|
|
Posts: 29
| Looking for suggestions for a Rod Reel Combo that is somewhat reasonable priced. Did some pike fishing last summer (and had a blast) and decided I should pickup a couple of combos heavier and longer than my current stash of walleye gear for this season. Average fish caught last year weighed between 5-20lbs, would like it to handle 1/2 oz to 2 oz baits, primarily fishing with Rapalas, spinner baits, spoons, and Mepps (wish I could swallow the price of some Suick's) thinking something around 8 ft. would be preferable. It's something I'll probably have to order from Cabella's or other as our local sporting goods retailer sticks to basically just walleye gear! If I could, I'd like to keep it under a hundred bucks or so (I know, keep dreaming). Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks |
|
| |
|
Posts: 139
| Ganer rod $60 or so, Abu or shimano cardiff reel for $109. There may be cheaper but this will at least last many seasons longer than any of the lower priced junk. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1660
Location: central Wisconsin | Get a used Calcutta 400 for around $100 and a used rod. I have a 7'6" St Croix I will let go for $50. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| Best option would likely be to keep an eye on the buy/sell/trade forum here to get better quality gear that's lightly used rather than pay retail for lesser quality stuff. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| Thanks for the replies guys. |
|
| |
|
| Are you near a Gander Mountain store? Unless they've discontinued them, you can get a Guide Series Muskie rod for a reasonable price. I have two in the 15 - 30 lb. class. Worth every penny. You don't need anything bigger for pike. In fact I would start with 8 - 20 lb.er for those bad boys. Fifteen to thirty will handle most of your muskie needs--if you're modest. At least it will handle modest cranks and spinners. Jerk baits require a stiffer tip. Reels? The Abu Garcia 6500C3 or the Shimano Corvalus are there for under $100. The Shimano Cardif, a little over $100. The Abu Garcia Record is about $170. You'll get what you pay for but the Corvalus or the 6500C3 will crank them in if you hook up. Good luck. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 151
Location: West of the metro, MN | Abu reels are low maintenance, easy to clean/ lube, and had my C3 for over 5 years with a little work on it. So far it's tougher than the other new reels I've bought in that 0-$150 range. +1 on the gander rods for a budget |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| I have to admit that this is a bit of a leap of faith for me as I've fished with nothing but Spinning reels for the past 10+ years. going to a bait caster style has me lost! I had found a Abu Muskie combo package that was $130 which got me kind of optimistic however after reading some reviews on the reel I came to find that they were no so steller. package link below;
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Abu-Garcia174-BCXCabelas-Tourney-Tra...
Because I truly am a newbie and really have no idea what I want does anybody know of any rod/reel packages that would fit the bill? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1039
Location: North St. Paul, MN | I started out with a Quantum musky rod from fleet farm and a Garcia 6501 C3. That was 16 years ago. Still have the rod and use it often AND still have and use the reel a lot! Go with a C3 and a rod you feel comfortable with...that'll get you started.
If you're looking for Suicks, check the BST board here. They go up for sale every week, it seems. Plus, you will be getting them at 1/2 the retail price. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 909
| Tackle Industries rod and Shimano Cardiiff 400 reel! Nice set-up! Search ebay for the cardiff reel, I've seen them on there for $89.99 shipped in the past! James at TI will take great care of you on a rod! Awsome guy to deal with to say the least!
Brian  |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| Found two rods that seem to fit the bill, let me know your thoughts;
#1) Cabellas Fish Eagle 50 Casting Rod - 7ft - Fast - 3/8 to 2 1/4 oz - 12-25 lb line - one piece
#2) Cabellas Salt Striker Inshore Casting Rod - 7'9" - Medium Fast - 1-4 oz - 17-40 lb line - one piece
Both of these rods were reasonably priced and although I only own a couple "Cabella" brand rods, both have been very good. any thoughts? personally I'm leaning towards #2. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Muskie-Angler-Rod-and-Reel-Co...
check these out first, I've heard good things about these value wise. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| I hit my local Scheels store over lunch to see what they had. after snooping around for 1/2 hours or so I finally asked for some help. Told the guy I was looking for a 7'-8' casting rod - Medium fast to fast - to run a lure weight of 1-3 Ozs or so and setup for somewhere in the range of 15-30 lb line. You should have seen the look on his face, he turned to the guy next to him and that guys sent me over to the "Fishing Expert". The Fishing Expert managed to find me some 7'-8' rods, of course the first was a 6'6" spinning rod not rated for what I wanted, then he proceeded to hand me three rods rated for a maximum of a 1 oz lure and 10-20 lb line in which I knew were wrong the second he picked them off the shelf, then he looked at me and said "Let me check the back room", after 15 minutes waiting for him to return I gave up and left. Looks like I definitely have to order anything that resemble something you would catch a Muskie or Northern on! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 149
| tackle industries rod with an Abu reel. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2097
| You have really great advive here. I would buy one of the recommendations that has been listed. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| I don't doubt there is great advise here, any more specifics would be great. It appears the C3 is the way to go with a reel. How about the rod? There are numerous listed, is one substantially better, how about the bass pro combo listed? I honestly don't know squat. I see most of this stuff is going to run me $170-$230 per setup and I want two. I appreciate the advise. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 130
Location: Duluth, MN | gordonmann69 - 5/24/2013 3:50 PM
tackle industries rod with an Abu reel.
+1 |
|
| |
|
Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | You might want to expand your search to include heavy bass equipment. Most Flippin sticks are going to be great for pike and muskie, as long as you aren't throwing over 2-3 oz. At that weight you don't need a real high end reel either (although I'd spend my money on a reel over the rod, and I'm a rod snob). Bass Pro has some decent 7'6" to 8' heavy action bass rod/reel combos for not much more than $150. I believe Gander does too. Most are 15-30 pound line and 1/2 to 2 oz lures, perfect for spinners, spoons and stick baits. Cabela's combos come with decent to good reels, I cannot say anything about their rods (hint hint).
|
|
| |
|
| You shouldn't need two combos for the lures you previously mentioned. Start with one that is of reasonable quality. I would recommend a 400 Shimano Cardiff for the reel and a 7'6" TI rod. If you want a less expensive option I'd second the BPS Muskie Graphite Series rod. Purchasing new, these are the best options for your budget. While the price tags may seem high, the rods and reels mentioned by myself and others are the proper tools for the job and will hold up in the long run. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 39
| Depending on where you are a MH Scheels Musky series rod would not be bad, and you can't beat their lifetime warranty. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1023
| Basspro im6 7'6" flipping rod is a great pike rod. Around 30-40$ too and they r tough.
Pair that with a 5500 Abu or take a chance on a cheaper basspro reel. A 6500 is too big for this rod.
Like others said for pike and the lures u want to use, a flipping stick would be good. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 415
Location: MN | If you keep an eye on ebay you can usually find used C3s for $40-50. There's also the CL3 which IIRC was the same as the C3 just labeled slightly differently and sold at Walmart. The CL3 usually goes for a few bucks less than the C3. If you will ever need a bait clicker, get the 6500, and if not, the 5500 will do. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| Does Tackle Industries have a phone number. I couldn't locate on their web page but maybe I missed it. I was going to give them a call to place an order but I'd like to talk to someone for some advise since I'm a newbie and want to make sure I order the right rod. Planning to outfit it with the recommended Abu 6500 C3. any help?
Thanks |
|
| |
|
| Get the mh 9 ft telescopic, maybe trade the c3 for a shimano cardiff or used calcutta or curado |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2024
| http://www.tackleindustries.com/
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 897
| What's your budget? I didn't see it above. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 373
Location: Maine Township, MN | Tackle Industries Rod with an Abu C3. Not the best, but great value for the $$$. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| Don't necessary have a budget. Since I'm new to the sport persay, and moving to a bait casting type reel is a paradigm shift in what I've been using for years, I want to start with something that will last but not be a budget killer if I don't like it. $200-$300 is about as much as I want to spend on this first rod / reel combo (and that includes line!).
I'll be placing the order for a Tackle Industries Rod later today. for the reel I see the Cardiff is about the same price as the Abu Garcia. That said, which is the better reel? The Cardiff looks slightly more modern however I'm not after looks! |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| Nolan, I think the Curado and the Calcutta are going to cost more than I want to spend. It'll likely be the Cardiff or the C3 |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | SLE - 5/29/2013 7:18 AM
Nolan, I think the Curado and the Calcutta are going to cost more than I want to spend. It'll likely be the Cardiff or the C3
--
Personally I would go with the 9' TI XH rod rated 3-12 oz. Still a lot of whip in the tip to get those lighter baits out there. And I would also grab the Cardiff. Nothing wrong with the C3, but I have used a cardiff, and have friends who own rods paired with them and use them all the time. This entire set up would be $240. And that is saying you pay full price for everything |
|
| |
|
| SLE - 5/29/2013 7:18 AM
Nolan, I think the Curado and the Calcutta are going to cost more than I want to spend. It'll likely be the Cardiff or the C3
You can get a used one for about $100-150. But the Cardiff will suit you just fine. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 109
Location: Wisconsin River | Gander has guide series classic rods at $80 and bull dog rods (GSX)for $100. Either will serve you well. The GSX rods are available in more length and actions |
|
| |
|
Posts: 14
| I've heard awesome things about Okuma reels. A lot of people swear that they sell the best inexpensive reels you can buy. I have a spinning reel from them and it stood up to a few rough days in the salt as well as my Abus. You can check out their site and they divide the products by species. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| Thanks for the help everybody! I've been in contact with James from tackle industries over the past couple of days and he got me setup. I have on order an 8' XH rod, 5 Reg SuperD's, 2 Nokkens, 3 double #8 bucktails, 3 Super Cisco, and 3 Mini D's. Definitely looking forward to chasing some Esox with the right equipment this year! I also have a bunch of 1-2 oz spinner baits, some bucktail Meps, and of course the standard spoon collection ready to go. If I pick up a couple of suick's I should be in good shape for the season! Thanks again for the help and suggestions. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 29
| Just a final update and thank you. I ended up with a 7'6" TI XH rod and an Abu Garcia 5500 C3 spooled with 50lb power pro. I've stocked up on lures as mentioned in the above post along with numerous spinner baits ranging from .5 oz to 2 oz, Meps, Spoons, and a decent allotment of crank baits. I'm Looking forward to chasing some big Pike and will be trying my luck this weekend! The rod and reel appear very well made and should last many years. Thanks again for all of the advise and help. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 906
Location: Canada | I'm a big fan of Abu Garcia but would pick the Cardiff before buying a C3 |
|
| |
Rod / Reel Combo that wont Break The Bank