choosing a rod/reel to use?

[rancocasrich]

Folks, The forum has been hugely helpful in educating me about fishing in western WA. I have the chance to fish here both in the rivers and on jettys. I am always either borrowing tackle or bringing it with me on the plane. Bringing it on the plane has become a total pain and costly. I want to buy a rod/reel combo and leave it here at my daughter's house to use when I come out. I want to have a rig that I can use perhaps both on the rivers and on the jettys. I am thinking maybe a 8' rod, medium wt. rating and 15# line. What do you think? Is this a sensible plan? As usual, your opinions are appreciated. Thanks.

[physher92]

That sounds like a great choice to me. I have an 8' 6" medium rod and I use it in the rivers for salmon as well as out on the Saltwater for bottomfish too and it works great. What kind of fish do you fish for in the saltwater though? Also, I would add that if your going to be fishing from jetty's I would recommend I spinning reel as you will probably be able to cast it easier as well as farther.

[rancocasrich]

physher, thanks for the speedy reply. What weight line do you recommend? In salt water, I would be either jetty fishing or maybe from surf. I do realize thaat an 8'6" rod isn't best for surf. Thanks

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

It all really depends on your budget and the type of fish/fishing you are after.

I've got cheapo K-mart rods, up to Loomis rods that cost several hundred bucks, in my arsenal of 30+ rods.

In my opinion, the most versatile and useful rod I have is a 7-foot medium action Ugly Stik spinning rod. It's not ideal for steelhead fishing (too short and not sensitive enough), but it has caught hundreds of fish from jetties, riverbanks, lakes, saltwater docks and shoreline, etc. Virtually unbreakable and cost is about 30 bucks.

If that model does not suit you, any 8'6" medium action rod is a good alternative choice. Dozens of models/brands on the market.

[rancocasrich]

shad, thanks. You give me some things to consider. I can not make a real investment on this combo. I want to be at around $100.00. I am likely shopping at Walmart. What pound test line do you recommend?

Are there tackle stores near Aberdeen/Hoquiem other than Walmart for this purchase?

[big fish lite line]

you can buy a pretty nice combo for less than 100$ this is what I would get
reel: I think shimano makes the nicest affordable reels they have a great drag that you would definatly need in the river. I would recommend the sedona(50$) or the synocopate(30$) I own both.

line: for pier and jetty fishing I would definatly say 20lb braid such as power pro because you can set the hook better on those really long casts and more importantly it does not catch the wind/current nearly as much due to its small diameter. the draw back with braid is that you sometimes need to use a mono leader for spooky/toothy fish or rocks(14$). if thats not your style normal 15lb would work

rod: you would need something stiff enough to horse that dogfish or lingcod away from rocks yet limber enough to not tear the hook out of a salmons mouth.
maybe an 8ft spinning rod

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

If you go with an 8'6" rod, Joes has the Berkley Buzz Ramsey Air IM7 rod on sale for $39 (after a $20 rebate). This is a very popular rod. Joes also puts the Okuma Celilo rod on sale for about $39 every few weeks.

If you want the Ugly Stik, Sports Authority, Walmart, Joes carry it.

For line, most of my reels are spooled with 12 lb test. This usually covers me for most river and saltwater fishing. I have a few with 6-8 lb test for trout/bass fishing in lakes, and a few reels with 15-20lb test for heavy saltwater use. But the 12-lb test is the best compromise, in my opinion.

For $100, you can get a very nice setup.

[A9]

IF you are casting frequently: Go spinning.
If you are planning on doing a lot of downrigger or going for bigger fish (Kings, bigger bottomfish) then a levelwind reel is in need.

If you are pretty much on the shore, casting off the shore for salmon, bottomfish, then ShadEatingGrin is right. UglyStiks just won't break, and for $40, you are guaranteed a lot more years out of it b/c of its indestructability. I like Shimano reels, they have a handful of models under $70, some down in the $40-60 range, just make sure you wash em off goooood after each saltwater use.

[big fish lite line]

I forgot to mention that make SURE TO RINSE YOUR REEL AND ROD OFF

[rancocasrich]

Where is Joe's ?

[steelyworm]

Yup If you can find a Berkley Buzz Ramsey on sale grab it up. It is easily the best rod on the market under $100. If you are at Joe's there are often Okuma Avengers or Garcia Cardinals on sale for under $30. That is a solid setup for CHEAP. My primary river rod is a 9'6" Buzz Ramsey.Caught ALOT of steelhead in the last couple of years with floats and steelyworms with that rod.

[gian]

For a 100 dollar investment I would buy 2 rod/ reel combos. One medium/ light action for rivers and lakes, and one medium setup for saltwater. Run lighter line on your freshwater rig, and heavier on your saltwater. That way you have all your bases covered and don't have to re-spool every time you change location. I have 3 primary setups. I use 15lb braided line for lake trolling with a medium action rod, 12lb mono on a medium rod for bass/ casting, and 6lb mono on a light action rod for upper river trout/ streams. All rods are 6.5 to 7 ft long. My saltwater rig has been retired, but it was an 8ft medium heavy rod, running 30lb test. I did a lot of tuna . My point I guess is you can get a decent spinning combo for around $50 from Joes ( in Issaquah ) or even fred meyers. All major suppliers have combos in that price range, shakespear, berkely, okuma, daiwa etc. And for the amount of use it sounds like they will be getting, I would focus more on the right action of the rod, rather than the name. In that price point most of the features are the same, the only difference is the color or maybe how many ball bearings are in the reel.

You can get a medium light combo, 5-6 1/2 ft long rod from 20-30$
6-12lb test from 6-8$
Medium or medium heavy salwater combo for 50$
15-20lb test from 6-8$ or braid for around 12.

I spend a lot of time in sporting good stores. I need a life

I also used to keep a can of wd40 with my saltwater setup, keeps the saltwater at bay and was a good attractant down in Mexico, but i'm not sure how the fish up here would react.