In answer to my own question:

Got a late start Saturday morning. Got to SM Beach at Ocean Park Blvd at about 7:30 and it was already slammed with surfers etc. So, I headed south to Dockweiler State Beach.

Fished for a couple hours adjacent to a small jetty type structure. Used a Carolina rig with a small (2") motor oil/red flake grub. Tryed the nose-hooking method Fongster talks about in his post. Seemed to work pretty well. Still had some line twist by the end, though.

Got some pretty good hits. Had the tail removed from a couple of the grubs. Caught and released 3 medium/medium large Barreds.

I think my set-up may be to heavy overall. I'm curious about light rod and reel recommendations from the board. I've got older Shimano Baitrunner 3500's, paired with Penn Californian Medium rods right now. What are some of you surf fishing vets using?

Thanks in advance for any info.