Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sir Snag-A-Lot on September 17, 2013, 03:32:58 PM
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After about 15 years of salmon fishing on our local rivers I am looking for something new. I have spent most of time flyfishing and plan on continuing this. When fishing water that's not really suitable for my fly gear I have been using a medium-heavy action baitcast rod and levelwind reel. I feel like I can overpower fish too easily with this setup. I want to get into steelheading too but wouldn't feel sporting doing it with this gear. I want to try centerpinning instead. I have a few questions about the gear that could help me get started.
Just doing a bit of internet searching and checking out the Buy and Sell forum here I can see that like most forms of fishing you can spend a bundle on high end centerpin gear. This is not going to be me for now. I am on a limited budget. I want to get into it spending the absolute minimum I can without buying junk gear that is going to break down easily or give me a bad drift. I will try to buy used gear from the market here or another forum but will consider new if I don't find what I want here. What is the minimum that I might expect to pay to get me fully set up with reasonable gear? If I am going to sacrifice quality is it best to do so on the rod, rather than the reel?
What about line? Mono or braid? What test?
Are there any other big factors that I should consider that I might not have?
Any specific advice or helpful links would be much appreciated.
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imo....sacrificing on the reel should be okay. i feel cheap rod actually can make a noticable effect on casting. your float fishing....so naturally ur not looking to feel the bite that often since your watching your float like a hawk not feeling the bounce on the rock every second :o. You want a decent rod that have solid butt section so u drive your hookset hard. only time a good rod comes in handy is when you put a blade on it and feeling the head shake will allow you to determine where you want to guide the fish etc. i run an okuma aventa on my gl2 loomis rod that i bought used and it is good enough for 5 years and i abuse it hard. what you can do is look for used reel and make sure they aren't bent and u should be okay.
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I started with an amundson 2116M 11'6 2 power CP 10-17lb. It is a good starting rod. You can feel the headshake but not too noodle and definitely has no problem with big fish like a spring.
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Get Okuma Aventa centerpin and Shimano Convergence rod.
That's about $300 together and give it a try. If you like it, you can always spend more money later.
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why not just buy a lighter action level wind rod instead ?
I fish a 2106 Sage and if I get into Chinook over 25-30lbs I feel slightly under gunned if they decide to go for a real tear down river however any other fish species its suited very well.
I used to fish levelwind rods in a straight medium and found them perfectly suited to all species. I only got the Sage because I swapped it with a pin rod (Sage 3113MB)
If you really want to go the CP route then a 2 or 3 power is what you would be after. TFO makes a really nice 3113 for around $200. Sage will run you around $600 but they have more to choose from 2106, 3106, 3113, 4120. that Amundson sounds like a good rod at 2116M that extra length is pretty nice for using a pin
think im going to go see if they offer a long trigger rod in that !
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couple years back i got a trophy combo for $225. good for pinks and coho. havn't had any issues yet.
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ditto on the Shimano Convergence !!!
keep saying I'm gonna buy a sage or gloomis soon as it breaks.... but it's been going on 8 years now !!! :)
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ditto on the Shimano Convergence !!!
keep saying I'm gonna buy a sage or gloomis soon as it breaks.... but it's been going on 8 years now !!! :)
LOL, i keep saying that to myself too. when my loomis breaks!....its 8 years old rod.....lol
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The amundson 2116M is pretty good. Even if you buy new from Steveston Marina is only $139.99-$149.99 + tax. The longer 11'6 is very good at protecting lighter leader and it is so easy to cast. I just don't like using electric tape on those convergence sliding grip. I don't want my JM CP comes out while I am fishing and hit a rock.
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found a trophyxl @ searun for 100. great rod and handled lots of pinks. great back bone
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found a trophyxl @ searun for 100. great rod and handled lots of pinks. great back bone
Good choice
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The casting rod that I use right now is a Convergence and I do like it. It has handled a lot of fish for me. It's just a little to heavy for what I want to do now. I will check out lighter models I guess.
Any more specific recommendations on reels? What about line?
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why not just buy a lighter action level wind rod instead ?
Exactly what Hook said! Why not buy a low profile reel and a lighter action rod? I started out drift/float fishing with baitcasters and realized differences in going smaller and lighter in gear, so much more enjoyable when targeting certain species. I still don't understand why people only have 1 setup to fish for all species, I get that affordiblity can be an issue but this is not really a cheap sport or hobby.
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With respect to the pin versus level wind suggestions I guess I am a bit bored with level wind. I have done it a lot. I have never tried the centerpin method so it's something new to play with. I figure if I get into a pin setup at a good price the decide it's not for me I can go back to the level wind.
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With respect to the pin versus level wind suggestions I guess I am a bit bored with level wind. I have done it a lot. I have never tried the centerpin method so it's something new to play with. I figure if I get into a pin setup at a good price the decide it's not for me I can go back to the level wind.
atta boy!
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I started with an amundson 2116M 11'6 2 power CP 10-17lb. It is a good starting rod. You can feel the headshake but not too noodle and definitely has no problem with big fish like a spring.
X2, great entry level CP rod..
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Found this on craigslist... http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rch/spo/4012083109.html (http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rch/spo/4012083109.html)
I have the same reel and its just great. Can't speak for the rod...
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Found this on craigslist... http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rch/spo/4012083109.html (http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rch/spo/4012083109.html)
I have the same reel and its just great. Can't speak for the rod...
I bought an Okuma Aventa from a fella on this forum and I love it. It works like charm.
Naturally I took me some time to get it right, but once I figured it out it's smooth sailing.
I wouldn't buy that rod, it's way too light.
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For a starter rod, would you consider a KUFA? I've got an 11'3" diamondback with an eBay Aventa ($92 delivered from NY a bunch of years ago), and it's great, but KUFA seems to have some nice stuff. Anyone?
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I dont know what kufa is. i like dealing with company that is local and has a great warranty service. company like amundson, if you have problem, they will replace your item without a charge or for a very small fee.
i believe shimano used to do that but i think they moved its warranty service east coast and you have to send it in.
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KUFA is local. That's one reason why I like to support them. Check them up online. Many stores carry them.
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Obie - Im interested in a Kufa spinning rod I checked out on their site. Do you know who carries their stuff near Langley. they don't list their dealers on their website
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Nice to see another dealer local. But I don't think they have any CP rods.
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My first setup is the above Amundson rod with a 4.5" Don Campbell bushing reel. I really like it. Ive had it out a couple times to practice casting and I enjoy it.
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If you really want something cheap just to try it out, I think the Amundson Steelhead Tracker Reel is a good bang for your buck at only $149. Pair that up with a Fenwick Canadian Methods Rod and you're under $230. I can't speak for any of these, but at that price, its kind of a no brainer....
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as for reels save ur $$$ and in 1 word Milner !!!