yes I know, I warned about that in the first post, but these other guys have understood and found a way to break through that to get me on a track of some sort.
need noob gear advise, forgot this forum was here lol
- Thread starter jason longboard
- Start date
Do you have any big fishes in CA besides sturgeon?
I have a couple of rigs that I use, mainly spinning rigs and casting rigs; none of them cost me more than $100 to set up brand-new, and they all work great. Generally, if you're going for big fish, e.g. stuff that weighs more than a couple of pounds, or using lures, then you're going to want a casting rig or even a conventional reel like what people use for saltwater fishing. You can use a spinning rig for the little stuff; they're not as useful for bigger fishes because they don't have a very good drag. Casting reels can take a little bit to master, especially the open-faced flat ones, but they're a breeze to use with a little bit of adjustment and some practice; I found that it's easier to start with a round casting reel and slowly adjust it & practice casting before taking it fishing.
For an example casting rig, you could get an Abu Garcia BCX 6600, a 6'6" Shakespeare Ugly Stik (Model CAL110266, Line Weight: 10-25), a spool of 20 lbs. test Cajun Line Red Cast monofilament, some bigger circle hooks, some weights, and some swivels for around $100 at your neighborhood Walmart (or some other store that sells fishing stuff). Such a rig would work great for bigger stuff like larger catfish and smaller sturgeon since it has plenty of drag, a decent gear ratio, and plenty of backbone to take the weight of the fish.
As far as brands go, I favor Abu Garcia when it comes the casting reels because their quality, durability, and prices can't be beat; their round reels (BCX, C-series, etc.) will last you for many years to come with very little maintenance and a little bit of spot cleaning. As for spinning, I personally like Okuma, but there are many other good brands out there, too, such as Quantum and Shimano. When it comes to rods, it's hard to beat a Shakespeare Ugly Stik for value; they're pretty good for their low price, and there's probably an Ugly Stik for any fishing situation and rig out there. One thing to keep in mind when buying rods is to get a casting rod for a casting reel, a spinning rod for a spinning reel, and so on; mismatching them results in poor casts and other issues.
I have a couple of rigs that I use, mainly spinning rigs and casting rigs; none of them cost me more than $100 to set up brand-new, and they all work great. Generally, if you're going for big fish, e.g. stuff that weighs more than a couple of pounds, or using lures, then you're going to want a casting rig or even a conventional reel like what people use for saltwater fishing. You can use a spinning rig for the little stuff; they're not as useful for bigger fishes because they don't have a very good drag. Casting reels can take a little bit to master, especially the open-faced flat ones, but they're a breeze to use with a little bit of adjustment and some practice; I found that it's easier to start with a round casting reel and slowly adjust it & practice casting before taking it fishing.
For an example casting rig, you could get an Abu Garcia BCX 6600, a 6'6" Shakespeare Ugly Stik (Model CAL110266, Line Weight: 10-25), a spool of 20 lbs. test Cajun Line Red Cast monofilament, some bigger circle hooks, some weights, and some swivels for around $100 at your neighborhood Walmart (or some other store that sells fishing stuff). Such a rig would work great for bigger stuff like larger catfish and smaller sturgeon since it has plenty of drag, a decent gear ratio, and plenty of backbone to take the weight of the fish.
As far as brands go, I favor Abu Garcia when it comes the casting reels because their quality, durability, and prices can't be beat; their round reels (BCX, C-series, etc.) will last you for many years to come with very little maintenance and a little bit of spot cleaning. As for spinning, I personally like Okuma, but there are many other good brands out there, too, such as Quantum and Shimano. When it comes to rods, it's hard to beat a Shakespeare Ugly Stik for value; they're pretty good for their low price, and there's probably an Ugly Stik for any fishing situation and rig out there. One thing to keep in mind when buying rods is to get a casting rod for a casting reel, a spinning rod for a spinning reel, and so on; mismatching them results in poor casts and other issues.
thank you so much for the info, and your time, my tax guy is a big fisherman and Im going to get some lessons from him today as well, and I spent some time with the guy a Dicks Sports yesterday and got some guidance too. Thank you for your advice, and the rest of you guys as well.
This has been a great start to research.
If you want to send me the info or pics I can pm my email. I might be interested. Thanks for the offer.
I use a medium-light setup for just about everything from little panfish to decent size catfish, but I generally use an ultra-light rod for bass and below on size
is that what you caught the severum with lol, nice av, for some reason my red sev is the only fish I lost in my tank. Think they are too sensitive or over-bred but thats for another forum.
*i would not recommend the ABU BCX to a beginner to fishing in general* - if you put in a lot of time figuring out baitcasters thats great, but the amount of backlashes you'll probably have off the bat will steer most people away.
As has already been mentioned ugly stiks are great and usually priced between 30 and 40 bucks and are near indestructible. If you're looking for a mid range reel that can do a little bit of everything look in to the flueger presidential series. usually run around $60 new, are good for both panfish and bass, but the larger models have the strength to pull in catfish as well
As has already been mentioned ugly stiks are great and usually priced between 30 and 40 bucks and are near indestructible. If you're looking for a mid range reel that can do a little bit of everything look in to the flueger presidential series. usually run around $60 new, are good for both panfish and bass, but the larger models have the strength to pull in catfish as well
He said he wanted to go for big stuff, so I provided a pretty good suggestion for big fishes. Sure, it's going to take a little bit of practice, but all he needs to do is follow one of the many beginner guides for baitcast reels that are out there, and he'll be good to go. I started with a baitcaster, and I did pretty well with it once I sat down and read a guide on how to use it. Of course then, I had a friend who bought one and just spooled it up & went fishing; he had a terrible time because he didn't take the whole five minutes that it takes to read how to use it properly. A lot of the trouble with baitcast reels lies in your line and your knots, too; some lines simply don't work well with baitcast reels although the Cajun Line that I suggested has worked well for me.
Another suggestion that I have for if he wants to try both spinning and casting (baitcast) is to get one of the Pinnacle reel combo packs that they have at Dick's; I was able to set up two good rigs for my parents' Christmas presents using that combo pack and the appropriate rod, line, and terminal tackle for around a $100 total as well. The spinning reel that comes with it is on the small side, but it's good for smaller fishes such as sunfish; the casting reel has a decent capacity and would work very well for bass and catfish. I did a few test casts for both rigs beforehand and was pleased with how they performed, so I would also recommend basing two rigs around that combo pack to get good value.
I'm an spinning guy on everything except catfish.
I mainly use Shimano reels such as Sahara, its about right in the middle of their most expensive reel and their cheapest reel.
Rods, I use several different ones, USA, St.Croix, Falcon and Fenwick.
For Bluegill, Crappie, Carp, trout, some bass fishing I use ultra light gear between 2 and 8lb test.
For Bass, Carp, Gar I use Medium/Medium Heavy between 10 and 20lb test.
For Catfish I use AbuGarcia reels between 60 - 100lb test braid with an extra heavy rod, usually a Musky rod, I'm not a fan of 15 foot rods on lakes, ponds, etc. and then having to run back 50 yards to set the hook. These Musky rods are 6'6" and do the job well.
These baitcaster have a bait clicker which is NICE. I usually fish with 6 setups at various depths and bait so it comes in handy.
If you have a good baitcaster, you can set it to where after you cast and if you forget to put your thumb on the spool to slow it down, it wont backlash on you. I see fishermen constantly picking their birds nest with their cheapo walmart rod/reel $50 combos. You get what you pay for.
I mainly use Shimano reels such as Sahara, its about right in the middle of their most expensive reel and their cheapest reel.
Rods, I use several different ones, USA, St.Croix, Falcon and Fenwick.
For Bluegill, Crappie, Carp, trout, some bass fishing I use ultra light gear between 2 and 8lb test.
For Bass, Carp, Gar I use Medium/Medium Heavy between 10 and 20lb test.
For Catfish I use AbuGarcia reels between 60 - 100lb test braid with an extra heavy rod, usually a Musky rod, I'm not a fan of 15 foot rods on lakes, ponds, etc. and then having to run back 50 yards to set the hook. These Musky rods are 6'6" and do the job well.
These baitcaster have a bait clicker which is NICE. I usually fish with 6 setups at various depths and bait so it comes in handy.
If you have a good baitcaster, you can set it to where after you cast and if you forget to put your thumb on the spool to slow it down, it wont backlash on you. I see fishermen constantly picking their birds nest with their cheapo walmart rod/reel $50 combos. You get what you pay for.
