CyberAngler

Hello all, I'm an avid fisherman who recently moved to Fort Myers from Minnesota. Fishing in MN was pretty much my life, so I'm not new to fishing, just saltwater fishing. I've went out fishing a few times with a guy I met down here, mostly in bays, and not too far off Fort Myers beach. He has been nice enough to let me use his equipment till I get a feel for what equipment I want to buy. I'd like to start doing some fishing from local beaches, and am interested in any suggestions you guys might have as far as rods, reels, line, lures, etc. Any thoughts or information is greatly appreciated. In MN I practically lived in my boats out walleye fishing, so if anyone is looking for a fishing partner, I'm an extremely cabable boater, and zero maintenance. Thanks in advance for any info you can share!

Welcome to SW FL first of all Scisor34, this time of year our beaches are holding many species of fish, depending on what you want to target determines the gear of choice. For the smaller fish I prefer medium heavy action ( 10#-20# ) 7'6" rods with a spinning reel and braided 20# line. You will need to spool on some mono line first to keep the braid from slipping on the spool. For the Larger fish like tarpon and shark, the same gear with a heavy action 20#-30# rod works well. Keep in mind while fishing from shore you cant chase the fish if it runs away from shore so you will need a couple hundred yards of line to keep from getting spooled. (all the line stripped from your reel) The Spinning reels give you longer cast on our windy days. Live bait or cut bait, a little patience and hold on.