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? 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.