Fishing setup?
 

Hello everyone, I'll be going out this veteran's day weekend with some veteran friends from school to hit up either Long beach, Huntington beach, or Seal beach. We haven't decided yet.

My main question is, what are some recommendations for a reel and rod that can handle white sea bass and yellow tail which are school sized or adult sized. I don't want to be unprepared just in case i hook up on a fully matured WSB, as they can get over 60+ lbs. I currently use a Daiwa vip 270 7ft rod rated 12-30 lbs, it doesn't even show the lure weight on the rod or on the website so that's confusing.

My reel is a Shimano 8000d baitrunner spooled with 50lb braid. I feel like my reel is pretty strong but my rod dips pretty hard when i put on a 6-8 inch mackerel. So i'm looking for a trolling/jigging rod and reel. I don't mind going conventional although i'm more familiar with spinning reels. Any advice on a good rod and reel combo for trolling/jigging for fish this size would be great.

P.S. I would love to learn specific model/color lures that may work great down here in SOCAL. I usually fish alone 99% of the time, so i learned everything about fishing through trial and error and Google. Like a leader for example, i don't know about you guys but I've tried tying a 40lb fluorocarbon to hooks and swivels... that knot will not cinch down because the line is too stiff and round in diameter.

Palomar knot?

I think it may be tough to find WSB/YT in the locations you mentioned, but again I could be wrong. Why not head down to the Tidelands and join the other veterans for the HOW event on Saturday (I will be there ) . I know its a long drive I live in Orange ... not too far from you.

HOW

I actually haven't tried a Palomar knot yet. I've only tied improved clinch knots, and snelling a hook with a uni knot connection. But it's hard to wrap the fluorocarbon line around the hook over and over because it's so stiff.

Palomar works best for me, just make sure you wet it. I never use anything over 30lb Fluorocarbon though ...

I wish i could head over to meet the other Vets but one of the guys is driving his boat down from Sacramento, it would be too much travel for my friend. He's basically mothershipping me so we can go pretty far out 30+ miles. I just really need help with a setup before this weekend because not only do I not know a single thing about the questions i mentioned, but i also only have 1 rod and reel.

I wish I could help but I will be down at HOW on Saturday.

Most guys here would steer you towards a conventional reel. I like Avets matched with a Calstar rod or maybe a Seeker rod because they are excellent quality and Made in USA. You also can't go wrong with a higher end Shimano or Daiwa or Penn setup. You can make almost any gear work but you might want to hit up a good local tackle shop for pro advice.

For knots I go with a palomar at the swivel or hook, a seguar at a mono/flouro connection, or a bimini/loop or whatever you prefer at braid/flouro connection. Check out the seguar knot guide https://seaguar.com/applications/knot-guide.html or http://www.netknots.com/. I use sequar 30lb flouro and it isn't stiff so I've not had problems with knots.

Thanks for all the helpful information alanw, just curious , what size reel and rod would you recommend? I never played with a conventional reel before. The star drag reels sounds like something i would like though.