Newbie needs advice
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Newbies Corner
Forum Description: If you're new to fishing this is the place to ask any questions about getting started ...
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=138680
Printed Date: 31 Jan 2026 at 1:10pm
Topic: Newbie needs advice
Posted By: Stanheart
Subject: Newbie needs advice
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2024 at 6:48pm
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Hi there experienced fisherman, I’m new to the fishing game without anyone to guide me so I came to this forum for some advice. I’m looking to get into fishing however after doing some research online I am getting slightly confused. I have come to the conclusion that I will be doing land based fishing from the rocks (no surf casting) and I am looking for some advice regarding my first rod and reel combo. My aim is to catch some beautiful medium sized fish that would occasionally be eaten as well. (Think snapper, blue cod, trevally, tarahiki. Etc) However I don’t think I will be going for any big game fish like kingfish, marlin and such. I just want to fish from shore in my spare time and have some fun and ideally catch a dinner as well. After researching the milllion types of rods out there I think I am most likely need a 8ft rod since anything smaller seems to be for boat fishing and bigger seems to go into the range of surf casting. (correct me if I’m wrong) Is it true that if I am looking to catch these fish I should be looking for a rod with the strength of 10-15kg? Or would 8-12kg or 6-10kg be better? I have come to understand that the line strength should match the rod strength. (correct me if I’m wrong) However when it comes down to reels I get confused, there are so many different reels, overhead, spinning, jigging etc. And then also the numbers, 2000, 4000, 8000 and onwards. They seem to refer to the size of the reel but I don’t really understand how this comes into play when going for a certain type of fishing. I have learned that I should probably be using a dropper rig setup. Can someone give me a bit of clarification and if possible a recommendation for a rod reel combo with line that would be good for the above mentioned fishing I’d like to do? Thanks in advance for helping out this newbie. Kind regards Stan. |
Replies:
Posted By: krow
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2024 at 8:35pm
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I'd recommend 15kg nylon and a decent size reel. Line strength is really only about being able to keep the fish out of the rocks and weed and give you a bit of leeway for abrasion. Go for a cheap spinning reel to start with. You need to be a reel (pun) pro to be able to cast overhand reels and not necessary for rock fishing. When it fails you will know what size you want when you buy the next one. Grab a 9 foot 2 piece rod. Not too soft as this will hinder your casting and best to hold the rod high to lift the fish away from the bottom. Not easy if it's too flexible. (your first choice above). As a beginner you will likely loose a bit of line and gear to the rocks. Learn how to tie good knots. When I rock fish I line to cast past the rocks onto the sand (pick your spots). Tarakihi off the rocks might be a tall order. The fish bite better in the shallows at change of light.
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Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2024 at 11:05am
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No complicated rigs for rock fishing, just a hook and maybe a swivel and perhaps a small sinker. Anything else is just asking for snags. Monofilament mainline is fine. Use burley to increase catch rate. Rod, I think 6-10kg would be sufficient for you. 8-10 feet in length.
Spinning reel, size 6000 - 8000. "Spinning" refers to the design of the real rather than it's intended use, although they can be used for spinning. Confused? |
Posted By: Mc Tool
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2024 at 5:25pm
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I like the Shimano bait runners for a reasonable reel at a budget price . You can go cheaper but one of these should last a while , like mine are knockin on 7 years now and all I do is clean and lube , I have 2 8000d's on Shimano vortex 6'10" rods and while they are one piece and a bit shorter than some advise I can cast plenty far enough for fishing off rocks , and they still fit in the car . Now I havnt actually tried this on a small scale but I have been making berley weights for surfcasting ..... that is finely minced berley ( which is any meat product that will fit in the mincer from fish frames to chicken bones stale cat biscuits .......... ) frozen in a suitable container . The idea being that ...... couple of baits , frozen berley sinker , chuck it out there , berley melts both scenting the fish and getting rid of the main snagging thing. only down side is that you need to be able to keep the stuff frozen long enough to last a day out . I have been using this method to bait cannon stuff out past surf , with that I pack the hooks and a breakout sinker in with the berley bullet ( a bit of 40mm x 125mm long waist pipe ).... same stuff I made the barrel out of but next mince up Im going to load some smaller pill bottles with a swivel frozen in to attach line to . I freeze the bigger ones mentioned above with the breakout sinker eye sticking out of the bullet . Take the frozen berley out of the mold before casting tho aye .  ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Posted By: glowworms
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2024 at 6:48pm
| don’t stress too much about exact rod length, anything 8-10ft should work fine. |