stick rod (new or used), use the rest of the $150.00 for fresh line, bait and plugs.