Thinkin' bout gettin' a beachcaster...need advise!

How'ya lads?

Hope the fishin' went well over the weekend. Didn't get out meself, made the terrible mistake of watching the dubs yesterday in croker, Jesus they were awful!

Anyways, I knew it wouldn't be long before I wanted meself a beachcaster, seems there is good sport to be had whilst the macks are away!

Thing is, I've blown me budget on me spinning rod!

Was in Rory's on Saturday and he was selling slightly damaged 12' BC's for 28 quid, reduced from 45 quid. He says he sells hundreds of them, I don't know much bout them but it seemed like a sturdy enough rod to me!

So my questions are:

Will this rod to the job or no? Is 12' long enough?

Can I use my Penn spinning reel with it? I have 20lb braid on it..

What kinds of leads will I be needing? I saw a guy with one with spikes out of it to stop it drifting, are these a must?

In terms of bait it will be rag or mack strips right?

What kind of hooks etc will I be needing?

What else do I need to take into account?

Thanks lads

Jimmy

Not half as long at this craic as the rest of the lads here
but one piece of advice for buying a beachcaster is to check the casting weight.
Make sure that the rod can cast a good weight for use in heavy sweels when ya want your heavy lead to get ya out, and stay out there. This is where grip wires can be used to keep ya from having your rig washed in with swells.

Just my two cents,
Im sure the lads can give more detailed advice on these matters,
Best of luck,
Steve

12 foot is ok check that its rung for a fixed spool reel and you would need a spool of line for shock leader get some grip leads and some plain leads that suit the casting weight of the rod as for hooks get some in size 1/0 down to size 4 i use sukuma and kamasan and the pattern is aberdeen hope this helps you

i dont know anything about that rod but be careful with cheap ones. my first beach caster also cost 45euro, a D.A.M. thingy. from rocks without waves it was ok, but useless on a beach as the waves were making the tip look like a shark had taken the bait.
might be better off trying to get something 2nd hand for the same price or a little more.

sayin that, the BC might be ok. wait a bit longer and you might get a few more responses here. or you could try googling the rod for reviews.

hi jimmy
I was reading the free ad's on the weekend and saw a 12 ft rod and reel with tackle for fifty euro u could pick up a bargin give it a go.
P.S caught a few more doggies out in dalkey since the last time u were there but not a mackrel in sight

Cheers for the replies lads! I enjoyed those doggies the other night tommy, now I want a piece of the action meself! I am givin serious thought to buying a Penn powerstix pro, they are Mod edit: Bad language beautiful rods! I'm gonna have to hock some of me ma's jewellery to get it but she doesn't need it as much as I need a beachcaster! Was out in Viking today looking at them, he's looking for 130eur but will throw in a surfmaster 750 reel for an extra 50 so 180eur in total! They are cheaper online but shipping makes up the difference. He reckons my spinning reel would do the job so I might just get the rod for the time being, thinking of the 13' but he says he can get a 14' rod which would be ideal!

I had the old version of the powerstik and they are an awesome rod. I used my mine for clean beaches it couldnt handle any durty ground. I also have the old penn surfmaster 70. great reels and will never let you down. Your rod will probably overpower the spinning reel a little but would be grand on clean beaches.
Have a look at some of the stickies for newcomers to sea fishing. some really great advice in there.
My best advice is spend some time looking on this forum about the baits, rigs and tactics for various species and you will see your catch rate increase ten fold. good luck mate

Cheers for that Thomas! That's good advise!

the shakespear salt range are a good rod to look at to and not to expensive,
i have a 12 foot fixed spool version in my van, and can happily say i havnt broken it

If you aint bought anything yet, Im using a pair of Grauvell Surf rods 4500 and 5000 and a pair of Penn 850 reels with 20lb line. Excellant. The rods can cast a long way with no effort and no fancy casting and the reels are strong and well geared to pull fish from dirty ground. No matter what you buy enjoy it and if your like the rest of us you will be looking a change in a short space of time. Tight lines.

If you aint bought anything yet, Im using a pair of Grauvell Surf rods 4500 and 5000 and a pair of Penn 850 reels with 20lb line. Excellant. The rods can cast a long way with no effort and no fancy casting and the reels are strong and well geared to pull fish from dirty ground. No matter what you buy enjoy it and if your like the rest of us you will be looking a change in a short space of time. Tight lines.