What equipment do you guys use?

[skunked]

I am the kind of guy that is as much a fan of fishing equipment collecting as the actual act of fishing. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. That's why during this "slow" period of fishing, I wanted to ask about what brands and models of fishing gear do you guys use? Can anyone recommend a good spinning reel for me in the $80 range?
My favorites are:
casting rod: Kistler Helium LTA, Shimano Compre, and Airrus Co-Matrix
casting reel: Shimano Antares AR, Shimano Chronarch 51 MG and Daiwa Alphas 103
spinning rod: I only have cheap ones, but my Berkley Lightning Rod does the job. My 15 year old Fenwick Lunkerstik still performs well. I also use a $20 Bass Pro Shops rod and I really like it.
spinning reel: Shimano Sedona 1500FB is my only decent spinning reel. Time to upgrade!
fly rod: 20 year old ABU-Garcia 8.5ft 8wt rod with rusted guides
fly reel: 20 year old Garcia which came with the rod
fly line: 8wt, WF floating Cortland line which is also 20 years old.
Mono: Trilene XL and Sufix Elite. Although these lines stretch a lot, I like them due to the low memory. Used to like P-line fluoroclear, but then realized that it was weak after testing it with a scale.

[Stan Wright]

I've just about switched totally to Shimano reels now. Brian told me they are easy to work on and parts are always available.

Are you ready for one of those Shimano Stella reels? ($480) I hear they are real nice? <grin>

Aloha,
Stan

[Ken]

Medium Spinning

Rod: Pflueger Trion GX-7 6'6" 2-piece 6-12lbs
Reel: Pflueger Trion GX-7
Line: Berkley Trilene XL 8lbs

Medium Spinning

Rod: Quantum IM-6 6'6" 2-piece 6-12lbs
Reel: Quantum SX-30
Line: Berkley Trilene XL 8lbs

Medium Travel Spinning

Rod: Shakespeare UglyStick 6' 4-piece 6-15lbs
Reel: Quantum SS-T 30
Line: Berkley Trilene XL 8lbs

Salmon/Trout Spinning

Rod: Shimano Convergence 12'6" 2-piece 4-8lbs
Reel: Pflueger Solara (to be replaced with Pflueger Medalist in spring)
Line: Berkley IronSilk 8lbs

Bass Baitcasting

Rod: Shimano Convergence 6' 1-piece 8-17lbs (first series Convergence)
Reel: Shimano Coriolis
Line: PowerPro 50lbs

Musky/Pike Baitcasting

Rod: Quantum Bill Dance Signature Series 6'6" 2-piece 20-40lbs
Reel: Shimano Cardiff 301 (Left hand model)
Line: To be spooled with PowerPro 50lbs

6-wt Travel Fly Rod

Rod: Shakespeare Alpha 7' 4-piece 6-wt spin/fly convertible
Reel: Pflueger something...
Line: Cortland 444 6-wt Double Taper

Light Icefishing Spinning

Rod: Frabril Panfish Popper 24" 1-4lbs
Rod: Berkley Lightning Stick 24" 1-4lbs
Reel: Shakespeare Alpha
Line: Berkley Trilene 4lbs

Medium Light Icefishing Spinning (Brand new today! )

Rod: Rapala medium light 28"
Reel: Rapala micro reel
Line: Berkley Micro Ice 6lbs

Medium Icefishing Spinning

Rod: HT-Polar Ice Blue 24" medium
Rod: Rhino 24" medium
Reel: One of my spinning reels...

Medium Surf Fishing...dunking

Rod: Diawa Beefstick 10' 2-piece 17-40lbs
Reel: Penn Spinfisher 650SS High Speed
Line: Likely 30lbs Berkley Big Game

Light Surf Fishing...whipping (Considering it at the moment)

Rod: Shimano Convergence 10'6" 2-piece 8-17lbs*
Reel: Pflueger Solara (from my salmon/trout outfit)
Line: Likely 10lb Berkley Big Game

*This rod will also double as my bottom bouncing rod in Canada

Icefishing Berkley Tip-up with flags (x2)

Wooden hand made tip up (x1)

El cheapo telescopic rods with reels (x4)

I think that's about it...

Oh...plus a collector reel - Shakespeare 2210 Ball Bearing Spinning reel

[skunked]

Dude, you sure have a lot of different outfits. Got all your bases covered there.
Thanks for replying. Seems like not many are interested in this topic, or they don't want to reveal their secret weapons!

[Ken]

Yeah. I didn't even realize how many rods I have until I did that list...man it's scary...I probably have close to $1000+ in that list. My salmon/trout outfit alone cost $150...my dunking outfit and my musky outfit are about the same as well...I'd say my average outfit is about $100...with the icefishing ones much cheaper at about $30 each.

But really, that's not a lot of gear. One of the medium spinning outfit is my dad's and half of the icefishing rods and flags are my dad's (or my dad use them...I bought everything for my dad to use ).

I just bought the dunking rig a few months ago...if I wasn't staying in Hawaii for 2 months (and not thinking about future trips to visit my uncles and aunts in Florida and California in the future)...I wouldn't have bought it.

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

I do a lot of saltwater fishing therefore I have a lot of spinning combos to choose from. When I do fish the lake, I target peacockbass with lures which means I do a lot of casting and cranking with light line. I usually take two rods. My choice for a reel is the 2000 (2500 now) stradic. My friend used the 1000, but the gears did not handle the fishing. The 4000 is a little to big. I like all the features the stradic has listed, plus the 2000 is light, comfortable and easy to handle. It is also rugged enough to handle the impact of a tuc strike, they do hit hard. There are two issues I have with the reel. First, you can not get it wet. If you get caught in a hard rain, the reel will freeze up. Second, it is hard to maintain for a spinning reel. For skunked, this is probably not a problem, because baitcasting reels look a lot harder to take a part. I know this reel goes for over $100 but you could pick one up for less on ebay. On the other hand, this would be overkill if you only livebait.

I use a fenwick eagle E59S, it is 5' 9" in lenght and rated for 6 to 15 lb test line. The rod is short and on the stiff side. I like the shorter rod because a lot of times I will be fishing in a cramped space. Picture yourself casting from inside your garage with the car parked inside. It is also easy to handle. For me, the stiffer rod helps with getting right action on the lure. It also helps when setting the hook. I tried using my halalu rod one day and missed so many strikes I stop using it.

I use ande line, 4lb and 6lb test line in my reels. I like lighter lines because it is easier to throw small lures and you get better action on the lure. I like ande because it is a good quality line but not to expensive. I change the line in my reel often so I can not use expensive line. I am starting to use power pro line also and I like it.

[skunked]

007, Thanks for replying. Very interesting. Yeah, I heard about that binding problem with the stradic on some message boards. Not what you'd expect from a company like Shimano. I like my Sedona a lot, but I'm always looking for something better. That's my problem. I waste a lot of money on gear that I don't need. I am thinking about getting the Daiwa Exceler. Only $60, but loaded with features.
I used to use ANDE line when I was younger. I didn't like the memory. Maybe it is better now. Have you tried Sufix Elite? I like it a lot.
I have been using my UL spinning outfit a lot lately. Needed a break from my baitcasters. I was bummed when I lost a good fish recently. Those tucs are strong for their size. Maybe I could've landed it with my baitcaster, but I know it wouldn't be as much fun.
Next on my list are the Exceler, an ABU Revo STX baitcaster, and maybe even a Shimano Antares DC which is the digitally controlled baitcaster. I would feel kind of stupid being seen on lake wilson fishing with live bait with a $500 reel though!
I am one of the only people nowadays who still like the Quickfire feature on the shimano spinning reels. I had an old Symetre that I used for almost 10 years, even though the gears and bearings were worn out. I just loved using that trigger.

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

I have not tried the sufix elite line. I really do not experiment to much with line. I have tried Maxima before and I like it a lot but it is to expensive for me.

[typical8o8]

for the lake i use a St. Croix PS50UL that i bought a while back at Kilani Rod & Tackle matched with a recently purchased Shimano Symetre 750FB (great reel). this is my primary setup from shore. i use 6# test J-Line for its thin diameter & castability. it does stretch quickly though. this pole has handled up to 7# tucs on 4# test. the short length allows me to whip from shore with my tip down. it also lets me squeeze between trees and bushes along the banks without having to worry about damaging the rod while setting the hook. i also like it because it lets me refine my fish fighting skills when i hook into a big one.

[skunked]

Added a new one to my collection! It is a shimano crucial 6'6" drop shot casting rod that I got from Charley's Fishing Supply. They have a 15% off sale right now on all Shimano rods, even special orders like mine was. FYI, shimano rods have a no questions asked, over the counter lifetime replacement warranty! I will pair it up with my Chronarch 51MG. The rod and reel together should weigh only 10 oz. Light as a feather.
I had hoped to try it out today, but the weather was terrible. My first day off in a week and a half, and I can't even fish. Bah!
While I was there, I checked out the Daiwa Exceler 2500 spinning reel and it was sweet! I'll be back for that one.
Bought a spool of Trilene Sensation, 4 lb. on the suggestion of the guy at Charley's. We'll see how it does if I ever hook up with a decent sized tuc.

[OO7:BASSINASSASSIN]

I feel for you, man. I know how it is, you can not go for some reason and the fishing is good. Just when you can go the fish stop biting or the weather changes, that sucks.

[skunked]

Slow on these boards so I thought I'd bring back an old thread. My recent additions are
--Two Texas Sidewinder rods. The casting rod is a med power with a spiral wrap (guides on the casting rod start on top and end up on the bottom at the tip like a spinning rod) and my name on it. The spinning rod was purchased as a gift for my wife, so it has her name on it. Nice rods. Picked it up in Texas from the actual owner and builder of these rods. texassidewinderrods.com Very nice guy.
--BPS pro qualifier med power 6'6" casting rod. Got it in Texas on sale for $79. Very nice rod for the money. It's rare to have Fuji Alconite guides on a rod at this price. It's the rod I used on my guided trip to Lake Fork and it performed great.
--Daiwa Exceler 2500 Spinning reel. Got it at Academy for $52 I don't think there is a better reel at this price. Very nice. I'm gonna use this one to hunt for some papio.
--ABU Revo STX-L casting reel. All the hype about this reel piqued my interest so I just had to get one, especially when I found it on sale. Haven't fished it yet, but initial impressions are that it is the reel that will put ABU back up there with Daiwa and Shimano.
--Sufix Performance Braid. This line is like Power Pro, but better casting. Got it because there's a rebate offer on it right now.
--Shimano Curado 101D casting reel. Sold my 2 Right handed versions of this reel to pay for this and the ABU. One of my favorite reels, especially with upgraded bearings.

I would love to hear more about what you guys are using. I know there's some new members here, so post up!

[Ken]

I have since added 3 new ice fishing rod (light, meadium and heavy)...all Shakespeare UglyStiks.

And I added a Diawa Regal Xi which will be the reel on my whipping combo instead of the Solara...I would still like to baby the Solara for a while.

[hitoshe]

hi gang,
altho i have other gear for saltwater, for the lake i use 4# test on really cheap stuff. i have 2 bass pro "tiny lite" reels (less than $20 each), a rebuilt cabelas rod about 5 ft and a bass pro 6 ft micro-lite rod. the reels aren't real smooth, but i added felt washers to them, and so far, i've been able to bring up a bunch of fish - the largest being a 4# tuc. of course, lose quite a bit too, especially if the line hangs up on the junk underwater. but sure is fun, and a lot of satisfaction using gear i rebuilt myself.
thanks for listening to my $.02.

[skunked]

I also have a couple of old "cheap" ultralight rods. I have a 5 ft. Fenwick Lunkerstik which is 15 years old and still works great. I really love hearing the drag scream on a little spinning reel. That's one thing I don't like about my casting reels, the lack of a drag clicker. I used to use it in my younger days when I would hike up in the upper reaches of the north fork in pursuit of smallmouth bass. 2 lb. line+1/16 oz. rooster tail or mepps spinner+clear beautiful stream+no crowds+abundant and scrappy smallmouths = Happiness.
I also agree with you about the satisfaction you get with self-made/rebuilt gear. When I was a teen, I ordered a Fenwick rod building kit from Cabela's. I still have that rod and it is a great feeling catching a fish on it, knowing that I built it myself.
What kind of Cabela's rod did you rebuild?