SirSnookalot

This is good advice. I get my fair share of messages asking me about saltwater fishing, I know my areas and species but I'm not as familiar with other parts of the country. Checking a local forum is always a good idea, they have a better handle on the species that are running, type of equipment that works well, and places to go.

Wouldn't own a rod without a foregrip, not wild about the spilt grip either unless it's an 8' rod with a long butt.

Trying to be objective, the set up will work just fine, as I've stated before it's something I wouldn't use but I realize that you own the equipment already. Make no mistake, a cobia is one tuff hombre, if you land one watch the spines behind the neck. I think 30# braid is good, I probably would go with 40-60# leader mono or F/C 4-8' (real leader, not cut from a mono spool), I would forgo the 80lb don't see the need for it or another connecting knot. I don't know what kind of bait you will be using, cobia will hit frozen sardine, live bait fish, bucktail jig tipped with squid is a real good choice, bear in mind smaller fish will go nuts on the squid too. One of the keys to cobia is fishing in 10-20' looking for big rays, they kick up crustaceans and cobia like to trail them, then sight cast. I do not fish for large tarpon, I enjoy the juveniles up to about 40# strictly using artificials and spinning gear. I think your setup will work just fine for them. I've had success using bucktail jigs, jerk shad on jig head, hard lures like an xrap, storm wild eyed shads. You don't need a big bait for a tarpon, I go anywhere from a 1/4 oz to an ounce.

WHOA......you are way over thinking this rod and reel bit. When I first moved to Florida I used a $20 Walmart combo, 8# mono that came with it, cheap straight shank hooks and any generic plastic worm and I caught the pisssss out of them, as many as I catch today. Don't mean to infer better equipment isn't nice to have. My worm set up for canals is a med inshore rod with a soron 20 reel, I don't use this in the ocean too much anymore as the reel has low line capacity but it's fine for bass fishing. I was out for about 90 minutes, caught a lot of fish and all on a senko. You will see by picture #1 why I even fish this heavy, pic #2 you will see the fish isn't too big, I'm fighting weeds out there not the fish(reason bass isn't my favorite beast out there). I'll give you a tip that works for me, I don't ever watch the line, my eyes are roving around looking at the water, I see a ripple and that's my next cast. I may look at lure to see if something is trailing it, sometimes a bad idea, easy to set the hook to quick.

I don't have any problem with the Strike Kings, mostly what I have, all color seem to work the same for me, including red. Don't over think this stuff, just fish, either the fish are on or off, that gives you a 50-50 chance.

I do other fishing besides bass, fish inshore and offshore in the ocean too. I'm at the point (have way more than I need anyway) I only buy a rod and reel when something needs to be replaced. I fish a lot, I know my waters, my various species and what it takes to catch them, I stick with those items. Once in while I try something different for a bit of variety, but I stay pretty disciplined, don't really spend all that much.

No question in mind, I'm making the cast. I've done a lot of guides, for me it's pretty hard to beat the backcounty. Fly rod, guide poling, bonefish and permit, pretty cool stuff.

Not if you tape the spool first. check this out

I've been giving this thread some thought the last few days. I was struggling a bit with my old stand by lures, a neighbor (snowbird) uses nothing but senkos and has been killing them, I was near him and I didn't do much. About 2-3 weeks I started fishing senkos almost exclusively, I have been doing pretty well as of late. I don't get a hit in 10-15 minutes I'm looking elsewhere, doing more canals that lakes or ponds. In 60 years of bass fishing I've yet to find anything more productive than a plastic worm, they flat out catch fish. Florida is a bass catchers dream, these canals are loaded with them and a boat is not needed, doesn't mean you will score every time but the odds should be in your favor. This canal fishing in comparison to having to find fish on a large body of water is much easier, 1 rod, pack of senkos and good pair of walking shoes is almost a guarantee of success.

Could be why a hook bends or split ring pulls a part. Most fish we catch down here on are in open water, not the need for braid that strong or a tight drag. Tight drag on lighter line.......fish gonna win a lot of those battles.

I feel for you guys.......Cut my day short yesterday, too hot and humid to bass fish, I'm almost done with it until the fall. The beach has been beautiful in the morning, wish you here, NO BAIT CASTERS ALLOWED........LOL

This is quite true, pretty common practice to overload our rods here, my finger sometimes can be a little sore.

Sometimes, but mostly no for hard lures, the actions are the same but quite often the hooks are different. Zoom fluke for example is a good cross over bait, instead rigging it weedless I put it on a jig head. Spoons cross good too. A crappie jig is one of the best baits that can be used for some of the smaller SW fish, a guy told me today he drove 40 mile to buy some, there sold out around here. 10 for a buck and half......lol, and they flat out catch fish, I use them for peacocks. IMO lures are lures, they all can catch a variety of species. I used to know a guy down here using roostertails for snook, I called him Rooster, never knew his name.

Been doing decent with spanish makerel on the beach, no real fight but the rod bends and that's good, yesterday I get skunked out there. I head out late morning for some bass fishing, catch 4 or 5 small ones and I head home. Make my final stop at small feeder canal in my community, gar all over the place and I lay into one using a blaze minnow on light action rod. Get the gar up a up a few up the bank and my leader breaks, must have been close to 4 feet long, nice fight to those gars. All I have in my pocket is a roostertail, walk over to a nearby pond and nail about 4 or 5 pound bass.

Outside of saving some money I see no advantage to backing, I never use it.

IMO casting distance is predicated on 2 main factors, that's the rod and the type of lure being thrown. I have set ups that I may get pretty close to 100 yds, but those are not what I'd be using bass fishing. I highly doubt I ever cast 30 yds when I'm bass fishing, probably more like 15 on average. I just try and move closer to my work, the longer the cast the more the fish can get unbuttoned.

I use but 4 different # tests, all braid and usually PP. Light rods..............................10# Med rods...............................15# Mh rods.................................20# 25#,30# and 40# class..........30#

Never seen a single one

I traded those for peacocks, snook and tarpon.

About the only time my hook bends is using my pliers, I've seen many a 10# fish pulled up with crappie jig, hook was just fine.

Well it's 80+ here too, not only is there bass fishing but we got an ocean with all kinds of fish..............so there !

I only replace hooks on 2 lures that I frequently use, they are a bit small and not real strong. One is a blaze minnow I use in freshwater, they get replaced with a #6 3x or 4 x freshwater treble. The other lure is a 1 oz Gotcha brand jigging spoon, a VMC perma steel 4x either #4 or #2.

Whoo da...........is Jason?

I'n not so sure I understand why a B/C has more " power". If it's drag a 2500 stradic has 15# max, not that it should be set that tight, I notice b/c of similar size have less. Looking at a b/c, the distance from the fulcrum is much shorter than it is on a spinner, to me a spinner would have more cranking leverage. Also many of the spinners have a larger paddle instead of 2 tiny knobs, I see an advantage to spinning there too. Accuracy is up to the user, I've been using spinning for 60 years, I can put a lure where ever I want. I catch plenty of fish 15# +, if one has ever caught a jack crevelle that size you know no bass can compare to them, these are caught on 2000 or 3000 reels., my opinion an edge to spinning there. I don't change hands with spinning, I'm always in " strike" position, advantage spinning. Not only do spinning set ups cast light lures, a crappie jig is one of the most prolific lures in inshore fishing, they can be cast on spinning, don't think too many b/c will handle anything that light. On the other side a small 8' surf rod can fling a 3 oz lure into the stratosphere, yet a 1/2 oz bait presents no problem fishing the swash, advantage spinning. Big fish on the line, I don't mean 20 or 30#, I'm talking 50- 100#, a conventional can twist in your hands especially when puling up then reeling down, with the reel on the bottom of the rod that doesn't happen with a spinner, done that one many many times, my opinion advantage spinning again. Shimano terez rods offer an entire line of spinning for larger fish. ??? why do people even own a b/c any more??............lol