[Whojo]

Hello all,

I'm new to surf fishing. I've fished alot off of the Jekyll pier but want to try closer to home. I don't have a boat so I've been looking for spots (beach access) on Tybee Island. Also have to buy new rods and reels because my pier stuff (penn 6/0's) can't get the distance. Can anyone give recommendations on which rods to buy? I'm on the south side of Savannah and have BassPro, Dicks sporting Goods and walmart fairly close by. The fish I'm targeting are whiting, flounder, trout and reds. I've heard of people catching cobia and pompano off the beach but not so sure that's possible off of Tybee?

Thanks!

 

[MadDawgJ]

Welcome Whojo, Jekyll beach is also great, for Tybee right now your best choices are Polk St (by the recycling center and camp ground) or North Beach (lighthouse area). Your Senator 6/0 can put lots of big stuff on the beach but it's a bit much for whiting, et al. If you want to stick with conventionals look at the Penn General Level winds or older Squidders Or Long Beaches to stay on a small budget. If you don't mind spinning reals any 4000 size will give you enough for whiting and larger when you want. Exspecially for whiting, reds and trout you don't actually need a surf rod, they are close enough that a 7' rod is more than enough to fill your cooler. Buy some 1 1/2" PVC from Home Depot and make some sand spikes and start fishing, then you will learn what works for you and what you need to swap out.

 

[Whojo]

Welcome Whojo, Jekyll beach is also great, for Tybee right now your best choices are Polk St (by the recycling center and camp ground) or North Beach (lighthouse area). Your Senator 6/0 can put lots of big stuff on the beach but it's a bit much for whiting, et al. If you want to stick with conventionals look at the Penn General Level winds or older Squidders Or Long Beaches to stay on a small budget. If you don't mind spinning reals any 4000 size will give you enough for whiting and larger when you want. Exspecially for whiting, reds and trout you don't actually need a surf rod, they are close enough that a 7' rod is more than enough to fill your cooler. Buy some 1 1/2" PVC from Home Depot and make some sand spikes and start fishing, then you will learn what works for you and what you need to swap out.

Thanks MadDawgJ, I thought I was going to have to buy a rod in the 10'-12' range. Thanks for the info!

 

[MadDawgJ]

I use an 11' for the big fish and currently use a 9' surf rod for the smaller stuff like whiting but before I got that 9'er I just used 6 1/2' or a 7' that I already had. Both the 6.5 and 7 have landed many whiting and slot reds and trout out of the surf on Tybee and Jekyll. They only got replaced because I had to buy a new reel and that (to me anyway) justified a new rod. Now I have designated surf gear and pier/dock gear.

If you decided to try surf fishing on Jekyll as well (and why not, it's beautiful) my two favorite spots are both on the South end. Park at the soccer complex and head out to the beach and make a right. Hike way down past the point till you see the mast of an old shrimp boat sticking out the sand. The other side of that is deep water close to shore with big fish. The other spot is St Andrews beach, again head south at the traffic circle but go past the soccer complex and keep going till the road either loops back north or goes into a park and picnic area. From the lot there it's a very short walk out to the beach and there will be plenty of other people surf fishing to help you out. Look for a big guy named Ryan fishing with his cousin. They are always glad to help land fish, loan bait or give advice and they've fished there for years. They are good people.

Plenty of guys in here know a lot more about small conventional reels than me, I like the big ones for sharks because that is what I used with my grandpa back when. In my experience fish don't seam to care in the least if they got caught on a Shimano, Mitchel, Penn or a $20 reel so don't break the bank or cause a divorce till you decide that you want to stick with surf and invest into the gear. A $7 My Little Pony Zebco rod and reel will catch fish, but that doesn't mean I'd use it.

 

[Fatback]

Hello all,

I'm new to surf fishing. I've fished a lot off of the Jekyll pier but want to try closer to home. I don't have a boat so I've been looking for spots (beach access) on Tybee Island. Also have to buy new rods and reels because my pier stuff (penn 6/0's) can't get the distance. Can anyone give recommendations on which rods to buy? I'm on the south side of Savannah and have BassPro, Dicks sporting Goods and walmart fairly close by. The fish I'm targeting are whiting, flounder, trout and reds. I've heard of people catching cobia and pompano off the beach but not so sure that's possible off of Tybee?

Thanks!

MadDawgJ is giving good advice.

Whojo, slow down, take a deep breath and remember it's just fishing. You can and will catch fish from the surf using any ol' rod and reel that you have on hand. Investing in some proper surf fishing equipment is expensive, even the low end stuff. So maybe it would be a good idea to take what you have, hit the beach and see if the surf is for you.
Many years ago I made the transition from being a pier fisherman to being a surf fisherman. Best thing ever to improve my saltwater fishing experience! I'll never go back. So, after several fishing trips to the beach, you will decide if you're a surf caster or a pier rat. If you're a surf caster, then you will realize very quickly that your equipment has many limitations and you will be looking to get a real surf set up.
Biggest mistake I made when starting out was going too cheap and too small. The cheap equipment will tear up quickly and need to be replaced. You want to go ahead and get rods ten feet or bigger as anything smaller does not give you many more advantages than a seven or eight foot rod. I'll stress again, buy good equipment, not cheap equipment.
So, if you want to try surf fishing, you best get out there right now because very soon it will be over till April. Let us know.
And yes, we do catch Pompano on Tybee. But, no Cobia from land. I did see a small Cobia caught from Tybee pier a decade ago.

There are many threads on this site that discuss "which rod". Use the search feature and you will find an abundance of info.

 

[Anchorite]

2x getting the right gear if you decide you like the surf. For a heavier rod, bass pro has some decent ones. Every penn rod i bought there fell apart after a couple outings, but the 12 ft oceanmaster rods in the 6-10oz class are superb. They sometimes go on sale too...got my last one at 50% off. I usually order reels online. Hard to find brick and mortar stores here that carry the right stuff and if you have to throw down for something good its worth the time waiting for delivery. I like using two rods - one near and one far and/or one big bait and one small bait. Can usually keep busy cathing something that way. Shorter rods are certainly suitable for near shore and will catch just as well - if you don't fish in the right spot it won't matter what gear you use. Get a line wet and enjoy. Just watch out for the tsunamis from the container ships, especially if you are far north at the point - ran into a vacationer out there on friday who almost got swept away with his gear.

 

[Anchorite]

Thought i would also add that the last time i went to bass pro scoping out magged conventionals (they had none) they tried to sell me a baitcaster that grandpa might use to catch crappie at the pond. I recommend doing your research here and other forums rather than enquiring at a store. Was led astray when i first started out with large rods. Find myself scaling down my gear more often now than beefing it up.

 

[MadDawgJ]

Yes very much, my shark reel is what most stores would sell you for slot reds. Around here River Supply in Thunderbolt is the only store carrying tackle that is geared towards, and staffed by people who fish salt. I called Dick's Sporting Goods a couple months back to see if they had the Penn reel I wanted in stock and the guy in the fishing department had never heard of Penn and wasn't even sure they could order them because they "only carried name brands like Zebco." I hung up without saying anything because I was speachless.

 

[DANtheJDMan]

Hey,
These guys are giving you great advise.
I'm new to Tybee fishing myself.
I'm not that new to surf fishing but I got talked into fishing the Tybee Redfish Tournament a couple of weeks ago. (first fishing contest I have ever been in)
I was second place for a couple of hours with a 38" fork length male drum.
I think they looked at the little red car we came in and saw the IOWA plates and the next fish caught was a 38-1/2................
We had a good time.
I brought one drum rod 12ft Star Stellar...........4-12. This is really not needed off Tybee.
The other rod I used was a Tommy Farmer 3-6 13 ft. This rod really works good on Tybee because when the tide changes you can bomb it out to the clear water.
I caught one drum on each of the rods and I throw for the back fence every time. (you don't always need to bomb it out but I just like throwing lead and the short rods are in close)
You don't need a long rod but it is nice to have the distance when you need it. (Both drum I caught were on the way out rods)
A heavy rod will throw the weight but they are usually to stiff to see a small fish bite and the fight on a big fish is not as fun.
There ain't nothing like being bowed up on a big red and going down the beach 100 yards to get it in.
Buy small good stuff.............not just an Ugly stick. Although I have a little 8 ft rod that is always at the beach with me because it catches more fish than all the rest put together.
Everybody talks about getting a heaver that will throw 8 and bait.
Throwing 8+ and bait the conditions are usually not very nice and most people go home.
If you are on the point in Hatteras that is different but you're on Tybee so a little less rod will FEEL a lot better.
Try some different rods. You see a guy with a John Deere hat and a four rod spread, come on over and try one of the rods I have.
The feel is as important as the performance.
Usually you get what you pay for.
All the Swedish made Abu reels are pretty good and cheap on Ebay. 6500 is a good all around reel.
If guys have one they have 10.
Ok I'm a tackle hoe but hey you gotta have an obsession.
DAN