Basic Beach Fishing rods and reels

[yogi]

Seems to be a lot of people sending PMs and asking the question so I thought I might post this up as a bit of a guide. I am no expert but this is the advise that has been given to me by people who are

Well the first thing you need is a MySway Fraser Island 2012 stubby cooler

For surf fishing I prefer rods that have a soft tip and firm base giving you the best of both worlds. The soft tip allows for you to feel even the smallest of bites and the strong base allows you to put enough hurt on to the fish to catch large fish on light line. Basically an Alvey is king on the beach. Once you have used one you will be hooked (excuse the pun) The easy of maintenance the fact that if you get splashed by a wave or drop you reel in the sand you will have no issues unlike an egg beater (spinning reel). I like the Alveys that have a good drag system they allow you to catch much larger fish than your rod and reel / line are suited to. For example I have caught king fish and sting rays on my 10”6’ Live Fibre rod with 8lb line and an Alvey 6000BCVRR reel. I have also caught GT’s on my 13”6” Live Fibre road with an Alvey 6500BCVRR on 12lb line.
 
Basic Dart, Whiting, Brim and Tailor setup.

Rod :- Light Surf / Estuary
Size :- 10 foot 6 inches
Mount :- Low
Action :- Slow
Live Fibre Champion Trophy
Gary Howard Brimbo 4
Reel :- 6 inch Alvey
Line :- 6-10lb

Rod :- Surf
Size :- 11 – 12 foot
Mount :- Low
Action :- Slow
Live Fibre Champion Trophy
Gary Howard Yellow Patch
Reel :- 6 inch Alvey
Line :- 6-10lb


Basic Large Dart, Jew, Greenback (large Tailor) setup

Rod :- Heavy Surf
Size :- 13 – 15 foot
Mount :- Low
Action :- Medium
Live Fibre Champion Trophy
Gary Howard Greenback or Classic surf
Reel :- 6.5 inch Alvey
Line :- 12-20lb


Basic tackle.
A good selection of ball sinkers of different sizes to suit different surf conditions is allways good to have. You also want to try and fish as light as possible to catch the most fish. The two bait rigs I generally use are as follows.

Surf Rod :- whiting rig (you can catch just about anything with this rig)
Long shank whiting hook #4, red beads and red tube on a 60-90 cm leader (same size as your line), swivel to suit and a medium size ball sinker
Bait :- worms, pipes, squid, prawns and pilchard chunks

Big surf rod :- pilchard rig (this is suited to your larger fish)
4/O gang hooks, 40-60lb mono leader, swivel to suit, with a large ball sinker
Bait :- squid, whole pilchards, whiting fillet, slabs of bonito ect

You can also use surf rods with small and large slugs (a type of lure) or even whiting poppers on the smaller rods (I have had success with both) Soft plastics can also be used though generally fresh local bait is best I find.


Now having said all that you can pick up an Alvey Estuary road and real combo from BCF for $70 that will suit a kid down to the ground. The combo’s above are around the $250-$400 mark but they will last a life time and the difference between a good setup and an average one is huge. You can also get spin rod and real setups to suit just about any budget (just make sure you keep them out of the sand and the surf or they will be lucky to last the trip) Your best bet it to head to a reputable tackle shop and ask some questions and have a look for your self armed with this info.

yogi

[chisel]

Can't fault anything Yogi has said.

Also worth noting:
- If you want to cast a long way with a pilchard and heavy sinker you need a heavier rod, even if the tailor you're chasing are small.  In other words the rod is more for casting than catching.
- I find a good allrounder combo is a medium weight 13' rod with a 6.25inch alvey and 12lb line.  I mostly use this for dart fishing where you sometimes need to cast a long way, but it'll cover almost all tailor fishing conditions as well, and isn't too heavy to use for whiting.

Couple of other tips:
- If using an alvey (or even a large egg-beater) always spool the line to the edge of the spool - it makes a difference when casting
- Use a swivel above the sinker as well as below to reduce line twist with alveys

None if it really matters on Fraser if the conditions are right - you can chuck out your bait about 10 metres with a handline or tiny rod and it'll catch a fish!

[yogi]

Oh one last thing. You may also need the following :-

Wading bag (to hold your beer and any fish you catch)
20L fishing bucket with lid (secure your catch and bait / tackle on the beach … must have for dingos)
Fishing ruler (to measure you catch and make sure it’s legal)
Bait bucket and belt (to hold your bait)
Beach rod holder (by the metal spike kind or make your own from PVC pipe)

yogi

[Nomad]

I am definately no expert either.

Pippis are good bait. Should salt down for a day or two before using though.

I am a lazy fisherman and usually only fish an hour either side of high or low.

Exposed Coffee rock on some parts of the beach usually indicate there is some off the beach as well.....fish like them.

Get an Alvey......

[Jason B]

Great advice there. I also like the Wilson Live Fibre range of rods and have one of their 10 footers, highly recommended. The only thing I do a bit differently is I use an abu 700 baitcaster. The advice about Alvey's is gold and spot on. However I also like to flog big metal lures around in the surf to try and catch a salmon, tailor, trevor etc.

Regards


jas

[yogi]

Come one guy's ...... looks like we have found a great sponsor for this event and you could end up with your own rod a real setup from one of Australia's greatest tackle stores.

get on to this trip and support MySwag and companies that sponsor donations to the RFD.

yogi

[Boo Boo]

Yogi has been sorting through the many rod and reels he has and I think he has chosen the top 4 

[pigd4d]

If u get a chance go and explore the western side its amazing and really good fishing

Moon Point - Wathumba

[cancan]

You cant get more basic than the scooby doo rod

[UTE 701]

Just wondering if you think my fishing rod is long enough ? ? ?

[pigd4d]

Just wondering if you think my fishing rod is long enough ? ? ?

Hahaha I reckon u could poke the fish out with that rod

[UTE 701]

I just realised that rod isn't going to be big enough , so I might have to get the other one .....



I do have a serious question though ...

I have got out my old Alvey and wondered if fishing line ever deteriorates over time ?

It's been on there for over 20 years , and I'd hate to be pulling in the winning fish and have the line break ....

What do you think ?

If so , I'm guessing from what I read that 10 lb is the go , but what length of line should I buy ?

I remember , my grandad putting new line into hot water before he wound on a new reel , is this still a good thing to do ?

[DAZnBEC]

I'm no expert, but for the sake of $15 or so I would definitely be changing it, or you will be talking about the one that got away.

[Frostd]

Daryl, as Daz said go and buy some new line and put on the alvey.  Fill the spool up until just about full, so you have plenty of line to cast and loose when that big fish strikes.  My preference would be 10-15lb line. 

[yogi]

Line is damaged by uv light so 20 years is a good run ..... time for some new line line type will depend on your rod and reel combo. If your not sure all good tackle shops will spool your new line for free if you buy it from them.

yogi

[cancan]

Line is damaged by uv light so 20 years is a good run ....

That is why my fishing rods never leave the garage....less chance of deterioration

[xcvator]

That is why my fishing rods never leave the garage....less chance of deterioration

Lucky bugger, not many people can fish from their garage 

[cancan]

Lucky bugger, not many people can fish from their garage 

That's the down side to my cunning plan....no fishing
At least I now have 12 months to dust them before next years trip