i want to get into fishing for bigger fish like sharks and what not and im kinda tight on money but i can make sacrifices..what are some lower costing reel and rod setups for me to upgrade that i can use for sharks and other big fish?

Garcia 6400 c is what I use and I have caught sharks and stingrays over 100 lb . The reel cost $100. and I use a 9 ft fiberglass shakespear rod . ( $ 25) . I see a lot of people using penn 309 that cost around $60 . Good Luck

alright thanks alot anything is helpful

I use Garcia's and Penn 309's. I prefer the penn for the torque you get when reeling the fish in, but you can't cast very well with them. Hope that helps.

for the money, ugly stick's are the way to go. Caught many a bull red, sharks, king fish etc on these rods. never a problem with one.

tight yea it definitley helps thanx

I would suggest the good old standby of Penn 500 or Penn Senator 113HL (4/0) with an ugly stik rod matched to the line & reel. That should keep your cost minimal while giving good quality.

how heavy of line can u get up to on this senator?

on a 4/0 you can use up to 80 pound mono. Lots of people do this when they add their top shots.

50 is really what you should stick with tho.


-Z-

I normally use 40-60# mono on my 4/0 Senator - if I have it loaded with braid, I'll do up to 80#

cool well what size rod should match this reel yall think?

Look at a Shakespear Tidewater, that will help keep you cost's low.

But I would just get this combo http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores...1003000_151-3-3


-Z-

Yeah, I second that combo - inexpensive and good quality

man thats clean .. man this convo is getting me stoked for some shark fishing,,is shark fishing pretty much good year round in g town?

Shark fishing is best April - Oct.

Not saying you can't catch them in Dec or Feb.. but the majority roll in Late Spring.

June - Aug they are thick, so thick in times you will have a hard time getting a fish on board with out a bull or black biting it in half.


-Z-

I will just use my 20 lb test and smile

what u mean by this mr bob?

anyways good deal whats good bait to use out there?

Live stingray from a boat, dead from shore. Jack's, cats, whiting, and eels for cobia.

Stick with fresh ray tho!



-Z-

Jack's, cats, whiting, and eels for cobia. explain that part

DFish you don't mention where you will be fishing from, beach, jetties, boat. Rods differ radically between the three....

I fish 90% boat, 10% pier.

I use Penn 114s w/ 60# mono on Shakespear Tidewater 5'6" rods from the boat. Total package under $200

From the Piers I step down to Okuma's larger reels 40# mono on Shakespear Tidewater 6'6" rods. Total package $125 or less....

If you watch Basspro you can get the tidewater rods for $40-60, I like them for the roller tip eyes. Not sure if they do any real good, but I think they at least keep kinks out of the line...

My Okuma Reels are cheap $60 @ Academy, but they have never let me down, 4 years running and not a single problem, but I do size the tackle to the fishing location, the largest fish I've caught has been a 37" Bull Red on the Okuma, and a 39" spinner shark...

The Penns are the only thing in the water when fishing from the boat, never know when I'm going to hook that trophy Tarpon while fishing for shark.

We should all get together and plan a Shark Trip this summer. My son is bringing one of his friends down for the summer and he's stoked for shark as well.

I'm trying to work out my trips for spring/summer to get in my own share of fishing too

well that is more helpful i wish there was a good universal setup good for boat and jetty fishin and beachin it.. know any??

Unfortunately, the needs of fishing from a boat vs a pier/jetty vs from the beach are different enough that you'll need different rod/reel combos for each.

For what it's worth, I went through my high school years and into my mid-20's with a Penn 500 and a pair of Penn Senators - one 4/0 (113HL) and one 6/0 (114HL) along with five rods that I'd mix & match to suit what I was doing ...

yea can't i jsut use get a penn 4/0 113hl and switch rods on it to match wat im doin? and which rods for which job?