A few questions about surf fishing

[Spottie]

Hey guys, haven't been on here for a while and it's good to be back! I would like to start of with a big thank you to the SWAT team for putting together the amazing event we had recently. It was so much fun and I stocked up on surf fishing knowledge from all the members there. I'll hopefully becoming next year!
Anyway, HG7 sparked a new intrest for me, that new intrest is surf fishing. Not including HG7, I've gone surf fishing about 20ish times, and have caught 2 fish, a surf perch and a shovel nose guitar fish. Both were caught and an LC. I was hoping to change my luck at HG7 but almost everyone had the same result. After this event, I was walking home with 2 Lucky Crafts and a BPS card(Thank you so much SWAT team). I immediatly hopped on, and bought 6 new hooks for my new LCs. Now here are my questions.
1. Can I get away with 2 hooks on each LC or is it important to have all3 (I would skip the middle hook if I did run with 2)
2. I have an old abu gracia reel with 12 lb XXX Izor line, should I countinue using this or switch to a Lexa 300 that is just laying around?
3. If I were to switch reels, what line would you guys recommend?
4. My rod is a 7'10" Med Heavy Line Weight 12-25 Lure Weight 3/8-1 0z (rather light rod) Its a cranking stick.

Thank you so much to all the guys who helped put together HG7 and thank you for answering the questions!

[exfactor]

My personal preference is to leave all 3 hooks, as the balance gets changed when you remove the middle one. A good pair of hemostats helps with the hook removal. I like to use 15# ande for casting, as i feel I have a good chance at landing a good fish with it when the opportunity arises. My rod is a G loomis 905. Its pretty stiff, but I can punch the lure out with the light weight of the lure. And when I get BITE, and pull back, something happens lol.
Glad you enjoyed our event, and share a story about your endeavors. Mikey

[Spottie]

Thanks so much for the info exfactor!

[bachiboy]

Glad you enjoyed the event! I'd follow Mikey's advice and stick with all three hooks. IF I were to remove one, it would be the front hook, and that would only be because that hook seems to do the most physical harm to fish...mainly WSB. I haven't actually done it but I know Bones does if he hitting an area that is pretty suspect of running into them. As for the line, I use 12lb. Maxima...just my personal preference. I've had more problems staightening hooks than breaking that line. As for the reel, not sure which Abu Garcia you have but I do have a Lexa 300. It's a good reel and fairly durable in the surf. Just try and keep it clean. If you go in deep and get sand and salt in the reel like I often do, you're gonna get a crash course in stripping it down and cleaning it up.

Don

[Spottie]

Thanks Don for the tips and info!

[bones]

Ahh...Our young harbor spottie fisherman is gonna get BRAVE and come out of the shelter and slay in the surf!
It's a whole new world but can be very rewarding for sure!

I would also not remove any hooks. 9 sharp points are better than 6!...LOL As Don said the front hook IMHO is the grass and rock snagger and also I've had some bad luck when you hang any fish on just the tail hook and they take that first run. Especially WSB which usually bolt for Catalina and that front hook gets pinned right under their chin. WSB have two arteries right under their chin and that front hook will slash their throat which is INSTANTLY fatal and that is really not good especially if the WSB is undersize or if catch and release is your primary goal.
That being said...If you want to remove a hook ...remove the front one IMHO. I do carry one special LC with me at all times and If I come along a decent WSB bite and there are a bunch of juvies in the mix I will switch out.

Like it has been said....A few pics are worth a thousand words.....

Here is an example.....Look at this one I had to keep. It was 33" and the front hook slit it's throat.





And finally...If I didn't have a middle hook on my LC this halibut wouldn't have been landed because I hung her on ONLY the middle hook.




All the best of luck to you Spottie,

Mike




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[Spottie]

Thanks bones for re great reply. I might as well just keep all 3 hooks so I don't miss a fish of a lifetime!

[City Dad]

yeah, what those guys said. only thing I would add is the obvious - you gotta really watch out for all those hooks when you land a fish. big hemostat or long pliers are a must - don't even dream of putting your bare hands near those things. voice of experience talking there...

[vdisney]

don't even dream of putting your bare hands near those things. voice of experience talking there...

Been there, did that

[iLLest]

Whats up Spottie,

The info here is on point. Alot of these guys have some serious man hours on the surf and know their stuff.
IMO, use a setup you feel comfortable with. Heck, take both setups on a outing and cast the LC to get a feel of which rod and reel you feel is best.
Personally, I use a rod that is not necessarily meant for surf fishing. My setup consists of a 7'2" Shimano Convergence Worm and Jig rod and a Shimano Stradic 4000FD with
20 LB PowerPro. I also have a 9' Shimano Clarus which is commonly used in the surf and has had great success, YET I prefer the Convergence due do its backbone and sensitive tip. Its all preference.

Also, a couple things I havent seen anyone touch on is learning about tide movement and beach structures.
Tide movement is important to learn because you need to know what time is best for fish to bite, also how high/low the tide is going to be and how rough the shore break will be. It took me a while to learn this in particular but it is vital when it comes to surf fishing.

Learning this stuff is one of the many fun parts about surf fishing. Do some research, check out your local beaches, watch the tide charts, moon phases, etc.
And soon you will be rewarded with something very nice from the surf
Happy huntin!