[rbr5e]

I fish a lot inshore out of lynnhaven, but am in hatteras a lot and would love to be able to give the drum/blues a shot when they are blitzin. Also love the seaside of the eastern shore and have been going out to the barrier islands for years. I have two TLD star drag 20/40's spooled with 30 lb test. Curious if these are what people typically use in the surf. Is 30# a little too heavy or will it be ok? Also, where could I find a relatively cheap rod etc... how big ...?? (i guess you would have to be able to heave around 3/4 pound of bait/lead etc a good ways) any help would be appreciated. by the way i did read the post below but am really interested in fishing with a conventional setup.

 

[JAL]

Have done quite a bit of drummin on ESVA islands over the years. Here are basic drum heaver set ups that will handle the large reds (or any Rockfish) from ESVA down to Hatteras (true 8-n-bait Heavers). They will handle a large bunker head and 8 oz of lead.

Rods:
BPS Ocean Master, OM12SC (6-12 oz), $120'ish
TICA UEHA735002 (4-10 oz), $90'ish

Reel:
Penn 535 or Diawa Sealine SL30SH

Line:
Suffix Tritanium 17 lb, or Trilene Big Game 20 lb. Use about 30' of a 50 lb shock leader with either line.

 

[hardhead]

Both rods JAL suggests are good choices. I tend to go lighter rather than heavier if I can. diawa 30's are great reels,but I hate the gearbox on them. A 6500 on that tica makes a real nice light heaver\medium heavy surf combo that will do a lot of things.Penn 525 mag would my choice for a true drum reel. abu 7500 ct is tough to beat .... hard to find. I love abu's but that 525 mag is the off the shelf ticket. If you fish the bank's regularly spend some money get the right stuff. Yeah I use a 30 Diawa on my 1509 but only if called for. A 6500 does most of my fishing on a 1418 allstar.....PRIME bluefish\ rockfish\light drum rig Wes

 

[JAL]

HH,

I hear ya, and agree. True "Heavers" have their place and need.

Those two reels should get 'ya close to 300 yards of a 20 lb mono. I believe if you spool a 6500 series with 20 lb, your cut back to 225 yd's or so (relying on memory)... may or may not be an issue.

The TICA UEHA733502C and an ABU 6500 size (or Penn 525) with 15-17 lb line (with a shocker) makes for a real surf set up if you don't need to "chunk half a fish and a cinder block" (ie 6 oz lead and smaller chunk bait). Good set up for Rock or Slammer Blues.

 

[hardhead]

Roger that, all I'm saying is, I think a lot of guy's get in the cape point..avon pier drum mode ie: 20#, heaver and forget the 15# lighter gear that is a lot of fun to fish. I'm guilty of drum fever myself,but stripers & blues and puppy drum ain't big drum. a 6500 cries out for 15# like jal said... if i need 20# I'm not fishing with a 6500. I consider the om a true heaver.I put the tica 12' loomis 1448 and the breakaway 1418 one step lighter and much better all around surf rods. If you are standing in the line at the point 20 & big gun is required... if you are on north beach, south beach, or pea island it's not.
Wes

 

[splitshot]

Slosh and Tica will do the trick

 

[spaz]

try the st.croix 11' avid (spinning or casting)rods . the daiwa pro 5500 spinning reel or the shimano sustain 8000. For casting reels try the garcia line.( 7000/6500mag or blue yonder)and the shimano calcutta700s.these reels are all non-levelwind. This rod will throw 8&bait all day long and is very light weight it is also somewhat expensive .But worth it.

 

[Fishman]

I love the slosh reels Tica makes a good rod the Diawa Sealine x in a 10 ft. rod is good also. Look around use what feels best to you, mount up the reel to the rod and make sure it feels balanced and comfortable to you.

Good luck