SirSnookalot

No pike that I'm aware of...............go for barracuda.

Pyramids get caught too, don't worry about a specific kind of jig, they all will work. Plain untipped bucktail jigs have been xatching a lot of fish for me lately, it's more about if the fish are around rather than the actual bait or lure used.

I didn't mean to imply that a siwash is strictly saltwater, it's just a single hook used instead of a treble. The treble you are using is fine, I use them myself and those AKI hooks will work for a siwash too. I don't see the need for anything bigger than a 4/0 hook whether it be a circle hook or J. For the most part the hook should match the size of the bait, not the fish. Not uncommon to see guys fishing with crappie jigs for moonfish and pull up a 10# snook, hooks seldom get bent, and the moonfish crowd is anything but expert fishermen. Most of my snook and tarpon on caught with hooks about 2/0, bait hooks 3 or 4/0. I see the fish you are catching, those fish don't care about steel leaders and 30# is more than enough. I don't think you are using equipment big enough to warrant 50# line and 100# leaders and the depth around the piers probably isn't too deep, ours is only about 12'. You don't want to lift fish from a 20' pier anyway, use a pier net. Steel leaders are real easy to make, all you need are crimps and and a crimping tool, in a pinch ready mades will work fine, you can try piano wire, learning a haywire twist is easy.

Hard to give advice without being there.

Nothing to add to what Bassn said, except I might try something different. I'm not a bottom fisherman, lost setups are the norm and not the exception. In order to hold bottom split shots don't get the job done, you need 2-4 oz, which means lots of snags. Being a lure man and a guy that likes to work it, I'd be using 1-2 oz bucktail jig (they make grouper jigs) and I would tip it with squid. Drop it down, reel up a few feet above the rocks and jig it, they want it, they'll come and get it. Lures do not work well on piers unless you can cast out some real distance, at least 50 yds, most pier rats use 12' rods and fling it out 100 yds or more. As Bassn said, you need a stout rod, 30# class is a minimum, even a 5-10 pounder will get you cut off in the pylons, need the rod to hold those fish at bay.

I own that reel on a 5' lightning rod, a combo that maybe I use only a few times a year. I use it with crappie jigs fishing for Mayan cichlids, which fight just like a peacock, but 1.5# is a whopper. I have caught blue tilapia on that set up and they run quite a bit bigger. I had 4# mono on it but replaced with light braid, the stretch in the line is not to my liking. I've had that reel more than 5 years, have yet to oil it and it's as smooth as the day I bought it, drag very decent too.

I don't know what KVD uses, but I know what tour golfers do. The head covers or golf bag is only an indication of their sponsor, like Cleveland which means they are probably using Cleveland wedges and the irons and woods and putters may be a totally different brand and in many cases are. Next time you see Tiger Woods, look at his putter, it's a Scotty Cameron or Titlelist with a Ping grip, the lettering is worn off, he is sponsored by Nike. I'm sure some professional fishermen do the same thing, not as much consistency in a single brand, reels rods, lines and lures.

I use circles but for many saltwater fish hey are not your best option, reason being the shank is too short. If you are not using wire you will get many cutoffs. I was cut off 5 times last week on circles fishing for barracuda, I should have been using wire and J hooks are better for those fish, 30# crimped should do you fine. If I'm fishing for non toothy critters circles hooks are good, I use the Eagle Claws usually 4/0, if they can hold a 40# ameberjack, they will hold about any thing you may run into. Another over looked option by most shore bound saltwater fisherman is a king rig. A king is just a 2-4 trailer hooks( I use 2 or 3 depending on the length of my bait), this is not a live bait set up, you do not need a wire leader. Another cut bait option is a stinger rig, short wire leader to a circle hook, short piece of wire between that circle and a treble hook. Place the circle hook right thru the baits eyes, then the "stinger" is placed in the sardines body. You may want to try a siwash hook on those spoons, that's just a single saltwater hook, 2/0 or 4/0 replacing the treble. For any saltwater I fish I would not replace any hook unless it was 3x or 4x.

I don't think that's an ideal work area. If lighting is a problem I would purchase an inexpensive desk lamp and work at a table.

When I'm doing my serious fishing I prefer to be alone. When I'm fishing with a friend, it's pretty much a social affair, I do as much talking as fishing. The last time I fished with a bass fisherman (for bass) was with my dad and he passed away in 1992, I have taken bass fishermen with me for snook and some offshore fishing too. I will not fish with anyone that isn't mellowed out, no tossing sinkers at boats or yelling at someone because they came a few feet too close. I won't fish with anyone that carries a side arm unless they are a police officer. I don't need any hot head putting me in harms way.

A few members beat me to the punch, trion is a good choice for 40 bucks. I have a cardinal 101, havent used it in a few years, very smooth, but I think the drag is iffy. Trion has a good drag, they do run a bit on the heavy side.

Cast nets or sabiki, I use #6 hook. If the minnows are small I generally don't fish with them unless I'm using a small hook, they die quickly. This is what we do, put a little squid or shrimp on a couple of the sabiki hooks and drop them down into a rocky area and pull up larger to fish to use as bait, like spots, or tiny jacks. These baits stay alive much longer, not saying they are any more effective. Schools of bait fish come and go, I would invest in 5 gallon bucket and an aerator to keep them alive, catch a few dozen before you start fishing, it's nice to have a little minnow net to fish them out of the bucket. The artificial bite has not been very good as of late down here, I have been bait fishing the last few weeks, live bait is the equalizer, does make fishing a whole lot easier.

I don't think anyone is suggesting Shimano is a bad product, but there are other good products too. I like to keep an open mind and willing to try just about anything, I've had some nice surprises. I've been on this forum for a few years and one thing I've noticed is that some of the fisherman that seem to catch the best fish seldom talk about specific brands, they may or may not be using Shimano. If I'm not mistaken Fish Chris used to fish Okuma, those Okuma's landed him some might fine fish. The reason is simple, he knows what he is doing. If I'm going to take a recommendation it's from a person with a proven track record.

I think so too.

Do you "shake it" or just reel it in using a slow jig motion?

The wood slat is lengthwise and parallel to the ceiling, hooks are spaced about every 6'", rods hang down vertical.

Scrap 1X4 about 8 feet in length screwed into the wall with mollys, hooks screwed into the wood. Holds 15 combos, I have a bunch more standing up which tells me I have to expand it or I just have more than I need. Cost next to nothing.

I would agree 1000%. Not saying Shimano is a good or bad product, I own some my self, some of it is top notch and some of it leaves something to be desired. People that catch great fish, catch them because they know what they doing, the rods, reels, lines, etc are secondary. If I'm catching a 10# fish, it's because I found it, not because I was using reel A or reel B, and to say using one brand vs another gives me more enjoyment, IMO that's pure nonsense. The enjoyment and feeling of fulfillment comes from the fish itself. A lot people on here follow the professional ranks, does KVD use Shimano?

I ought to try that shakey head one day, although I'm not much of a worm user. Sometimes when I am in the worm mood, I will take a ribbon tail and mount it on a light leadhead jig head, I can fish it at the speed of my choice, it's been very effective. During the same outing without making any changes I will swap out the worm for a fluke. I'm not happy unless I'm working a bait.

I agree with Islandbass, load the rod properly and with minimal effort your distance will improve, I do not snap cast. If you have seen a surf caster you would notice it's always a long flowing cast, these guys cast 100 yds and more. Thinner line like braid will also improve distance. I prefer something like 10# braid vs a thin mono of hybrid line, it's thinner, stronger, cast further, probably more sensitive and line twist isn't much of an issue. As with everything, it's personal choice. Since I use braid I don't have the need to fill up all the way, I go a little less than 1/8" and avoid snap casts, my wind knots are greatly reduced. One reason for a wind knot is the line coming off the spool too fast and hitting the first guide, a long flowing cast vs the snap will help a great deal. There is some new guide technolgy to help reduce those knots, I believe they are called K guides, being used on Shimano terez rods.

I wouldn't buy any reel based on a picture, the handle on some of the newer reels is an instant turnoff for me. I may chance a smaller reel with a graphite frame, but certainly not at an increased price. I'm set on spinning reels for now, I'd only be in the market for a 4000 series reel, I'm perfectly content with my stadic fi 4000's. At $199 msrp., the stradic fj would make me look at other options. In the Shimano line up stradic is my only choice for an inshore reel. If I were in the market for a smaller reel, I'd always opt for 3000 over a 2500, better for my brand of fishing.

A 4' chop on a 60- 80' drift boat can be a bit rocky out there, but that's the best fishing conditions. Rule of thumb, west wind =flat water, not ideal fishing, east wind= a chop, better fishing conditions. When the water is flat I don't go on a drift boat, I will however go on a private boat as we look around for current more than party boats do. Yes...........drift boats do catch sailfish.

Try a little toothpaste on a toothbrush.

You do not need both to be successful, you only need to learn how to use the one you prefer. My choice is spinning, I don't own a b/c except a conventional reel for live and cut bait, for larger species of fish. I really can't think of any disadvantage to spinning, I like the reel on the bottom of the rod, and I throw lures of all weights, just use the appropriate sized reel and rod. Drag strength should be of little concern, b/c vs spinning. What ever your preference is.

If it's a drift boat to accommodate that many people I would check about the babies. Anything short of a heart attack they don't come in if someone gets ill or seasick.