We're always on the hunt for new Surf Fishing gear to upgrade existing tackle and recommend to our guided clients – here are five worthy additions to the arsenal for 2025 including swimbaits, a collapsible live bait bucket with built-in aerator, and a great-value reel with sealing tech for beach casting.
Berkley Pre-Rigged Saltwater Cull Shad: Swimbaits for Trophy Surf Species
For surf anglers chasing predatory fish such as striped bass on the East Coast or California halibut and bass in the West Coast shallows, the Berkley Saltwater PowerBait CullShad is a serious upgrade to your soft bait arsenal.
I've been playing with the larger 6" version of this long-casting soft plastic swimbait over a few weeks in the off-season to get a feel for its various uses and quirks, and I'm impressed so far.
First, the hooks and hardware are well suited to tackling game fish from the beach with a removeable (via a split ring) heavy-duty 3X treble on the belly and heavy-gauge J hook on top. I've not felt the need to change them out at all. Full marks in this area, Berkley. Second the rubber construction has so far survived hard use 100% intact. No tears or ruptures.
Third; the action and pulse of that paddletail is very noticeable right through the rod. Its honeycomb-textured body and large thumping tail create an erratic swimming action that mimics injured baitfish across the various colors available, triggering aggressive strikes.
It has a decent sink rate at 1.9oz / 54 grams total weight (on my scales) to handle moderate curent and swell, but works best in calm to calmish conditions and 3–15ft of water if you need it to work the bottom end of the water column.
The 4" version is a useful tool for any sort of bass, halibut or flounder that's chasing smaller baits, and both are easy to work low-and-slow around structured water or rocky areas. The 6" version, which weighs 1.9oz and casts a mile, will be accounting for some trophy fish for my clients this season, I'm sure.
I've played around with a few different DIY ways of rigging similar 5–6" paddletail swimbaits in a line-through fashion, and/or with a treble rigged on the belly, but this Pre-Rigged Saltwater Cull Shad is likely the most castable, durable and effecient commercial version available for salwater anglers currently. Awesome trophy-hunting baits in a wide range of killer colors.
Verdict: If you're looking for an easy edge chasing trophy halibut, white seabass, snook, tarpon, stripers or game fish in saltwater in 2025, we highly recommend checking out this super-tough pre-rigged swimbait. Casts miles, too.
Price: $9.99–$11.99
Frabill Collapsible Bait Bucket with Aerator: Game-Changer for Live Bait Anglers
For anglers targeting predators from the beach or pier, keeping live bait fresh and lively can mean the difference between a slow day and landing that elusive legal-size halibut, snook, bass or flounder.
But here’s the challenge—hauling a traditional bait bucket (often the five gallon size) along a sandy shoreline on a cart or in a backpack, over rocky jetties, or navigating the narrow confines of a pier with a bulky container isn’t exactly practical. Then it rolls around in the back of your truck, taking up valuable space.
Enter the Frabill Collapsible Bait Bucket with Aerator; a space-saving, efficient solution for live bait management. This will work perfectly for smelt, sardines, anchovy, live crabs, shrimp or any bait that requires well-oxygenated water, and will be a standard piece of equipment on our beach cart a lot in 2025.
This style of bait bucket solves two major problems: it keeps live bait oxygenated and fresh, and when not in use, it collapses down to the size of a standard tackle storage container, making it easy to tuck away in a tackle bag, backpack or trunk. Pier anglers and surfcasters can strap it to a beach cart without sacrificing too much space for rods, coolers etc.
The built-in aerator ensures your bait stays lively, and the spill-resistant design prevents messy water leaks when moving from one spot to another. The multi-purpose handles snap together for ergonomic carrying or lock into the base for added stability.
The only slight downside is that it's quite small when compared directly to something like a 5-gallon bucket-based livebait system, holding around 6 quarts of 1.25 gallons of water. But it's more than enough to keep enough livebaits handy for a typical morning halibut session, I just won't be storing them overnight.
Also, I'd prefer a USB chargeable aerator pump but the battery powered unit supplied is fine, and the two AA batteries required could be rechargeable too.
Overall, this is a massive upgrade compared to the 5-gallon-bucket-based system we've been using when guiding for halibut with live bait until now. Space-saving, well thought-through design and tough construction all gets top marks.
Verdict: For soaking small live baits off the pier, small boat, kayak or beach anywhere, the Frabill Collapsible Bait Bucket is a game-changer for any angler who wants a compact, reliable way to keep live bait in prime condition.
Price: $49.99
Cox & Rawle Bait Elastic: Superior Quality Bait Thread in Clear or Red
Losing bait mid-cast is a common frustration for surf anglers, whether you're fishing croaker in California, using cut bait in the Gulf, or casting clams on the East Coast.
Cox & Rawle Premium Bait Elastic solves this problem by keeping soft baits secure without ruining presentation, and I rarely guide in the surf without a spool in my pocket. Unlike standard bait thread, Cox & Rawle’s multi-strand elastic is stronger while using less material, allowing for a more natural bait appearance and better hook-up rates.
The Fine version is perfect for delicate baits like ghost shrimp, sand crabs and mussel meat, as shown in the middle photo above. We've used this grade for rigging fresh baits from when we received a test spool last summer, especially using it for wary fish like big corbina.
A grape-size piece of fresh mussel meat is impossible to cast or secure properly without fine elastic bait thread, making this an essential item in the surf.
The Medium works well with baits like big clams, sardines and anchovy, and the Heavy in Red color is ideal for large baits like whole squid, bonito, ray and mackerel chunks when targeting sharks and big drum. The flash of bright red combined with the secure bait presentation was a winner for numerous big leopard sharks in California last season.
Verdict: If you want to improve bait security, casting distance, and hook-up rates, Premium Bait Elastic is a must-have tackle box item for 2025. No more lost bait equals more fish.
Price: $2.99
Penn Battle IV Spinning Reel: Latest Model Adds Improved Sealing Tech
For saltwater anglers, the new Battle IV spinning reel offers a blend of strength, durability, and performance at a very reasonable $130–180 price point – and the new Hydro Armor sealing system makes it especially interesting to surf anglers engaged in the ongoing saltwater-and-sand vs fishing reel fight.
As before with the Battle III, the IV features CNC Gear technology, ensuring precise gear alignment and smooth operation, crucial for casting and retrieving big baits and sinkers against strong currents.
The bulletproof (in our experience) HT-100 carbon fiber drag system provides consistent and powerful drag pressure, confidently handling the hard-fighting fish commonly encountered along our great coastlines.
One of the standout features is the new Hydro Armor sealing system, which protects critical components from saltwater intrusion—a vital consideration when fishing in the surf zone where reels are frequently exposed to salt and sand.
The Full Metal Body construction adds to its durability, maintaining gear alignment under heavy loads, which is essential when battling larger species like striped bass or leopard sharks.
I field-tested the Battle IV 6000 HS (HS = High Speed retrieve model) for many hours whilst in Costa Rica surf fishing last autumn, and it was faultless, smooth throughout and a delight to use spooled with 30lb braid, casting 1–3oz lures on an 11'3" rod.
The new sealing tech works, too – no adverse affects reported after being dunked in numerous sand-laden waves and then baking in my luggage for a few days. It's as smooth today as when it came out of the box.
For typical saltwater applications, models in the 2500 and 3500 sizes are great for light line surf and bay fishing loaded with 6–10lb mono or 10–15lb braid; 4500 for light to medium-grade lure work with 20lb braid; 5500 and 6500 for heavier striper-style fishing with 1-4oz baits and 30-40lb lines; and the 8500 is a great surf shark and game reel spooled with 40-60lb braid.
Go for the High Speed models if you need to burn lures back faster than the average wave moves for more aggressive game fish – I found this kind of speed easy to achieve with the 5500 HS's 6.2:1 retrieve ratio. If not, the standard model's retrieve ratio will be more than adequate for almost any other surf fishing application you'll find.
Verdict: A very solid all-rounder taken to outstanding levels in the Battle IV with the new sealing tech promising more durability and smoothness. A pleasure to use and great value for money.
Price: $129.99 – $179.99
Century SurfMachine 10' & 11'6": The Ferrari of Surf Fishing Rods
If you're casting 1–4oz baits from the beach or pier, there are some sweet rods available in the $100–250 range available. Like a family Ford, they'll do a solid job.
But, sometimes, you want to grab the keys to a sports car and give some exotic machinery a good workout – and the Century SurfMachine is the surf fishing pole equivalent.
Through a combination of fishing artificial-baits-only tournaments last year and chasing winter predators in SoCal, my pair of SurfMachines have seen a lot of rod hours in recent months and the 10' in particular is the weapon of choice for launching medium to large-size baits and lures off the beach.
The 10' 3/4–4oz model is ideal for 20–30lb main lines and 4500–6500 size reels casting 2–3.5oz baits, offering versatility in different surf environments. The 11'6" model provides additional length for longer casts and better line control in challenging surf conditions, and works great with 30–40lb braid main lines and around 2–4oz baits.
Constructed with Century's Autoclave Technology, these rods are built for durability and long-lasting performance, with a moderate action paired with a lightening-fast recovery, allowing both novice and experienced anglers to achieve impressive casting distances.
The design includes a supple tip for effective lure manipulation and sensitive bite detection – essential when working various baits and lures in surf conditions. They will work a topwater plug just as happily as cranking a big jerkbait or metal spoon through the wash.
Like a race or track car, these aren't really everyday rods. Considerable physical effort, timing and technique are required to compress that fast-action, high-end blank to make the most of its performance, but it's a great feeling when you get it dialed in and are able to launch a 100-120-gram (3.5–4.2oz) bait to the horizon.
You can really feel the rod unloading and helping propel the lure when you time everything just right – far more than a cheaper, less sporty model. You can cover incredible amounts of water with this long-casting ability, and that'll help you catch more fish off the beach or pier anywhere.
Just don't pick it up if you're looking for a casual cast-and-retrieve session or casting much below 1.5oz; this range requires some effort and thought to use effectively, but, once mastered, it's a real surfcaster's weapon.
The near-$800 price tag is somewhat eye-watering too, but after using a pair for a few months, I can see that this money is well spent given the exceptional performance and many years of use I'll likely get out of them. The quality and ability of this rod justifies the price, in my opinion.
Personally, I love the versatility of the 10', which has a 70-30 split, meaning the top half of the rod is 70% of the total length, whilst the butt section is the other 30%. This leaves the upper section of the rod that really does the work on the cast without any joints or spigots to impact the casting action. The 70-30 split makes it mildly annoying to transport, but I'll take the performance advantage over convenience. The 11'3" has a more conventional 50-50 split. I've caught California halibut on 1.5oz chatterbaits from under my feet, tropical jacks on 3oz metal baits at range and various bass on 110-size jerkbaits off the rocks using the 10' model, paired with a 4500 Penn Slammer IV 4500 DX loaded with 20lb braid for short-range work on sandy beaches, or a 6500 Slammer IV HS loaded with 30lb braid for rockier areas and bigger baits fishing at range.
A 5000-5500 size and 25–30lb braid would be a sweet compromise if you want to combo either with just one reel for general surf casting.
Verdict: Magnificent rods – awesome for casting big artificial baits off the beach for anything sizeable. The 10' is a great all-roounder for 1.5–3oz artificials, with the 11'3" well suited to taller 6ft+ anglers (I'm 5'10") and more range with 2–4oz + lures.
Price: $775.75
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Author Ben Hervey-Murray is a surf fishing guide based in Southern California, and a member of the USA Surf Fishing Team.
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