Hi All, I fish freshwater as I am from Michigan.  However, I go to Florida each April and do a little Salt Water fishing - mostly shore/surf fishing for pompano and similar fish, and occasionally some peer fishing. All my boat Salt fishing is with guides - so covered there.  My question is what recommended moderately priced rods that I can use for this purpose - but also will make worthwhile fresh water bass (or even musky) fishing rods for the rest of the year?  FWIW, I will bring 2 reels - casting = Shimano Tranx 300/400 (saltwater safe) and spinning = Shimano Stradic 5000 (saltwater safe).

Anything MH and heavier, and 7' or longer will work depending on what you are throwing, targeting. No need to get too fancy. I would lean on spinning. Most fresh water BCs don't have the line capacity or drag (this should be good...) and levelwinds are for the most part just parts waiting to go flying when something real shows up. A 3000-5000 reel will work well. 

I used some old Bionic Blade flipping sticks to catch some fairly big fish in FL, still going strong.

well, I have the St. Croix Premier 8 foot MH musky rod and its rated for lures 1-3 oz, I have it paired with a tranx 400A. Its a light enough combo i can cast it all day although its still much heavier than any bass combo. the reel is 12 oz alone i think. 

 

How large of a saltwater fish are you targeting? 

Thanks BassWhole, this is sort of what I was thinking - a MH.

 

Hulkster, with the surf fishing, I would preferably be catching Pompano (for eating) - these are fairly small fish.  But it is common for us to hook into smaller sharks, sting rays, and a variety of other fish (snook, trout, etc.).  We'll also fish a little backwater flats and may even make a day trip to the Big O for bass.  I have both the Tranx 300 and 400 reels (for musky fishing).  I'll also use the 300 on both a frog rod and a heavy swimbait rod (806).  I have a St. Croix premier musky (but in a heavy or even extra heavy, can't recall now. Love visiting their store in Park Falls WI though) - but would prefer to go with more bass compatible rods (using this as an excuse to order new rods to ship to Florida vs. paying to fly them down oversized extra bag with me on a flight).  I don't need anymore musky rods . . . well, I suppose that's never actually true ? I guess my general feeling is that if I am to err on an over/under basis, I'd rather go underweight a bit for surf fishing (should a larger fish hit) than be stuck with something too heavy for my type of bass fishing.  Plus it's always fun to catch a fish a lot bigger than the equipment is rated for.  My wife caught her first 46" musky on an ultra-light using 4 pound mono - that was a great experience for her.

are you fishing for pomps with lures or throwing bait? 

 

I would honestly get a cheaper rod for slinging bait. The saltwater guys seem pretty happy with the ugly sticks and those wont break the bank.

That is the primary focus, throwing bait (sand fleas or shrimp) from shore to catch the pomps.  However, I'd also likely do some casting in the flats/shallows/backwaters.  And possibly even looking for some fresh water ponds (etc) and throwing for some bass.  

 

But yeah, the Ugly Stick approach is my back-up and then just leave them down there for following years.  That's always a good idea and doesn't require much effort and coordination.

I recently picked up a Penn Battalion II as well as a Tica Dolphin. The Dolphin seems better suited for lures and I would say is probably a better option if youre going to use it for freshwater as well. I got the 2pc 8' M rated for 1/2 - 2oz. 

 

If youre able to do one-piece, Star rods are excellent. Another solid option is the Tsunami airwaves ... lots of good reviews on those.

Well, In that case I would look at the Loomis E6X inshore models. I'm a Loomis guy and the tapers are awesome. 

Pretty much every manufacturer has in-shore rods.

 

I live on the Louisiana Gulf Coast & use my bass tackle for Specks-n-Reds. Ya just gotta maintain em a little more often than in freshwater.

 

A good heavy flipping-n-pitching stick would work good. I would look at Academy's H2O series.