fishing rods

[tonym]

I am disappointed in you Tony for even posting the link,

, He asked, so I showed him

Okietree is correct though. You can get by fine with the cheaper stuff, but it is a whole different world with a quality product.

I call Uglysticks and those cheap Walmart rods spaghetti sticks. Their sensitivity sucks and the don't have the backbone to set a solid hook quickly. Forget about pulling a solid fish out of heavy cover.

All my rods and reels are hand picked not only to the type of fish I am targeting, but to the type of lure and technique I a using to catch that fish.

I can fish a 1/8th oz hair jig and feel it hop across a pebble in 20' of water.
with the rod I choose for that task. So when fish are finicky and not aggressive I can still feel them mouthing the lure. That is the difference between a quality rod and a cheapo.

I won't nock you guys that use your cheaper stuff, but I guarantee you if you got into a quality product it would increase your catch.

If you use live bait with a circle hook then it may not make a huge difference , but if you fish with artificials like I do, it means going home sucessfully or getting skunked.

I will happily invite anyone who dissagrees to come over here and fish with me. I'll even give you the front of the boat. If you out fish me in Bass I will give you a Kistler Helium LTA 6'8" MHC with and a Shimano Curado reel!

If I win I get to set fire to your spaghetti combo

You have been challenged

 

[Guyon]

All my rods and reels are hand picked not only to the type of fish I am targeting, but to the type of lure and technique I a using to catch that fish.

+1. Use the right tool for the job.

 

[Bige610]

hehe thanks guys my head is spinning now. Ill probably get a good rod for when i go up north to boat fish. Im thinking of getting one of these little 4.5 - 5 ft rods for fishing in the little lakes around here after work and what not from the shore. it seems like it would be easier to get around any thoughts

erik

 

[Guyon]

hehe thanks guys my head is spinning now. Ill probably get a good rod for when i go up north to boat fish. Im thinking of getting one of these little 4.5 - 5 ft rods for fishing in the little lakes around here after work and what not from the shore. it seems like it would be easier to get around any thoughts

erik

See my prior post about ultra-light spinning combos. I love them. And for many situations, they're great.

You can land a 3-4 pound fish on them with some skill. However, I have had bigger fish nearly spool me and then break me off because of the smaller line weight (4 lb. test). Those are just the breaks.

That said, I wouldn't trade an ultra-light for any other combo for many freshwater conditions. They make the fishing a lot of fun, and like you point out, they're easy to transport.

IMO, the ultra-lights are better for use with small spinning lures or plugs. Because of the shorter rod length, you don't get as much leverage on a hook set, so they don't work as well with plastic baits. The mainstays on my ultra-lights are small Rooster Tail spinners or the very smallest minnow plug made by Rapala. I have caught a ton of fish on those two lure types--trout, bass, bream, crappie, catfish, drum, even carp and gar.

 

[Guyon]

erik, what you need next is a kayak!

 

[Bige610]

thanks. i live next to a small lake and have been thinking of doing this ofr a while. my wife hates you.

 

[Jenner 515]

Wow! Guyon you're my hero. Nice Kayak rig...nice rod holder setup.

 

[tonym]

Guyon that 2nd Kayak is just sick!!!

If you ever sell it, give me a shout first!

 

[Guyon]

http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/community/

Really good forum there about kayak fishing. Also, the sponsoring vendor, KFS, is a great place for supplies or even just for advice about rigging a kayak for fishing.

The green yak, in that photo above, is rigged for striper/hybrid fishing. I'll slow troll small bream or large shiners with those rigs. That little Perception has been a very fun yak for river fishing. It's small, easily transportable, and forces me into the KISS principle. I usually just carry a single ultra-light rod and a small box of tackle.

My latest ride isn't really built for fishing, though I may try fishing out of it. It's a 16.5' sea kayak built more for speed and touring.

 

[Guyon]

You headed out the door to buy a kayak yet, Erik?

nice rod holder setup.

Thanks. You can buy the Scotty decks pre-made, but I use RAM balls on my yak, and I just made my deck. Used a cheap cutting board and some thin aluminum on a RAM mount I modified. Prior to the deck, I could only keep one downline out in front of me. As you can see above, the yak has rod holders in the rear, but it's a lot easier to keep an eye on your lines when they're in front of you.

 

[fishiker]

There are usually items an sale at a Bass Pro store that are not listed in a catalog. I would recomend talking to the guys there. Most new reels come with a spare spool so maybe you can get by with one combo and use different line weights.

 

[Guyon]

There are usually items an sale at a Bass Pro store that are not listed in a catalog. I would recomend talking to the guys there. Most new reels come with a spare spool so maybe you can get by with one combo and use different line weights.

Good point. I've also seen both Bass Pro and Cabelas offer good quality combos in their online sale sections.

 

[Bige610]

yeh i went there at lunch. talk about sensory overload. THey do have the combos with 2 spools pretty neat. I might get a cheap ultralight to keep in the car and then get something a little more suited for when i go out in the boat. they had some decent ultralight combos for under 60 bucks and i could still get a decent rod for another 60 or so. seems like that might work. right now i have to wait to get my license so i dont get in any trouble. ill wait until i get that becuase if i get a new toy i have to use it right away hehe.

 

[Trace Rinaldi]

The only thing good about uglysticks is there advertising. Especially for bass fishing. You dont need an expensive combo to catch fish but having decent equipment will make it much more enjoyable. The combo Tony posted is a quality product. It is an investment. If you really want to learn to fish it will be worth while. For the price of an uglystick you can buy much better rods. When people who want to learn to fish ask me to recommend a rod for freshwater fishing I generally direct them to this

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...1_89130_100002000_100000000_100002000_100-2-0

Berkeley Lighting rods are miles ahead of Uglysticks for fishing.

Now I havent really taken freshwater fishing seriously in about 15 years or so. When I did, uglystiks where so far behind the curve that they were pretty much technologically obsolete. No one who was even a little serious about their fishing would use one. They havent changed. Today they are the same rod they were then, making them even more obsolete.

If this was a knife question no one would be saying just go to a yard sale a pic up anything you see. Uglystiks are not the mora knives of fishing poles. They are the hollow handled swapmeet Rambo knives.

I too would suggest a medium action spining combo if you want one rod for Bass and panfish. I have caught a lot of bass on a medium light spin combo but it wouldnt be my first choice.

I am disappointed in you Tony for even posting the link, but my world was really shattered when Trace Rinaldi said he fishes an uglystik. Something in my mind just wont let it be true. When you ready to enter the world of custom rods, Mr. Rinaldi, let me know.

Good luck and post pics in the sticky topic when you catch something.

Matt

Wow, sorry I offended you so... Seems to work fine for me. Hell you can catch fish with a tree limb the rod doesnt make a fisherman.. The thing I like is they are brute tough, and they catch fish.. One of these days I may look into some custom gear but for now my stuff works. BTW just because I make custom knives, doesnt mean I can afford to have everything I own custom made..

 

[22-rimfire]

Bige610; If I were you I would stick to the type of reel you're used to when selecting a new rig unless you have been fishing with a Zebco 202 all your life. In which case, I would look at the various combos offered at Bass Pro, Gander Mt, and Dicks if you have one near you. Go for a reel with a fast retrieve and a rod/reel combination you are comfortable using. If you are looking for an all purpose rig, go with medium action in which ever reel desgin (spinning or casting). I fish most of the time on streams/rivers with a light action with ultra light reel using 4lb test line. My larger water rigs are a slightly beefier spining rod and reel (8lb test line), and a casting rod and reel with about a 6 ft rod using tyically 12 lb test line.

 

[Guyon]

Trace, I found Matt's "custom rods" comment a little strange too, considering that Matt mentioned Berkeley Lightning rods, which certainly aren't customs. Like just about every other department/sporting good store rod, Berkeleys are probably made in China.

However, I do agree though that graphite rods are miles ahead of Ugly Sticks in terms of certain kinds of performance, and many graphite rods can be had at a price that doesn't make them all that expensive.

I think most Ugly Sticks run in the $30+ range, whereas you can often find a good graphite rod for just a few dollars more. Is the Ugly Stick more durable? You bet. You can nearly tie the thing in a knot. Does it perform better? Well, that depends on what you mean by "perform." If you're float fishing in a local pond and you don't need a firm hook set, then they're great performance-wise. However, if you're targeting fish with bait that requires a fast, firm hook set, then not so much. The rods just have too much bend and not enough backbone for that job.

I've owned a couple of glass Ugly Sticks. One I returned, the other I sold. I now own one more Ugly Stick, but it is one of their rods with graphite, and it was around $60-$70 IIRC.

 

[Oakietree]

Wow, sorry I offended you so... Seems to work fine for me. Hell you can catch fish with a tree limb the rod doesnt make a fisherman.. The thing I like is they are brute tough, and they catch fish.. One of these days I may look into some custom gear but for now my stuff works. BTW just because I make custom knives, doesnt mean I can afford to have everything I own custom made..

I wasnt offended. I was purely joking. It was just made me sad that someone who makes some of the most truly awesome knifes I have ever seen fishes an ugly stick.

Matt

 

[Oakietree]

Trace, I found Matt's "custom rods" comment a little strange too, considering that Matt mentioned Berkeley Lightning rods, which certainly aren't customs. Like just about every other department/sporting good store rod, Berkeleys are probably made in China.

However, I do agree though that graphite rods are miles ahead of Ugly Sticks in terms of certain kinds of performance, and many graphite rods can be had at a price that doesn't make them all that expensive.

I think most Ugly Sticks run in the $30+ range, whereas you can often find a good graphite rod for just a few dollars more. Is the Ugly Stick more durable? You bet. You can nearly tie the thing in a knot. Does it perform better? Well, that depends on what you mean by "perform." If you're float fishing in a local pond and you don't need a firm hook set, then they're great performance-wise. However, if you're targeting fish with bait that requires a fast, firm hook set, then not so much. The rods just have too much bend and not enough backbone for that job.

I've owned a couple of glass Ugly Sticks. One I returned, the other I sold. I now own one more Ugly Stick, but it is one of their rods with graphite, and it was around $60-$70 IIRC.

I just brought up the custom because about 90% of the rods I fish were custom made. I grew up building custom rods primarily for satwater fishing. Trace lives in SoCal where I have fished the ocean for 30 years. If he is ever truley interested in a custom rod it would be pleasure for me to help him.

My main point is that ,IM (not so humble,often abrasive) O, there are so many better built freshwater rods in the same price range. Lighting rods are in the same price range.

Nice kayak by the way. Is that a live well on back. I would love to see a pick of the tank well area. Prowler? 13 or 15? Is that fishfinder very water proof?

This is my kayak rigged for freediving. Tarpon 120(I should have gone w/ the 14')

Rigged for fishing.

I keep it pretty bare because the surf can be ruff coming and going.

Matt

 

[Ebbtide]

Lighting rods are fine mid to low price rods.
I use 2 and a Shimano (Compre?) rod for all my fresh water LMB fishing.

Personally I think Ugly Sticks are heavy and lack sensitivity.

Another decent rod on the low budget list is the BPS Pro-Comp series.
I have 2 or 3 of them as well.

 

[tonym]

Lighting rods are fine mid to low price rods.
I use 2 and a Shimano (Compre?) rod for all my fresh water LMB fishing.


.

I have 3 Compre's, they are great rods for the money.

The Shimano Carbomax is another sweet rod in the Compre class! I picked up one a few weeks ago and really like t so far!