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I'll be surf fishing Grand Isle from the 26th to the 28th. If my primary goal is bull reds, what is a quality rod/reel combo that checks in below $200? Slightly off topic, what are the best fish to target, be it roadside, fishing bridge, or surf this time of year? I already have a thread semi-covering this in the inshore forum. I'm just really trying to nail down what to buy, by Monday. Also, will braided or mono matter? Oh yeah, and regarding leaders, is an eagle claw, 18", 30 lb wire leader ok to use?

Sorry for the barrage of simple questions. I got bit by the surf fishing bug last year, and want to do it correctly. Unfortunately, here in the middle of the state everyone focuses on bass and white perch. I don't have an issue with them, but I want to fight the big dogs!

Are you planning on wading the beach of just throwing a line out there and sitting waiting for something to bite?

Med 7' shimano rod and a shimano symetre spinning reel 20lb braid
Med 7' shimano rod and a shimano curado reel 20 lb braid

Not sure if u want baitcaster or spinning reel

I was planning on wading. I'll literally do whatever. Is a 7' rod enough? And what capacity should my reel hold? Last year, as I tried to learn the topography of the surf, I would wade out 50-100 yards with regularity. Remember though, I was pretty clueless and was mainly fishing with dead shrimp.

On a slightly different subject, is it completely wrong of me to pick the brains of others along the beach? I figure the ocean has plenty to spread around! Plus, I typically go to Holly Beach/Johnson's Bayou area, so I won't steal too many from the Grand Isle crowd!

Oh, and I do plan on a spinning reel.

Surf if you want to get it out there you going to need longer than a 7' pole. I would go 8-8 1/2 min. Okuma makes nice spinning reels.

If you only plan on targeting bull reds with this pole you might get a MH but I would stick with a 7' or maybe as much as a 7'6" but I've never fished with those gigantic surf rods before. My suggestion is a 7' M with a 4000 series shimano symetre. Also if you plan on keeping fish I would either bring em back to the beach if its your 1 bull red or get one of the floating donuts with a net attached

Learn to "read" the surf and you will improve your catching vs fishing time a bunch.
If you observe the waves ,you will notice that in certain places the waves seem to break farther out or closer in. This is caused by depth changes . Troughs (deeper spots) will cause the waves to break closer to shore. Bars,(shallower spots) will cause the waves to break farther out. The edges of where these change are prime fishing areas.
Once you figure this out . The presence of bait is next in importance. rafts of mullet or shrimp jumping means a better chance of fish in the area.
Birds working is a sure sign of bait and some type of fish feeding. ( could be hard heads).
The big surf poles are great if you are just wanting to sit and wait w/ rods in sand spikes. If you want to cast for the reds, a m/h 7' w/ a good spinning reel and 30 lb PP braid is the ticket.

Thank you guys. Great information. I do plan on setting out 1-2 set ups in rod holders. My dad and I plan on fishing a good bit this trip, but we would like to get a little time with the wives and kids on the beach, and I figure that would be a good way. Hopefully we'll be building a sandcastle and hear that line start peeling off. I think I'm going to get a 7-7.5 foot rod, and one around 8-8.5 feet, just to see what I prefer. I think a big key will be watching and learning on this trip. Is the marina when you enter Grand Isle sufficiently stocked to where we can get most of the tackle we will need? I have a lot of stuff, but am sure a decent bit will be rendered useless when I actually see people that know what they are doing.

Tackle on the island can be pricey

Yep... If you are coming in on hwy 90 there is a big academy in Houma. Also the Wally World in Golden Meadow has some stuff.

I fish with 8' Ugly Stick Catfish rods (medium heavy) with Shimano Symetre 3000 reels with 30 lb power pro. I can hurl redfish baits pretty far. For surf fishing, you will throw a bit further with 20 lb power pro, but you don't have the muscle you need if you need to turn a fish to keep it out of structure. Not such a big deal from the beach, but important from the bridge or near the jetties. I've got four of the 8' Ugly Sticks all rigged up identically. These rods are tough and last a loooooong time. If one of them ever breaks, I'll replace it with the same thing because they work so well for such a wide variety of purposes.

I've caught plenty of bull reds with wire leaders, but I prefer fluorocarbon. If the wind is from the north and the water gets clear, you may be glad to have a less visible leader. Right now the forecast is for a N wind for several days leading up to the 26th, the water could be pretty clear.

That's where my original trade will come in handy. My major in college was meteorology, and I'm still glued to any and all things weather. I can't wait to figure out what kind of weather to root for!

For fishing from the beach you want a north wind. If you are in a boat the north wind will be a bane.

Winds light and variable

East is the least west is the best

Models appear to be showing a little bit of everything. Starting out of the north or northeast, then switching to a more southerly component. If they are under 15 mph I'll be thrilled. Really wanting my trip to get here! I ended up buying a Shimano Spheros with an 8' medium/heavy action rod. It's probably a little bit large in the reel department, but the main focus of that rod will be in the surf, and I really hope to hook into something that'll rip some line out. Shimano seems to produce some quality stuff. I also got an Okuma spinning combo for dad to use. It was pretty cheap, so if it craps out, oh well.

I don't know how much SW fishing you've done, but rinse all your gear off really well before putting it away for the evening. There's a hose at the fish cleaning station at the mariana and most most lodging also has a hose under each residence. Forgetting to rise or rinsing poorly usually means the end of a reel.

I have learned that the semi hard way. The reel I ruined was ready to be ruined anyway. When you say rinse the reel, is there any specific way to do it? I definitely don't want to screw up my new stuff. Do I just give it a good soaking with the hose?

Good soaking with the hose from all angles with maybe a bit of moderate thumb spray (low pressure). I've never had to disassemble anything. If a reel happens to get dunked in salt water, I leave it in a bucket of fresh water for a few minutes. Every few (4-5) trips, I'll hit the reels with some Rem oil or similar.