TackleTour

No doubt you've taken someone fishing with no tackle and little to no fishing experience. It could be your kids, spouse, friend or business colleague. You're not going to let them use your high end / high dollar outfits, so you hand them what? I usually hand them a Berkley Lightning Rod, which I've found to be quite strong, and pretty light. Now I'm thinking that I need to get a second "guest" rod. Are there any I should consider aside from another Lightning Rod?

I buy too much tackle. Sell too little. Therefore, I have several “old” but also very good rods that family and friends can borrow. Many years ago, I started out buying extra rods/reels for “guests”, but with my constant accumulation of tackle, I shouldnt have done that. Get yourself a new and better rod instead

The Lightnin' Rod is hard to beat for the $, but those new reel seats arent comfortable to me at all. I have several older rods that just sit, except for when my dad or a buddy goes with me. There are 5 or 6 combos sitting in the corner of the garage, just waiting on someone to use them. As a matter of fact, I need to re-spool a few of them. Thanks for the reminder!
As for my girls, they actually have custom rods with their names on them.

Dalleinf wrote:I buy too much tackle. Sell too little. Therefore, I have several “old” but also very good rods that family and friends can borrow. Many years ago, I started out buying extra rods/reels for “guests”, but with my constant accumulation of tackle, I shouldnt have done that. Get yourself a new and better rod instead

With more experience anglers I share, with everyone else they get the older stuff with Zebco reels.

Dalleinf wrote:I buy too much tackle. Sell too little. Therefore, I have several “old” but also very good rods that family and friends can borrow.

This. I don't have a lot of spinning rod's to choose from though, so I have been thinking of picking up a good general-purpose guest spinning rod sometimes. Although with most of my reels having SV spools, starting people casting tackle isn't a huge deal. I do bring a spare spool along just in case though.

My wife fishes with me a few times a year and professes to "just enjoy the casting" so she is set up with an old-model mbr782 glx in a sv105 on it. I stick a 3/16oz sinker and a short ribbontail worm on the line and she can catch bass on most any retrieve she cares to invent. With the rod a little overloaded and the brakes up to 90%, she says "I don't understand why it took you (me) so long to get good with these things?!?" as she can bomb it out there and maybe just have to touch the spool slightly on splashdown.

I just let them borrow one of my older spinning rods that I hardly use anymore, usually like a Medium or Medium Light rod, and just tie on a drop shot or slip shot. Right now the rod I let my friends borrow that want to go fishing with me is an OG daiwa tatula 7'1 ML.

My gear before I became an enthusiast is mostly what friends use.
Guest frog rod: Quantum KVD 7'6" XH with a Shimano citica
Guest topwater/spinnerbaits/crankbaits: St.Croix mojo 7MH daiwa lexa
Guest jerkbait/squarebill/weightless plastic: Fenwick 7M hmg TDZ 103
I have 7MH and 7M st.Croix Avids with 8lb trilene Xl and daiwa procyon 2500 spinning reels for peeps who aren't baitcaster savy. The MH will do bigger topwaters cranks and spinnerbaits. The M will do weightless plastics and drop shot.

I let them use my Dobyns rods since the warranties are so good that if they break them, they only pay a small price lol

smallies wrote:I let them use my Dobyns rods since the warranties are so good that if they break them, they only pay a small price lol

I really like this answer! There are only a couple of people that I would trust with my high end gear.

Blacktail 8541 wrote:

smallies wrote:I let them use my Dobyns rods since the warranties are so good that if they break them, they only pay a small price lol

I really like this answer! There are only a couple of people that I would trust with my high end gear.

Agreed, very few if any. Especially considering a lot of my favorite rods are previous generations that are no longer made, so I cannot get a replacement if something were to happen to them

I've noticed the newer versions of Fenwick Lunker Stik are made of a carbon core with a glass outer. Anyone fish these rods?
http://www.fenwickfishing.com/fenwick-f ... 5&start=18
Do you think they'd be stronger than the Lightning rod? How about sensitivity?

Smallies, the names of the few I let use my equipment are me, myself and i

a loomis or st croix or something else with a similar replacement plan so if it breaks youre only out $100 or so.

My wife gets a Cumara black 6'8" spinning rod with a Stradic 1000 CI4. I've taught her how to properly handle the rod while fighting and landing a fish. She used to walk the rod down until she was holding it just a few eyelets from the tip while trying to grab a fish.. I was surprised it didn't break!!

Other guests get one of my old Berkley or Fenwick rods.. I used to go to the Berkley Outlet store in Spirit lake quite frequently.. stocked up on $25 rods for a lifetime now!!