Rod and Reel Advice

[altmizzle]

Hi everyone,

The only fishing I've ever done in this area has been with other people's equipment. We're heading to St. George Island in about a month and I was hoping to fish some from the shore. I have NO IDEA what kind of rod and reel I should get. Any advice?

Thanks,
Dave

[josejman]

Thats really gonna depend on a few things. Mainly on what you will be fishing for, if you are fishing bay or surf, and how much you want to spend. If you know already that you like to fish and plan on doing it on a regular basis I would recommend on spending some money and getting a decent set up that is gonna last you some time. You can get a quality set up for $120 ish to $250 plus. For bay fishing (trout, reds, flounder...) I really like something like the Shimano Stradic reels in the 2500 to 4000 size. If you want to go with something a bit less pricey the Shimano Symetry is also a good option. Quality rods can be found from about $80 on up. Then again, if you only fish once in a blue moon just go to Wally World and grab a cheaper combo. Good luck on your trip to St. George!

[FishWithChris]

Give us a budget.

Fishing from shore or a boat?

One time use for the time you're there or wanting to hold onto for a while? Will only be used in salt or for both Salt/Fresh?

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[Flint River Pirate]

Stratic 4000 on a 7 foot Falcon Coastal rod

[fishinfool]

Quantum Blu Pts 20 @ $80 and Quantum 7' MED BLU INSHORE SPIN ROD @ $70 should do the trick for Trout, Reds and Flounder in the bay. Surf?, now that is another story.
Tackle Direct has the Blu Pts30 in stock on sale at $50

[onefishtwofish]

At a lower price point, I have Shimano Sahara in the 3000 and 4000 sizes. Have 4 of them. They have worked out very well and the price is awful hard to beat. Find a rod that matches it, but you should be able to get rod and reel for under 200 (for trouts, red, flounder). Whatever you get, make sure you hold one in your hands first and mate it to the rod you chose.

[altmizzle]

Thanks for the feedback so far. The budget is about what josejman suggested, $125 - $200. Trout and redfish would be the quarry of choice, but also wouldn't mind having something flexible enough to change it up every now and then. I have some freshwater tackle already, so right now I'm just in the market for saltwater equipment.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

WALLY MART HAD A SALE ON THIS WEEK FOR A RED BONE ROD WITH A ABU GARCIA CASTING REEL, THE ROD WAS 6 1/2FT AND THE REEL WAS A 6000, I HAVE 4 OF THESE AND THEY HAVE WORKED PERFECTLY FOR MANY, MANY YEARS WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS, THE SALE ON THE COMBO WAS $75, YOU CAN NOT BEAT THAT WITH A STICK. I THINK I SPENT $79 FOR JUST THE 6000 REEL SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
PA
SEMPER FI

[gatoremt]

I use my trusty Ol freshwater baitcasters. I have 2 Cabelas models and an old Mitchel. I use Medium Hvy rods and have spiderwire on them now. I have not had any issues so far. I just wash them off really good when I get back.

[castnetaholic]

TAKE THIS ADVICE! Get a gold Penn spinning reel and set it up with 30lb power pro. I may be bias because all I own are Penns, I have never had one let me down. If you do decide to go with penn then get an older one from an individual (the older ones are made in USA,new ones are junk made in China), you should be able to pick one up on craigslist for around $50. My go to rod is a 4500 Penn SS it will handle virtually anything inshore, it is also 20+ years old my Grandpa left it to me. The quality of the older Penns in my opinion is a true testament to American Craftsmanship at it's finest. If you take care of it, it will last a lifetime and you will pass it down to your grand kids. And no I don't work for penn, good luck.

[ontiltttttt]

Penn fan here as well. Go grab a Penn Battle 4000 Combo at Sams Club for $100 or Bass Pro/Dicks/Academy for ~$120. It'll last you forever (if you take care of it) and I've caught everything from redfish in the surf to cobia offshore. The rod isn't too bad as well.

Good luck!

[kikstand454]

Dicks sporting goods has an insane sale going on right now. Go there and get a rig. Heck.... get two.

I went and got a $130 rod for 67$.

Grab any 7' mh rod and a good reel. You're set.

~~Dave

[redcodefsu]

That Dick's sale is for real? I went their during lunch and didn't understand the signs.

[Salty Gator]

If you end up w spinning tackle, spool it with 10lb braid ( 20 tops) if you plan on catching reds and trout. I've landed bull reds to 40" and keeper cobia on 10# power pro and it casts a mile. Thirty lb braid wont get you nearly the distance that a lighter line will. Some put heavier line on bait casters, but I can't speak on that. 30# is more appropriate for your cobia/ tarpon rig ( a little light for me tho, but a buddy landed a 75 # cobia on 30#pp last month). Good luck, you have a lot of info, now you get to choose who's to follow. FYI fishin fool does the repairs on all my ( and a bunch of others on this forum) reels, so you can be assured he has seen the insides on all of the reels mentioned more than most. I'm also w fishin fool on the idea of a med, not med heavy rod for the species you plan to target. Hope this helps

[kikstand454]

That Dick's sale is for real? I went their during lunch and didn't understand the signs.

Lol yes, its for real.

I went back today and bought all the Abu Garcia veritas rods they had left because- get this- they had them half off the 25% price. So I got them for $35 a piece. Yes. I did.

Regular price for the four rods I got is roughly 3x$99+ $130= $430 bucks. I got them for $160 out the door.


~~Dave