Suitable begginers boat rod?

Member Joined: Jul 15, 2008 Posts: 63 Location: Caerphilly

I'm a total n00b so forgive me if any of this sounds retarded big grin

I'm sure you'll get to my rambling posts big grin

Been on a charter boat twice (http://www.nik-i-lou.co.uk/ from Penarth/Cardiff bay) and the general consensus was that as a beginner I should get a 20-30lb rod as an all rounder - even though the biggest we seemed to catch was about 15lb (wewere expecting some big smoothounds but none showed). That sound about right or should I go lighter - say 12-20lb?

I've bought a couple of magazines and the simple amount of stuff available is a bit mind boggling.

For the rod I've narrowed it down to 2 Penn rods for 2 reasons

1)I like the look of them

2)They seem to be heavily discounted (looking at Powerstix or the cheaper Firetip)

A good start or something else?

Also why are they discounted (typically half price or cheaper in rod/reel combo)?

Over priced to begin with? Old stock? Gone bust/been taken over?

Cheers peeps

Member Joined: Jul 15, 2008 Posts: 63 Location: Caerphilly

Oops forgot a question:

I may have a go at harbour fishing at some point too. i guess length of cast won't be that important as long as you get the bait wet so would a 20-30lb class rod be ok for this or too heavy to feel the fish bite?

Cheers again

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:53 am

I think that the best advice i can give is to forget about the 12-20 or 15-30 or whatever claims they make and go on the amount of lead you will be usng at your local marks most of the time. If you are using 6-8 oz get a rod that feels nice with that hanging from the tip and will take twice that without losing all its action. An 8ft uptide type is my favourite but you,ll need to go heavier for congering with 2lb of lead. Uptides are good for harbour and short range beach work.
ps. you will spend a lot more time fighting the tide than fighting fish , make sure the rod can handle it.

Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:00 am

The rods are rated according to what is the most suitable line to use, e.g. 20 lb BS line for a 20 lb rod. Personally I have a Shakespeare Ugly Sapphire 20lb which has served me well for some years without breaking the bank. A 20 lb Rod will cover most situations in the UK unless you are going after big tope, certainly my rod has hauled in cod up to 25lb.