AHoy Posted June 3, 2007 Report Share Posted June 3, 2007 Flushed with my (moderate) success in catching fish i.e two trips without blanking, I am in the process of buying my own tackle rather than using loaned kit. I have spent umpteen hours on the web checking rod and reel manufacturers blurb, comparing prices and reading the collective "wisdom" from many sites. Result - not much the wiser what to go for as every model is alternatively the best or total cr@p according to the contributors. Also it seems to be a fashion/mines the latest race with new models every few months and I can't believe the technology is moving that fast Knowing that the esteemed members of this club are real rather than armchair anglers and don't have any supplier bias I need your help in getting to a short list of tackle. Cost is a factor but I would prefer to buy items that will last and not disappoint as my skill improves. Good used items seem to be in short supply (all you hoarders) so established or end-of-line models would seem favourite. I don't see myself doing any serious big fish/wrecking sorties for some time, but for the rest I am still optimistic. What I think I need for starters is: 1 or 2 downtide rods plus multiplier reels (level wind probably) - totally confused on what weight/sensitivity and line strength 1 uptide rod (or dual purpose rod) plus reel (multiplier?) - not a clue, but I had some success with borrowed ones. Rods need to be a manageable length when not in use to avoid stowage and carrying damage i.e. a 10ft 6in one piece wouldn't suit. I do have a Shakespeare Summit 2909 reel with 25lb mono line which I will probably pair with one of the downtide rods (or not) depending on advice. I have not tried braid yet, should I stick with mono for now on the downtiders? Some of the big suppliers are doing rod/reel combo offers - any that I should go for or will mix and match be better long term? If the price difference isn't too great then I would be happy to support a local supplier, but only if there is genuine choice and support. Anticipating your recommendations - and lack of confusion. Alan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coddy Posted June 3, 2007 Report Share Posted June 3, 2007 Hi Alan I expect you will get a number of replys with users thoughts on this and that sort of equipment, I am no differant from that. I would suggest a 10 to 20lb class downtide rod. This will cope with most fish you will come accross and yet still allow you to use some heavy weights if you have to fish in strong tides without killing the rod. I use a two piece Abu Conolon boat rod, 10 - 17lb, which I have found to be good and value for money. I use a Penn 535 reel, no level wind on mine, which works fine. There are many good uptiders from Abu, Greys, Ugly stick all around the 9ft 6in length. Some have retractable butts so make good up and down class rods. I would suggest that most rods will catch any fish but the reel makes sure you get it back to the boat, so if you spend a little more on a good reel it should last you many years with a little maintainance. Penn, Shimano, Diawa are all good makes with a reasonable after sales service. Don't forget a nice light spinning (carp) outfit with a fixed spool for the Bass, mullet and other light tackle species that are around. Out of interest, I have an Abu Conolon uptider rod for sale which you are welcome to have a look at and try if you are interested, just PM me and I will send you my telephone number and address or use the latest members list Martin sent out recently. I will leave it here for others to respond with their ideas. Coddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 You need braid. it will help your catch rate PJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swainiac Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Braid has a few advantages.......far far better sensitivity, and you drastically reduce the weight needed to hold bottom. Go for braid every time, unless uptiding, then stick with mono. Go for a half decent budget priced downtider.....all of Coddy's suggestions are good. I use the Ugly Stick range, cheap, virtually unbreakable, and when mine did break, although it was a few years old, they replaced it free of charge...no quibbles. Spend money on a good reel try a shimano charter special........a good all round reel for a beginner. Load that with 30lb braid. Buy a few spools of good mono. I use 28lb suffix for braid to hooklength. My hooklength is a good quality fleurocarbon f perhaps 20lb B.S. All my hooks come from Mike at UK Hooks......he is very reasonable for hooks swivels etc. email him and ask for a catalogue......excellent service, next day delivery, you can tell him Rich from Southampton reccomended him, and you saw it on the PBSBAC website. (Quick plug ) Most of all...keeep a regular look out on here, join the club if you are not a member, get members benefits in the form of discounts from local tackle shops, and enjoy your fishing. Welcome to the forum mate. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Fox Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 (edited) Hi Alan, After having a couple of trips out with other club members, I had a similar problem with inappropriate tackle, and came to the same conclusion - I needed new kit, and so did my son of 12 - for anchoring for larger fish in stronger tides. I checked out mid-ranged gear, and having used an Ugly Stik spin successfully for many years, went for their 20-30lb two piece rod, which splits into two sections of about 4'. Few other rods of this class broke into this size - which we need for storage, car boot, etc. We now have two of these. For reels, I went for the Shimano TLD15 - a robust bit of kit, that should give many years of service. My son is less experienced with multipliers and he has the equally tough Shimano Charter Special 2000 - both at broadly similar price. Both reels have 30lb braid, which makes a huge difference with sensitivity and reduces the amount of weight needed. I bought from a local tackle shop, and got a healthy discount on listed prices by buying all together. Internet purchases might have saved a bit more. The kit I chose suits our needs, but yours might differ. There's a lot of advice available on older threads on here. Have a read, and if you can, try a few different models out before taking the plunge. Mike Edited June 4, 2007 by Mike Fox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnasher Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 i.e. a 10ft 6in one piece wouldn't suit. lucky for yuo, finding one of these is like looking for rocking horse $hit. Listen to lads advise, load up with braid. 30lb will cut the tide nicely, and the lack of strecth will give you great bite detection. Rods, you get great stuff at a decent price from fladen, but i find their reels lacking in balls. Loock at a TLD or something from Abu and you wont go far wrong. I think the others have contributed in leaders etc Good luck Dan p.s, speak to Coddy and see what you can get his conolon for. There great rods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 firstly Mike Fox's recomedations are simple, straight forward, and will do the job round our waters. They will handle downtiding brilliantly and cover for the odd wrecking trip where you are working lures etc Add a couple of light rods in the 12lb class for wrasse, bass, mullet etc as well as the lighter end of the wreck/lure scene and you have what you need............after that it's like shoes I seem to have 22 rods at the moment! However quality does show and I find myself ignoring otherwise competent gear when I find a rod I really like................don't set out looking for quantity. Finally I have a number of uptiders but simply don't use them that much in our waters.....the only shallow waters I fish have to much rocky stuff around to lay the line safely. Downtiding isn't just about dropping a big weight over the back of the boat..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newboy Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Not sure about uptider, if money is tight, go without one first and then see what happen. Stay away from the Penn International something (?) the big promote crap from last year. My mates bought a set each and they were really happy with it...... cos they get to send it back and got their money back . After 6 months use, the gold plated surface started to bubble up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 A good selection to chose from I agree with the principle to save money on rods and spend on the reels My Shimano's have been going years and even with two growing sons using them are going to go on for years yet. as are the ugly stick rods they both have. as for the uptider, if you are new to the sport a large fixed spool would make the casting [which is essential to uptiding] easier., Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reg Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Hi all Sorry to butt in on the lad's questionaire. But does anybody know where I can get new side plate's for an abu 9000 twospeed reel which has done me proud over the years. the side plates are starting to rot away my fault in a way as sometime's it didn't get washed or dryed properly. Reg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coddy Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Hi all Sorry to butt in on the lad's questionaire. But does anybody know where I can get new side plate's for an abu 9000 twospeed reel which has done me proud over the years. the side plates are starting to rot away my fault in a way as sometime's it didn't get washed or dryed properly. Reg Hi Reg Try Reel Care in Southampton, found them to be very good. Coddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHoy Posted June 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Hi all Sorry to butt in on the lad's questionaire. Reg That cheered me up Reg . I'm in the "old dog new tricks" phase and can't pass myself off as my sons older brother anymore, not until he gets some grey hair anyway Decided 27 years old was a good phase so mentally remaining there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul D Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 One of my favorite and most used rods is my 12-20lb Abu Conolon Pro - quite capable of wreck fishing with lures and equally at home fishing lighter for bream. A goopd allround rod and well made to boot. I have Shimano Charter Special and TLD reels as well as ABU 7000 and 6500 reels. The Shimano's give the impression of being sturdier than the ABU reels but I have yet to have a problem with either ( and I give them a hard time as well ! ). The ABU reels seem smoother than the Shimano's. I am happy with both though but a friend of mine managed to break my smaller ABU reel - so next time I went fishing I gave him my TLD20 which he would be hard pressed to break - it is like a winch ! Braid is a must IMHO - I started with mono and now fish exclusively with braid ( apart from bass floatfishing ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reg Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Glad to oblige Alan. The abu's take a bit of beating imho but I have allways gone for them and could be biased. Thanks for the info Coddy. will try them tomorow. Reg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHoy Posted June 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 Good relevant and concise advice, thanks. Based on the above and available "offers" I now have a couple of decent quality reels and rods to my name. I have also decided to go over to braid line so have some new knots to learn Don't expect any dramatic improvement in the catch rate yet - skill takes a bit more obtaining and the available time to practice. AHoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swainiac Posted June 17, 2007 Report Share Posted June 17, 2007 KNOTS!!!! Check out Bob F's animated knot thread on this site....its superb. Even muppets like me can tie 'em. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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