New Mid-Range Swimbait Setup

[northplatteriver]

Hello All,  This is my first post, but I have been reading posts off these boards for a long time.  I have a question for the many swimbait enthusiasts on this forum...

I know there are many options for swimbait rods, but I have opportunity to get a swimbait rod free through employee an recognition program at work so my selections are limited to what is available on the catalog.  There are no Okuma sticks which seem to be pretty popular, but there is a Bass Pro Extreme in 7'10" heavy (EXR710HT) that looks like it would be a good one.  Can handle 1/2 to 3oz lures which appears to be able to handle soft baits up to about 8 inches.  I also have enough points for a reel and can get the Shimano Cardiff 200A, they do not have any sizes larger than this available.  I understand this does not hold a ton of line, but the price is right.  Does this sound like a decent setup to get started with mid range swimbaits?  I have already pulled the trigger on the reel, but wanted to know if there are others that have experience with this rod for swimbaiting, or if there are other suggestions for rods from Bass Pro that would be more suitable.  The internal work choice catalog has a large Bass Pro selection.

Additionally, when it says a rod is rated up to 3oz's I am kind of guessing I might be able to push this a bit, maybe closer to 4oz's on the heavy side if I needed to.  The 8 inch soft baits from Savage Gear are really what I would like to be able to throw, but I understand that once I start down this path things start to get a bit addicting.  Any suggestions sincerely appreciated.

Also, planning on lining it with 20# YoZuri Copoly so I am guessing I will only be able to get about 70 yards of line the reel.  I have already snapped off spinnerbaits using braided line so I am not interested in going that route and 15# test sounds a bit light to throw 3oz baits.  Thanks in advance

 

[Chris at Tech]

I'm no expert but I think the reel you choose is a bit of a limiting factor due to line capacity.

[blckshirt98]

The 200 size reel might be a little small if you're going to be throwing 3oz baits, with the heavier line you'll probably want to use.  The 200 size will work fine though if you spool up with nothing heavier than say 18lb fluoro/mono.

[northplatteriver]

Thanks for the responses.  If the 300 were an option I would certainly get it.  My other question is in regards to the rod.  I also have the option to get one of the BPS Muskie rods instead of the BPS Extreme heavy.  I have seen some on this forum that use the BPS musky rods for swimbaits.  If anyone has anything to share on this I would be all ears.

[ghost]

Get a BPS muskie rod for the lure weight you are using, I want one of those for swimbaits, but not available in Southern California. 

I use a Shimano Cardiff 301 with 65lb braid.

I am thinking of getting a Daiwa Lexa 300, since it's a bit more lower profile.

Bad news is, I don't use that setup much, so no bass on swimbait gear...yet

[Bluebasser86]

I used the Extreme you're looking at for swimbaits the first couple years I fished them and it did well enough. I even fished 8" Hudds on it that exceeded the weight range by over an ounce. Lob cast are the key and it did just fine with them. 

[Fisher-O-men]

There are some Ambassadeurs that work very well for Swimbaits.  Some 5500 models have high line capacity, all 6500s do.  These reels are often overlooked IMO.

[northplatteriver]

An additional rod that I have access to would be the ABU Garcia Veritas 2.0 which is 7'9" and rated up to 3oz also.  I am thinking that rod will be good for a variety of applications other than swimbaits if and when I move to a rod that can handle more.  Any thoughts on the ABU Garcia Veritas 2.0 over the BPS Extreme.  I think they are very similar with the exception that the Extreme is two inches longer and it supposedly a faster rod than the Veritas.  For the soft baits I will mostly be fishing this sounds like an advantage.