Room for thought

Post by **rabbi2** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:33 am

I have a couple of 10ft beachcasters as well as the usual uptiders and pier rods which got me to thinking that a 10ft beachcaster will do the same job as the 9ft 8in uptider and if casting from a boat ain't important a good pier rod can be pressed into service.

Methinks the manufacturers have got us bamboozled, ah well back to the days of the old handline !!!! lol

>:) >:) >:)

(We still caught fish)!!!!!
Cheers
keith

dontcatchmuch · Post by **dontcatchmuch** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:09 am

hi keith
as you know i do sometimes use a 10ft beach caster as an uptider .
cheers steve

Judgegeoff · Post by **Judgegeoff** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:57 am

Hi Rabbi,

Nice to know somebody else rose up through the ranks starting with a handline (in my case from St. Annes-on-Sea pier with my grandfather). Sometimes I think there is too much choice these days - I now have a pair of beachcasters, a pair of boat rods and a spinning rod - and they seem to fill all my current needs. But am I really under equipped, should I be worried? When I read the dealer's catalogues I feel very basic!

One beachcaster and both boat rods are 1975 vintage (with reels to match) but they still catch fish (occasionally lol).

Cheers, Geoff :-S :-S :-S

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 11:23 am

Point is are we trying to catch fish or maintaining a rod & reel collection?
A pair of 14ft Hellbenders, a bass rod, a boat rod and a "multi-purpose" uptider. A pair of Daiwa FS reels and a Shimano boat multiplier. Cannot see the point of having anything else can you? (Have to confess there are one or two old cheapies in the garage which I bought before I knew better.)

sparkyman · Post by **sparkyman** » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:22 pm

.must admit I started out this year just wanting a simple, single rod & reel, just to get me back into the sport after 25 odd years away. After the first couple of trips, I realised I had bought too cheap and I was already in need of better equipment.....this rod is in now in the cupboard and the Chinese reel was binned months ago when it kept on throwing a bail arm closed when casting. Since then I've become a complete Tackle Tart, trying to find the ideal setup for each fishing situation I partake in !

Bought an 11'6" Salt Bass (on clearance) & 6000 fixed spool which I use off the rocks for bottom fishing - ideal for me personally, enough distance to put me on top of the fish with no effort - perfect for the job and my most successful outfit accounting for the majority of this years tally so far (16 Turbot & 1 Plaice). A fishing buddy took a shine to the reel so I ugraded to a very nice 10000 recently (just the way things turned out - totally spontaneous set of events - honest !)

....then found an "as New" 4.1m Ovation Surf for beach work......which I'm struggling to get the best out of yet as it seems a bit stiff (still working on pendulum technique) so this is a rod I hope to get more out of next year.....need more practice.

...so came across a cheap, well used Penn Vendetta 12' 6" which ain't so stiff as the Ovation, with which I'm getting a consitent 130 yds without too much effort & mild pendulum - again, suits me well at the moment at my current stage of casting ability I may find it lacking a little if I start to get on better with the Ovation.

..fancied some plugging & rock hopping so bought a used 8'6" Bushwacker XLNT and a nice"ish" 4000 fixed spool - again perfect for the job. Spent MANY hours scrambling down cliffs & over rocks & places I've never ventured before, with this lightweight & simple setup - a major plus & change from bait fishing. For all my efforts this year, only caught 1 Launce & 1 Mackerel ! This rod can only just handle 2oz leads, have to be careful when casting, so I was losing out when Mackerel were in the vacinity and others were catching out in deeper water that I couldn't quite reach......

....so I bought a cheapish 10' Daiwa spinning rod and a nice"ish" 5000 reel - perfect for the job again, longer distance spinning, plugging & feathers/shrimps...... only had a chance to use it twice during the last month, but again it's filled the gap left by the shorter, lighter rod/smaller reel, very nicely indeed.

....now I've just bought a used 16' 5"continental style rod to try with the 10000 fixed spool to see how it compares with the 13/14' rods and multipliers. I'm hoping, once I decide which I prefer best, then I can downscale & possibly loose one, or a couple of rods & reels next year.

I agree there is a lot of choice and a lot of overlap in rod lengths & capabilities but personally, this has allowed me to find a particular rod that suits the specific marks that I regularly fish, and a couple of oufits that allow me to roam & explore unchartered territory easily. I now have 7 rods, one of which is completely redundant (and will be sold) and two of which are potentially redundant (one or both of which will be sold). What I've ended up with, gives me 4 or maybe 5 rods that cover all of my needs, with a natural progression/overlap in application & casting weight ;

8' 6" Spinning 10-40g
10' Spinning 30-110g
11' 6" Rock/Pier/Surf 60-150g
14' Beach 120 - 225g
16' 5" Beach 120-180g

As a result, my confidence levels seem to have soared and I now regularly catch on every session - the various rod/reel combos allow me to put a choice of gear exactly where I want it, at any venue I fish - something I struggled to achieve earlier in the year, which may have explained the zero catch rate, session after session?

I now don't need any additional equipment than the list above, as it serves me more than adequately for all situations I encounter........unless I take up a spot of boat fishing that is

Post by **rabbi2** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:28 am

Due to all the serious cutbacks it won't be long before we start to feel the pinch. More so the retailers, and I expect tackle prices will hit an all time low and will be on offer at stupid prices just to tempt us into the shop. Whilst this may be a good thing for those just starting out, it will certainly deminish the value of the stuff we have already aquired.
Cheers
keith

conga · Post by **conga** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:15 pm

eccles wrote:Point is are we trying to catch fish or maintaining a rod & reel collection?
A pair of 14ft Hellbenders, a bass rod, a boat rod and a "multi-purpose" uptider. A pair of Daiwa FS reels and a Shimano boat multiplier. Cannot see the point of having anything else can you? (Have to confess there are one or two old cheapies in the garage which I bought before I knew better.)

I think sometimes its a bit of both mate,as I posted a while back the last time I went to the lake I took a bare minimum of gear,including a 30 year old fibreglass rod which I had not used for ages and did just as well on it as with my more up-to-date tackle.