I am about to buy my first surf spinning reel. I am putting it on a 11' rod rated for 2-6oz. I will probably put 30# braid on it. Should I put a 5000 or 6000 size reel? I was thinking about a Penn Battle III, but I am also open to suggestions.
6000 for sure with suggested 40# Andeon a rod that size the penn that you mentioned would be a good choice in either the 5 or 6 thousand size (i would go 6). I use diawa bg's in the same sizes for surf fishing with bait and throw 12 ft rods. the only change would be to maybe try to find a rod rated for more weight better would be up to 8 or 10 ozs I have been fishing the Texas surf most of my life. The lightest weight I carry is 4 ozs but the majority of the time it takes 6-8 oz to hold.