I Need Help Matching A Rod And Reel.

[jmarkw]

My wife bought me a pflueger president rod and reel combo for christmas last year. She bought it for $30 at cabelas because the tip had been broken off and fixed. It's about 5'.5" long. Due to research and talking with people everyone suggests 6'.6" to 7' long. So I bought a 7' ugly stick, Med action, 6-15lb line. I would like to know if I can use my pflueger reel on it. It says "Mono lb/yrds: 4/255, 6/145, 8/130 and Braid lbs/yrds: 6/275, 8/190, 10/160. Gear ratio 5.2:1 with 10 bearings". I would like to use 10lb line for bass. Could I use this or would I need a new reel?

[drew4779]

Sounds like a good set-up for deep diving cranks. It might be a little tough for anything without treble hooks.

[roadwarrior]

You can use any reel and any line you like on that rod. As already stated, the rod is

best suited for treble hook lures.

Next purchase should be a 7' M/F for single hook lures.

[jmarkw]

Why is it best suited for lures with treble hooks and not single hook lures? Would I not be able to use plastic worms very well then? Also, would it be best to use 8lb mono line instead of 10, since the pflueger reel just gives the yardage for 4,6, and 8 mono, or would 10lb be ok, since the Ugly stick is 6-15lb? Do you go off of the rod or reel when you put line on it? I also have a quantum reel and rod combo that's Med Light action, 4-10lbs I was going to use for trout. I wanted one for trout and one for bass, since I don't have a lot of money to spend on rods and reels right now. I'm young and new to fishing and appreciate all of your help! Thanks!

[rockchalk06]

Why is it best suited for lures with treble hooks and not single hook lures? Would I not be able to use plastic worms very well then? Also, would it be best to use 8lb mono line instead of 10, since the pflueger reel just gives the yardage for 4,6, and 8 mono, or would 10lb be ok, since the Ugly stick is 6-15lb? Do you go off of the rod or reel when you put line on it? I also have a quantum reel and rod combo that's Med Light action, 4-10lbs I was going to use for trout. I wanted one for trout and one for bass, since I don't have a lot of money to spend on rods and reels right now. I'm young and new to fishing and appreciate all of your help! Thanks!

With a 5.2:1 gear ratio, you want to use it for crank baits. Slow retrieve with that gear is better for deep diving cranks. Plastics and jigs you kinda want a faster retrieve.

I love the Ugly stick. I have 2 and both I'm running 15 pound fluoro. I'd stay away from 8 pound mono on that set up. You will want a stronger line when running crank baits. I don't go any lower than 12 pound myself.

[BASSclary]

With a 5.2:1 gear ratio, you want to use it for crank baits. Slow retrieve with that gear is better for deep diving cranks. Plastics and jigs you kinda want a faster retrieve.

I love the Ugly stick. I have 2 and both I'm running 15 pound fluoro. I'd stay away from 8 pound mono on that set up. You will want a stronger line when running crank baits. I don't go any lower than 12 pound myself.

5.2:1is pretty fast for spinning reels. I think you confused the raio with casting reels, where 5.2:1 is pretty slow

[drew4779]

You can still use it for anything you want. I fished rubber worms with a very similar combo for years as a kid. It's just a more difficult to set a single hook with a medium action rod. Your hook up percentage just may be less with single hook lures than with trebles. Consequently, you may rip cranks out of a fishes mouth with a fast action rod. Be careful, its a slippery slope. One day you'll end up with more rods and reels than any one man needs (like me and most guys on this forum).

[BASSclary]

I believe RW was referring to the nature of an ugly stick setting the hook with single hook lures. Ugly sticks are pretty whippy, being a blend of graphite and fiberglass. It will absorb alot of your hookset, which isn't so bueno with with single hooks, but pretty good for treble hooks.

By going to a graphite rod, M/F, you will see a better hook up ratio because It wont be whippy like an ugly stick. I use M and ML rods all the time, and dont have any troubles setting the hook.

[jmarkw]

Thank you all! I really appreciate your info. I don't know if it matters but the rod is an Ugly Stick Light. It just says graphite on it. Is it still a graphite/fiberglass blend, and is the "Light" better than a normal Ugly Stick? I've read it is supposed to be more sensitive.

[SirSnookalot]

If you have already bought the Ugly Stick, it will be fine. The merits of an Ugly Stick are that it's almost unbreakable and they load up well for long casts. The negative is the weight, a bit on the heavy side for my taste and a far as hookup ratio, it's just a matter of getting used to it, probably will make you a better fisherman in the long run. I personally would use nothing heavier than 8# mono or 15# braid on your Pflueger. If the fishing bug takes you may want to look into a more refined outfit.

[rockchalk06]

5.2:1is pretty fast for spinning reels. I think you confused the raio with casting reels, where 5.2:1 is pretty slow

my mistake. I thought he was talking about them. Oops

[jmarkw]

Thanks! I already got the fishing bug. I've been buying lures like crazy and all I want to do is go fish. I'll buy fishing line, then I'll read that a certain size/type of line is better so I'll buy that.