Background:
In all my experience of fishing, I've always been using budget reels, rods etc. Have never owned a rod + reel exceeding 100 before.
So anyway, I'm looking to invest in a new rod and reel but I have no clue of any brands and where to start. What I'm looking for is something that will last ( won't spoil easily, won't rust etc ), and preferably can cast far. I've never owned a rod longer than 7ft and its abit frustrating being unable to cast far enough ( for example at Labrador park, can't seem to get past the rocks no matter how hard I cast ). Im considering maybe one of those long long ones. ( 12+ ft ? )
Any advice on what I should be looking at and where I could start?
A good surf rod can last you for many years if you maintain properly, so it's worth investing some money to get a good one. You may want to start into those tried and tested rods like Shimano Horizon surf, or Penn Powergraph. There's also the Shimano Open House coming up in May, you can go have a look to see if there are new models released.
You also have to think about whether you want 2 or 3 section, keeping in mind how you're going to keep and transport the rods. Don't go for rods that are longer or heavier than you can handle, it'll only reduce your casting distance.
Edit: Btw, are you going with spinning or overhead setup?
Thanks! I've only had experience with spinning reels, so I think I'll go with that. Are there any significant advantages to using casting ones? Approximately how much should I spend on a decent rod and reel?
A decent entry level setup would cost about $300. I believe you're pretty young still and new to surf, so it might not be the best idea to sink too much money into it yet. You can go with a setup that lasts you 2-3 years and from there you can get a good idea of what gear you really need and fits you.
For surf, overhead setup casts further than spinning setup, although many will argue the difference isn't much. If you look at spinning reels, you can see the line always hugs the top rim of the spool when line goes out. This friction can reduce the casting distance. The friction gets higher as the line runs deeper into the spool. This is why you see spinning surf reels have very wide spool, so you don't gain spool line depth quickly. You don't have this problem with overhead reels due to the spool orientation but some energy is lost to spin up the spool in the first place (Which is negligible in surf). Overhead reels has a higher learning curve as well.
