Newbie Rods and Reels Advice
 

Hey Everyone,

Well I've had my yak for about a year now and have mainly stuck it in freshwater. However, I'd like to get into some saltwater fishing. I don't really know anything about gear selection for saltwater. I probably want a total of 3 set ups. One for YT/WSB, one for halibut, and one for anything else such as bass, rockfish, etc.

Can you guys give me any guidance? I probably have a $600 budget but maybe be able to stretch that a little bit.

Oh and I will probably be using it around the Newport to Long Beach area the most as I will probably be leaving it in a slip I have in Huntington if that makes a difference.

Best bet is to contact John (Fishaholic) on the forums. He has a lot of good quality used gear. You can defiantely get into 3 good set ups for $600 with some cash left over for tackle and line

Welcome to saltwater fishing. I would go w 2 30 lb setups and 1 15 pound setup to get started.

In reality I bring at least 3 setups to fish yt - one for making bait (fin or squid), one for jig, n one for live bait.

Which rod n reel for each setup? lots of choices n opinions. If you wanna buy right gear fist time, go fishing w a local guide n learn what you really need n why. They will let you use their gear n u can get a feel for it. Then buy your gear used bit at a time as u find it.

If u want specific ideas shoot me a pm

I'm gonna be specific but only because I know you are looking for specifics...however, I'd still do a bit of research if I were you. You don't want to make the mistake we've all made and throw good money after bad putting together combo's that you either won't end up using or won't have optimum fun using. Here ya go;

Shimano Teramar WC inshore 7' 4" casting rod with trigger handle, 12-25# MH line class...mount a Daiwa Luna 253 or Shimano Calcutta 200 on it if you can. (use this for calicos)

Shimano Teramar WC inshore 8' jig / bait rod, 15-30# MH line class...mount a Daiwa Sealine 20 or 30 on this stick. (use it for bait and species up to smaller yellows)

Shimano Teramar WC inshore 9' jig / bait rod, 25-40# H line class...mount a Daiwa Sealine 40 on it. (use it for throwing iron at larger yellows and the like)

I tend to like to fish my tackle on the lighter side and finesse em'...you could step up each setup one line class if you're a guy that likes to horse out your catch.

http://fish.shimano.com/publish/cont...s/inshore.html

http://www.daiwa.com/reel/detail.aspx?id=11

http://www.daiwa.com/reel/detail.aspx?id=190

Thanks for the feedback guys. I appreciate it. I had already looked at the Diawa Sealines so I am probably going to head that route. What gear ratio do you guys prefer and is there any downside to going with larger reel for more line capacity?

How much line capacity do you think you need fishing from a kayak? 200 yds is plenty.

Sealines or, if you're more comfortable with coffee grinders, the Penn Battle. Great reels for sure. For the Sealines, any ol' bargain bin Sabre at Big 5 will do the trick (matched up of course).

I have used sealines for years and was stilling killing fish on one of the original blue and black SL 30s until it was stollen a few years go. Good value and can often be found used. I have gotten away from higher gear ratio reels. How much speed do you need for most of our fishing? Even with yo-yo I'd rather just turn the handle faster and have the cranking power when I need it. I think they offer the sealine 40 and 50 in a 4.9 and a 6.1. The 20 and 30 are 6.1. And like broke loser said, you don't need huge line capacity for our local kayak fishing. You add in using brid and even a smaller reel will give you plenty of capacity. Mike

It's nice that reel manufacturers are making better performing drag systems. That was the main reason I use larger reels, not so much about capacity, just getting the fish stopped.

200 yards?
 

That's wild. I've been fishing south Florida on the east coast and we all run 300 plus. Are the fish there that different? A decent wahoo will take 150 yards in 15-20 seconds. Guys get spooled all the time. I'm moving to San Diego today (in flight wifi). I'll be lurking the forums for this kind of info.