Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: tumbleweed on August 31, 2009, 09:03:29 PM
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I plan on trying to go pink fishing. I am a total salmon fishing rookie and I need help. I need a rod and reel? What should I get, I don't want junk but I don't want to break the bank. I am looking for a good allround rod reel combo for all types of salmon. How do I buy some of the Rodney special lures? Thanks for your help :)
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I plan on trying to go pink fishing. I am a total salmon fishing rookie and I need help. I need a rod and reel? What should I get, I don't want junk but I don't want to break the bank. I am looking for a good allround rod reel combo for all types of salmon. How do I buy some of the Rodney special lures? Thanks for your help :)
If you want something just for pinks go and buy a medium action trout spinning rod and reel. As far as wanting something for all salmon species that rod doesnt really exist. A rod for pinks is not going to work for white springs or chum. A rod for chum and white springs is overkill for pinks and coho.
You need atleast 2 or maybe 3 rods minimum. I would go with a small spinning outfit for pinks, an 8-15 line rating rod with levelwind ( Abu 5000 ) for coho and a meat stick and a good solid level wind with a good drag for chum and springs. Th spinning rod could work for coho as well if you just want two rods.
Than you have fly fishing which I prefer and you can never have enough rods and reels ;)
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I would agree with a spinning outfit. You can also use it for cohos.
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Thanks for the reply, would my 5 foot 6 10-25lb mh power rod be ok for pink fishing?
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Thanks for the reply, would my 5 foot 6 10-25lb mh power rod be ok for pink fishing?
MH stands for medium heavy and is overkill for pinks. I mean if you dont care about the fight and just want to muscle the fish in than fine but it wont be a fight. Personally I like using a small trout spinning outfit ( when not flyfishing for them ) Canadian Tire at $40 you can get something for both pinks and coho.
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Army and navy have a nice spinning combo for 25 plus some line this would be great for smaller salmon.
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If you are shopping for a spinning rod and reel, try army and navy. Get a reel in the $50 range which will have more bearings and an instant anti-reverse.
The cheapo rod and reel outfits ($29 complete) have a big ratchet for the anti reverse and they don't feel anywhere near as nice as the stuff that's only a few bucks more.
My light trout spinning rod is an amundson light spinner, plus an ABU mini spinning reel, with 8 lbs mono. Whole thing cost about $80 which is on the super budget side of things, but works fine for a first rod.
For pinks I'd get a light or medium rod around 8-9' and a small (not mini!) spinning reel.
Once you catch a few fish, you'll start looking at the $5-800 outfits. Drool over them this year, and consider buying something next year if you really get into it.
$0.02
Cheers!
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Army and Navy is a good place to start. Go when its not too busy and you will get good advice from the guys working there
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I would recommend getting a spining rod for casting lures and a baitcaster for float fishing. I am not overly happy with the spinning rods I have so I cannot give an exact recommendation but something in the 9 ft. range would be versatile and enable long casting. For a baitcast rod I recommend Trophy XL Custom series medium action 10-20lb for a great all around baitcast rod for salmon.
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I strongly suggest using braid line for spincast out fit, fine and no stretch, some 20lb test equal to 8lb mono in diameter
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I always spool my reels with braid now. It is better than mono and flouro in every way except stealth. If I am fishing clear water I will just add a top shot of mono or flouro attached with a blood knot.
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For a baitcast rod I recommend Trophy XL Custom series medium action 10-20lb for a great all around baitcast rod for salmon.
I'm using a Trophy Royale IM8 rod for centerpin. Nice action, and good price for what you get.
For a novice, spinning reel is the easiest to figure out and least likely to tangle.
Baitcasters are far superior for casting distances and accuracy, less line twist, etc etc, but they have a bit of a learning curve. I spent more time untangling overruns the first few times out than I did floating the vedder.
Centerpin is something that is nice to fight fish on, but not a good reel to get for a novice. Very frustrating at first. Rewarding when you figure it out. Like driving stick on an old sports car.
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Just curious guys, would my "ugly stik lite" medium action combo be good for pinks? It says it can take 6-15lb, I've only got 6lb on there though :D and it's 6'6 by the way.
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I bought a canadian tire $40 special and it worked great. Thanks for the advice guys. Good luck out there!
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Just curious guys, would my "ugly stik lite" medium action combo be good for pinks? It says it can take 6-15lb, I've only got 6lb on there though :D and it's 6'6 by the way.
Bump :-\
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Bump :-\
I use a 6'6 rod with 6lb test, have landed several pinks up to 5lbs, but have broken off some too from trying to pull them in too fast. Just set your drag so that the line can be pulled out and fight the fish a bit, they are not very hard fighters and this makes it a bit more fun.
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Just curious guys, would my "ugly stik lite" medium action combo be good for pinks? It says it can take 6-15lb, I've only got 6lb on there though :D and it's 6'6 by the way.
Yes, a rod rate 6-15 would be great and it could handle a chum if one got in the way. in fact, I bought the 7 foot version for my boys to fish with. My favorite way to catch coho is on spoons and spinners so a 7-9 foot rod like that will be great for both pinks and coho. good luck!
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Great, thanks guys! I don't know about catching a chum on this rod, even though it is an Ugly Stik, it'd probably be too much for it to handle!! :D
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I have a seven foot ugly stick that I used to use for catching pinks too, and in the process I hooked into a 15 pound spring and managed that so i think most chum would be alright. It was one hell of a fight haha, but the rod is still in great condition.
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The Canadian tire special was working good... until the 5.5lb male broke it in half today...Lol
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The Canadian tire special was working good... until the 5.5lb male broke it in half today...Lol
lol, what brand or rod did you buy from CT? Probbly would of been better off with an ugly stik like combo from walmart :P
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I have just gotten into Salmon fishing again and found Army and Navy had probably the best combination deals out there. I personally have just purchased my first set up for drifting and went with a 10'6 Shimano Convergence witn an Abu C4 6600 reel. I have a feeling I will be learning to cast all over again as I have never used a level wind reel in the past. Any one have any tips or advice?
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lol, what brand or rod did you buy from CT? Probbly would of been better off with an ugly stik like combo from walmart :P
It was a mitchell combo.
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Get yourself a low profile baitcasting reel and a 8-9 foot up to 15 lb line casting rod.
You can use it for pinks, for coho, for steelhead, for springs if you are careful.
The idea is to have as few rods/reels as possible.
If I could start again from scratch, I would have 2 rods and 1 reel.
10-20lb 10.6"
6-15lb 9"
Abu Revo S for the reel.
Now, I've got 10 rods, 10 reels and it's just a waste of money and space.
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Unless you are fishing deep or long, braid is not the way to go IMO. No stretch line means your rod, reel and leader take all the heat. Sure braid has its time and place like bass fishing texas rigs or deep fishing for sensitivity, but not for spinners, spoons and floats.
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I never use braid because of the cost. Also, IIRC, braided takes longer to break down in the enviroment than monofilament and it is a fact of life that you will snag bottom and lose a few yards of line every now and then. Also, doesn't the braided line also wear out your rod guides?
Today, I used a seven foot Trophy XL spinning rod to catch three pinks. This old fiberglass rod is about 35 years old. My father-in-law bought it for my wife when she was a kid and gave it us so the grand kids can use it. It is real fun rod to use. When you get a 4 or 5 pound pink on it, it bends almost in half, a really fun fight. Because it is fiberglass, it is almost indestructible. I lent it to a friend on his first trip to the Vedder and he caught a 15 pound spring with it. It bent the rod right down to the cork handle during the fight.
I do have a question about my spinning reel. One of my co-worker's husband works as a draftsman for an over-seas fishing reel manufacturer and he gets free samples from time to time. She gave me one of the samples. It is a Shakespeare Medalist 4430. It is a smaller spinning reel with six bearings and is very very smooth. What I am not sure about is whether or not the anti-reverse is defective or not. The reel has the words "One Way Clutch" stamped on it. When I switch off the anti-reverse switch in the back, the crank will turn freely backwards (ie lets out line); this is of course normal. The problem is when I switch on the anti-reverse switch. On all spinning reels that I have used, this will firmly lock the crank so that it will not turn backwards (ie not let line out assuming that the drag is set on full). On this little reel, the crank can still be turned backwards only there is now friction to slow the reverse cranking. So if I have a fish on, when the fish pulls hard enough, the crank will start to turn backakwards and let out line unless I hold the crank.Has anybody seen this before? I like this little reel because it balances perfectly with the 7 foot rod. I have taken it apart but cannot figure out if this is normal for a "one way clutch" or a defect. I don't want to raise it with the co-worker's husband (gift horse's mouth).
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Hi, guys, Can I add to the questions asked here?
I have a 8'0" 12lb - 18lb with a 12lb line on it.
other than pinks and coho, can i catch any other salmon with it? (of course i can get heavier line)
or should i just give up the poor effort to be cheap and make a visit to army and navy or canadian tire? ;)
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Hi, guys, Can I add to the questions asked here?
I have a 8'0" 12lb - 18lb with a 12lb line on it.
other than pinks and coho, can i catch any other salmon with it? (of course i can get heavier line)
or should i just give up the poor effort to be cheap and make a visit to army and navy or canadian tire? ;)
Yes, you can catch all salmon on that rod. If you have enough space and the current is slow, you can land some really big fish on light rods and line. It all depends how you play the fish. I use an 8-20# as my main Vedder rod and landed white springs in the high 20's on that rod and 12# line.
Not sure what type of fishing you plan on doing, but 8' is too short if you plan on float fishing.
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I have just gotten into Salmon fishing again and found Army and Navy had probably the best combination deals out there. I personally have just purchased my first set up for drifting and went with a 10'6 Shimano Convergence witn an Abu C4 6600 reel. I have a feeling I will be learning to cast all over again as I have never used a level wind reel in the past. Any one have any tips or advice?
Yes, casting a baitcaster is a bit frustrating at first. I've only been fishing for a year, but it's easy once you get the hang of it.
First thing I'd suggest is thumbing the reel a split second before your rig hits the water.
The knob on the end of the spool can be adjusted for casting drag. Too loose = constant over runs. Too tight = no casting distance.
After that, it's all practice.
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Thanks Brian. I was also thinking of going to a park in the evening and trying some casts with hookless lures. Reminds me of when I was 5 or 6. Kind of getting excited and can't wait to get out and have some fun.
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I was also thinking of going to a park in the evening and trying some casts with hookless lures
My friend showed me how to cast in my alleyway using a small piece of pencil lead.
Have fun!