JeffCarrera

I try not to go when the swell is above 2 meters. I usually wade up to knee/just above knee level depending on how far I wanted to cast, but yeah as connico stated, whiting and bream are usually close from the shore so I probably don't have to wade in the water at all. Might need to go a little further though when spinning for tailor, salmon etc. Thanks everyone for the response and advice. Looks like wetsuit pants socks and shoes combo is the way to go, but since waders aren't too expensive I might give them a go too. Definitely worth the sweet white flesh of whiting fillets. Cheers!

yeah, just starting to learn this style of fishing. I use beach worms, bloodworms. Most would say live worms are the best but I find that frozen ones work good too.

Hello raiders! so I've recently started surf fishing for whiting. My first couple of attempts was somewhat successful, as I managed to get on to some fish (mainly targeting whiting/bream). On both occasions the fish were biting but I had to cut both outings short as I was shivering in the cold being wet from the waist down. Even today while I was fishing from 10am-12nn I couldn't fish for much longer as being wet plus the cold wind made it unbearable (was just wearing short pants and shirt + windbreaker jacket for the top). What sort of clothing do you guys normally wear when surf fishing in winter to keep warm (I know it's not really winter yet, but I plan to fish the surf in winter too to avoid the crowd). Any thoughts/experiences on noeprene waders with gum boots or wetsuits? waders seem a bit bulky and wetsuits might be good but your feet will get wet too? thanks in advance for any input.

Thanks Niffa. samurai ledge seems like a good rod but out of my budget now, will definitely consider for a future upgrade! I went with the 4500 Penn spinfisher V, they were on sale at a shop ($125) and I thought it was a very good deal for a sealed reel so I went for it.

Thanks Macca, I'm afraid the demon blood is out of my budget for now, but I did exactly what you suggested. I went for the Penn prevail 9ft 8-12 kilo 20-70gram cast weight, and a Penn Spinfisher V 4500 on 30lb daiwa braid. This is the set-up I use for spinning for bonnies and kingies and I can cast for longer without tiring myself out too much. I also have a ultra cheap set-up 10ft Ugly stik with a jarvis walker 6000 reel which I use for bait fishing (caught a kingie off the rocks yesterday with this one)

Hi Flatheadluke and Bluefin, thanks for the response. flatheadluke, I do already have a light set-up, 7ft rod with 2500 sienna on 8lb braid and 10 pound leader. I went to the shop today and got a good deal on the penn prevail. I've yet to get a reel to match it, but thinking of getting a penn conflict or conflict two in medium size maybe 4000-5000 size on 30lb braid. I agree 50lbs braid might be overkill for the fish I'll encounter 90%of the time fishing the rocks. Maybe when I get more experience, I'll up my game and target the bigger species. But for now I'm happy to get a 65-70cm kingy and the usual bonitos and aussie salmon. Bluefin, thanks for the suggestions. The Wilson live fibre and ultegra looks like a really good set-up, but a little out of my budget for now. cheers and tight lines!

Hi everyone, I've been reading up on many threads on this forum and I'd like to thank everyone as I've learned heaps. I haven't really contributed much as I still consider myself a beginner, having caught only yakkas, leatherjackets, tons of baby breams and snappers (which were lovingly released back!). I've caught my first big fish (57cm bonito) the other week off the rocks at Central coast which has gotten me really excited and which leads to my inquiry: I'm looking to get an affordable rod/reel set-up for surf/rock fishing. I'm looking to catch mainly mackerels, bonitos, trevally and of course kingfish. I'm looking to get either the 10ft (10-15kg) Penn Prevail or an 11ft (9-15kg) Daiwa Lateo. I do mostly bait fishing, but lure fishing (poppers, metal lures etc) is something I'd like to do more of. I did get myself an 10ft Ugly stik gold 6-10kg rod just this week and after giving it a go today surf fishing, I found it too heavy to be casting and reeling in for more than half an hour. I didn't think it was that heavy when I was at the store but on the beach it felt really heavy my and arm was sore after half an hour. I'd still keep the rod as a back-up, one can never have too many rods I suppose! I guess between this two rods I mentioned above, I'd like to get the lighter and more reliable rod, even if I need to pay more. Any advice on which one you think would suit my needs would be appreciated. As for the reel set-up, is it considered excessive if I pair a 10-15 kg line weight rod with a reel on 50lb braid? Same with the rod, I'd like to get the lightest reel I can buy (with my budget) and hoping to get away with a smaller size reel which means it is suited for lighter pound braid. Is water-proofing important to you guys when you choose a reel or you can get away with meticulous maintenance habits to keep the reel in top shape (rinsing/dunking in warm fresh water to get rid of salt etc..), or is full water proofing a marketing thing from the brands? Cheers and thanks in advance for any advice!