Surf Rod and Reel Setup Question

[Scootster]

I currently fish with heavier surf gear and I need some advice on rigging lighter. Here are the 5 rods that I use today.

*I have 2 Penn 4/0 wides on 12' 20-40lb 3-8oz Okuma surf rods. The reels have 500yds of 80lb Power Pro topped with 40lb. Berkley big game and an 80lb shock leader.

*I have 1 Daiwa Sealine x50sha on the same12' 20-40lb 3-8oz Okuma surf rod. The reel has 300yds of 50-65lb Power Pro topped with 30lb. Berkley big game and an 80lb shock leader.

*I have 2 Penn Jigmaster 500L's on 10' Heavy Action 12-40lb Ugly Stick surf rods. The reels have 300yds of 50-65lb Power Pro topped with 30lb. Berkley big game and an 80lb shock leader.

I use these setups primarily for bull reds and sharks. I would like to start targeting some smaller species such as puppy drum, smaller reds, Spanish Mackerel etc.. on surf rods. Are all of these setups too heavy for this? If so, what kind of rod combinations to any of you use (lighter vs. heaver etc... Any advice or comments on my surf setups would be appreciated.

[histprof]

I have been running 30# on my 12' Okumas. I use Penn Surfmaster 200s/Beachmaster 155s or a Penn 209 w/o the levelwind. I run 30# braid with a 25# Big Game topshot and 50# BG shock leader. An Abu 7000 or similar would give you an nice 20# option for that rod.

Okuma also makes a 9' rod that pairs well with 20-30# line. I use a Penn 9, Sealine 27 or Abu 6500 on mine.

Another good option for those species would be a heavy spinner rig. Find a 1-4 oz rod in the 8-10' range and match it with a reel that can hold 200 yds of 20# line.

[SurfRunner]

I have a surf rod just for smaller fish. I use a Breakaway 10-6, which is custom wrapped, but I think they sell one ready to go. I use an Ambassador 6500 with a power handle. It has 14 lb. mono. I have caught a lot of slot reds and whiting on it. I have also caught king fish and jacks casting 2 or 3 ounce spoons from the jetties. Basically, it is my bait rod when I am on the beach.

A cheaper alternative to the breakaway could be the 10 ft ocean master.

[jc]

Originally Posted by SurfRunner

I have a surf rod just for smaller fish. I use a Breakaway 10-6, which is custom wrapped, but I think they sell one ready to go. I use an Ambassador 6500 with a power handle. It has 14 lb. mono. I have caught a lot of slot reds and whiting on it. I have also caught king fish and jacks casting 2 or 3 ounce spoons from the jetties. Basically, it is my bait rod when I am on the beach.

A cheaper alternative to the breakaway could be the 10 ft ocean master.

what he said!

a quick alternative is to just put a smaller reel on one of the 12 heavers... lot of fun to throw 3oz with a heaver but in the long run you'll just want light rig all the way around... I'd suggest sticking with long rod though... something at least 10' for the casting ability

jc

[Mustad7731]

Scootster;
I think you're right about those rig being a little heavy for the smaller fish in the
surf zone.
As I see it there are 2 ways to make your targeting the smaller fish more sporting.
1] Put a leader on any of those rigs with about 25 smaller hooks so that you can
catch 10 or so fish at a time....LOL...or
2] Get a new rig...Say with a 8' medium action rod with a reel the size of a 6500
with 50% - 20lb braid/50% 17lb mono...If you really want to get sporting drop the
line to 15 braid/12 mono...
Mustad7731
Jack