Beach fishing often requires heavier gear and longer casts, and while there's always an exception to this rule, it's best to choose a surf combo over your regular flick stick when hitting the sand. Using a combo between 9-12ft will improve your surf fishing success for several reasons. Firstly, longer surf combos can cast baits and lures well behind the breakers and into prime surf fishing zones. While this isn't always where the fish are lurking, it's a good option to have up your sleeve. Ask any fisho and they'll tell you there's nothing worse than seeing a school of fish just beyond your best cast! The longer rod length also keeps your line above the breaking waves and your baits in the sweet spot. If casting lures or fishing around protected beaches is more your style, a combo around 9-10ft will get the job done. Fishing off exposed beaches with larger waves and bigger gutters will require a longer rod of around 11-12ft for the reasons mentioned above.

For smaller species such as bream, whiting and dart, lighter surf fishing combos around 3-6kg or 4-8kg are the way to go. If you love chasing tailor or salmon, look for something in that next weight bracket of around 5-10kg, and those wanting to cast metal lures at these line-burners should opt for a graphite surf fishing combo. Finally, the big hitters of our beaches – mulloway, sharks, snapper, and rays. Heck, even the odd Spanish mackerel finds its way onto the Fraser shore dump at the right time of the year! Don't mess around with these predators – go for a heavy, long surf combo (around 12-13ft) with thick rod grips and suitable strong line. These will let you cast heavy-weighted rigs and help put everything into fighting a monster off the sand.

Once you've picked your surf fishing combo, there's a few more bits of gear to get you ready to hit the beach. Here's a surf fishing checklist to help get you started:

• Fishing Line: Monofilament line is the preferred choice when rigging up your surf combo. The natural stretch of mono absorbs the shock from striking and playing out fish in the waves, and it's the way to go when soaking a bait for most surf-loving species. If you're planning on spinning lures, braided line is probably more your style. You can also use braid when bait fishing but be prepared to miss a few hits and drop more fish, as the zero stretch comes into play when you're dealing with waves, swell, and current.
• Fishing Tackle: Hooks, sinkers and swivels are all part of the surf fishing game. There's also pre-made surf fishing rigs that are ready to go straight from the pack. If you don't know where to start, check out this beach pilchard rig from Sammy Hitzke. It's a great beach rig to get you started – every fish loves a pilly off the sand!
• Fishing Bait: There are many cracking baits for surf fishing – pilchards, squid, worms, pipis, prawns and cut baits. You name it, and it will probably be an effective surf fishing bait. Some Aussie beaches even have their own live bait on offer, and with a bit of practice, you'll be pulling pipis and beach worms right from under your feet.
• Fishing Storage: Keep your surf fishing gear protected and organised by investing in some storage solutions. Tackle boxes, tackle bags and rod holders are all great pieces of gear when hitting the surf.