rod and reel help needed

[karlduerr]

fairly new to bassin taking my 2 boys to lake taho florida for christmas.a friend told me i would need reels able to hold 17 lb test case i get a big one in the weeds.ordered reels,penn silverado 6000,pflueger president 6750 these seem kinda massive and the president doesnt even fit on the ugly stick i have.have other reels for 10 lb test just need help on the bigger stuff thanks what do you think i should get ?dont have a lot of money thats why im buying the reasonable priced stuff thanks again karl

[zooker]

they are both about the size of a 6500 abu. i would get 5000 abu's or 4600-if your into round reels. pflugher trion makes a good reel. basicly just about any bait caster will handle 17 pound test. even a big bass won't spool you.. i use an extreme-bps -reel loaded with 80 pound braid. and i have 2 reels loaded with 15 pound mono. no problems with any of it..

zooker

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum!

If you are looking for a good baitcaster at a good price take a look at the Bass Pro Shops Extreme reel. I have several, and have been real happy with them, and right now they are on sale for about $50.

[karlduerr]

tried baitcaster cant seem to get it, i just use spinning reels.so i can order a spinning that might take 200yds 10 lb test and i would just put about 100 yds of 17 lb?

[lizardsrule]

Use braided or fused line, and you won't need really thick line. For example 50lb Powerpro Braid has the diameter of 12lb mono. Fireline 20lb test has the diameter of 8lb mono. If you are concerned about line visibility(i'm not and I live in Florida), then use a flourobarbon leader attached to your braid or fused. I would upgrade the Ugly Stick before I worried about upgrading your reels. You should really get a Med Heavy rod, and there are several manufacturers that make decent ones. The Ugly Stick is just to flexible, unless suing crankbiats or trebble hook baits. Good fishing to you and your boys.

Lizards

[karlduerr]

yes we will be using some crankbaits,what kind of medium rod would anyone recomend since i dont know rods either did just order that fireline though thanks

[lizardsrule]

Originally Posted by karlduerr

yes we will be using some crankbaits,what kind of medium rod would anyone recomend since i dont know rods either did just order that fireline though thanks

Saint Croix is my rod of choice, however they might be a little pricey for just a trip. Berkley makes a decent rod, and the "M" medium would be good for cranks, but a "MH" would be better for worming, spinnerbaits, c-rig and most all around "BASS FISHING" in my opinion. Good choice on the Fireline, however it does have a breakin period for it to get to it's smoothest. Some folks even scrub it in the sink(removes some of the outer wax like coating) to speed the process up.

Lizards

[carolina-rig-01]

just stay away from that ugly stick, in my opinion anyways. they are so limber and one thing i strongly feel when it comes to rods is you are better to have too much back bone than not enough. there are different actions for different scenerios but a medium heavy is a good versatile rod. enough back bone for soft plastics but soft enough tip for crank baits. you don't have to spend $300 for a good rod. true that loomis makes a great rod and so does croix but around here anyways you can pick up a falcon original for like $75 and i love them. and you can get descent rods for even less money just go to a tackle shop and find one that feels comfortable and fits your budget.

[skeeter944]

how are the falcon originals? are they really sensative? they are only $70 around here,so i might get one.

[carolina-rig-01]

i really like mine, i have some other high end rods and reels but i just love the falcon. it is sensitive and for me it's the most comfortable rod in my hands. it's also pretty light, and well balanced.

[skeeter944]

ok,thanks! i think i might get one soon. i need a t-rig rod but i want a 7' mh,so i think the fc5-17 should work.

[Christopherkeene9]

Karl go with lizards on the MH as I fish mediums here in Fl and there is times I wish I had the MH to pull 'em out of the cover quicker. And you will especially need it on Toho with all of the Hydrilla they got going on.


Christopher