Preferred pier gear

What type of gear do you prefer when fishing off the pier? Do you use spinning or casting? Do you use saltwater reels or just rinse off freshwater reels? What length and action rod do you prefer? Do you use multiple setups for larger and smaller fish? And has anyone tried a baitfeeder reel ( if you know what I'm talking about)? Do you like mono, florocarbon, or braid? Do you use a wire leader or a heavy mono leader?



Looks like I may not make it down south this year so I'm making up for it by looking at purchasing some new gear for next year. And I just want to hear about fishing gear...

Most folks seem to prefer 7 foot medium power, fast action spinning rods with 4000 size reels that hold about 200 yards of 10# to 12# mono.
You can catch 80% of the available fish on that outfit with a few exceptions.
On the pier only your line comes in direct contact with saltwater, so just the rod guides and spool need a light rinse to wash that away. it does help to pretreat the rod and reel with a spray (like Reel Magic, etc.)

Anglers often carry multiple rods for specific tasks or species and may bring up to 6 each day with no additional charge.
Bait runner type reels work in a few applications (like drifting a live bait) but are not too common place out there.
Most use mono, or a mono top shot (over braid).

Dep[ending on the species targeted anglers may use a steel leader (for toothy fish like mackerel and bluefish),
or a mono leader (for all the others),
or no leader at all (as in fishing a live shrimp or LY for speckled trout)

Hope this helps!

Pier #'fs got it right. I do use bait runners for Sheephead. I prefer them as I don't need to tie my rod to the rail and thus don't have a fear of leaning it there waiting for a bite. I've seen plenty of rod/reel combos fly over the rail with a solid strike and with a bait runner the fish just starts taking line until you pick it up. Otherwise, a bungee is needed to tie it down that you have to unhook when you get a strike.

Dont get me wrong, I don't leave my rod unattended at the rail but do get tired of holding it in my hand all the time and this eliminates your having to hold it all the time. I also use a 7 1/2' rod to get leverage to pull them from the pilings.

Each fisherman uses what he's comfortable with and this is just my choice.

I love the toughness of braid but it does cause problems with wind knots if casting and interferes with other mono lines if you get a fast run that crosses other lines. So I stick to 15# mono with your choice of leaders. I also like fluorocarbon leaders that seem to have less visibility in the water.

everything else is again personal preference.

good fishing everyone...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pier#r

Most folks seem to prefer 7 foot medium power, fast action spinning rods with 4000 size reels that hold about 200 yards of 10# to 12# mono.
You can catch 80% of the available fish on that outfit with a few exceptions.
On the pier only your line comes in direct contact with saltwater, so just the rod guides and spool need a light rinse to wash that away. it does help to pretreat the rod and reel with a spray (like Reel Magic, etc.)



Anglers often carry multiple rods for specific tasks or species and may bring up to 6 each day with no additional charge.
Bait runner type reels work in a few applications (like drifting a live bait) but are not too common place out there.
Most use mono, or a mono top shot (over braid).

Dep[ending on the species targeted anglers may use a steel leader (for toothy fish like mackerel and bluefish),
or a mono leader (for all the others),
or no leader at all (as in fishing a live shrimp or LY for speckled trout)

Hope this helps!

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Pier#r, Thank you for the very informative post. But, when you spray the rod and reel with reel magic or, whatever spray or oil you use, does that leave a residue from the oil on the line that will spook the fish. The biggest walleye I have ever seen caught, 32", was caught on a crank bait that was sprayed with WD40. He will even spray his night crawlers with WD40. In fact, we call him "Oil Slick" because he always has an oil ring around where ever he is fishing.
How is the book coming?

I'm one of the few fishermen who uses both kinds of reels. I like a baitcaster for 12 - 14 lb line, so practically all of my spanish mackerel, pompano, sheepshead, speckled trout, etc fishing is done with a baitcaster. I use a spinning reel, primarily, for king mackerel when I'm fishing live bait or [previously frozen] cigar minnows. I use a larger baitcaster when casting plugs for kings. I'm just more proficient with a baitcaster. My line size is 20 lb. for kings. I don't know that it matters, but my spinning reels are Penn and my rods are Ugly Stiks. I rinse the reels with fresh water after every use and I change line regularly (incidental contact weakens the line).

I like wire for kings and spanish. Sometimes spanish will be wire-shy and will only hit a lure with a mono/fluorocarbon leader, so I have that ready if I need it. Pompano, sheepshead, and whiting outfits are rigged with about 18" fluorocarbon leader.

What type of gear do you prefer when fishing off the pier? Do you use spinning or casting? Spinning

Do you use saltwater reels or just rinse off freshwater reels? Both
What length and action rod do you prefer? 6.5 - 7' medium 2000, 3000 or 4000 reel with 8-10# and a 7.6-8' medium heavy with a 6500 and 15# for kings, reds, etc.
Do you use multiple setups for larger and smaller fish? Yes, I carry three or 4 medium reels and 1-2 king rods

And has anyone tried a baitfeeder reel ( if you know what I'm talking about)? No
Do you like mono, florocarbon, or braid? Mono
Do you use a wire leader or a heavy mono leader? Both, 50# mono for Spanish, 27# single stand wire for kings. Flat black swivel, 2x or 3x #6-#2 trebles.

Lots of good advice. Not everybody's thumb has a college degree, like eym_sirius'. I love my conventional casting reels for catching sheepshead, but I use spinning tackle for most everything else because I can't stand picking out backlashes when I have to cast into the wind.

The one rig I'd suggest in addition is a 6000 or 6500 class reel (Penn, Shimano, etc.) on an 8' rod for king mackerel, jack crevalle, and bull reds. Fill it two thirds with 20# braid and top it off with 15# hi viz mono. Ugly Stiks are popular, but I am madly in love with the affordable custom bait rod that J&M sells.

Remember that you aren't deep sea fishing, so you don't need heavy, cumbersome tackle. The worst obstacles you will face will come when there are multiple hookups on big fish and you have to do the "over, under, follow you fish" dance with other anglers. Sometimes you'll get cut off on the pier pilings, but, as they say, sh!t happens.

Good fishing.

Keep in mind that Reel Magic, Salt Away, WD-40 are all different but none are lubricants.
IMHO WD-40 (Water Displacer) should never be used on saltwater reels as it is a solvent that actually increases corrosion over time.
And don't drown your reels with fresh water at the hose, when needed just rinse lightly (like a misting rain) and be sure to bump it to remove excess water and dry it quickly in the sun and wipe with a paper towel or cloth sprayed with Reel Magic.

I first learned about Reel Magic at Bass Pro (thinking at first the advertising was just propaganda), but have seen how a light spray (and wipe to remove excess) coats and protects line and reel parts (sortof like AmorAll protects leather and plastic) from the drying effect of suns rays and drying salts. Like Jimmy Houston, I use it on all my reels ;-)
It is not however a replacement for proper lubrication, so I use a light reel oil (or 3-n-1) to lube the line roller, bail and handle joints, anti-reverse switch, and shaft under the spool.

Thanks for asking, the book is still about only 40%. i have been SO busy this past year I have not had much opportunity to work on it :-(

When you see newbies heading to the pier, does it seem like they overdo it on rod and reel sizes? Striped and catfish combos from Wally World? Big line and tuna hooks?

+1 on Reel Magic. I spray it my reels and let it dry before coming down to fish (about 20-30 days a year). I rinse them with the hose at the pier on my way to the truck at the end of each day and reapply the Reel Magic, loosen all the drags and us a tiny bit of rem oil when I get back home. Some of them have been submerged repeatedly when surf fishing and I have yet to have one fail.

What type of gear do you prefer when fishing off the pier? Do you use spinning or casting? Spinning

Do you use saltwater reels or just rinse off freshwater reels? I don't buy saltwater-specific gear. Just rinse off the gear when I'm done.

What length and action rod do you prefer?I carry a medium action 7' rod for small-medium stuff (it's big enough to work as a backup king rod in the event of gear failure) and an 8' medium-heavy rod for larger fish. I usually use have a 6-7' rod rigged with a sabiki to catch bait. In a pinch, it can also be converted to fish for Spanish/flounder/etc. In this way, I can use 3 rods to cover my bases and keep myself on the water

Do you use multiple setups for larger and smaller fish? Yes - see above. I never bring more than 4 rods, due to portability issues with car packing (8-hour drive) and a small pier cart.

And has anyone tried a baitfeeder reel ( if you know what I'm talking about)? Yes - I use an Okuma Avenger 55 on the king rod. I like the baitfeeder option, especially if the bait is running around a lot and I'm repeatedly feeding it line manually.

Do you like mono, florocarbon, or braid? I use mono on my 2 smaller rods. A few years ago I started using Suffix Tritanium (14 lb test, I think), which acts like mono with less stretch and more abrasion resistance. I have 10 or 12-lb line on my spanish rod (I tend to go higher on line weight lately when dealing with sharks, because you have to muscle them in sometimes. I always have 20-lb fluoro and 40-lb mono for leader typing purposes.

Do you use a wire leader or a heavy mono leader? I use 20# fluoro or 30-40# mono, depending on the target species. 27# single strand wire for kings. I also like the titanium leader wire that is able to be knotted and doesn't kink. It's more expensive, but much easier to use, especially if tying leaders on the spot. Flat black swivel, 3x trebles.
If you are planning on fishing for toothy critters (most of them are), I highly recommend pre-tying leaders of both heavy mono and wire onto your respective treble hooks and flat-black barrel swivels. Getting cut off and re-tying in the heat of the moment is a horrible feeling when everyone is hooking up.

Preferred pier gear

What type of gear do you prefer when fishing off the pier? Do you use spinning or casting?SPINNING Do you use saltwater reels or just rinse off freshwater reels? RINSE
What length and action rod do you prefer? 7'6" MH FOR KINGS/REDS ETC 7' MED FOR SPANISH/POMPS AND SMALL STUFF
Do you use multiple setups for larger and smaller fish? I HAVE 6-8 THAT ACCOMPANY MY AND THE MISSES
And has anyone tried a baitfeeder reel ( if you know what I'm talking about)? MOST OF MY REELS ARE LIVELINERS/BAITRUNNERS I LOVE THEM
Do you like mono, florocarbon, or braid? MONO IF I'M AROUND PEOPLE OR FISHING IF THE FISHING IS TOUGH, BRAID IF ITS NOT CROWDED.
Do you use a wire leader or a heavy mono leader?WIRE FOR KINGS, 40-50LB MONO FOR THE REST

Penn has good deals on reels through amazon. 123$ for live livers

I have to agree with eym sirius, for any species besides kings and jacks I only use baitcasting tackle. Pfleuger trion reel, 210 yards of 10 lb mono. Great for Spanish, pomps, Bonita, sheepshead and writing. Much less tiresome on the smaller species

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Originally Posted by ShallowWaterAngler

When you see newbies heading to the pier, does it seem like they overdo it on rod and reel sizes? Striped and catfish combos from Wally World? Big line and tuna hooks?

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I see a lot of low capacity reels, like the catfish combos you reference, where they are in serious danger of being spooled due to low line capacity. Most traditional advice for king mackerel is 300 yards of line. Lots of "freshwater" reels don't have that kind of spool capacity, so that's one of my biggest criteria when shopping for reels that may see a king on the other end of the line.

The other common mistake is bait selection. I'd say a majority of the first-time visitors to the pier go buy a frozen brick of squid from Walmart and go drag that around the bottom their first time out on the pier. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you are OK with catching pinfish, stingrays, and saltwater catfish. There's still fun to be had, but you aren't going to get into some of the better tasting and more exciting fish that come with lures or live bait.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that has been posting such helpful information on here for the inexperienced pier fishing guys like me. I've learned a ton from you guys reading your posts the last couple weeks. I leave Michigan tomorrow and will be fishing the pier and beach in Gulf Shores this weekend and next week with my 10 and 7 year old boys. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. We can't wait to get on the water!

Wow, this thread would make a fine sticky for the 1st timers. Great Questions with Full Answers. Don't stop now.

OK, I'll keep on going and switch from rods and reels.

Lots of folks buy pier nets, which is not absolutely necessary, but you never know when you'll find yourself with the only net. If you're going to get one, get the double ring model so the net will assume its proper shape in the water. Get rid of the ski rope that comes with it and buy some BRAIDED rope that is big enough to get a comfortable grip on when you have a big fish to bring up (think 25# redfish, be positive) and only keep about 30 feet of rope---you don't need a whole bunch to get tangled up. The reasons for braided rope are that it has no built in twist and the fishing line doesn't have any wraps in which to get tangled. Believe me, the fish know when you're using twisted rope and will immediately wrap your line so that it becomes an inextricable part of the net rope. (Same deal with gaff rope, but I'll save that for later.)

If you're going to become a dedicated pier rat, spend another $25 and have the black nylon netting replaced at Brunson Net and Supply in Foley---it's rubberized, and hooks won't get stuck in it. This is actually a big deal for me, because I don't want to be fighting to get a hook untangled when a hot bite is going on. This is serious stuff we're talking about here! Also, the rubberized net tends not to get hung up in the barnacles if it gets against a piling, which is common when netting sheepshead in rough water---actually, you can put the net against the piling on purpose so it won't get washed under the pier before the angler can lead the fish into it. You need some sort of float on the end so you can retrieve it if it gets dropped, heaven forbid. I once asked a tourist to help me net a fish, told him just to drop the net down, and barely stopped him from throwing net, rope, float and all over the rail.

Becoming an expert net man is one of the easiest things to do on the pier. Just let the net part way down and tell the angler to let you know when he's ready, then GENTLY lower the net near his fish. It is the angler's job to lead the fish into the net---you can't move the net once it's in the water. Netting fish for others is also a good way to be popular on the pier---we helps each other.

As long as I'm on the subject, if someone is netting a fish for you, the best way to get the fish in the net is to point your rod tip down toward the fish while keeping the line tight. This way you can lead the tired fish TO THE SIDE into the net. It is a sad sight to see an angler with a whipped fish hanging straight up and down next to the net---ain't nothing going to happen there, you have to get that fish moving sideways. Another tip: if you have a sheepshead on the line, as soon as you get his head over the net ring, give him a little slack and he will dive straight down, right into the net.

Those rubberized nets also hold up better to the teeth of Spanish mackerel, which will quickly gnaw a hole in nylon mesh, and they will last long enough to become a hand-me-down to your grandchildren. Good fishing

I am really enjoying and learning from these answers. I was going to start another thread on the aspects of fishing, but I will go ahead and ask them here.

Since the last post was about nets, I'll start with them as well as gaffs. Which do you prefer and why? If you are by yourself how do you get large fish up the pier?

On fishing, do you fish with live bait or plugs/jigs/spoons? Please elaborate.

Do you try to cast far away from the pier or drop straight down? Or both depending on what factors?

How do you determine which part of the pier to fish?

How, where, and when do you use a sabiki rig?

When using live bait, do you prefer live, fresh dead, or frozen?

Do you chum to attract fish to your specific spot? Is it allowed?

Can you fish the water around the pier from the surf?

Hope it's not too many questions, but these are questions a lot of new pier fishermen (including myself) would like/need to know.

Brandon, you covered so much ground with your questions that I'd strongly encourage you to use the "search" feature on this forum, then come back with more specific points.

Wasn't planning on asking so much, but figured if it became a newbie sticky post, I'd use the shotgun approach and try to get a little bit of everything. A few of the questions I know but have asked for the benefit of others.

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Originally Posted by ShallowWaterAngler

I am really enjoying and learning from these answers. I was going to start another thread on the aspects of fishing, but I will go ahead and ask them here.

Since the last post was about nets, I'll start with them as well as gaffs. Which do you prefer and why? If you are by yourself how do you get large fish up the pier? Gaffs are for bigger fish (Cobia/Kings/Jacks/Big reds) generally. You're going to have a hard time gaffing a 5lb sheepshead or a 3lb spanish mackeral. Nets are for the smaller stuff AND the bigger stuff. As for doing it solo, get creative :) And ask for help. There's almost always someone there that can hold a rope.

On fishing, do you fish with live bait or plugs/jigs/spoons? Please elaborate. Simple asnwer, yes. This is one where you need to read in the Q&A section, LOTS of info on rig setups for different types of fish. Free-lining baitfish (LY's mostly) is common for the bigger stuff, but jigs are used as well. Lots of stuff caught with artificials in the smaller range.

Do you try to cast far away from the pier or drop straight down? Or both depending on what factors? Depends entirely on what you're fishing for. Sheepshead are straight down at the pilings that the pier stands on...Most everything else is out and about, but they come under the pier all the time as that's where the bait hangs out a lot.

How do you determine which part of the pier to fish? What do you want to fish for? Where are the fish being caught? These are what determines where you fish.

How, where, and when do you use a sabiki rig? Depends what it's being used for. For bait, put a big weight on the bottom, drop it down, jig it up and down a bit at different depths until something hits it. For Spanish, you cast it out a bit. I've never used one for spanish though, i don't like the idea if casting 5-8 hooks and accidentally catching a person lol.

When using live bait, do you prefer live, fresh dead, or frozen? Pretty much never frozen. live is usually best IME, but fresh dead works if that's all you have. Unless you're fishing for catfish, the fish you're catching aren't looking to eat dead fish. They want sashimi (that is, raw and not rotting). They're also generally smarter than most freshwater fish.

Do you chum to attract fish to your specific spot? Is it allowed? I don't know if it's allowed or not, but I kind of doubt it. Plus, like I mentioned in the last question, most fish are looking for stuff that's alive.

Can you fish the water around the pier from the surf? Not within 100 yards according to mr. haywire.

Hope it's not too many questions, but these are questions a lot of new pier fishermen (including myself) would like/need to know.

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I'll answer what I can since I'm bored. I'm no regular though. I italicized them.

Correction on the last question: No, you are not allowed to surf fish withing 100 yards of either side of the pier, nor is swimming or any other water activity allowed.

Regarding the question about vertical jigging versus casting...

Most folks attempt to fish for bigger species away from the pilings of the pier. Not because they don't swim close to the pier, but because your risk of being cut off/wrapped up goes up tremendously if the hook-up occurs right next to the piling.

The classic big fish (kings/jacks/reds) approach is to use a sabiki or ribbon rig to catch a live baitfish. The baitfish is hooked onto a suitable rod waiting at your pier cart pre-rigged with a 3-x strong treble hook and wire leader with flat-black (no shine) swivel. Typically, baits are hooked on the top of their back behind the dorsal fin area - as the weight of the line creates some drag in the water, it *generally* points the nose of the swimming baitfish away from the pier, such that they don't run up to/underneath the pier as often. This improves the odds of a hook-up happening a bit away from the pier, so that most of the battle with the fish can take place away from the pier and all its entanglements. Things can get interesting as the fish are pulled in close, however :)