The most suitable set up for Jew Fishing off the beach?

[mhilton]

Hey guys,

I need some advice on what type of rod & reel, what size & type of line to use to catch jewfish off the beach.

Cheers

[tunaticer]

Jew are a relatively easy fish to land, 3 runs and they are generally buggered. 8kg line will handle most of then and 6 is doable from the beach. Use a short leader about 30lb is usually enough to handle their teeth.
I suppose it will come down to what baits you will be using.......bunches of worms does not need a big hefty rod to get it into the bite zone but a 500 gram livie takes a bit of punch and heavier line to do it with.

I would be looking at either a 7" alvey or a 5000 sized spin reel for beach work and the rod in the 11 to 12 foot range with around a 12-20lb line rating.

Buying the kit is the easy part.......getting mr jew to meet you at your beach is the hardest part.

[aus2045]

As tunaticer suggested, kit does'nt matter so much. Its getting a bait or lure in front of a feeding fish that does. Having said that, if you want an ideal kit for fishing the beach I'd be looking for a 10-11 foot rod. Spinning real would be my first pick unless you like to dunk your gear in the surf and sand just for fun. Alveys are good for dunking, but crap to fish with. Off the sand 8kg mono will bust most Jew out there. Different story of the rocks though.
If i was going bait fishing for Jew I would go a 11" 2pc (easy to transport) and a 6500-7000 reel with 8kg mono or 20lb braid. Tie a short double, 40lb leader and go find the fish.

Don't make the mistake I did. The first Big Jew I caught I put my hand in under the gills to lift it up. They have the most wicked gill rakers, ripped my fingers to shreds.

[Horse]

You probably need to tell us how much you want to spend and what sort of reel you want to use. My heavy surf outfit is an old 7" timber Alvey on a Livefibre 8-15kg RLF 40 running 8kg mono. If I was looking for a spin outfit I would not go past the new Penn Spinfisher V and would probably match it to a Penn Prevail rod

[rabbi]

I reckon Horse has hit the nail on the head.
I have recently purchased a Penn Prevail rod and stuck an older penn Applause 8000 on it and have landed jew up to 14kg and it has to be one of the best casting rods I have owned. Mine is the 10 footer Prevail and it casts heavy lures like a champion, dont know what it would be like casting a livie or heavy bait though.
Playing a fish is great on it too as its a fast taper rod with a bit of grunt and backbone.
Gonna be looking at around $200 but worth it and Stick a Penn SSV6500(which I will be doing soon) on it and your up for around $370 for the kit less line.
Alveys are a pain if you cast them a lot with line twist being the biggest cause of frustration, not to mention getting bundles of line caught between reel and first runner.
I would probably fish 30lb braid casting off the beach as 20 will snap easily under casting pressure and 30 braid is quite thin and usable and you wont lose as much gear casting.
Cheers, steve.

[Da-Jew-Man]

Bait Fishing

Rod
The old Synder North Coaster is a great rod SU162 and 7 wrap (13 foot 6 inches). The rod has great tip action and grunt in the bottom section
You can use a 2 piece if you need to fit in car. Will handle grubs,live bait and slabs easy. You may over time have more than one rod for different baits
and then you can change wrap,length etc.

Reel
Beach = sand , and sand and spinning reels do not mix and neither does saltwater unless you know how to service a spinning reel or overhead.
At some stage you will throw the reel on the sand to grab a big jewie or tailor and you CAN do that with an Alvey.
Depending on what you like a 650 A,700 A or 650 E or 700 E will suffice. These are all direct wind reels and will give you good control over the fish.
The A's are tension and E is a drag reel. I seldom use drag and prefer to palm the reel.I personally don't like a C reel as once the drag is locked up it can be prone to causing bust off's when beaching Jew and you can't direct wind.
OK I am buyest over sidecasters but get sand/saltwater in your spinning reel and you will see.Plus keep you Alvey clean and oiled and you grandchildren
will be able to use it too.

Line
Up to you but I like Berkley Trilene for thinness and casting. For the beach 20 lb is sufficient.
You must put the line on correctly and guide it back on the spool when winding in.
Correct knots and good swivels will minimise line twist but you will still get over time.
"Birdsnests" are cause by improper spooling of line and incorrect winding back line on spool.
Anyway I change my line each year, cost is minimal.

Remember when fishing the beach for Jew remember weight of rod/reel . You will have to hold them for extended periods of time.
Or bring a chair and rodholder and sit back and have a sleep.

Dave