Salt water fishing?

[TylerKunz]

I am headed down to myrtle beach next week and was looking for a couple pointers. My first question is can I use my freshwater spinning reel for salt water? Will the salt corrode it? My second question is should i fish off of piers or the beach? And third how the heck do I do this!? I have no clue where to even start. I figured I could go chat with some of the bait shops and get some ideas but any pointer will help. Any help is much appreciated! I need to check this off my fishing bucket list.

Also I found this pier that will rent rods and sell bait and help you catch fish... Is it worth it for a newb?

http://www.cherrygrovepier.com/tackle.htm
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[Troll]

Yes you can use your fresh water gear, yes the salt water will corrode it.
Lube it up good before you go, rinse it off with fresh water after using it and it will be fine. Rinse the whole rod and reel. The pier will have a table with fresh water for you to dso this.
I would fish from the piers. The one you have noted is a good one because it is close to a small inlet that flushes food in and out daily with the tide. Also if you pay to fish a peir, you don't need an additional license. I think you need a salt water license in SC to fish from the beach. That may have changed, check with the SC F&G webpage.

You do it just like any other kind of fishing, you can either still fish with bait or throw lures.
You will most likely catch things like Pompano, Spots and Croakers using shrimp for bait and fishing on the bottom using pyramid sinkers and a dropper rig. Stainless hooks are the norm. These fish like it in the surf zone, either right where waves are or just outside.
You can throw castmasters for Bluefish, macks or other faster, more agressive fish. Wou may experience a Bluefish attack where they swarm down the beach and you can catch several on castmasters as they pass the peir.

You will be interested to watch the guys who King fish, they will be using trolly rigs and congregate on the end of the peir. Some peirs only allow King fishers on the very end of the pier.

You probably don't need to rent, that is something you can decide after you get there and check it all out. I would bring my longest bass rod, 7' and a good spinning reel with 12 lb test or so, braid is nice for lures because it casts farther, pick up a spool of "Mason Mill Ends" at the pier shop as a leader in 30 lb test. Blues are toothy.

The pier will sell everything you need, but if you have some castmasters like used for stripers at powell bring them, also any white jigs like used at the Berry, leave the Rapala's and other plugs at home, pier fishing is done from 20' above the water and metal and lead work better. Yellow and pink are also good jig colors. Use the big ones you hardly ever get to use here. Twister tails and swim type baits are worth bringing along too.
I think the 2 hours before and after high tide are best, but when I lived in NC would spend entire days from 4am till midnight on the piers.

If you have the time and resources, I would also consider getting on a party boat, do a mid-week morning trip to avoid the crowds. Most party boats provide tackle and bait, bring lunch and some water and sodas.
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[TylerKunz]

First off thank you so much for taking the time to help me out! That was exactly what I needed to know. Good to know i can use my own reels. If you go to that pier I linked the price includes a day fishing pass but if I do it on the beach it's $12 for two weeks, so not bad at all. My strongest rod is only a medium action bass rod, will it snap? I guess there is that chance. I definatly need to buy stronger test... How cool would it be to hook one on a kastmaster! Thanks again for your input
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[Troll]

Couple more things, if you catch a Bluefish, don't get your hands anywhere near it's mouth, it will actively try to bite you with razer sharp teeth. I mean actively TRY to bite you.
The macs just have sharp teeth, they won't try to bite you on purpose.
Catching a Blue or Mac on a castmaster is the norm in that part of the country, throw it out as far as you can, let it sink and rip it back in. Do what others around you are doing. Castmasters and Hopkins lures are the standard, bright shiney chrome things are what ocean fish love.

You should be fine with a medium action bass rod throwing the cast masters and jigs. What is it rated for as far as lure weight? 3/4 oz and you will be fine.
Most fish you catch won't be much bigger than the bass or cats here, so unless you grab the rod at a bad point or rest it on the pier rail it shouldn't snap. If you are worried, set it down and grab the line, then hand over hand it.

For fishing near the surf you will want heavier, like a catfish rated rod and reel. It doesn't have to be a good one, Wal-mart quality will do fine, but you will be using 2 to 3 oz sinkers to hold in the waves. So you will need a rod that can cast that.
The thing with beach fishing is that the surf fishers use long rods for 2 reasons, first to throw the rig a long ways, second to keep the line up above the waves so it doesn't get washed back in so fast.

I did a search for party boats, most seem to be $40 for a 1/2 day, not bad. The longer distance ones are 12 hours on the water and run $100. Take sea sick pills wheather you have ever been sea sick or not. you don't to spend all day chumming for the other fisherman.
hese will get you out there 50 miles or so, a 2 hour or more run to where the nice snapper and such live. They also often drag squid lures or cedar plugs between spots and pick up Mahi-mahi or kingfish. Not unusual to have them swim by the boat while bottom fishing or the captain, depending on how things have been may run alongside a weed line to see what is gathered there.

Have fun either way, most people on the pier and boat are willing to share what they knokw, the mates on a boat are there to help, tip them if you can.

Have a look-see on You-Tube too. Plenty of fishing videos from the piers in Myrtle Beach.
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[RonPaulFan]

Let us know what you learn when you get back. I'll be very interested!

When I get my sailboat, I'll be doing a lot of ocean fishing. I already bought my salt water reels and surf casting rods, but I still need lessons on how to cast them six hundred feet. I also bought my lures for salt water.

I saved some dull band saw blades from the trash to make into pier nets. I'll grind off the teeth and make it smooth. It folds into thirds that fit in a bucket and will spring open to be a big hoop to support a net that can be lowered into the water from the pier. When you catch a big fish that's too big to lift out on your line, then get it to swim over the slightly submerged net and then pull it up with a rope. I never used one. I suppose it can also be used as a crap trap.
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[Therapist]

What Troll has said. There are several surf sites that target surf fishing on both the East and West Coasts. Lite tackle fisherman on the West coast like to use 6-8lb line and 1/4oz jigs with grubs. I believe that the East coast guys go a bit heavier, but use some of the same stuff. So take your bass tackle, 1/4 to 5/8ths jigs and a bunch of curltail grubs in standard bass colors ( shad, crawdad, etc. Shrimp, and bait fish are the same colors). Have fun and enjoy !!

[Roghet]

With bank fishing, the fish are there or their not. [:p] I'd recommend finding charter boat. They are not terribly expensive and there's a good chance you'll catch something you've never caught before. [cool] Gimme a call and I can tell you whom I've gone out with, and whom others in CA have recommended to me.

Good luck!
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[Marathonman]

I wouldn't go on the charter boats. Waste of time and money. San Diego charter boats were great, San Francisco - nahyhh. Florida, a waste. If the boats not doing well, your STUCK for the next 8 hours. I think you' catch more from a pier. Use heavy enough line and strong enough hook to pull up a 5 llber 20 feet to the pier. Try and surf fish. I had the best time with just an ice fishing pole and 10 lb line and put away my heavier gear.
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[remo_5_0]

Fly Rods work in the salt.......just sayin'
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