Begginer Tackle Help!

[chopper]

G'day

im a regular fisher, but i have lots to learn.

I have got 2 rods, and they are unbalanced. for example i got a 6 foot rod, with some ryobi 25 dollar reel, and its got 15 lb line on it, whichis fluro green.

now im suggesting, this set up is not very smart for fishing in Estuaries.
the fish i get are mostly, Bream, Flathead, Whiting, leather jacket, and Trevally.

Now, i want to limit my cost too < $100.

Can someone please tell me what sort of rod and size rod, with a good reel i should get please. im going to buy Fireline line.

Whats the big difference in choosing reels, what is the advantages and disadvantages?

How many lb line should i use?

Also, ive seen a 31 dollar rod at Big W, which is supposbly made by Shimano, which is engineered for Bream Catching, and it has a very very light tip, is this a good way to go?

Let me know guys, from what rod size, reel, and line size and brand i should get for somehting < $100.

Thanks

[DAGGA]

Well it sounds like you use Bait???
and about 6,6 is a ok sized rod.
i just got 4lb fireline in flame today and thats what evry one else uses.
and a leader of about 4lb-8lb
ether mono or some of the other clearer lines i use Berkly Vanish
in 6lb.
As for reel i carnt help u much there cos i need to get one myself but have a look on the online store for reels to get a rough idea and u can get some cheap reels around $65 up.
it sounds like u wont need another rod cos 6 foot isnt too shaby some might say go a bit longer but it dosnt Really matter too much.
And this is for Lures not bait by the way

[torvic]

Howdy and welcome to BM

Theres a heap of info on what breaming gear to get around the forums, check out the rods/reels forums and that'l keep u busy for a few months ;)

Anyways, to be honest I dont think you could get any decent outfit for less than $100, or anything that'l you be happy with anyway. If your going to have to buy the reel as well you'l be left with around $50 which really wont be enough for a decent rod IMO. Dont get me wrong, there could be a suitable combo but I reckon after a short time you'l be looking to upgrade already heh.

For a rod, look for a light graphite composite 2-4kg spin rod with a relatively short grip - long grips wil get in the way when ur out there flicking about for a few hours. Cork grips just look cool (and makes u look more pro ;) ) but its not that important, although I reckon it lets u feel little bumps and touches easier those normal rubber ones or whatever material they are :rolleyes:

The rod should have some reasonable stopping power, get the shop guy to load it up and it should be relatively strong up 2/3rds of the way up (have a look and feel of the Steve Starling Squidgy/Stella Spin to see what I mean).

That said, I reckon the Squidgy/Stella rods are an awesome entry level rod. I have the stella and its pretty nice, abit soft but u can really kinda whip jigheads around with it without being tooooo weak. :p

For a reel, check out the Okuma Av15 I think it is. Nice lil reel and s also great value. Spool up with some 4lb fireline (flame green colour helps when watching ur line). But basically look for a reel with a good drag and spools up nicely so u wont be spending valuable fishin time fixing up birds nests ! Keep em relatively small as the heavier/larger reels wont balance with ur light rod and can get in the way when casting all day.

I also think u should invest in some light leader (maybe 6 or 8 lb) if u dont have any atm but that can come in later. Anyways, this is just my opinion of a decent breaming outfit, theres plenty of choices out there. I realise it might cost alot more than $100 but I really do think the gear less than that will make u end up looking for an upgrade really quick...so might aswell start with something decent?

Heh hope this helps, anyway, time for pizza!



:D

[DAGGA]

Clearly Torvic hasnt got a clue what his talkin about just kiddin his pretty much spot on the mark but i know what its like if u have a certain budget so ill just say these r the most importent things in my opinion 4lb Fireline a reel that fits into ur budget but is still a decent and the rod can come later if u want cos basically the rod that u have now should do the job unil u save anough to get a good one.
Oh and a leader dosnt really have to be a exspensif one just as long as u have one and its around 4lb-9lb u choos what u feel comfortable with but most guys here would get one about 6lb and some of the daring ones would go down to 4lb and that depends on wether there is alot of structure where u fish because u wouldnt really want to be rubbing 4lb mono up against a rock while u have a monster bream on ur line.

[dacobra]

Hey Chopper,

Are you land based or fishing from a boat?

[chopper]

dacobra

i only fish on land.

------

To the rest of you guys, thanks alot for the Helpful information, it has really given me a brighter idea.


i went fishing today, and was using 4 lb line that came on a $10 reel. and out of 10 times, maybe every 3 cast would get the line tangled, and it was really annoying me.

Once again, thanks for all the info guys.

[bubble]

Chopper,
Get hold of a Mitchell 308X Reel and a Surecatch ML601SP Rod and you have the beginnings of a great little Bream combo. Spool it with some 6-8lb mono backing, 4lb Fireline and use the 6-8lb mono as a leader. I have fished both the GC and Bundi rounds of the Bream Comp's with this combo and managed to pull some good fish. I have a number of more expensive (very) combo's and keep coming back to this one. The whole lot should not cost more than about $120. Look out for Firleine on special at the likes of Big-W. and if neccesary buy the smoke colour, it may be cheaper.

Good luck and don't forget to get some jig-heads and some SP's.

Bubble.

[dacobra]

Chopper,

Since you are land-based and you have a 6' rod, why not use
that but ditch the reel that's on it and buy the Mitchell reel and
spool it as recommended by Bubble.

After some trial and error you might find your satisfied - if not
you can upgrade later. There are plenty of budget rods around
that will perform OK.

Good fishing.

[chopper]

thanks for the info guys, but i dont understand a few things.

what do you mean by a leader line and backing line?

What is a SP?
Also how do the Reel Gear Ratios Work exactly? whats a ratio of 5.5:1 mean?

Thanks

[torvic]

:)

1. A leader line is a length of mono or special leader (different material) line that you would attach onto the end of fireline/mono (ur main line). You do this because if ur using fireline it isnt clear and can be quite visible under water, and also this leader line is usually stronger and more abrasive resistance, as it has to be able to cope with tougher conditions down there in the business ends - like the line rubbing along the ground or oysters or pylons if a fish takes u to funny places.

2. a SP is short for those soft plastic lures, like those atomic grubs etc. Tasty looking lil buggers these things are

3. Gear ratios simply give u the ratio of how many times the bail arm wraps the line back on the spool to one revolution of the handle. Like 5.5:1 means turn the handle once, the bail arm should complete 5 and a half loops around the spool

Hrmm, hope that makes sense

[torvic]

Forgot abt backing line. Okay a normal spool of 125 yards of fireline usually isnt enough to fill a whole spool on yer reel, so u use backing to compensate. This means when u first spool up ur line, u spool on maybe a 3rd of ur spool with normal mono, then tie on ur fireline and top up the rest of the spool with this.

Another reason is because fireline may not grip onto the spool and the whole thing just may keep slipping, whilst backing line of normal mono definately will grip

[dacobra]

Chopper,

For lots more help go to

http://www.fishraider.com/

click on ARTICLES and then read soft plastics fishing 1 2 and 3


Cheers.

[Kush]

Buy cheap buy twice!

If you honestly think your going to get into this then think about getting something your not going to want to replace in 6 months.

Stella/Squidgy rods are a nice entry level rod and I would throw a Shimano Aernos 2000 on it. I use one as a spare and its a great reel and well priced ($90)

I agree with everything these guys have said about Fireline, nuff said.

[bigred]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Shimano "Rex Hunt" matched outfits that are sold at K-mart and Big W stores.

They have decent six foot outfits, with both egg-beater and baitcaster set ups for under $100 bucks!

They are perfectly good rods when you are starting out no worries! To be honest, I used to be as stingy as hell with my hard ware and I have used two of these shimano set ups for years until they finally broke, and I'll tell you that I caught a whole heap of fish on them!

They are a perfect place to start, and I will be presenting one to a couple of my young nephews this christmas.

Chopper, if either of your current rods are any good and you are happy to keep using them, then I would recommend the Shimano aernos Oceania 2000 reel to match up with it. Under $100 dollars and are very good value reels. I have a couple myself and I think they are fantstic value. They are sold pretty much everywhere.

With leaders and stuff, do some reading, pick up information on knots etc...buy a knot book and worry about that side of things when you want to. Fireline is good, especially for lures as it has no stretch and telegraphs every movement to the rod/lure instantaneously. If you are bait fishing, stick to the mono stuff. Cheaper, easier and less hassle than fireline.

Remember, you dont need to spend a thousand dollars on your gear. Spend as much or as little as you deem adequate. A lot of the punters here dream about spending heaps on high priced rods & reels because they are at the pinacle of engineering in the industry, but lets face it, if any of us wanted to, we could go and catch a fish on a five dollar junior rod off a pier tomorrow.

[torvic]

Hey Bigred

Just curious, are you fishing bait or lures with those Rex Hunt combos??

Those combos to me, for bream spinning with plastics and hardbodies are utter rubbish, not so much the reel but the rod itself! Its fibreglass and floppy as, I brought my friend along breaming once and he had a Rex Hunt combo and it was hopeless. Loaded up it and it was a perfect parabola. Tried jigging with it, and the sloppy tip made it impossible as there was no way you could jig it in one direction without the 'twisting' if u know what I mean.

Don't even know if that thing is stiff enough to set the hook when bait fishing...IMO you really need something like the Steve Starling entry level spin rods to get started with breaming

:D

[bigred]

I disagree! The rods are nothing special, dont get me wrong, but they are a decent entry level standard.

I fished bait and sp's and have caught fish with both. (dont know how many were missed though!)

At entry level, and under $100, you have to give them credit for filling a spot in the market.

Even caught a thirty kilo ray off the Rosebud pier once with the rexie 6foot spin combo!

I have upgraded numerous times since, but for a kid starting out, perfect.

[torvic]

Yeah but the fact that your going to want to upgrade very soon defeats the whole purpose of saving money on a 'cheap' combo :)

Ah well, each to their own!! :D

Your right about having its place tho, perfect for lil kiddies to start off with :cool:

[8footugly]

Chopper,

Dont get discouraged by the "pros" who litterally have months and months of Breaming experience :rolleyes:

Your questions are valid. Mate have you tried looking at Cash Converters or a hock shop for a decent second hand rod or reel? You've got a great chance of finding something suitable for a discounted price and with the savings you could pick up some decent Fireline and leader, some jigs and a few plastics with the cash left over.

That'll get you started and remember, the cheaper outfits may not have the "pro's" approval, but you've got just as much chance of catching some bream as the expensive outfits when starting out.

And it doesnt have to be a month or 2 before you have to upgrade. Take your time and the important thing is if the gear you eventually choose helps you learn, and you start getting some results...stick with it until you are ready to upgrade. There are no rules or must dos.

[bigred]

My sentiments exactly 8footugly..

You dont have to start with a three hundred dollar combo!

Bigred and 8foot, that's is the most sensible advice Iv ever seen anyone here give a newbie, well done guys:)

Cheers Samurai

[BoofHed]

bigred


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Edit | Quote | Report I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Shimano "Rex Hunt" matched outfits that are sold at K-mart and Big W stores.

They have decent six foot outfits, with both egg-beater and baitcaster set ups for under $100 bucks!


I agree with you bigred there has to be a lot of yong ppls wanting to catch a bream and let it go just like the big boys on BM but the price we talk about is to much. I reckon someone with a lot of experiance with sps and lures should go to K-mart or big-w and sort out a rod, reel and line sutable for breaming as a starter as cheep as possable and post it up here then they mite have enough money left for the sps etc on line.
make sure they can reed it and write the make and model down and go to the store and pick it up from some one in the store that nows nothing about fishing.
At least this would get them started, and as they learn they can update.
Bruce