Advice: Light rod & reel? 1-3kg/1500-2000

[wint0nlc]

I've been really getting into fishing of late, i thoroughly enjoy going to stores. But once i get there i start to get real confused as to what i actually came there for. I think its a culmination of all the possibilities that are out there and also all the little goodies that are available to purchase. I always seem to come out with the wrong things in my hands!

So i do realise this topic has been brought up before and i have done a little bit of research on my own behalf and i have narrowed it down to what specifications i prefer but being a novice i am not quite sure which brand/model to get.

What i really would like is a 1-3kg 1 piece rod and a 1500 - 2000 size reel. Some rod and reel that will match each other quite well

As obvious as it may be, id like to use this rod/reel combo for learning how to use small HBs and SPs. I have some 3lb fireline i'll use with it.

A few questions if they could be answered. I am thinking the difference between a split but rod and just a standard one? i do like the idea of a split butt rod they do look like they would be suitable for this application? and i currently have a graphite rod for my BC setup, should i also be looking for a graphite rod for my spinning application?

I am really just looking for something which is going to give me a bit of fun with the fight feeling like im battling a titan when really i have only hooked up a little one. That's all im capable of enticing with my skills at the moment lol

As a guide i am looking at about the $300 for both rod and reel, see if you could shed some light on whether it would better spending more on reel or on the rod or vice versa. Sorry for the long post i am just full of questions.

Thanks in advance i really do wish to get this sorted out and get a line in the water

[Terry H]

Perhaps look at 1000-1500 size reels for a rod that light.

In my opinion you're better off spending more on a reel than a rod.

If you dont mind buying online, maybe check out a daiwa sol 1500 off ebay.

Split butt vs "normal" no difference really, might find the split butt is a bit lighter, but other than that its just personal preference and a "look cool" feature.

Can't think of any rods right now, sorry:(

[wint0nlc]

Thanks terry see i wasn't even too sure if that size reel would be suited to what i want, but i know they are sort of small ones. I'd like to maybe go and touch a Sol 1500, is there a stockist on the coast? id prefer maybe buying it from a shop just for the convenience factor. But yeah i hear that from ebay and Japan are a bit cheaper but what kind of savings are we really talking here?

[Tim a]

Terry, just wondering where your finding this 1500 sol?

Have never seen one before... ahah.

[Terry H]

mmmmmmm

ok maybe the 2000 then:P

Or a 1000 FI Shimano Stradic.

$150 + postage (US) from ebay.

[faulked]

ask in the tackle shops for a deal on a rod real combo youll get beter value for money that way

i picked up a shimano xts plus siena real for 99 bucks for a bream combo its brilliant

[Feral]

I use a tiny little reel on my 1-4lb rod, its a 15 series, holds about 75m of 6lb braid.

Its sure is fun, and extremely light. Hard on the elbows though when you get into lots of big fish! (I got tennis elbow catching Bass with it!)

[Terry H]

wint0nlc wrote:

Thanks terry see i wasn't even too sure if that size reel would be suited to what i want, but i know they are sort of small ones. I'd like to maybe go and touch a Sol 1500, is there a stockist on the coast? id prefer maybe buying it from a shop just for the convenience factor. But yeah i hear that from ebay and Japan are a bit cheaper but what kind of savings are we really talking here?

Sorry mate, I missed this post.

If you like sols over stradics, probably best picking a sol online. If you dont mind a stradic, which imo is not a bad reel, I have a 2500 loaded with 8lbs for my heavier spinning applications.

If you prefer to keep to stores within Australia, a good source is motackle located in coffs harbour. www.motackle.com.au for online shopping.

Motackle sells stradics for $189. They had a bit of a price drop a few months ago so are a bit chaeper than what they use to be.

As for rods, some I can think of for the amoutn you have left are strudwick sicstick pro, wilson live fibre trophy, I think pfleuger might have one that light as well,

otherwise you'll be looking at a 4-6kg rod.

With regards to combos, generally speaking they are cheap and nasty products

Edit: Sorry, as tim mentioned above theres no 1500 sol - it'd be a 2000 sol you're after. Both Daiwa Sol, and Shimano Stradic will be in any remotely serious tackle store.

[MichaelJ]

berkley dropshot rods are pretty good value for money as they only cost like $80 at bcf i think

for reals just stick with a shimano or daiwa as all of there reels are of good quality just a matter of picking which one u wana get

also pflueger have a the trion spinning reel which is great value again as it only costs around $80, ive had my trion for about a year and a half and i havnt had any problems with it

[username_taken]

I've been really impressed by the rod I won at the AFO winter camp. It's an Anaconda Mojiko. Has a nice whippy action and feels really sweet. Pulled in a few decent flatties and some decent Bass on it.

I've currently got a 2500 reel on it, but will probably get a 1500 sol or advantage for it soon.

[Shrimpo]

The Trion Spinning's i've seen for as low as $60

[wint0nlc]

TerryH - Yes i had a look on ebay and i do like the look of the sol 2000, and i have heard them talked about alot on this forum so that is my first choice at the moment. but may this be over kill, too big, for what i want or perfect?

Faulked - I've sort of disliked the idea of just going and picking up a combo, i would prefer to bring a rod and reel together. This will give me a bit more experience with choosing my own combo and i will be able to try out different brands which will help me in the future.

Feral - i do have a tiny little 25 series pflueger president that i picked up from anaconda last week, when i was talking about going into stores and coming out with stuff i didnt want. But i think this is not going last as when i brought it i didn't know it was for ment for freshwater, this is really why i am looking for another reel because i don't know how long it will last.

My reel i got last week
/>http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/products/products.php?p=12

TerryH - Thanks for more of your input and the website. The price i said i'd like to stay inside is for this weekend, if i spread it out over this week and next week i should have the same amount to spend again, i really don't want to pick up a good reel then have to get a shit rod. I've heard of pfluegers spinning model rod 1-3kg trion 1piece retailing for about $100. I have a 2-4kg pflueger president for my BC and i like that. Shaunl had a 1-3kg trion for sale a week back, i tried to get it but he was in brissy. argh

Whatnow - I think i will go with the daiwa sol 2000. And yeah i've heard alot about the berkely dropshot especially when people are talking light tackle and lure aplications. I will go have a look at one today at BCF. Whilst im there ill have a look at your reel too.

Thanks for the help keep it coming, im going to try BFC today with a list of what to look for so i don't get confused :silly: Ill post on how i went tonight. Cheers

[wint0nlc]

Username_taken - I have read that you won that rod and were liking it, off your advice in another post last week i headed into anaconda but i couldn't find one? only ones for bait casting reels? am i blind or maybe they didnt have any? this was toward the end of the anaconda rod clearance...

[bretto]

If you did want to go with a 1500 daiwa advantage reel. It is cheaper and is of a similar quality to the Sol. You can get them on the US ebay site for cheap as.

[Terry H]

mate, if you wait another week, I'd recommend picking up a JDM (japanese domestic model) Shimano Twinpower 1000. Not sure if these are readily in stores yet (here in Aus). I think I saw one in motackle for $370, you can probably pick one up for $250 + postage on ebay. I have one and think its awesome, I use it for 4lbs applications, and has caught me up to 72cm snapper so far :laugh:

Have a look at the sol 2000 and stradic 1000, I think Daiwas 2000 is a bit smaller than a Shimano 2000 so you should be right with either size

The rod I have for UL applications is a very whippy 2-6lbs G-Loomis IMX, certainly not within your budget if you buy it from a retail store but if you want a quality loomis and dont mind waiting a couple of weeks, then I'd recommend contact Lee (pcsolutionman) to see if he can build one for you. Depending on components you choose he could probably whip a very nice rod up for pretty cheap.

You get what you pay for, which is why I have recommended things that just about max your budget, instead of cheaper items.

I used to use $70 rods and $90 reels, but then got the s**ts a few times and decided to buy a decent quality rod and reel. I can abuse my gear and it still works. My gear receives an absolute pounding - to which I'm sure Lee can confirm :laugh: - and still works smoothly. The cheaper stuff never handled even half of the abuse my gear now has taken without locking up and needing frequent servicing. Again, you get what you pay for.

[wint0nlc]

TerryH - Yeah i agree with you, im not a fan of purchasing really cheap gear. whilst saying that, i dont think im ready for a custom rod yet tho i like the sound of it! I'll have to keep Lee in mind in a few months when i plan to upgrade.

From what you've helped me with so far im leaning towards the sol 2000, but still up in the air about a rod... is there any way once im in the shop of telling which one feels the best for me? are there any tips that may help me with this

[Terry H]

I usually pick up a rod first then:

1. Feel its weight

2. give it a flick to see how whippy/stiff it is

3. get someone (if you're in a store get a sales assistant) to load it up (with you holding it)

What are you going to be using it for? I think the general consensus is that whippy = good for plastics, stiffer = good for hard bodies

[wint0nlc]

So basically im just looking for something that feels right to me, and has a bit of power in the butt when loaded up. I think i want to use it for a bit of both HB and SP as i haven't yet caught a fish on lures, nor got a hit, i dont know which type i prefer as of yet. If i had to choose now id say i would prefer to get familiar with hard bodies as they look like a lot of fun. Not that Soft plastics dont, but ive already got a little collection of hard bodies so maybe a bit stiffer rod may be the go for now.

yeah im going to a few stores now then on an adventure to find some fishies. Maybe down to brunswick heads.

[MichaelJ]

i dont think the pflueger trion rods come in the 1-3kg but they might also atm i use a pflueger trion rod 2-4kg and a sol 2500 and they are great together some people dont like to use 2500 size reels for bream and casting lures for long periods of time but i find it fine

when you go to buy the rod and reel if your still not sure of which rod to get if u go to tackleworld they normally have good service and will help u make the decision

also now that youl have a good combo i suggest buying a proper braid like platypus super braid, it may seem similair to fireline but its much better

[wint0nlc]

Whatnow - Yeah i got some good help last time i brought a rod from tackleworld as mentioned before a picked up a pflueger president 2-4kg 6"4 rod for around $200, its a quite nice stiff little one i use it was an old shimano cardif which is fun to use but i just cant get the distance when the lighter lures which is why im looking to get this set up. I really do want to get a 1-3kg rod and not anything heavier as i mentioned before i rarely catch anything of legal size lol so i want to feel like i am fighting beasts when ever i hook up.

I'll be back on this afternoon, hopefully with a rod and some fish photos

[namyau]

hey mate welcome to the site. my suggestion on reel of those sizes would be shimon 08 twinpower, 08 biomaster, Daiwa luvias 2004(finesse model not year of make), Daiwa infeet 2004 and best places to order from would either be www.bass.jp or www.plat.co.jp or ebay usa if you can find the new models on there. as for rod deff consider the berkley dropshots as someone else mentioned. at the end of the day it all comes down to your budget and your taste. hope you find what you want

andy

[wint0nlc]

Hey guys i just got back from a little expedition to Brunswick Heads.

The sun was beautiful and the day equally as splendid.

My little trip produced fair amount of little bream, totaling about 9. They were just biting all day. But the real highlight of the say was the 'one that got away'. I felt him suck my prawn deep inside his gills. I set the the hook and at that moment he was off. I have never heard or experienced the drag go off like i did today! it left me weak at the knees. After the initial excitement panic set in as i didn't really know how much longer he was going to run for - or even what i was ment to do! Finally he stopped his power run and i wrestled this beast to the shore just long enough for belle to get a photo of it before he was off again, this time over oyster ridden rocks. The panic was back and the fight back on. Back to the shore i dragged him by his lip hoping just for a photo shoot and nothing more but he wasn't having a bar of it. I was getting desperate, i got him close enough and asked belle to grab the line and pull him up... Fatal mistake. The line gave way at the swivel and i was left devastated. It would have been the biggest bream i've ever landed at approximately 35cm +. I spent the rest of the afternoon chasing that high. Pulled in a few more little bream but nothing compared to the beast of the sea which evaded me in the dieing seconds of closure.

On the way out of surfers i ended up going by BCF and picking up a 1-3kg Pflueger Trion 7" 1 Piece rod split butt for $120. It worked out to be just what i wanted for the little bream and for that one that got away it was i fight i froth for future encounters. Its nice and lite and IMO is a great looking rod.

I have a few pictures ill put up in a moment. All in all an awesome day. I came home which a couple stories and to a barby with a few mates now getting in an early night to get up to go for ride some trails tomorrow and if time permits... get that line back in the water for a late arvo session.

Andy - Thanks for those sites and ill have a look at your recommendations. Much appreciated.

Thanks to everyone for your input. I look forward to a prosperous membership here at AFO and also to many more of the 'one that got away'

[Feral]

COngratulations on a successful trip!

My 2 main "goto" rods are pflueger Trions these days ( 5'10" 2-5kilo baitcasters). They are good value for money rods. I picked mine up in the Anaconda sale a few months ago, wish I had got a spare as well!

[Dan23]

nice work, Brunswick is full of 35cm+ bream at the moment. They are really on again off again though, sometimes they go crazy for your lure and other times you throw an unweighted gulp at them and it just makes them run and hide. Well done to catch one.

[toadievoluzion]

2000 size is better than 1500 or 1000 size anytime if u wanna cast some distance

[namyau]

toadievoluzion wrote:

2000 size is better than 1500 or 1000 size anytime if u wanna cast some distance

it really depends on what you are after 1000-1500 good for ultra light finesse where as 2000 is more an all rounder - just my opinion

[MoparKevUk]

So what hapeened to the photos????

[Nitris]

mo tackle is a great shop for thier selection.. but weather they have it in stock is the question.. they are the best in price usually as well.

a few mates of mine bought a heap of stuff there on several ocasions.. lots of items in each order.. the online store does not tell u if anything is left instock.. or do they notify u that it is not in stock and c if u want to change what ur ordering instead of waiting.. they will take all ur money weather it is in stock..

the first u will know of it is when u get ur package from them, open it and there is a note saying that half the stuff is on back order and they will send it with ur next pruchace.... long story short it took them 3 goes at getting the orders finally filled properly.. the anoying thing was most of the gear was ordered for a fishing trip we were doing at the Whitsundays.. and we didnt get it till after we got back.. im personally never ever having anything to do with them..

but they have a great catalouge if u want to order it online and it is free.. great place to look for what u want and then go buy it somewher eles..

[Eki]

Well I had the total opposite experience to you Nitris.

I placed a big order with Motackle recently and a few items weren't in my parcel but I wasn't charged for them until they had them in and sent them to me freight free. They also sent a wrong item and a hat that was stained. Both errors were rectified asap and I got to keep the wrong/damaged items

So yeah, I can't recommend them enough for 1st rate service and a really huge range at reasonable prices.

[Feral]

Nothing Mo Tackle have ever "back ordered" for me ever showed up.

I wasn't charged for it, but it is annoying as it is all factored into the purchase Vs mail cost ratio that makes it worth getting in the first place.

The stuff I did get was good gear at a good price.