Beach Caster Advice Wanted!

Sean Meeghan · Nov 23, 2009

I've decided to have a go at beach fishing and I need advice on choosing a rod. I've already got a SL30SH so I'm OK for a reel, the question is what casting weight should I look at in a rod? I'll be mostly fishing around Humberside and Merseyside for smoothhounds bass and cod in winter.

I've got a few rods in a list(available in local shops and in my price range):

Greys GRX-S rated at 5oz
Leeda Piranha Power rated at 4 to 8oz
Ron Thompson Axellerator rated at 4 to 8oz

I suppose the question is do I go for the slightly lighter Greys rod or will it be undergunned for general surf fishing?

Rickrod · Nov 23, 2009

Sean,The rods the locals like near me are the heavier 4oz 8oz for fishing the surf. I just use a old daiwa infinity but i do feel under gunned on the beach its ok for fishing up the creeks but im left wanting for a bit more distance but the fish i've caught on it bass doggies wrasse its been ok

Bluenose · Nov 23, 2009

Which Merseyside marks will you be fishing Sean?

captain carrott · Nov 23, 2009

i've got a ron thompson you can have for 30 quid if you like.

alan · Nov 23, 2009

personally a 4-8oz.
smutts on a light rod is normally a bad idea, seen a few smashed and people spooled.
cod like BIG baits so having the heavier rod will help with the casting.

depending on where you are fishing 4 oz's might not be enough to hold bottom, and although you could cast a heavier weight you might not get it as far.

4-8oz dosnt mean its going to be a broom handle though, ive seen some that arent much heavier then a 3lb carp rod.

preston96 · Nov 23, 2009

alan said:
personally a 4-8oz.
smutts on a light rod is normally a bad idea, seen a few smashed and people spooled.
cod like BIG baits so having the heavier rod will help with the casting.

depending on where you are fishing 4 oz's might not be enough to hold bottom, and although you could cast a heavier weight you might not get it as far.

4-8oz dosnt mean its going to be a broom handle though, ive seen some that arent much heavier then a 3lb carp rod.

Alan, l would also be interested in a similar set up....what rod would you recomend in the 4-8oz class........and multipler v fixed spool?

alan · Nov 23, 2009

fixed v multi

obvious question is can you cast a multi?

in real terms from a cold wet beach with numb fingers i can cast better with a fixed spool. a decent fixed spool will cast almost as far as a multi and at night is less hassle.

either are as good now go with what makes you comfortable.

as to rods, mine are a set of el cheapo ron thompsons that i have had for the last 7 years, not the best but suit me fine.

best thing you could do is treat them like any other rod, pick them up and play with them, find one thats comfy for you to hold and that you like. if you can cast one make sure you can bend it to get the best from it.
makes me laugh watching people with all the top name gear but unable to cast correctly, so dont benefit.

i hate recommending rods after all what suits me you might not like, whats a broom stick to me you might be able to cast quite easily.

---------- Post added at 22:29 ---------- Previous post was at 22:25 ----------

Sean, missed you bottom rod choice, from the last i heard the rt Axellerator is a beast of a rod.

produced some very good casts in the field.

on the other hand there are a lot of people out there who slate them as c**p as they couldnt get the power into them to cast them well.

Paul H · Nov 23, 2009

I'm reading this thread with interest also - looking at some sea fishing forums they say the Axellerator rods are good for 'rough ground' fishing - what does this mean?

alan · Nov 23, 2009

exactly as stated, rough ground.

some areas are more rocky the others, and some more weedy then others etc. a good rough ground rod is one that you can use a heavy line, say 30lb and if you snag up can use the rod to haul the line out of the snag. same goes for fish as well if you get a decent smutt or eel in a crevice you need a rod with a lot of power to pull them out. a soft rod would just been with out shifting the fish.

same with weed get a good clump of seaweed on the end of the line in a strong current most rods just fold through 90degrees and you have to heave it in on the reel, a strong rod will help by trying to straighten up and make it slightly easier to bring in.

the downside is the stiffer the rod the harder it is to cast fully.

easiest way to look at it is the same way you would look at a carp rod or something for rivers, weedy/rough bottoms/strong currents you up the rod and line strength otherwise your going to lose tackle and fish. the sea is the same, just normally a lot more powerful.

Paul H · Nov 23, 2009

Righto, cheers Alan - makes sense.

Sean Meeghan · Nov 24, 2009

Cheers guys. Some food for thought there. My worry with the heavier rods was whether I'd be able to compress them enough to get reasonable distance out of them. I'm a competent user of a multiplier and can do 60 yards with a deadbait on a pike rod, but I've no experience of modern surf casts such as the pendulum.

I'm thinking of fishing Otterspool prom for cod and I've heard that Kirby near the squirrel sanctuary can do the odd bass. Merseyside is as close as the east coast for me and I can visit the family whilst I'm at it!

Incidentally, I'm fishing the mersey for cod in a couple of week - uptiding. I'll post how I got on in my blog.

Thanks for the offer CC but if I don't buy the Greys rod I'll go for the Leeda as it has coasters and being tall I often find that handles are a bit short for me on rods with fixed reel seats.

---------- Post added at 11:08 ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 ----------

Thinking about it, maybe a mini fish-in on Merseyside would work?

jcp01 · Nov 24, 2009

alan said:
exactly as stated, rough ground.

some areas are more rocky the others, and some more weedy then others etc. a good rough ground rod is one that you can use a heavy line, say 30lb and if you snag up can use the rod to haul the line out of the snag. same goes for fish as well if you get a decent smutt or eel in a crevice you need a rod with a lot of power to pull them out. a soft rod would just been with out shifting the fish.

same with weed get a good clump of seaweed on the end of the line in a strong current most rods just fold through 90degrees and you have to heave it in on the reel, a strong rod will help by trying to straighten up and make it slightly easier to bring in.

the downside is the stiffer the rod the harder it is to cast fully.

easiest way to look at it is the same way you would look at a carp rod or something for rivers, weedy/rough bottoms/strong currents you up the rod and line strength otherwise your going to lose tackle and fish. the sea is the same, just normally a lot more powerful.

I agree fully, you need the beach rod that will cast anything/pull anything/in any given conditions, and then after squaring that deal you can then afford to play with rods for lesser occasions!

Big carp rods can deal with little seas...

Little ones...

Bluenose · Nov 24, 2009

Do you mean Crosby Sean?

Either way, none of them are big chucks mate if I remember right.

The river hasn't fished well from the beach this year so I believe.

Sean Meeghan · Nov 25, 2009

Thanks for the advice folks! I've gone for the Greys rod which comes highly recommended. I won't be fishing over rough ground so I won't need too powerful a rod. I'm using the voucher I won in the photo competition so it works out at an absolute bargain!

I thought the bass fishing was at Kirby Eddie, although Crosby is only a bit further along the beach towards Liverpool.

Beach Caster Advice Wanted!

Sean Meeghan

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Rickrod

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Bluenose

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captain carrott

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alan

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alan

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Paul H

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alan

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