reel and rod Q
 

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With all the sales going on now. I would like some info. What rod weight do you guys use and what fish do you target?? What i mean is that all the rods have weight limits posted. what length of the rods do you like to use??? If the rod says 20lb upper limit can you use it for fish that is over 30lb and not break it??? Same with reels. can you use a smaller reel to pull a fish that is 10lb over its limit??? how much line do you carry on the reel???

Sasha

Sasha, the recommended weight on the rod is referring to the recommened line weight (estimated breaking strength), and has nothing to do with the weight of the fish caught.

Depending on what I am targeting, I fish anything from 6 pound line to 50 pound line.

For Yellowtail I like something that is 7ft and rated for 30-60 (Yo-Yo) 40lb test, or 20-50 (live bait) and 30 lb test

I also use an 8ft Calstar 270H rated for 15-40 which does almost everything including throwing surface iron. 20/25/30lb test.
It's a little light for Yo Yo iron, but it will work. Good albacore, halibut, calico, barracuda, yellowtail rod.

Stop at a local tackle shop they will get you set up with a rod/reel combo for whatever fishing you intend to do. (Not Big 5 or Sports Authority).

X2.

The recommended line weights on reels is generally based on the capacity of the spool. Not necessarily what the reel can withstand without breaking. Since braided line hit the scene, many reels are still advertised at say 10-20lb mono, but if you check the specs you will find braid recommendations of maybe 30-50lb. Generally, the ones approved for braid have been beefed up in the bearing and spindle areas as well as improved and increased drags.

What's your target species? The 8ft Calstar 270H mentioned above is a great general rod, though IMO too heavy for bass (except for surface iron and swimbaits). For most bass fishing I like something like a bass rod #15-30, mine's a Shimano Convergence. I use either a Curado 200 or Cardiff 200 with 6-12lb line. Shimano has amazing customer service, BTW.

Get a good bass rod setup like a mentioned and the 8ft Calstar 270H with something like the Torium 16 and you'll be set for anything inshore.

As i live in LA i figure i would do most of my fishing around Malibu area. I realy have no idea what i would catch. So something i could start with (no fishing gear yet) that would handle most of the fishing in the area. I would go for what ever i can catch. I just go no idea what people do catch most of the time.I do understand that for YT most people use diffrent gear. I see pics of people catch 4-5lb fish and then sometimes i see pics of halibut that are around 15-25lb. Im looking for something to start with. I know i would need to add more gear to it later on. just dont want to find out that what i spend all this money on is realy usless..

sasha

Take Billy V's Advice and go to a local tackleshop and they will set you up with what will be good for you. As far as whats best, thats all personal opinion that takes trial and error before you find what you like. Expensive doesnt always mean better.

I use 2 fishing poles for saltwater fishing and thats it.
Calstar 800XL paired with a Newell 229 (Halibut)
Calstar 800L paired with a Newell 332 (Halibut, White sea bass)
They work fine for anything Local. you can find both those combos used and custom wrapped for relatively cheap. Newells/Penn Reels seem to last forever, and you can upgrade the parts if you want. But thats what i like.

Gino Said:
:biggrinjester:

Where u from boy?

Gino, rods are for fishing, poles are for strippers.

Sasha, most rods are rated for the lightest line they could handle through the heaviest... the tip is light enough for the bottom of the rating and the butt has enough back for the high end. Most good rods are best in the middle of that rating so a 20-50# rod is best for 30#. Most cheaper rods are only good at the lowest rating. Some of the better high tech graphite rods can be fished comfortably above the top of their rating.

damn yall caught me.
Down south in Georgia we called em "fishin poles" :cheers1:
Guess i still got some drawl left. :biggrinjester: