Help a newbie buy the right fishing gear!

[HTHM]

Thanks for all the insight!

[Burning Babies]

The bait caster has many advantages over a spinning reel in certain conditions. The two that come to mind is line twist is eliminated and casting length can be adjusted in mid flight.

Art

 

FYI, casting length can be adjusted in mid cast with spinning gear as well (by feathering the spool), although it takes more practice. I'm probably more accurate with spinning gear than casting.

[Garry2Rs]

Feathering the spool on a spinning rod is like dragging the anchor...It's not art full and it's not accurate It's a quick grab at a slippery rope.

On the other hand, with a bait caster you can thumb a bait into a hole the size of an napkin...

Garry2r's

Edited September 14, 2007 by garry2rs

[Roy]

Garry, you're going to have to slow down. The amount of good advice you've given in the last two days is just mind blowing.

 

The Fireline/braid example is one of the best. I know cause I'm also frazzled and grey...still strong and hell, look at me...I'm living proof of "no stretch".

 

Again, welcome back.

[Handlebarz]

IMO Ugly Stick is your best all around rod they are tuff as nails (the big nails not finishing ones) the company stands behind there rods. You can get them in any length and strength. For you starting out I would suggest 6' med action with a spinning reel they have combos around the $50-60 mark I think at Wal-Mart or CTC these rods will take the abuse from miss handling or just bad luck like droping tackle boxes on them or steping on them. I have alot of them from small 4' panfish rods to 7' musky rods and use them all the time. I used alot of High $$$ rods years ago but kept breaking them I was way to rough on the rods and would nick them after buysing to many to replace the ones I would break I switched bakc to Ugly Stick and swear by them you will not find another rod that is this good for the $$$.

 

 

Just my $0.02

[aplumma]

The non-stretch lines don't pull the hooks out of fishes mouths! They set the hook for you and your rod acts as the shock absorber...that's it's job, not the lines.

 

Thanks for the help clearing up my point. I was not trying to infer that it was the line that pulls the hook out of the mouth it is the instant reaction that does it. With a softer tip your rod does not react as fast just like the shock absorber.

 

The spinning reel has it place don't get me wrong but to say you can out control a bait caster is incorrect it is not due to the user but the design of the way the reel unspools the line. Most people who use the bait caster and are prolific can cast the bait 6 inches off the water and drop it 2 inches from the shore from a boat. A spinner is usually cast side arm or overhead and is arched to the spot and even if you underhand the spinner you will still have too big of a disadvantage to be as consistent or as accurate as a bait caster. That said being comfortable with the equiptment you use is important and if the spinner works better for you then the spinner will always be the best equiptment in your hands.

 

 

Art

[Raf]

i too think there's a time and place for mono still. two situations where I think it is superior to braid are a] ice fishing (i know i know only ice in AZ is in your drink ) - unless you're in a heated hut, braid absorbs and holds water, freezes, and turns into an unmanageable mess on your reel. B] long lining trout in the spring. the stretch and springiness give the fish a better chance at hooking themselves. tried braid in this situation and it resulted in many dropped fish. I don't know if it's the way they hit or what, but I like mono in this situation.

Edited September 14, 2007 by Raf

[Toronto_Angler]

Garry have you ever thought about writing a fishing book? I would buy it

[Burning Babies]

Feathering the spool on a spinning rod is like dragging the anchor...It's not art full and it's not accurate It's a quick grab at a slippery rope.

 

Maybe the way you do it.

[Burning Babies]

The spinning reel has it place don't get me wrong but to say you can out control a bait caster is incorrect it is not due to the user but the design of the way the reel unspools the line. Most people who use the bait caster and are prolific can cast the bait 6 inches off the water and drop it 2 inches from the shore from a boat. A spinner is usually cast side arm or overhead and is arched to the spot and even if you underhand the spinner you will still have too big of a disadvantage to be as consistent or as accurate as a bait caster. That said being comfortable with the equiptment you use is important and if the spinner works better for you then the spinner will always be the best equiptment in your hands.

Art

 

I wasn't arguing that a baitcaster isn't a better tool for accurate casting overall, I was stating that I personally am more accurate with a spinning rod, and that they are more accurate tools than they get credit for being. I'll happily skip a bait across the water and put it within inches of a target for you with spinning tackle.

[myst]

Once again, amazing information here!

 

Do you guys suggest I get a medium-heavy rod or just a medium?

[tonyb]

"I not sure what your thinking of, but I honestly can't think of anywhere that Mono is better than braid."

 

Do you use downriggers in mid-summer? (Braid collects Spiny water fleas like no other!)

 

Do you float fish with a centre-pin for Steelhead or Salmon in tributaries? (Mono helps absorb the shock of dancing steelhead, and keeps tension to the hook when a fish runs at you and you struggle to pick up line on a 1:1 gear ratio reel)

 

Have you ever tried using a Dipsy Diver on Mono? (At time it out-produces a wire diver, and a braid diver set-up) It has been a very successful presentation for Chinook Salmon on Lake ontario in mid-summer, winning a tournament for at least 1 angler I know.

 

So you see, monofilament still has a place on store shelves and on your reels for certain applications.

 

Tony

 

P.S. I'd suggest Medium action if you are going to be using it for bass, panfish, trout. Medium-Heavy for Pike, Salmon,etc

Edited September 14, 2007 by tonyb

[solopaddler]

Do you use downriggers in mid-summer? (Braid collects Spiny water fleas like no other!)

 

Do you float fish with a centre-pin for Steelhead or Salmon in tributaries? (Mono helps absorb the shock of dancing steelhead, and keeps tension to the hook when a fish runs at you and you struggle to pick up line on a 1:1 gear ratio reel)

 

Have you ever tried using a Dipsy Diver on Mono? (At time it out-produces a wire diver, and a braid diver set-up) It has been a very successful presentation for Chinook Salmon on Lake ontario in mid-summer, winning a tournament for at least 1 angler I know.

 

So you see, monofilament still has a place on store shelves and on your reels for certain applications.

 

Tony

 

P.S. I'd suggest Medium action if you are going to be using it for bass, panfish, trout. Medium-Heavy for Pike, Salmon,etc

 

Yeah I agree, braid has it's time and place, but not all the time.

Without writing a huge essay here, it's only used for very specific applications....still use mono at least

60% of the time...

[Burning Babies]

Once again, amazing information here!

 

Do you guys suggest I get a medium-heavy rod or just a medium?

 

Generally, Ifor your first rod, medium. For your second, medium-heavy.

 

From your initial species list, unless you are way more interested in the big pike, I'd stick to that order. You are faced with a tradeoff. The medium action rod is a far better tool for fishing light baits like light jig and minnow combos for walleye, light tube jigs for bass, or smaller crankbaits and minnow baits. Its also more fun to catch smaller fish on. A medium heavy rod provides more backbone to toss bigger baits (eg heavier bass jigs, spinnerbaits, on into bigger pike baits) and to fight larger fish, but doesn't load well with lighter baits, making casting difficult (working them correctly as well, imo).

[Garry2Rs]

I don't use down riggers or Dipsy Divers I don't fish the Great Lakes, so I wasn't aware of those applications for Mono. I'm in the Kawarthas were there are no Spiny Water Fleas and we don't have Steelhead or Salmon runs, so no centre pin reels live at my house...I believe in using the right tool for the job and I can see that for those jobs mono would be better. Thanks for the info.

 

Back to the topic, I still think that my basic outfit would include two rods, one spinning in medium or medium light for plastics and live bait and one bait casting rod in Medium-heavy to handle larger baits in the 1/2 and 3/8 ounce size etc. If your worried about learning to cast, put something like a Shimano Curado baitcasting reel on the rod and you can teach yourself to cast in 20 minutes.

If I was stuck with just one rod, then I guess the medium spinning rod is the logical choice. I would still use PowerPro as my day to day line but it's still a free country so you can do what ever pleases you.

Garry2R's