Rod/Reel suggestions...

[Catbird]

As most of the members know...I tend to purchase all oversized rods/reels for trophy hunting fish. I mostly use baitcasting combos but am looking for suggestions for a nice spinning outfit. I will be using it this winter while wearing chest waiders in water above my waist. I need a good light combo that will cast a good distance without much effort. I will probally be spooling it with 8-10# mono line. I will be fishing for 1-3# skipjacks with only a few crappie jigs for weight. I also will be using this same combo on stripers/wipers/hybrids up to 10# as well. I think I need a ML rod around 8-10' long. Is this correct? I am looking to spend no more than around $75. Any suggestions?

[Illinoisgiller]

Dale, You might want to take a look at the Bass Pro Micro-Lite Float & Fly rods. They are on sale right now as a bonus. I have a couple and have found them to be rugged rods. Reels are always a tough call but my present love is the Shimano in either the Sedona or Symetre.
I hope Joe chimes in on this one for reel selection. He has some he claims are better for fishing all day in the rain. Mike

[troutrageous1]

As far as a reel goes - my favorites are Pfluegers. I use a Trion model ($39) for all of my ultralight fishing, and have a Supreme ($99) for the heavier stuff. I've never had any problems with either of the reels, both work as well today as when I first bought them. I think the President model 6730 may be a nice choice for you. It retails for about $60, and you get an extra aluminum spool - but I'm sure you could get it for less if you shopped around (especially with all of the after-holiday sales).

http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/products/products.php?p=12

[troutrageous1]

Oh, another option could be a reel from Acadia (one of the WIF Sponsors). I've never personally used one, but like all of their products, they are priced right, and the ES-300 appears to spec out favorably to the Pflueger President I referred to above.

http://www.acadiasports.com/reels.asp?ru=0&v=&f=e

Tim did a review of them a little while back, he could probably give you more info if you have questions.

http://www.whereifish.com/thepond/showthread.php?t=2661

[Illinoisgiller]

I tested an acadia spinning reel. They are super smooth. The positive anti-reverse is just that. Not a trace of backplay.
My ONLY problem with them was the nice wood handle commonly reserved for only the highest end reels. I happen to like the soft grip or at least the tab formed handles. I realize that is getting well into the nit-picking, but thats me. lol

[gofish]

catbird the rod length /action yer wantin ta use fer both is gonna be a lil tough ta find.....fer the stripers an such i use okuma guide series rods in med and med. heavy 7 1/2 ft one piece(i hate 2 piece rods,loose lots of sensitivity)...another choice not as pricey is berkley lightnin rods....my buddy uses those an theyre real good fer the money .......were usin power pro on em an really give both types of rods a beatin throwin jigs an cranks ect....they hold up ta big fish well too,caught the 42lb flathead on the med. rod..........ya git into 8 ta 10 ft rods the action changes ta more of a "noodle" type rod an im not real familiar with them.....the actions more distributed thru the whole blank an not fer me

fer reels the cabelas "salt striker" is my favorite. big wide spool with tons of line capacity,smooth drag, an holds up ta rain/snow real well.....the acadia reels (least the one i got) are excellent too.landed big fish on the lil one lol....one thing i do with reels though is go a size or 2 bigger than what is normal.....trade the lil heavier reel fer more line capacity an longer casts

[Catbird]

I did a lot of ready last night and think I am leaning toward a Shimano Sahara or Sedona reel. Bass Pro has a decent price on their Shimano combos with Walleye Angler Signature Series rods ($90-100). I alway get a $75 gift card from Bass Pro from my father-in-law each Christmas so I plan to shop there...lol I don't really plan to catch any stripers but may get one on occassion. At the hot water outlet I will be fishing you usally catch more white bass than anything else. My thinking with using a longer rod that I will not have to worry about using a braid line (no stretch) with the lighter backbone. Either that or I may try a flurocarbon line but don't have any experience with it.

[troutrageous1]

Sahara is one nice reel. One of my troutin' buddies has one - smooth as glass. Never tried a Sedona. I'm a Pflueger guy, but I don't think you can go wrong with a Shimano. Ford vs. Chevy I guess...:confused0024:

[gofish]

id still suggest the braided line,as far as flourocarbon,i prefer bass pros brand over berkleys vanish.....bass pros seems ta have less memory.abrasion resistance fer both is outstanding though......if yer lookin fer abrasion resistance an less stretch try yo zuri hybrid,ive had real good results with it on spinnin reels.purty much the best of both worlds.........gotta love hot ditches in winter dont ya?

[Schoe]

Dale, I want you to try one of the Acadia Rods and Reels. I have a brand new Rod and a 300 reel you can try. I will just have to figure out how to get it to you. Schoe

[Catbird]

Yeah, if you catch it a good time...40 degree on the main river and 60-70 degree water at the mouth of the creek. Early morning upper 20's air temp....right after daybreak... it is a blast to be wade fishing with the fog coming up around you.

[Catbird]

Schoe, I will give it a try down at KY Lake this spring and post a report on here. They sound like a pretty good setup (but they don't take Bass pro gift cards...lol). Looking foward to it, Dale

[CrappieKeith]

So far everyone has said what I would have.
Lightning rods (signature series)are great for the $$ and those Shimono's are good reels.
I also have Pfluegers that are liquid.

[Catbird]

I went to Bass Pro this morning and picked up the new Shimano Sahara combo. I spooled it with yo zuri hybrid 10# clear line. Of course I had to try it out so I then went to the hot water outlet. I arrived around noon and fished till 3:30PM. I ended up with 2 small white bass (that I threw back) and brought home 36 skipjacks and put in the freezer. The reel worked great and Thanks for everyone's input.

[gofish]

ya sure got the luck....hard ta find skipjack here......did ya git an extra spool with that?

[troutrageous1]

Great choice on the Sahara combo. If it's the one I saw in the BPS catalog, I'm sure it will do it's job (and then some).

[Catbird]

Joe...yep extra spool. I could tell that earlier that day they had been dumping hot water into the creek but not while I was there. The skipjack were there only a little deeper and very rarely broke the surface (just had to watch for the baby shad come to the surface).

Mike...it is the combo from the catalog...only difference is they are coming out with a replacement rod for that one(BP Bionic Blade), it has a hook keeper and fighting butt. The saleman said the butt was removable so extra weight could be added to re-balance the rod for any reel.

[gofish]

try the extra spool with power pro....itll make a big difference at times...i run power pro on my rods an have my spare spools with mono