im looking to get into fishing more often and going on trips with people and their boats, some land fishing and everything really. i want my own rod/reel that will do most of these things. im thinking a bait caster. something i can troll with, flick, fish in the sea or a creek. obviously you cant get a rod that will do absolutely everything but i wanna do as much as i can.
so keen fisherman let me know what will best do my needs. what size line to use, size rod, type of reel etc. kmart has some sweet fishing gear for occasional fishers and nice cheap prices so ill get something from there more then likely.
I'm an Abu fan and have a good balanced set up with a 6500c (old but good) and a two piece Ugly Stick. Awesome for packing up when I fly to remote sites for work and fit in some fishing before flying back at the end of the day.
go into fishing and out door world and explain to them what you are after. the guys in there are so helpful and will often give discounts for combo's. as far as what you want to do i'd say the abu baitcaster combo (of any kind) sounds alright to me. don't get a lever wind because they are usually on bigger reels designed for one purpose and arn't too versatile.
Knight, In a nutshell you may as well buy what you can afford now. If the fishing takes on then you can upgrade. It's a little like your PC. I have 2 ABU Garcia 6500C3's both on Ugly Sticks, 1 Curado also on an Ugly Stick.Mainly for Barra and River/Esturian fishing 1 Shimano TLD 20 Game Reel and Rod, 1 Penn Enforcer Rod and Reel for the Big Blue bottom bouncing and Trawling. Both my kids have a Rod for the ocean and 1 for the rivers. You can pick yourself up something good for under $200 and still have quality just keep in mind that what is good in the rivers won't neccesarily cut it in the ocean. Go into town and see George or Ronald at Fishing and Outdoor World, tell them what you want to do and what you want to spend and they will kit you out. Then watch how many lures you end up buying..:)
i have recently purchased an abu 6600c4 :D the upgraded one from the c5. the difference is mine has an extra ball bearing (i think its the wank factor)
also with an ugly stik and u will be set. ill see you fishing this weekend and show you my combo if you want... also go with 50pound
Quote from brownie;303379: i have recently purchased an abu 6600c4 :D the upgraded one from the c5. the difference is mine has an extra ball bearing (i think its the wank factor)
also with an ugly stik and u will be set. ill see you fishing this weekend and show you my combo if you want... also go with 50pound
we going fishing this weekend B? :p hows the big boat going?
my opinion:
the abu 6500 series is a good allrounder, casts nice, holds a fair bit of line and is reasonably cheap
the bearings give it a smoother feel, but require more maintenance
get a good stick, match it up with some medium braid, i would go to say 20 kg to allow for good castability but heavy enough to bottom bounce, the feel when something is touching your line and the control over your casting will be worth the extra money, the eyes also need to be made to take the braid
and you have a combo that should do the job wherever you take it
Quote from Knight Of Nih;303405: so i should try get some 20lb braid line for my outfit? 20-25 maybe should this allow me to cast with lures no worries?
casting no worries, maybe 25 - 30 lb 20 seems a bit light i know it is like double that to mono but still seems a bit light
30lb braid should be fine for barra and beach fishing. if you know how to use a rod and reel properly you should have no problems catching jewfish on it also, but that would be the bare minimum for reef fishing (just to be safe)
Knight get one of the boys at fishing and outdoor to spool your line for you. Go for a mono backing and as for the braid, well its your call. Generally the lighter the braid the more fun you have in the fight. If you prefer to make sure you have the power over the fish go heavier. Generally in the rivers and billabongs I use 9lb braid as it gives me more competition points on a line strength/fish fighting factor/fish weight ratio. In the blue i usually go for 20-30lb braid. I habvnt lost too many with that set up.
Quote from craZy C;303419: I use 9lb braid as it gives me more competition points on a line strength/fish fighting factor/fish weight ratio. In the blue i usually go for 20-30lb braid. I habvnt lost too many with that set up.
Hehe Brownie... I am saving the Big One Stories till i get back from the Barra Nationals ( tis a good thing being President)....Have a look at the fishing club website and see what 9lb braid can catch.....My old mate who is pictured in the metre brag board caught his 128cm barra on 9lb braid. Either way its all in the fun, Ive caught enough fish on 100lb line..:) :)
got some sweet fishing gear, 130 bucks worth for 85
just got a cheap javis walker baitcaster combo with some 30pound braid. all braid strengths look the same thickness haha so i hope i get some fishies to feed me.
Quote from Knight Of Nih;303572: i coudlnt justify the $ for a rod ill get to use 6-8 times a year.
You will justify the $ when you drop your first decent fish.... You need quality gear to match the NT's quality fish. The kmart-type gear is fine for a few tommy ruffs and sand whiting off the jetties, but wont last when put to the test.
I spent over "20 on braid spooling just one of my TLD-15's on wednesday. Justifying tacle is making the choice between buying either a Curado or a Calcutta for barra fishing. KMart tackle doesn't even enter the equation.
i think you will have a good time with whatever gear you have, like any hobby these days the sky is the limit and you have to decide where to draw the line, i have seen worse set ups than what you got hold onto some big fish.
good luck with it and hope to see you out there one day :D
I spent over "20 on braid spooling just one of my TLD-15's on wednesday. Justifying tacle is making the choice between buying either a Curado or a Calcutta for barra fishing. KMart tackle doesn't even enter the equation.
dude - those TLD's are so SEXY! I bought myself a TLD25 that goes OFF... best type of deep sea reel i have used since my diawa