I was introduced to saltwater fishing this spring in Florida. I caught my fist snook and a 5 foot bull shark during a guided trip in Tampa Bay. I am looking to buy a saltwater spinning rod and reel combo but I need assistance on the best set up for the type of fishing i will be doing. I will be fishing from shore and peers for all saltwater fish. What is the best rod for this type of fishing, do I need a heavy action rod or is med/ heavy better and is 7 foot or 7"6 better. I was thinking of putting the Okuma Epixor baitfeeter # 30 reel on it. I am looking to spend about $100.00 or so for the rod. Any suggestion / assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Norm
Also, is braided line better to use as I am looking to maximise the amount of line I can put on the reel?
rod and reel combo
rod and reel combo
norm
Re: rod and reel combo
You will find it impossible to get one setup that works well (or even at all) for "all saltwater fish". You need to decide what type of fishing you will want to do most of the time, and go from there. Will you be throwing bait? How much weight will you use? Throwing lures? Again, how heavy? What fish will you be after? A good rod for spot and croaker is not going to stand a chance throwing 8+bait for sharks. A good rod for the shark fishing would be absurd to use for spot and croaker.
As far as rod length goes, if you are going to be casting from shore then I would recommend getting the longest rod you would be comfortable casting for the type of fishing you are doing. If you are throwing out a bottom rig, then it wouldn't hurt to have a really long rod that is a little awkward because you won't throw it much and the length will allow you to cast much further. However, if you are going to cast/retrieve lures over and over then you have to limit the length to something that wouldn't be exhausting. If you are fishing from a pier you also have to consider how much room you have to work with and how crowded the pier is.
I think the rod power (medium, heavy, etc) determines the range of lure weights the rod is designed to throw well. Decide what kind of weight you want to throw and then look for rods that cover that range. Once again, nothing can do it all. A rod designed to throw up to 5/8 oz would snap if you tried throwing 8 oz with it. And... a rod designed to throw 10 oz would be absolutely horrible at throwing a 5/8 oz lure.
On braided line... yes it gives you much greater capacity. However, that capacity comes at a price. Braid is much more expensive than mono. I would only suggest using braid if you are going to be fishing for species that would have a prayer of spooling your reel when using mono. If you are bottom fishing for spot, then braid is a waste. If you are throwing lures and have the chance of hooking into a nice 30 lb striper or something... then it may be worth it to you. It all depends on the reel you are using and the type of fish you are after. As I said in the beginning, nothing exists that works for all conditions and all fish. That's why there are so many options.
As far as rod length goes, if you are going to be casting from shore then I would recommend getting the longest rod you would be comfortable casting for the type of fishing you are doing. If you are throwing out a bottom rig, then it wouldn't hurt to have a really long rod that is a little awkward because you won't throw it much and the length will allow you to cast much further. However, if you are going to cast/retrieve lures over and over then you have to limit the length to something that wouldn't be exhausting. If you are fishing from a pier you also have to consider how much room you have to work with and how crowded the pier is.
I think the rod power (medium, heavy, etc) determines the range of lure weights the rod is designed to throw well. Decide what kind of weight you want to throw and then look for rods that cover that range. Once again, nothing can do it all. A rod designed to throw up to 5/8 oz would snap if you tried throwing 8 oz with it. And... a rod designed to throw 10 oz would be absolutely horrible at throwing a 5/8 oz lure.
On braided line... yes it gives you much greater capacity. However, that capacity comes at a price. Braid is much more expensive than mono. I would only suggest using braid if you are going to be fishing for species that would have a prayer of spooling your reel when using mono. If you are bottom fishing for spot, then braid is a waste. If you are throwing lures and have the chance of hooking into a nice 30 lb striper or something... then it may be worth it to you. It all depends on the reel you are using and the type of fish you are after. As I said in the beginning, nothing exists that works for all conditions and all fish. That's why there are so many options.
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con_centex
- Newbie Angler
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun Aug 19, 2007 8:26 am
Re: rod and reel combo
I have to agree that there's a reason all that stuff is out there. Its good for a purpose. Just likes trucks and boat, depends on what YOU want to do.
However, having said that I am totally sold on Power Pro 30lb. Its light enough that on a bait caster I can cast very small jigs like 1/16 oz and its strong enough that when I get hung up I can usually pull it off where it breaks the hook. So I can catch small specs, bull reds, and the occasional black tip without worrying about line breakage.
On a spin caster it seems to have less memory sensitivity so the natural twist that happens does not cause as much a problem with braid.
For me the biggest downside is that since its so fine it can make a helluva backlash that can be almost impossible to get out. For me that's the main difference. However, I've been able to cope with it.
The other thing I've read is that they are VERY conservative on the ratings, ie a 30lb braid won't break until maybe 45-50lb or so.
If you are just starting I'd recommend a mid range spin caster on a medium rod. Lately I've developed a liking of the cheap Ugly Stiks. I use bait casters now but unless you've got infinite patience you may give up due to backlashes until you learn the fine art of bait casting. but once you learn it, its just like riding a bicycle.
Any way you go you will have fun. Its a totally different world out there on the water and I can't wait to get back out there.
just my 2 cents.
Don
However, having said that I am totally sold on Power Pro 30lb. Its light enough that on a bait caster I can cast very small jigs like 1/16 oz and its strong enough that when I get hung up I can usually pull it off where it breaks the hook. So I can catch small specs, bull reds, and the occasional black tip without worrying about line breakage.
On a spin caster it seems to have less memory sensitivity so the natural twist that happens does not cause as much a problem with braid.
For me the biggest downside is that since its so fine it can make a helluva backlash that can be almost impossible to get out. For me that's the main difference. However, I've been able to cope with it.
The other thing I've read is that they are VERY conservative on the ratings, ie a 30lb braid won't break until maybe 45-50lb or so.
If you are just starting I'd recommend a mid range spin caster on a medium rod. Lately I've developed a liking of the cheap Ugly Stiks. I use bait casters now but unless you've got infinite patience you may give up due to backlashes until you learn the fine art of bait casting. but once you learn it, its just like riding a bicycle.
Any way you go you will have fun. Its a totally different world out there on the water and I can't wait to get back out there.
just my 2 cents.
Don