FS Digest

I’m looking to get into fishing. I plan on fishing mostly on a pier off the boardwalk here in NY. I have no idea on what kid if rod and reel I should get. Also don’t know what type of hooks and sinkers I should get either. Any help would be appreciated!

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by Boldest19

FS Digest

I would invest in a pier/hoop net so you can bring fish up.

As for rod and reel. I’d feel good with any 4000-5000 sized reel spooled with 20-30 lb test braid and 20lb leader. For rod I’d look for something in the 6-7 foot range with a little bit of back bone.

NY ocean pier you’ll be getting into sea bass, porgies, fluke, blue fish and the occasional striper. Sinkers will depend on the current, but I’d guess 1-4oz would have you well covered. You can just use a John Skinner bottom rig tied completely out of your leader.

Hook sizes will depend on the fish you’re targeting.

A good resource for north east fishing is YouTube, specifically extreme philly fishing, sea money fishing, Elias v fishing, John skinner and fishaholic fishing.

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by Lthesensei

FS Digest

3/0 circle hook on a pyramid sinker, sized suited to your rod and conditions is a great starting place.

In general you probably want a strong rod on the shorter side, 7-8ft ish. Find a local tackle shop, they will have advice on what combo to get and where and how to use it.

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by lithofile

FS Digest

Below is my general pier fishing arsenal:

7 - 8 foot MH spinning rod

3000-4000 size spinning reel (live liner functionality optional, I've been pleased with Penn Fierce II live liners)

30 lb braided line

Thick mono leaders if desired (~20 lb mono) and for snelling hooks/making rigs

Pyramid sinkers in a variety of weights (1-4 oz). I find pyramid sinkers stay put better in current than other shapes

Assortment of circle hooks 1/0 through 8/0 or so. Smaller ones will be good for small bait like bits of bloodworm or small pieces of cutbait, larger hooks will be good for big chunks of cut bait or live lining. You can buy these pre-snelled for quick rigging, or snell them yourself with your thicker mono

Quality snap swivels for attaching rigs to your mainline

A variety of rigs, including bottom rigs (sometimes called over under, or top and bottom rigs), "fish finder" rigs, others (do a bit of research on pier fishing)

Others' suggestion of a hoop net is useful if you expect to be catching fish more than a few pounds.

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by _frnaut_

FS Digest

This stuff is pretty undersized for striper fishing. 8/0 should be the minimum.

Depends really on what he's doing. Togging would be totally different, but I doubt he's doing that if he's gotta ask on here.

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by EmbracedByLeaves

FS Digest

Might be worth heading down for an afternoon and seeing what locals are using. If they're catching big stripers, you probably want some pretty hefty gear to haul those up, where as if it's mostly smaller fish then you can gear down. Another poster mentioned a pier net, which is a good idea if you go on the lower side of the power range for your gear, since if you can get a fish to the surface you can bring it up with that, and keep your gear down to something smaller. The weight people are needing to use to cast far enough in the wind and keep bait down in the waves is a consideration as well. Even if the fish aren't huge, it takes a hefty pole to sling a 4-6oz sinker.


I do more surf and inshore fishing than pier fishing, so I use one of two rigs depending on the waves and my bait/lure choice. For light days, I use a 7' MH saltwater rod, Penn Battle II 4000 reel or Daiwa BG... 2500 or 3000 I think it is, and 30lb braid. Decent backbone, reasonable casting distance, and fine for moderate sized fish. On heavier days, I'll go up to a shorter surf rod I ended up with, Penn Battalion I think it is, 8' MH, and a Battle II 6000 reel with 40lb braid. I usually use a flouro leader for most of my rigs, anything from 15lb on lighter days for smaller fish, up to 50lb for toothier fish. Not so much an ideal setup, though it isn't bad, it's just what I have already.

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by aRushinTroll

leobrosche

For pier fishing I use a big treble hook to haul in the fish rather than a costly net. Attach a large treble hook(10-12/0) tied to a lenght of 3/16 or 1/4 nylon rope. Pass a shower curtain ring through the eye on the hook and snap it around your line and drop it down to your fishjerk the hook alitle to gaff the fish and bring it up with ease. Cost about 5 bucks!