charlieannear Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Well, I've got a boat, now I need a rod! Anyone got any reccomendations? I know one of the first questions would be "How much do you want to spend?", well I guess the answer is "I don't know!" So imagine you were choosing 3 rods: A budget one A medium one An expensive one What rods would you go for? The same for a reel! And finally, do prices vary much from place to place? C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam F Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 'How long is a piece of string!!' Have a scan through the fourm and you will find loads of advice...but my moto is get decent gear the first time round - it is better value in the long term - ask of us.. Cheap Rod - Ron Thompson range are pretty good - dont go under Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlieannear Posted February 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Thanks for starting off Adam, exactly the sort of advice I was hoping for. Anyone else got any suggestions? Any club-friendly shops I should visit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamouse Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 A word of warning on the Suverans. Fantastic rods, especially with braid, but they have single leg rings that really don't go well with the rough and tumble of life in a small boat. Several of mine have had to be carefully bent back into shape - I expect to snap one off anytime now. Until you are a bit more sorted, I'd aim at something a touch less fragile. Other things worth having are the biggest net you can lay hands on, a T bar disgorger, a boathook and some lanyards to strap down rods that are not being held. Plenty of tope and smoothhounds in the Poole area, they'll have an unattended rod over the side in seconds. Happily, when my favourite rod went over it floated long enough to overcast it with the feathers I was working at the time. Deecent rod holders are a better alternative, but if you must prop rods against rails then wrap the rails with pipe lagging to protect the rings. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Martin Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Charlie There are around 150 members in the club and I guess you will get 150 different answers to your questions. A good start and sound advice from both Adam and Steve. My advice is buy the best you can comfortably afford, not only will your gear pay you back by being pleasing to use, good quality stuff will stand the test of time and in the long run work out as cheap to own as lesser gear. All the main names ABU Diawa, Penn have good equipment but at the end of the day it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alun j. Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Hi Charlie, I love Abu reels and have several 'spare' reels. Most are brand new but I've also got a few secondhand / reconditioned ones. Have a look around in the shops [ as Adam has said ( good advice !) ] and see what you like. I have reels in 5000 size ...... for the light tackle [ in the harbour / spinning / feathers etc.] ...... where others might use a fixed spool . ....... 6000 size ........ for tackle up to 6 - 8 oz. / inshore .... and 7000 size .... the classic boat reel that will handle most of what's round here and using up to a pound or so of lead. For dedicated conger hauling { not me !!} , big tides , wrecks etc ... those bigger Shimano reels like the TLD 20 or 25 are a good investment. If you like the look of the Abus [ but not the shop prices ], I'll bring a few to a club meeting and offer you a good price. Alun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 I use a TDX 12-30 and a Penn gls 25 for most of my fishing. one of the multi tip rods may cover more options eg: you hardly ever have to use a 50lb rod but if you have this size tip available then you save buying an extra rod. i don't have one but it seems like a good idea when your starting your collection Paul J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newboy Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 If you budget doesn't stretch that far with a new reel, try ebay for a second hand. I bought a Penn 535 b4 xmas for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coddy Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Hi Charlie Well you have opened a can of worms here but for what's its worth here's my choice Reels - I use Penn 535 for uptiding as well as a Penn GTi310 Light stuff I do like cheap Shakespear Neptune reels, they may not look great after a couple of years but go on & on & on. Heavy stuff? Well I have a Penn GTi330 + some real heavy duty Penn 113 and an old but good Mitchell 604. Jus won my first Abu 7000 and as yet not got any line on it so unable to comment. As you can see I seem to like Penn reels, they have never let me down and easy to clean and strip when required. Rods - I have an old Penn Evolution uptider which I still like as well as a Abu Conolon uptider. Downtiders - Abu conolon 10 - 17lb, Red Wolf 12lb, DAM 30lb and a Ugly stick 50lb as yet never been tested. In the end whilst it is nice to have all the top of the range gear I do not think it will catch you more fish. It is down to personal feel/comfort, your budget and does it work when you want it too. If you want to spend serious money on gear I would suggest you try out someone else's gear to see if it suits you style of fishing. Good luck Coddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 In the end whilst it is nice to have all the top of the range gear I do not think it will catch you more fish. It is down to personal feel/comfort, your budget and does it work when you want it too Coddy makes a good point here however, i have had some top of the range gear now for 20+ years and it's still my favorite- good value i'd say- get something you're going to be happy with PJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afishionado Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Thanks for starting off Adam, exactly the sort of advice I was hoping for. Anyone else got any suggestions? Any club-friendly shops I should visit? Well my advice is the polar opposite of Adams! I have been reading your comments on how you expect to use the boat etc. IMO the phrase 'and a few dozen congers later it in bust' probably does not accurately describe the type of stress that many fair weather anglers would put their gear to. For the record I am an unashamed fair weather fisherman! A low cost reel from Fladen will certainly land a few congers and if after catching two or three you feel that you are hooked on heavy duty fishing then that is the time to lash out the cash. Rod wise there are many s/h rods and low cost rods on ebay which will be fine to start out with and there is no need to spend more than Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam F Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Fair point Mike - and probably the way most of us built our collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Hi again The choice is quite endless but after haveing many new fisherman onboard and teaching two sons the joys of landing decent fish I would advise as Adam did to go for solid reliable gear from the onset. I say solid and reliabe not top of the range on purpose. While I love to use my kevlar rods they are expensive and brittle if not used carfully, and my Shimano and ABU reels are treated carefully and washed every trip to prevent corrosion. The boys both have Ugli stick gold rods yes the rings look cheap but the blanks are very strong [unbreakable] and 30lb class will tackle all that you or I are likely to catch locally. Reels however are Shimano TLD's one choses the TLD20 and the other a TLD 15 the quality of gearing and clutches are worth paying for. I would rather have a good second hand shimano than a cheap import. The same advice extends to the lighter tackle although our spinning kit tends to be at the cheap "fun" end of the range. They are still treated quite well. Try and decide what fishing you are likely to want to do, how many rods will you use at a time and get reliable kit. IMHO its better to have two good outfits ie one uptider and one 30lb class with matching reels than loads of cheaper outfits to give you matched pairs of each type How many can you use at one time? Don;t answer that one James, or Adam, or Gary or the rest of the GW crew Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 The bream season will soon be here and for this species and bass, etc I thoroughly recommend the following top quality kit. Combine a Fladen Paxton 2002 8ft Downrigger - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newboy Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Very good point Mike, sort of echo what I went thru. When I started sea fishing about 2 years ago, I went into my local tackle shop, told then where I want to fish and mt budget ( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swainiac Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 My choice of rod would be similarto stated variants........the ugl;y stick range are proven worldwide, not just european waters, and do come in at budget prices, compared to the upper range of ABU's. Have a quick gleg at the Grauvell range of lighter multi tipped rods, I grabbed one from Weymouth Angling Centre for about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlieannear Posted February 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Thanks Guys, this is great stuff. I haven't got money to burn so I want to make sure I make an informed decision on what I buy. The trouble is lots of reviews round and about are really just adverts, so your responses are really appreciated. Although on the face of it the choices are endless, there are certainly some common opinions here. Will go away now and draw up a shortlist! C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBettle Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Charlie Just a thought, but with another thread on the forum about the "Go-Fishing Show" at the NEC in the beginning of March it may be worth popping along to see what is on display. A lot of the mail order people will be there selling off last years stock and you can usually squeeze them for the best deals. Also, some of the main manufacturers will be there so you will be able to see their latest offerings too. And as the thread is about which tackle to buy, I am a great fan of Shimano gear (it is very good stuff, but I do get a few freebies too). As everyone has stated on here, a cheap rod will still catch fish (as a rule of thumb a more expensive rod will have a better action and will have better quality fittings, but modern rods are generaly pretty tough), but spend as much as you can afford on a reel. If I could choose, I would have three set ups. 1) A medium weight (up to 50grm ish) spinning rod and baitrunner fixed spool loaded with 8lb mono for everything in the harbour (mullet, bass, flounder, herring) and breaming etc. For the adventurous, this will also be great fun on a medium tide for Pollocking etc 2) A 12lb class outfit with Abu 7000 or Shimano Calcutta 700 or Torium 16 loaded with 12lb to 16lb braid for general bottom fishing for smaller Rays, Whiting, Codling, Pollock etc. 3) A 20lb to 30lb rod for the big stuff matched with a similar sized multiplier like a Shimano Torium 30. A 30lb class rod will stop almost anything that swims in the UK and eventually stop almost anything that swims full stop. One thing important to remember is in most cases the power of the rod isn't what is required to bring the fish to the boat it is at least as much, if not more so, to cope with the amount of lead required to get to the bottom (and reel it back in). For example, a 2lb lead is incredibly hard to reel in on a 12lb class rod, uncomfortable on a 20lb class rod, but manageable on a 30lb class rod. A 2lb doggie is far easy to reel in on a light rod than the dead weight of a lead. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam F Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Just a thought, but with another thread on the forum about the "Go-Fishing Show" at the NEC in the beginning of March it may be worth popping along I actually found it rubbish 2 years ago when we went - the prices we not even as good as mail order - it is great to have a waggle and a feel of the kit though - like one big tackle shop - make a note and then get onto Google and find the best web price. I have a spare seat if you wish... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Andy and I could start our own tackle shop,most of our gear "top line" stuff. At the end of the day,it has'nt made the slightest difference. The fish we have caught in the last 18 months could have been captured on a Woolworths special ! Its not what your fishing with,its where you fish,when and how.!!.When you find you can't handle what your catching with the gear you've got,Then splash out on better stuff.The fish have absolutely NO Idea what gear you are useing,they are only interested in Food and Sex,.... ..jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBettle Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 they are only interested in Food and Sex,.... ..jack Sounds like me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afishionado Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Thanks Guys, this is great stuff. I haven't got money to burn so I want to make sure I make an informed decision on what I buy. The trouble is lots of reviews round and about are really just adverts, so your responses are really appreciated. Although on the face of it the choices are endless, there are certainly some common opinions here. Will go away now and draw up a shortlist! C. certainly some common opinions here. Oh I assure you there are some dead common opinions round here mate Mad Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swainiac Posted February 8, 2006 Report Share Posted February 8, 2006 I'm not too sure about being sat next to Adam in the car, when he decides to have a "Waggle"..................... Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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