BY MIKE STEVENS
CARLSBAD— As a Southern California native, surf fishing has always been in my back pocket as a local, low-cost fishing option that required minimal gear and planning. My rod-and-reel outfit was always just whatever freshwater medium-light spinning outfit was closest to being retired from finesse-bass duty. While that’s what I went with for the better part of three decades with respectable results, I always had a Jack-of-all-trades, master of none feeling when it came to those outfits, and it wasn’t until this summer that I decided to next-level my beach game.
The first mission was to put together a rod-and-reel outfit dedicated to the lighter side of West Coast surf fishing. For me, that means Carolina-rig fishing on 6- or 8-pound line with sand crabs or various Berkley Gulp! products and casting smaller spoons, swimbaits, grubs and jerkbaits. I wanted it longer than the 7-foot drop-shot rods I previously employed but not as “clumsy” feeling as the salmon/steelhead rods some surf guys like to run for this type of fishing. For the reel, I just wanted a smooth operator that could handle salt and sand unlike anything else I used.
What I landed on was an 8-foot, 6-inch Penn Carnage III Spinning Surf Rod that delivers that length while maintaining that finesse feel and only sporting a rating of 4- to 10-pound line, making my 6- to 8-pound work really hit the sweet spot. It’s a 2-piece stick so it can be stowed away when needed, and while the action is listed as “moderate” by Penn, to me it feels closer to fast.
Along with the list of standard features that make the rod cool, there were a few that stood out to me right off the bat on its first field test. For one, the grip is basically rubber shrink tubing that’s a lot lower-profile than a foam or cork grip. That made it feel like I was really just holding the blank which I liked for sensitivity purposes. The small foregrip (above the reel) has a ripple texture that makes it comfortable to hold when walking up and down the beach. There is also a knob-type rod butt that’s easy to hang on to for a two-handed cast, and that’s a nice touch. On one hand I’d have liked these rods to be equipped with a hook keeper, but on the other I recall reading about how serious East Coast surf guys prefer life without them, one less thing to get tangled with.
That rod balanced perfectly with Penn’s Spinfisher VI 2500 which is the smallest in the series featuring a fully sealed HT-100 drag system and gearbox that saltwater’s not getting into. It delivers 15 pounds of max drag which I’ll never need with light fluorocarbon, but it’s nice to know it’s there if I need to fish straight braid for something in a pinch.
It’s not a cheap combo, but for the guy who wants to dial things up with a surf outfit that’s actually built for saltwater and will be a performer for years to come, it’s well worth it in the long run. Next up, I plan to do the same type of upgrade for heavier (for me anyway) surf fishing for halibut, bass, and maybe one of those wayward SoCal stripers. Stay tuned for that one.
For more info on the setup and other optoins, visit PennFishing.com.
