Hi everyone,

I am just starting out inshore fishing and am about to buy my first rod and reel. From what I have researched online, I kind of know what I want already. Basically I want a 7' spinning rod, medium heavy power, fast action, and a 10-20 line rating. The part where I am having some trouble is with the spinning reel and the price.


Right now for the rod, I am pretty set on getting the Abu Garcia Volatile for the rod and for the reel I am looking at the Abu Garcia Orra S Inshore or the PENN Battle II .


I want the reels to mainly be focused on Redfish and Speckled Trout and the ability to bring in Bull Reds would be an added bonus. I am also a little unsure about the size, I would've gone with 4000 w/o any guidance.


Basically I want to see if anyone can help a newbie like me figure out what I should get. I don't want anything cheap, I value quality highly but my limit is right at $200 (you can see that with my all Abu Garcia set up that I had in mind).


Let me know if my thoughts on what I should get for my first rod are right on or way off. I would also love to hear some alternative reels that I should be looking at!

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!

Id say you dont need a medium heavy rod unless youre going to be slinging big chunks of bait with a big weight, the Battle is a good reel, but compared to others it is heavy. This is a small amount of weight when you hold one but if you cast a couple thousand times it REALLY adds up.

Medium falcon coastal, 3000 weight reel, 20 or 30lb power pro, 20lb fluorocarbon leader tied directly to the power pro via Albright knot, and killem

Awesome this puts me on a more educated path, thanks!

Slot reds and trout don't need a 4000 reel. I use 2500's just fine. Spooled with 20# braid will handle anything short of a jack crevalle. If you're throwing jigs and lures, light or medium light is the action you want, at least 7'

Okumas and shimanos have held up best for me.

What these gentlemen have said is absolutely true. Medium heavy will be a little too stout for throwing jigs. I recommend going with the Penn Fierce II or Battle II in 3000 or 4000 series.

IMHO, the Penn Battle II 4000 7'0" Medium combo is all you really need to grab. Spool it with 20# or 30# FINS Windtamer braid. You'll come in under your $200 prices tag and have a rig that will pretty much do anything you ask of it as far as inshore goes.

Yes, the 4000 series reel is a bit heavier, but without knowing the exact kind of fishing you're planning on doing (Boat, Jetty, Pier, Wading, Kayak, Lures, Bait, etc) I'd have to pick one that CAN do it all pretty well and still survive the accidental Jack, Big Ugly or Bull Red.

I almost always use a 4000 series set-up for throwing a popping cork rig and topwater plugs because I can get more distance out of the cast and faster line pickup. But for wading and kayak fishing trout and slot reds, my rods are all equipped with good quality 2500 series reels.

You guys are awesome!

After reading the last response I now see that I forgot to say how I was going to be fishing.

I am actually going to be fishing from a paddleboard! It does have the ability to be anchored and is every bit as wide as a kayak so it is really stable!

I am really glad that I got on here to ask the experienced anglers for advice and I am adjusting my purchasing plan!

More advice would be gladly accepted!

Yeah, use a good quality 2500-3000 for the skinny water stuff from a paddleboard. You will find that you won't really want to tangle with the huge reds on a regular basis with trout gear, but you'll likely be able to see them beforehand so just know what your equipment can and cannot handle.

So should I go with 20# braid then? Also, does the color braid matter much? (I am assuming yes, but I am clueless haha)

When wading, lighter the better. You can thank us later....

I have my lightest rod set up with 10lb vermillion red power pro (2lb test diameter) and I tie on a 18" 12lb fluorocarbon leader to the jig. My Popping Cork rod has 12lb Cajun Red Line to the cork and a 20lb Flouro Leader to the bait. My topwater rig has 30# Power Pro Vermillion red with a short and stiff 12" 40lb Mono Leader, because I hate when the front hooks foul while walking the dog. All my live bait rigs have 14lb Trilene Big Game mono and I usually run a 20lb or bigger cheap mono leader.

KFGSSF, the others have been tutoring you very well with solid suggestions to apply to your gear buying. If I may, yes, go with 20# braid. Color only matters as far as visibility to you. I use a mono shock leader for various reasons. FINS windtamer 20# has impressed me and has been put on all spinners as respooling has been needed.

20#-30# braid is all you need for an all-purpose setup. Buy a few spools of leader material (mono and flouro) between 10lb to 30lb test and learn to double uni-knot.

On jigs, 20# power pro, no leader. Waste of time, and the fish don't care.

^^^^the only reason I use a leader is because I can chew through it when I loose my cutters,

here is what you need its perfect for inshore and bass fishing.6 ft 8 all star wacky worm spinning rod 69 bucks .Any Shimano 2500 size spinning reel{29 to 79 dollars.15 pound power pro braid,I like yellow. 18 inch leader 30 or 40 pound big game.with a properly set drag you can land anything that swims!! This is the setup we use and catch trophy trout and oversize reds easily, have also caught offshore fish with same gear and 20 pd. braid!