hey guys, new to salt water fishing, week ago went on a shark fishing charter that was a groupon special out of port Canaveral. one of those 20 people on the boat plus crew and went out a few miles for black tip shark fishing. bait the hook and drop to the bottom which i think they said was 30-40ft, reel about 5 times up and let it sit and wait for the bites. they were using Penn senator rods and 113H 4/0 reels, i believe the same combo you can get at bass pro for $150 for the combo.

well that kinda has me having an itch to get some salt water gear. i would want to spend about 100-150 since its going to only be used occasionally thru the year since i live in central FL and rarely get out to the coast but would like to have something if someone invites me on a trip to either coast. i would probably be buying from BPS since they have a local store or finding something used on CL to save a few bucks.

i was talking with the guy at the fishing counter at BPS and he said that the Penn Senator combo was great for the shark fishing since its just dropping the line down and waiting, but if i wanted to do shore fishing or casting that i should go with a spinning reel since trying to cast a bait-cast would most likely birds nest most of the time. and Ive got experience with freshwater spinning reels.

is there one fishing combo that i can have in my garage and accomplish both needs ? so that im not having to spend twice the money for two seperate rod and reels especially since its going to be an occasional use item. also what do you recommend for line as im new to that also as far as having to know which line is better and what poundage and all for use.

If you're stuck on penn, check out their spinfisher or ocean master. I only use spinning rods for saltwater, even going deep. If you'll be shark fishing from the beach, I'd highly advise spinning reels. You'll probably want around 80lb braid, and 500 yrds of line or more. I've seen people get spooled out at sebastian inlet going for sharks. The beach is a good place because they swim up and down. So as long as you can get it 25yds+ off the beach, you're good. We hooked up with several sharks last week of the southern tip of FL, Cape Sable, probably 20 yrds off the beach.

The notion that baitcasters are inherently backlash producers is complete ignorance.  The use of the cast control knob to control  the rate of freespool spin along with some practice almost completely eliminates bird nesting.  Those who have problems simply haven't taken the time to learn how to use it and are probably used to being lazy with their equipment.

I have a 4/0 wide and Penn 555's that I magged out for casting off the beach, matched with Ocean Master rods we have caught sharks up to 8 feet. The magnets slow down the spool and just about eliminate backlashes. If you do decide on spinning gear I would suggest you buy a Breakaway Canon (I think that's what it's called) to avoid cutting your finger.

I don't like spinning reels.  Conventional all the way.  For large fish that might run you around a bit, a conventional reel without a levelwind is essential so you don't lop off part of your finger.

You can shark fish from the beach too, if you have a way to place bait a few hundred yards out.  Kayaks are great for this.

Any luck OP?
I've been doing some shark fishing in the st. Johns river and a Penn 4/0 or 6/0 combo is great on a budget.
Check out craigslist. Tons of gear for sale in Florida
This guy ate a 3lb jack the other night on a penn 6/0 senator.it was the only one we could lift out of the water and handle.

This bull shark hit my bait rod with a mullet

For big fish or hard pullers you can't beat conventional reels. My Penn GT 330 combo cost about $120 and has caught more fish then all my other rods combined. For some reason it is my "lucky" pole. Big Tarpon, Jewfish and sharks are the normal catch.

 

Try the combo from Penn.. Squall .. lots of drag and 100 bucks less vs the similar TLD from Shimano combo.

I use em for everything down here in the keys trolling..

Try the combo from Penn.. Squall .. lots of drag and 100 bucks less vs the similar TLD from Shimano combo.

I use em for everything down here in the keys trolling..

this is my go-to place: