Spinning Gear: You have to decide what you’ll be fishing for and what type of lures you’ll be throwing. You can’t throw a ¾ oz buck tail jig with 20-30lb test line. It just won’t go anywhere. Like wise you cant pitch a 3-4 oz popper with a 12lb test outfit. So I usually take 2-3 spinning outfits along on any given day.
Outfit 1: I usually bring along a 12 lb class outfit, which is made up of a light reel with about 180 yd capacity of 12 lb test. The rod is usually a 7-8 ft light medium action capable of throwing ½--1 1/2 oz. This rod is used primarily for fussy medium stripers and schoolies. For these fish I’m usually throwing light jigs, poppers or Wildeye shad. During blue fish blitzes it’s also a lot of fun to try to land a big feisty fish with one of these small outfits.
Outfit 2: The next rod I usually bring is a 15lb class outfit, which is made up of a medium reel with about 180-200 yd capacity of 15lb test. The rod is usually a 7-8 ft medium action capable of casting ½ -3 oz. This is really my go to rod it’s the most versatile. You can snag menhaden with it, throw medium to large poppers, use large swimmers, and still be able to cast light stuff a decent distance.
Outfit 3: The spinning beef stick. It’s composed of a heavy 6 1/2 Ft spinning rod with rated at 1-4 oz. The reel is heavy with 200-250 yd capacity of 20lb test. I spool this reel with 30-50 lb test Powerpro braided line. This is my menhaden snagging, heavy jig bouncing, eel pitching meat rod. I like Powerpro on this rod because it has great feel and is so tough. When you’re in 40-80 ft of water bouncing a 4 oz buck tail jig on the bottom you need a line with almost no flex so you can feel the slightest hit. This is also a great outfit for snagging because you can throw a snagging hook a mile and once snagged you can get the menhaden to the boat as fast as possible. It’s also great for eel pitching, eels are heavy and you need the beef of this outfit to get the job done.
Bait casting/conventional gear: In this category the concept is power. These are my live lining menhaden, chunking off the bottom, trolling tube and worm rods. This category is for big fish, big bait, and big lures. Menhaden weigh from ¾ -1 1/12 lbs and the big stripers that eat them have big tough mouths. You need a heavy tough outfit to set a big hook in that tough mouth. I was hammering big stripers with menhaden one day and a guy and his son pulled up next to me with what I estimate were medium weight spinning outfits. They couldn’t keep a fish on the frustration was evident they just didn’t have enough leverage.
Bait casting outfit: Think big, think meat. I usually use a 6 ½ ft rod rated at 20-50 lb test line. With a level wind bait casting reel capable of holding more than 300 yards of 30-40 lb test line. No roller guides the guides are just normal ceramic or stainless steel rings; roller guides at 33-40 lb test are not practical. The line diameter is so small the line can get caught between the roller and the guide support. I also don’t like to use braided lines on the bait casters because they tend to have so little stretch that when that big fish turns around and makes a run for it there’s no give and the hook pulls out. I like using 30 –40 lb test because it’s somewhat forgiving and castable. I like to hook menhaden through the nose and cast them out a ways when they slap the water it’s like ringing the dinner bell to a big striper.
Fly-fishing: I like fly-fishing for blues. I know that most guys reading this and are thinking why not stripers? I like fly-fishing for blues because the fight is constant and vicious they are also very plentiful in the summer months. It’s not unusual to catch 30 or more in an afternoon on the fly rod. The following gear can apply to fly striper fishing as well.
Fly-fishing outfit: I use a 9 wt rod and line with a large capacity reel. The rods got a fighting butt, which is absolute necessary for fighting good size fish. I use a 9-wt rocket taper floating line. Most people like to use shooting heads but I’ve found from a boat the rocket taper is just as effective. The reel is a sturdy metal-framed heavy drag saltwater version with about 150 yards of Dacron backing. This setup is quite effective for most size blue fish. The only issue I have is the reel is 1:1 ratio so occasionally I get rapped on the knuckles by the handle but it’s a minor inconvenience.
NOTE ON EQUIPMENT BUYING—You don’t have to take out a second mortgage to get this equipment in fact I tend to shy away from really expensive stuff it’s only going to get slammed around the boat and abused by salt water.
What to look for in a reel: Good smooth drag is the most important factor of all. The reel should have a sturdy frame preferably metal or graphite not plastic. A smooth line roller on a spinning reels is a must, preferably ball bearing stainless steel.
What to look for in a rod: Nice even flex through the rod, if you flip the rod upside down and place the tip on something soft on the floor and push down from the butt end the entire rod should flex evenly. With this test you can feel if the tip is really soft or the butt's to stiff you can also get a feel for the strength of the rod. The exception is a fly rod a stiff but and soft tip are good qualities for back casting. Rods should also have guides made out of anti corrosive material. The guides should also have ceramic inserts to prevent the line from forming groves.
Recommendations:
Reels: Penn, Cabelas Salt Striker Metal, Okuma, Shimano.
Rods: Penn, Berkley, Okuma, Quantum, Shakespeare Intercoastal/Ugly Stick.
Fly rods: Berkley, LL Bean.
Fly Reels: Pfleuger, Valentine (Pricey), LL Bean
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