Ok I did a search and I didn't find the info I needed. I am building some Surf rods to fish from the shores for Whatever will bite. The rods I have are Batson 13.5 feet, I forget the models.
My first question is what is a better setup for a Surf Rod? Baitcaster, or spinning reel. I am looking for max distance on the cast.
Next I need some kind of an Idea for Guide sizes and spacing.
Medication side effects force the sale of my boat. I am going to try to get some Halibut from the shore so I want Max Distance on the casts.

Any imputs will be greatly appreciated

Kirk

kirk; somewhere up there is a group who surf fish for Halibut and do well . Due to the size of what you are fishing for a convenional might be best. Hvy casting style guides would be the best bet Fuji alconite or amtak ring locks 25-20-16-12-12-12-12 with a Sic hvy tip at least 16mm. the reason I said 12's is you most likely will be using heavy main line with a heavy shock leader. I personally would build it with 16's and use 80# braid.

Surfishing buddy of mine is Stationed there and I gave him a Allstar 1508 for a going away gift for the bigger boys



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/07/2010 04:01PM by Barry Thomas Sr.

Hi Kirk!
Here in Portugal we use 4,5m rods in 3 parts. Two guides on the second part and four guides plus tip top on the tip.
If you want max distance cast you should consider the Low Rider guides from Fuji in alconite: 20 - 16 - 12- 10 - 8 - 8.
You only will have problems if you fish with really heavy lines. Braid lines are a very god option.
Of course, i don't know the fishing environment that you will have in there. This is just what i use in here
Hope that can help you same how.

Nuno

[www.7evenrods.com]

KIRK....

Hello fellow Alaskan! I built a 14 foot rainshadow with a 15-30 line rating a while ago for a guy and he loves it. I love it to and I can cast a 1 oz weight a city block! I built it in spinning rod fashion as he and I booth loath casting reels. (I can hear it now you casting reel die-hards!)

Fact is, Kings and butts can be caught by shore here, but it takes some timing to get it right on the location. I would build two rods for AK surf casting. One for butts and the other for kings and coho's. the above rod I built would be for the salmon, and the butt rod would be a foot shorter with a heavier line rating...say 50#. But, having said that, I would first get a feel on the blank and ask around like you are doing. One surf rod may have a 35# rating but have no back bone what so ever...this would be disadvantageous on halibut! I have hooked halibut in shallow water, and they will SMOKE ya!

Also, ask around here for lure rating as well for the blank. I'm not that knowledga as the legends on here on surf rods so keep poking around...

Paul

Thank you to everyone for their inputs. I have heard of folks using surf rods off the bank here, now I just have to find them. I have been plotting some runs for this season. I plan on hitting it early so I guess I better get busy. If nothing else it is an excuse to run the ATVS for a bit park them, toss the lines, and pop a beer. I want to hit Valdez at the end of the Pink Run, something tells me there could be some Butts cleaning up on Pink Carcass's.............I could get into this Surf fishing thing..........lol

The blanks I have are Rainshadow SU1507f they are rated @ 15-30 and a 2-5 oz lure. I have some cool jigs from rockfishing that should fall into that category. I also plan on using bait when I can. I am not sure how easy it will be to keep the bait on while casting but time will tell

Once again thanks to everyone........Hopefully I will have some Bragging pics before the summer is over

Kirk

Kirk - as to whether you go with spinning or conventional, it may depend of how much weight you intend to cast, whether you are casting lures, and whether you intend to use braid or mono. Most surf casters casting heavier weights (five ounces of lead and above) use mono with conventional tackle. It is also possible to caster heavier weights with spinning but it is hard for the finger to take the weight so usually a casting aid such as "breakaway cannon" is used. I have not cast the RS 1507 but I have casted the 1509 and it is a great blank. If you are really interested in getting the maximum distance with your casting you may want to check out some of the british casting sites regarding the "pendulum cast". Just be aware it came very dangerous doing such a cast around folks. Good luck.