Salt Water Fishing

Salt Water Fishing
Start up rig for salt water fishing?

I have never been saltwater fishing in my life and we now live on a sub-tropical island in the South Pacific. I was niave and though my fresh water rigs would be of use, I was so very wrong. The fishing we would mostly being doing is pier fishing or shore fishing. What do you all recommend as a start up rig and do you have any tips?

A good place to start would be with good saltwater manufacturer's of reels & rods.

Here are some examples of good companys to buy from:

1. Penn (reels & rods)
2. Shimano (reels)
3. Abu Garcia (for Baitcaster's)
4. Finn Nor
5. Daiwa
6. Ugly Stik (rods)
7. G Loomis (rods)

In my honest opinion, an inexpensive "decent" entry level spinning combo that should/will hold up for many, many years for jetty/pier/surf-fishing would be:

1. Daiwa "Black Gold" BG 20 ($79.99) & Ugly Stik "Tiger Lite" series 7' Heavy ($59.95)

2. Penn Spinfisher "650 SS" metal ($119) & Tiger Lite Ugly Stik(same as above $59.99).

Shimano, Daiwa, Penn, G Loomis, Etc have more expensive rods & reels you can purchase if you wish.

It's important to note that whatever type of reel/rod you purchase should have "non-corroding" features. And even though it may have these features you should ALWAYS wash down your rig after every trip!

Go to BassPro and Cabelas and read the reviews for any reel/rod you decide to purchase. (www.basspro.com)(www.cabelas.com)
These reviews should give you an idea of what you should purchase for your island fishing.

Hope this helps ya? Good luck!

UPDATE: Master of D- I'm glad you have experienced such good luck with your Walmart Special combo. You may have got a "good" one. Or Not.

Or not? Here is where some of those "blue-light special" rigs skimp. They "skimp" on their non-corroding features; rotor, bearings and bail-trip are usually NOT stainless or "protected" in any way. The rods usually have "plastic" inserts in the guides or aluminum-painted guides. The rod-blanks are "2nds" from various different companys.
I was a manager at a major tackle distributer for 3 years and KNOW what kinda problems these combo's can have.

When purchasing a "deal" combo you play "russian roulette" with your money.

And some people will not take as good a care of a rod/reel as you might Master. You probably wash/spray it down after every trip? Some will not.

I can guarantee that a "namebrand" combo would/will outlast a "special" 3 out of 4 times. Esp if you don't take care of it!

These are the reasons I would not suggest (to anyone) to buy a Walmart special for saltwater applications. Heck, I'd buy a USED Daiwa, Penn, Shimano on EBay before going the "cheapy" route.

Be careful.

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