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| I want to upgrade my sucker setups.. whats the best rod/reel/harness you guys have used? |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | My all-time favorite is the St. Croix Classic Cat, 7'6" Heavy with an Avet SX. The bait runner option on that reel is made for sucker fishing. My harnesses I usually make myself but I'm always trying new brands and experimenting. Shumway's or Stealth's are good for starters. |
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Posts: 682
Location: Sycamore, IL | What's the "bait runner" option do? |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | It's a brake and drag all in one. Rather than a free spool button, you have a lever. All the way back is free spool (cast) all the way forward is full drag. It can be set at any point in between as well. So for example you can set at 2-3 lbs of drag for dragging sucker, or more if you're moving quick or you have a particularly fiesty sucker, when it gets eaten you just flip the lever forward to full drag and hit it, then pull the lever back to 12-15 lbs to fight the fish.
No messing around with a star drag and no engaging and disengaging the reel before you set the hook. |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | I have a 7'6" Bass Pro Cat Maxx rod that has nice beef to it as well as a TI 8' Live bait/trolling rod that works well too. I have an Okuma and Gander Mountain line clickers on them that work fine.
That reel that Flambeauski was talking about sounds pretty cool. That's the only issue with my reels - sometimes an overly lively sucker can take line out even with the clicker on and spool tension turned all the way up. Sometimes I have to engage the reel and back the drag way way off to hold the sucker. When a fish hits, I need to then freespool, tighten the drag down, engage the reel, and set the hook.
The Gander reel usually holds them. The Okuma Magda doesn't always. I've heard the Okuma Convectors have stronger clickers. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I'd vote for the Musky Innovations 9' trolling/live bait rod paired with a Okuma Convector 20 line counter... 130 lb tuff line xp.
for sucker rigs i make my own... |
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