Experts unite - 4 rods into battle!

[Fishaholic]

Help!

I have quickly became a serious fishman over the past couple years and am looking to continue to improve my skills/success and need to vary my gear to make that happen!

I fish multi species, with my favorite being largemouth bass. I am looking to purchase my first bast-caster. 95% of fishing will be out of either my 16ft sea nymph or SOT kayak.

I would love any input on improving my set-ups and my first baitcaster. Essentially 4 set-ups to cover all situations! (Fly rod will be another year!)

Rod #1
NEED TO PURCHASE - Baitcaster for pitching/topwater in largemouth slop that can be used for occasionally to troll for big muskie/pike.

- Mojo Bass? Compre? Willing to spend up to $300 on the combo.
- 50lb braid? Thoughts?

Rod #2
7ft M/H, fast action. Spinning reel with 20 lb braid.
Uses:
- Casting/trolling in murky water (Unless going for big pike/musky)
- Areas with some hang ups.
-Carp, bass, pike.

Rod #3
7 ft M/H, fast action. Spinning with 12 lb braid + mono leader (How light do you go for finesse? No point in having mainline much heavier then the heaviest mono leader (10lbs?) you'd use)

Uses:
-Walleye, Steelhead, Lake Trout,
-Clear/open water casting/trolling
-Live bait/finesse fishing for sm+lm bass
- Doubles as "loaner" rod for general fishing.

Rod #4
6'6 m/h, fast action. Spinning with 10lb braid
- Panfish, brook trout
- Tight areas when kayak fishing

Thanks all,

Adam

[Fishaholic]

Arg..that post is way too long, I should have divided it up into chapters and formed a book club for it.

[kickingfrog]

Arg..that post is way too long, I should have divided it up into chapters and formed a book club for it.

You said it. I'll tackle a couple of things in this post. I'm sure others will chime in as well.

 

Longer rods can be a pain in yaks and canoes. I usually use 6 and 6.5 foot rods. Another thing to consider but not always directly related to rod length is the length of the butt section. A longer one can "catch" a lot more when you're using a SOT.

 

Nothing wrong with a mono leader with braid, but in some situations I'll tie right to the lure or snap. I use fluorocarbon most of the time if I do want a leader and the pound test will depend on the conditions and the aplication. Open water walleye/bass versus snaggy pike/bass type of thing.

[Fishaholic]

Thanks kf, I meant to say flourocarbon, I don't think I have any use for a mono leader.

[bare foot wader]

I don't think I have any use for a mono leader.

 

Why not?

 

fluoro is overrated...most freshwater uses don't see any game changing advantage by using fluoro vs mono

 

be sure to use leader fluoro, not a mainline blend, if you plan to use it for tooth fish or around rough cover

[Fishaholic]

Barefoot,

Maybe not game changing, but flouro has less stretch and better reflective properties (more invisible) then mono. It also tends to be hardier, which is pretty important in a leader.

It sinks at a high rate, so wouldn't use it with topwaters. Not sure if it is overrated or not, but I need every advantage I can get!! Good call on making sure it is not a mainline blend for leaders.

[Radnine]

Barefoot,

 

Maybe not game changing, but flouro has less stretch and better reflective properties (more invisible) then mono. It also tends to be hardier, which is pretty important in a leader.

 

It sinks at a high rate, so wouldn't use it with topwaters. Not sure if it is overrated or not, but I need every advantage I can get!! Good call on making sure it is not a mainline blend for leaders.

 

No need to explain. Flouro is the way to go.

I love it when I can spend money vicariously through others! In my opinion, generally, if you have $300 to spend for a bait casting outfit spend $200 on the reel and $100 on the rod. If it spinning gear you are after, reverse that equation.

I recently purchased a Komodo reel and Citrix rod, (around $320 for the combo) my first bait casting combo.

Have fun and spend with our blessing.

Jim

[BillM]

Barefoot,

 

Maybe not game changing, but flouro has less stretch and better reflective properties (more invisible) then mono. It also tends to be hardier, which is pretty important in a leader.

 

It sinks at a high rate, so wouldn't use it with topwaters. Not sure if it is overrated or not, but I need every advantage I can get!! Good call on making sure it is not a mainline blend for leaders.

 

Depends on the flouro... I've found many that don't have the abrasion resistance that mono has...

[craigdritchie]

Depends on the flouro... I've found many that don't have the abrasion resistance that mono has...

 

Uh huh. A lot of the fluoro on the market is just plain fragile.

[musky_hunter]

Sunline shooter or sniper.

 

$200 reel, $100 rod.

[Fishaholic]

Uh huh. A lot of the fluoro on the market is just plain fragile.

 

Craig,

Interesting, any flourocarbon leader company/material you recommend?

[bare foot wader]

to each their own, IMO the only good advantage of fluoro is the density and abrasion resitance of some brands

 

take an equal length of mono and fluoro, same brand same lb, and compare the stretch...the variance of refractive index between the two is minute to start with, it's not invisible under water in real world conditions

 

here's a link to download a fun read, are you a math teacher? lol

 

http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/mathematical-theory-of-fishing-line-visibility.html

 

fluoro vs mono debate aside...if you're new to bait casting you will benefit from a quality reel, less professional overrun...I'm a fan of most things shimano and daiwa, some quantum...but in the past few years I've really been won over by the high end BPS gear, johnny morris and carbon lite models are very good performance and value for the money...not the best but pretty damn good...dual braking systems are awesome...for your 300 budget you can get a sweet combo

[Fishaholic]

Barefoot,

Great link! Gives me something to think about, perhaps the flouro advantage isn't so great after all. I enjoy the research aspect of our sport, and journal/academic based studies tend to sway me more vs. general articles. LOL, no not a math teacher, spec.ed and phys.ed, but I can be a nerd with research/numbers.

I've also heard great things about Johnny Morris, and I am partial to Daiwa as well (My main two spinning set-ups are daiwa). BPS brands also have rep for good value for money (Although as a general rule find BPS overpriced).

[SirWhite]

Its my second season on a Baitcaster.

 

Look to the new series Revo SXT

 

Also they pair up really well the the Vendetta rod and Bob Izumi took the whole contract with Abu and uses them as well (must be good lol)

 

For spinning def Shimano they have local customer service / repair. I would suggest one of the stradics in a 3000 size and one in 2500.

 

Also I put braid on my spinning setups last season, tip wrapped at least 25 times and lost a PB Smallie due to it. Go Flouro if your going to be in odd positions while casting and reeling.

[Old Ironmaker]

For value and versatility I swear by Shimano anything. Bought a 6 foot Shimano spinning rod for my wife 22 years ago for around 30 bucks and have used it for anything from dink perch to a 25lb Bat Stingray in Florida. Still use it after 6 replaced eyes on the tip, will cry if I lose or destroy it. Have used a Shimano Caraddo (sic) baitcaster for casting and trolling since the early 80's, still use it.

 

Quantum is a good quality rod for my money as well

 

I was ecstatic when invisible fluorocarbons first came out. I fish 99% of the time on crystal clear waters of lake Erie. Have done some non scientific tests and have seen fish shy away from "invisible" monos but gone right for the fluorocarbons with the exact same presentation a few feet away, time after time. Use fluorocarbon leaders on all my braids using the smallest ball barrelswivels I can get away with to marry 2 lines together. Going to go with Mustad high speed chain swivel size 10 this year. Hope they will wrap onto the reel well, might not, we'll see.

 

I really think 4 good set ups is a great way to go, and you will get as many opinions as product available., just like vehicles I wouldn't be caught dead in a F150 unless the other guy is paying for gas. If I don't have confidence in a very expensive set up I don't use it and vice-versa.

 

Many years ago I knew a guy from Mt. Hope that was starting to make up custom rods for the guys down at the plant. He said then it doesn't make a difference if you spend $50.00 or $500.00 on a rod use the rod you have confidence in. His last name was Loomis and his first name started with a G.

 

Again welcome aboard........................

[Moosebunk]

Drennan!!!!! Love the stuff for everything 10lb test and under. LOVE IT!