Beginner Surf Fishing Advice

So I’m interested in picking up surf fishing as a hobby and something to do on the beach during vacations.

I would be casting from the beach. Currently go to beaches in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Hilton Head, SC.

Looking for advice on buying rod/reel combos, what to fish for, tackle and bait setups, etc. WHat equipment I should bring to the beach and how to carry if I'm not driving on. Pretty much any advice would be great.

 

@BudMan

 

Ok, sounds like you’ll be fishing in the summer months mainly. This will mean flounder, bluefish, red drum, Black drum, Pompano, kingfish (whiting), and all the smaller panfish (spot,croaker, Etc..) as well as sharks, skates, dogfish etc. If soaking bait is your thing, a two-hook bottom rig With small circle hooks 1/0, 2/0 (available at all tackle shops) with a pyramid sinker is a good place to start. Rod/reel choices are many, but you don’t need to break the bank. A 9-10’ rod with a rating of 2-5 oz lure weight will be fine in almost any situation. A reel capable of holding 300yds of 15# test mono Will be plenty. If you want to use braided line you can use a smaller (lighter) reel. A Daiwa BG reel 4500-5000 size is for me the absolute best $100 reel you can buy. You can spend a lot more money for a lot less reel IMO. There are a lot of decent bait rods under $100. Tsunami Trophy Series, Penn Battalion, to name a couple. Heck, an Ugly Stick Big Water will work fine. If you want to spend a little more Basspro’s Ocean Master is a great rod for about $160. Other equipment? Sand spike (PVC), bucket, small cutting board, knife, a pair of pliers, and, and, and........keep it simple, only take what you can fit in a bucket. Also bring a few small metal and epoxy jigs. Nothing like throwing metal at blues and spanish macks in the summer. The bait shop will tell you what you need for bait. Fresh shrimp is always available, cut mullet, squid etc. If you want free bait, dig up sand fleas in the wet sand. Everything in the ocean eats them. Good luck. And make sure you have a copy of bag/size limits where your fishing.

 

@Sudsman44 Nailed it. I would have a differing opinion on the reel but that is angler preference. I have a Daiwa BG 8000 for sharks on the beach. I have come to favor the Tsunami line of reels in the past few years, the Shield, Evict and the SaltX. The Shield being the least expensive of the 3, but very durable. The SaltX is 'close' to rivaling the Van Staal, and is half the price. I also favor Shimano reels.
Rods, I have used a 9' Ande Tournament Surf for years when throwing an SP Minnow or large surface poppers. When dead sticking (Bait fishing) for stripers, blues or shark I use an 11'Tsunami Airwave heavy 4-8oz.
If you stick with it you'll develop a personal preference for tackle. Good luck. You'll also figure out what species is biting at different times of the year.