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Good first saltwater rod and reel? #11512248 03/30/16 11:32 PM
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DancesWithSquirrels Offline OP
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Hello everyone.

I know this is a very broad and probably commonly asked question, however it is something I've been thinking of for a while. This summer, my family and I might take a trip down South to Galveston, TX. However, I'm COMPLETELY new to saltwater fishing. I've done little research, but I just want a rod and reel that's capable of taking pretty nice sized fish, but not too expensive. Keep in mind, I'm not trying to catch a shark here though (well, maybe)... :P probably fish like Speckled Trout or Drum.

Any ideas?

Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11512455 03/31/16 12:49 AM
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walthend1 Offline
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All u need for inshore species like Specks and Reds is a medium/light rod. They say Ugly Sticks r the best for their price if ur looking for something cheap but solid.

Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11512661 03/31/16 01:49 AM
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DancesWithSquirrels Offline OP
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What would be a good poundage for line? I'm looking into buying braid.

Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11513412 03/31/16 01:55 PM
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malibu6501 Offline
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7' medium light or medium heavy. Medium heavy might be better if you were planning to hit the surf too. Can't help you with the braid. mono-trilene 15lb big game. As far as levelwinds-garcia 6501 or 6500. but there's all kinds of options out there.

Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11513787 03/31/16 04:16 PM
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slimpickens Offline
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I have (1) 7ft medium/heavy Ugly Stick G2 25lb rod
And (3) 6'6 medium/heavy Ugly Stick G2 spinning 20lb
rods.
(2) Elite series Ugly sticks.
I have 20lb braid on the spinning rods and 30 lb braid on casting rods.
These are awesome rods and can handle the salt, I have caught fish up to 50lbs on these rods without any trouble. For the price they can't be beat I will always have Ugly sticks on my boat.
Hear are a few fish that have been caught using these rods.





Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11514198 03/31/16 07:28 PM
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DancesWithSquirrels Offline OP
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Thank y'all for the information!

Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11514403 03/31/16 09:18 PM
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AdanV Offline
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If you have bass fishing gear with the usual, you're pretty much already set.
Most of my setups are freshwater bass fishing gear that work perfectly well in inshore:

Medium-action Rod
Reel with 10-12 lb line


Just make sure to rinse out your gear with clean water immediately after the trip and re-lube.
Low-Pressure water, not pressurized water.

Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11516035 04/01/16 04:24 PM
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Kattelyn Offline
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Use your normal bass rod and reel. I tend to use 12 - 15 lb test in salt. Just make absolutely certain your rinse it all extremely well and get the salt water out of it so you don't ruin your stuff.

You really do not need anything special to go after specks and reds more than our regular gear. Just changing your lures to a couple spoons and some 1/8 jig heads with soft plastics or live shrimp on circle hooks.

Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11516879 04/01/16 11:49 PM
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Grinder55 Offline
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My son actually had a ugly stix slammed in a truck door when it closed too soon and it did NOT break !!!

That's a good deal at any price !!!
wink

Last edited by Grinder55; 04/01/16 11:50 PM.
Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11516886 04/01/16 11:51 PM
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Txmedic033 Offline
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Dobyn's rods do not fare well for saltwater. Bull reds have broken both of the ones that I have seen used. Leave them home when you go to the coast.

Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: Txmedic033] #11517295 04/02/16 03:54 AM
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Mo Offline
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Originally Posted By: Txmedic033
Dobyn's rods do not fare well for saltwater. Bull reds have broken both of the ones that I have seen used. Leave them home when you go to the coast.


Drag set a little tight ? smile
I have caught tarpon on bass tackle. Good equipment , properly used , will handle the biggest inshore fish.

Good luck
Mo



MY BACKYARD , 20,000 ACRES , NO MOWING smile
Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11519787 04/04/16 01:48 AM
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I usually use a 7 light action Castaway ( old model, before they got cheap) and a Shimano Calcutta 200 or Curado with 12-15 lb mono. Sometimes I'll use a 12-18" thin wire leader. My "go to" spinning rig is also a 7 ft light action Castaway with a Shimano Stradic 4000 on it.

My GF normally uses a 7 foot light action ugly stick with a Shimano stradic 2500 ( I think) and 12-14 lb Stren mono.

I found that the light action rods for trout, reds and flounder are sufficient and good for detecting very light strikes. The light line also seems to help with the lure action when targeting trout. ( I usually use Gulp on a 1/8 to 1/4 oz longshank jighead or Vudu Shrimp) Just set your drag light and you'll be fine.

Our surf rods are varied....but the main one is a Penn 750 on a cheap abu "Brute" surf rod.


Now, Donald...please pick John Bolton for your running mate.
Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: slimpickens] #11520106 04/04/16 05:09 AM
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[quote=slimpickens]I have (1) 7ft medium/heavy Ugly Stick G2 25lb rod
And (3) 6'6 medium/heavy Ugly Stick G2 spinning 20lb
rods.
(2) Elite series Ugly sticks.
I have 20lb braid on the spinning rods and 30 lb braid on casting rods.
These are awesome rods and can handle the salt, I have caught fish up to 50lbs on these rods without any trouble. For the price they can't be beat I will always have Ugly sticks on my boat.
Hear are a few fish that have been caught using these rods.

+1, I use Ugly sticks period. I have the XXH for tuna with Shimano Spheros and Talica reels and a medium action with a Shakespeare reel that I use for sandbass. I would use the latter with Berkley Trilene XL in 15lb for salt water and set the drag light.

Saltwater is like acid, so make sure you rinse everything off when you are done. I usually throw my tuna poles in the shower with me after the trip.


Catch more hybrids, sand-bass and striper with the Thump’emup Thumper!
www.thumpemupfishing.com
Thumpemupfishingchannel@gmail.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi602ZTsxnkaVwT0wq3OgCA
Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11522918 04/05/16 03:05 PM
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TroutSupport.com Offline
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It really just depends on what you are going after. If you are fishing for trout, slot reds, sheeps heads, and smacks then bass fishing type tackle will be fine. Med power fast action tip or just medium action would cover the most lures that you throw. If you are only going to throw live bait under a popping cork then a med heavy might be more comfortable, with the exception being throwing freelined live shrimp or croaker and a 7' med light is perfect for that.

If you are fishing for bulls and big uglies I'd go with the ugly stick.

I mostly fish with lures and I use a med rod with a fast tip from Lews. It's there custom speed stick series and they have created some great 'inshore' blanks. Put that on top of a Lews speed spool (I throw the BB1 pro and it's holding up well.. the BB2 inshore is also a nice reel and hold a good bit of line for a low profile casting rod.

As for braid, if you are not going to use the rod regularly i'd stick with 12 lb mono... probably P line or Big Game.. both great value for the $ and very good line. If you really want to go with the braid buy a package of the Suffix Performance... not the 832... in 30lb test / 8lb diameter. I've tested a lot of braids and it is the easiest for someone new to braid to work with. Cast well and wears well also. There is a lot of individual preference in braided lines but I think you'll like that one and especially for starting out with braid. Or maybe like me, you'll just keep going back to it.


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Re: Good first saltwater rod and reel? [Re: DancesWithSquirrels] #11531110 04/09/16 03:36 PM
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BudT Offline
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X2 on TroutSupport's comments, if you don't want to spend alot on your gear for just a one time trip, a great alternative would be to watch the buy/sell trading boards and buy used, a lot of guys fish a reel for a year or so and sell it for substantially less, a good way to get started. Good luck.

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