Surf fishing is a great excuse to get outside, enjoy nature, and maybe even catch dinner. Surf fishing can be done year round, though some months are better than others. Here in Southern California, the prime surf fishing season happens to be the summer months when the water temperature hits around 60°. That’s not to say fish aren’t around during the winter months. The frequency of bites might be reduced and the type of fish you catch may vary, but for the most part, surf fishing is always good. So with that said, let’s talk about some gear you will need to get started.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money. Despite what you may have read on forums or social media, surf fishing gear doesn’t have to break the bank. To be sure, it can cost a ton, but you’re paying for features and craftsmanship that the average fisherman may never need. I’ll get more into that later on as I cover specific pieces of gear. But for now, take my word for it, a decent setup (like the one sitting in your garage) will land just about every surf fish (at least here in Southern California) and last you a long time with proper maintenance.
Should I buy top shelf or full budget?
So how did I choose my setup? I wasn’t looking for the cheapest setup nor was I trying to get the best gear that I can afford. Instead, I researched all the features, decided on the ones I thought were important, and bought a setup that I felt was right up there before crossing the point of diminishing returns (getting the most bang for my buck). Here are the features I wanted in a surf fishing setup.
Surf fishing rod features I wanted + reasons why.
- at least 8′ in length, preferably longer – easier to cast farther, easier to keep line above the waves
- breaks down aka 2pc – for easy transport
- light weight – easier to hold for longer periods, more fun fighting smaller fish
- medium to medium light power – a rod’s power refers to what it takes to bend the rod (like when your fighting fish). The power rating varies between different types of rods (ie., trout vs offshore), but for surf fishing (typically a bass or steelhead rod), a medium to medium light power is a good choice. The medium to medium light range will allow for lighter weight lines for surf fishing without giving up too much sensitivity.
- medium to medium fast action – in a nutshell, this is how fast your hook will respond to you setting it. A fast action rod (which bends only near the tip) will instantly set the hook because it’s not bending as much. Conversely, a slow action rod may bend past the middle mark, increasing the hook setting time. Since lightweight surf fishing includes casting spoons, I wanted a medium action rod, which gives the fish alittle more time to bite down on the hook before my hook setting movement actually reaches the hook.
- not so expensive that I’m afraid to throw it in the back of my truck – convenience is huge and if I have to worry about putting it into a case everytime I go fishing, chances are I’ll go less often.
- durable guide liner – the guides are the eyelets that your fishing line runs through. Sometimes, these guides have a ring-like liner that reduces friction between your fishing line and the guide. Since I’ll be using braided line, I wanted guide liners that could take years of braid dragging across it.
After careful consideration and a lot of shopping around, my surf fishing rod of choice was the Okuma Connoisseur.
Okuma Connoisseur Salmon/Steelhead Rod #CQ-S-902MLa
The Okuma Connoisseur #CQ-S-902MLa is a two piece 9’ Medium light power, moderate fast action spinning rod. The rated lure weight is a bit low (1/8-1/4oz), but I typically cast 1/2oz swim baits or spoons without any issues. If I’m bait fishing for surf perch, I’ll throw a 1oz coin sinker and cast that, no problems (though you do have to exercise alittle restraint and finesse). It’s certainly not a high end rod, but it certainly meets all my needs and at round $50 from a store, it’s a good deal. And because it’s made for the masses, it’s available at most Big 5’s or other big name sporting goods stores.
Check Okuma’s website if you want to know the full specs, but in my opinion, it’s a damn good rod to start with.
Surf fishing reel features I wanted + reasons why.
- durable – I wanted something I didn’t have to baby and that would last more than a couple of years.
- user serviceable – in the event of failure, I want gear that I can repair and maintain. I can’t stand gear that’s designed to be thrown away.
- solid feeling – the difference between a soild feeling reel and a flimsy one is hard to explain unless you’ve felt it. Mount a cheap plastic reel on a rod and give it a few turns. Now place the reel with a metal body reel. You will instantly know what I’m talking about.
- reputable brand – this guarantees replacement parts it the future. A fly by night company may not be around in a year or two when you need parts for your reel.
With these features in mind, I picked up Penn Battle II.
Penn Battle II Model#BTLII3000 for surf fishing
There are so many reels and so many pieces of advice on what to get, it was a tough one. Some say get a cheap reel because it’ll get abused in the surf and sand. Others suggested high quality sealed reels which showed on their price tags. I narrowed it down to two: the Daiwa BG’s and the Penn Battle II’s before deciding on the Penn. What was the tie-breaker? Memories of fishing with my dad. He was an avid fisherman and loved his Penn reels. Penn Battle II it was.
The Penn Battle II had all the features I was looking for plus some that I hadn’t thought about, like having a braid ready spool. I always thought you spooled braid with a mono backing but with a braid ready spool, you just tie your braid straight onto the spool. Neat.
It has a heavy duty bail wire. I would have never noticed it since I never had a problem with bending bail wires, but I’m sure it happens. With the Penn Battle II, you don’t have to worry about it as much.
The glorious full metal body! What a huge difference this makes. I have decent reels made of plastic and other non-metallic materials, but none compare Penn Battle II’s metal body. When you turn the handle, everything spins into action with zero flexing or twisting. It is solid
Thoughts after 1 year of use.
How it was used in that year.
It’s been almost exactly a year now since I purchased the Okuma Connoisseur and Penn Battle II and so far I still like the setup. In that year, it’s been to the beach almost every weekend (sometimes on both Saturday and Sunday), caught lots of fish (the biggest being a 4.5lbs 23″ California halibut), and been dunked in the salt water (more on this later). I’ve dropped my reel in the sand, leaned it against jetty rocks, and been sprayed with salt water more times than I can count. It hasn’t been babied, nor was it abused. When I’m done fishing, I place (not throw) my gear in the truck bed and give it a fresh water rinse when I get home.
So how has it faired? Totally fine with some basic maintenance (brush off sand under the spool, rinse with fresh water after each use, and lubricate moving parts). There are tiny scratches and dings all over the Penn Battle II’s finish, but nothing that could possibly affect performance. The Okuma Connoisseur does so signs of wear (discoloration on the cork handle, minor scratches on the clear coat and guides) but is holding up fine with not signs of cracking, splitting, or peeling of the handle.
Would I buy it again?
I think the best way to know if I made the right choices is to ask myself “if I bought it again, would I buy it same pole / reel combo?” I’m going to hesitantly say no.
The Rod: while the Okuma Connoisseur is a good rod for a lot of the times, the extremely low lure weight (1/8-1/4oz) limits its usefulness. When I bait fish, I use a 1oz coin sinker on this setup and it gets it out there fine. However, there are times when the current requires heavier sinkers. I tried casting a 2oz sinker a few times, but without the backbone to support it, a heavier sinker doesn’t go very far and it’s a bitch to reel back in because the rod flexes so much. The ideal rod, for lightweight surf fishing in Southern California, would have the following specs:
- 8-9ft, 2 piece salmon/steelhead -or- bass rod
- medium to medium heavy power
- medium fast to fast action
- lure weight between 1/4oz to 2oz
The Reel: I would definitely buy the Penn Battle II again. It’s a superb reel from a brand that’s been around as far as I can remember. However, it’s not a perfect reel. It’s nowhere near as smooth as similarly priced Daiwa or Shimano reels. The feeling you get when rotating the handles is totally different. The Daiwas and Shimanos literally feel like they are spinning on air. The Penn Battle II feels more like finely dampened machinery. There is no free play or wiggling. It’s not hard to turn, but you do feel a tiny bit of resistance, like a loose zoom lens on a camera if that makes sense. If that’s what you like, then the Penn Battle II might be the right reel for you, too. On the other hand, if you like reels that feel like they’re spinning on their own, then take a look at the Daiwa BG series or the Shimano Socorro series.
Earlier I said that I dunked my Penn Battle II in salt water. That was a mess. To be fair, Penn never stated that the Battle II is waterproof or submersible. That said, on one of the days I went fishing, I dunked my Penn Battle II in saltwater for a few seconds while I was trying to unhook a fish. Long story short, things started to get real interesting about an hour after my Battle II went swimming. It almost stopped rotating and started making funny noises. It’s totally fine now, but if you want to see what happened, where the reel failed, and how it was resolved, check out the article I wrote on Penn Battle II failure. Bonus: you can see the beautiful sand bass that started the whole thing.
