Itll be close. It will handle most of the fish you hook, reds and drum wise. But the bigger fish might be an issue. especially in second gut.

Itll be a 80/20 percent kinda deal id say

 

You will want a reel with more line capacity. It's good to have at least 200 yd. of line on the reel. You might want to upgrade.

 

Abu 6000s are okay reels for casting off the beach, just gotta size your baits, running line and terminal tackle accordingly..

 

You should be fine with that setup. I have four 6500c3's ive been using in the surf for over a year now, i started with 30 # mono bit now habe them rigged like yours, 150 yds of 30# braid topped with 20# mono. That gives me 200-220 yards total and has been fine so far. Have landed a number of bull reds to 43" and black drum to 44". Most fish have been caught in first or second gut. If you read back through reports here, that is usually the case unless going for bigger sharks. I will get spooled someday but that is part of the fun of surf fishing. I say go with those and havr fun. Another aspect if you go big then the fight of smaller and.medium fish is not as challenging or fun IMO.
Tight lines,
Tom

 

Will do fine! I switched from 7000's to 6000's and love it! You might want to go with a smaller mono (15-18 lb. test) and a top shot of 60-80 lb

 

Like was said, adjust your bait and terminal gear according and you will be fine. I have always had a 6500 or three in my tackle room. Unless you are after sharks over 5' feet you can do it. More sport and they cast great. That TLD is a fine reel but not your best selection for surf fishing. Jig Masters are old school red fish surf reels and are a good choice for not much money. If you want to spend some coin, there are many other options that will do it as well. Surf fishing from the beach like most sports is a nitch but has several sub nitches like bigger sharks or kayak fishing that require different gear. There is some cross over tackle but I have found gearing up for each sub nitch is best. That way you can enjoy the catch/sport with the correct intended tackle and not beat up some poor bull red with big shark gear or try casting too large a reel that is trying to cover all the bases. Good luck, Gary

 

One more thing, the 6500 had 15# of drag which is OK and the 7000 had 20# of drag and will hold 350 yards of 50# braid. They cast a mile and are easy to clean as well. The price difference is about $30 for the red 7000.

 

How much do you expect to fish and catch. If you’re going to hit the surf twice a year, enjoy the fight with the light tackle. It will work just fine. If you plan to catch over 100 fish this year and you know you’re going to release them before you even get on the beach upgrade your tackle. Use 25-30# gear. This will let you bring in the fish quicker and let it have a better chance of survival when released. This bigger gear also gives you a better chance when you hook up to a shark or really large stingray. We all know that mullet, croaker and whiting are just redfish bait. When you fish for big drum around oyster beds the 30# line is also a plus.

Really it’s all up to you.

Do what you enjoy and what you think is right.

 

Abu 6500 is pretty close to perfect for a general surf reel. Putting sharks aside there's not a whole lot you can't bring it with a properly rigged 6500 and a little angler skills. Bull Reds and Jacks are a lot of fun on a 6500. Stingrays are annoying no matter what reel you've got. Having said that I typically use my 525 mag when specifically looking for reds and jacks, the old 6500 usually sits at the ready with a large spoon rigged up in case I need to cast at something.

 

You can land good sized fish on a 6500, and if I could only have one reel to do everything it would be a 6500, but if you want a dedicated surf reel I would go with something a little bigger. You don't need a bigger reel to fight the fish, you need it to fight the surf. The waves and current in the surf are very unforgiving and most times your going to need a 4oz to 8oz spider weight just to keep your bait in place. Can you cast this kind of weight with a 6500 with 20# mono? Sure. Can you pull the weight out of the sand with it? Probably not. Than you have the level wind, all 6500's, except the CT models have level winds, the level winds not only limit your casting distance, but they are a disaster waiting to happen on the beach. One grain of sand wedging between the worn gear and the pawl can cause you to lose fish, break rods and reel seats, warp spools, and bend frames, and yes I have had all these thing happen with level wind reels in the surf. As far as going to a TLD, that's a big negitive. A TLD is a lever drag reel with absolutely no cast control ability. I would suggest any of the old school Penn reels that will hold 250yds to 300yds of 30# mono, squidders, jigmasters,555,545,535, 3/0 senators, long beach, beach master, delmar, seaboy, anything without a level wind.

 

Another note on the 6500, The above poster is right about the level wind issues. What I do and it is an easy task is simply remove it. Cast great and your smart thumb will do the leveling without a second thought. There is a reel guru that has a web page/forum that has an endless list of mods for most common reels. Upgrade drags, and many other very useful tasks. Alan Tani is the name and should be easy to find his site. Good stuff especially on big Penn Senators. I had forgotten about the Penn 525 when I was talking about the 555/545/535 series. 525 is similar to them but is a superb casting reel and all you need for reds. You can't effectively cast "8 and bait" over the third bar with a light set up but reds still eat a juicy mullet head held by say a 3 ounce spider weight. learn from you tube videos and personal practice the pendalum {sp** cast and the effort pays off.

Over the third bar is great but lots of big fish swim between the second and third. You can always wade out and cast, then walk back to shore.

 

I have caught 38" to 46" bulls with the 6500 30lb mono while fishing the surf. If you are set on the 6500 look at ebay and consider purchasing the power handle. I must have 6 or 7 6500s and all them have the power handle. Personally when i fish for bulls for fun i use abu7000 and shimano tekoa 600 (Tekota 600 is my fav.)

 

Why not a Shimano Baitrunner either the 4500 or 6500? They both can hold quite a capacity of either 40 or 60 pound braided line, you can cast as far as you need to without backlashing and the bait runner feature allows the fish to mouth the bait freely before getting hooked. Get an 8 to 10 foot surf spinning rod and you got a great sure fishing combo!

 

6500's ?

Abu Garcia 6500 's are a excellent reel for the beach . I have two with me at all times . It is probably the most versatile reel you can find . You can use it to cast a 2 or 3 oz surf weight or use it with a popping cork or fishfinder rig to catch flounder . I have caught small sharks ,bull reds ,black drum,jackfish ,flounder and trout with mt 6500's . I prefer 20lb mono because I believe it cast further for me and its my preference . The only thing about braid in my opinion is if you backlash ,game over ! But 20lb test is sufficient for bull reds and drum . I haveDaiwa 30 Sealines and use 20lb test and land 30 -50lb drum and bull reds all day . Just remember "Its the Indian not the Arrow!" Once you get used to casting and catch some fish on the 6500's your confidence in your gear will make it easier to fish with. Good Luck ! Keep us posted !!

 

6500 C3's are my go to reels for the jetty. I upgraded my drag and use 40# braid. I've been able to horse several big drum up to the rocks, but they are light enough for trout and reds. They are real good for flinging a heavy spoon or ZigJig way out for schooling smacks.

 

Another +1 for 6500s. Mine on an 8' 6" Abu rod is my favorite all around bait fishing combo. Caught plenty of bull reds and kings offshore on it. I have it spooled up with 250 yards of 20 lb braid topped with 15 lb mono and have only gotten down to the braid twice on 20+ lb kings.

 

I recommend you get something a little bigger along with those reels. You sit long enough on that beach you'll want something to go over that third bar, even if you might not get nothing back. If you want level wind , good casting and good drag cheap get a Shimano 200G. I've use a couple of these on Harringtons with 25 lb big game. I target trout and slot Reds for the most part. If you like even a bit bigger , economical and is a casting fool I recomend Shimano speed master( no level wind).

 

I recommend you get something a little bigger along with those reels. Get a Shimano 200G.

Over 300 yards of 20# line.

Great reels!

 

I lot depends on how good the drag is on your reels. I use 17# mono on a Shimano reel and have yet to have any problems. If a Jack comes along that could be another story.

 

I switched from 7000's to 6000's (old style) several years ago and thought I would be fine.Well I also decided I wanted to switch from level wind to non-level wind (cs-ct) so I was talking to a well known east coast reel builder who is quite famous and he basically told me these reels were junk????? The only difference I'm aware of is the gear ratio, does anyone know any other difference?