Fishing setup?

[Ljs089]

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.