Rod, Reel, and Line Recommendations

[Sholt]

All

Hope all is well, Ive been fishing quite a bit lately on a Mitchell 308 reel with an older Quantum Tournament Series Rod using 8LB  InvizX.  Ive had a few unfortunate line breaks as of late and am getting a bit frustrated but feel that it might be that Ive had a few kinks in my line or that the eyes on my rod are damaging the line overtime.  Im looking to spend 200-250 on a solid set up, Ive never used a baitcaster and dont feel like getting into that now I do alot of soft bait fishing along edges of ponds in my kayak.  Any help would be great.

[fishnkamp]

Well in their day the Mitchell line of reels were top of the line.

That was a longtime ago.  You have a very nice budget to work with. 

 

If you want to get a good all around spinning rod and reel combo look at the following options.

First look for a smooth reliable reel like a Pflueger Supreme 30 or 35 sized reel. This will run $100. For a little less expensive option look at the Pflueger President XT and President reels, again in the 30 and 35 sizes.

My wife does not like baitcasters either, so we worked hard to find her just the right setups.  She fishes 6 different rods, all designed to do their jobs to perfection. After years of fishing a few lesser reliable reels, most of her gear has been replaced with 4 Presidents and 1 Supreme. Her other reel is a Shimano but I would choose a Supreme over the Shimano.

Now for a high quality rod. Take a look at a Dobyns Fury FR 703SF or a Dobyns Sierra SA 703SF.  The 704 models are really nice if you intend to fish a little heavier baits.

These rods sell for $110 for the Fury rod and $170 for the Sierra rod.

 

Another option would be a Powell Max 713MEF or an Inferno model  6103 MEF rod.

 

[frosty]

@fishnkamp laid out solid recommendations for rods and reels, my suggestion is to look at the Fenwick hmg line. I've got the spinning and casting rods and I really like them. They will run you $100.  

[Sholt]

1 hour ago, fishnkamp said:

Well in their day the Mitchell line of reels were top of the line.

That was a longtime ago.  You have a very nice budget to work with. 

 

If you want to get a good all around spinning rod and reel combo look at the following options.

First look for a smooth reliable reel like a Pflueger Supreme 30 or 35 sized reel. This will run $100. For a little less expensive option look at the Pflueger President XT and President reels, again in the 30 and 35 sizes.

My wife does not like baitcasters either, so we worked hard to find her just the right setups.  She fishes 6 different rods, all designed to do their jobs to perfection. After years of fishing a few lesser reliable reels, most of her gear has been replaced with 4 Presidents and 1 Supreme. Her other reel is a Shimano but I would choose a Supreme over the Shimano.

Now for a high quality rod. Take a look at a Dobyns Fury FR 703SF or a Dobyns Sierra SA 703SF.  The 704 models are really nice if you intend to fish a little heavier baits.

These rods sell for $110 for the Fury rod and $170 for the Sierra rod.

 

Another option would be a Powell Max 713MEF or an Inferno model  6103 MEF rod.

 

Thanks I just ordered Pfluegar Supreme 35 with a Powell Inferno 6103 MEF

I appreciate the help and looking forward to the new gear.

Be well

 

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, Sholt said:

Thanks I just ordered Pfluegar Supreme 35 with a Powell Inferno 6103 MEF

I appreciate the help and looking forward to the new gear.

Be well

 

 

Congratulations on the new combo.  Didn't take you long to make a decision!    Had you waited a few hours your options would have expanded exponentially.    You made the right choice in not waiting.  Less indecision.  Deciding gets harder as the options grow.

[Sholt]

15 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

 

Congratulations on the new combo.  Didn't take you long to make a decision!    Had you waited a few hours your options would have expanded exponentially.    You made the right choice in not waiting.  Less indecision.  Deciding gets harder as the options grow.

Yea its not crazy money anyways so I might as well try it.  I read a few things and I know there are endless combos but this seems to be promising.  I just want to fish.

[frosty]

16 minutes ago, Sholt said:

Yea its not crazy money anyways so I might as well try it.  I read a few things and I know there are endless combos but this seems to be promising.  I just want to fish.

Put some 10-15 pound power pro braid on that new reel when you get it, you're definitely going to be loving life with that combo!

[fishnkamp]

That combo will fish nicely.  Now I will complicate your choices a little more and talk about lines. Boy if your last rig was from hat long ago there are enough new line manufacturers and types of line to confuse anyone.

Of course you probably used either a line by Berkley, like Trilene or Stren back then. Well you have a hundred times as many choices. My wife and I have tried many modern monofilaments, copolymer lines, braids and Fluorocarbon lines. Each of these have some good qualities as well as some issues. 

The issues for a line fished on a spinning reel is most often related to line memory, causing unwanted coils coming off the spool. There can be problems of abrasion resistance vs easier casting.  After many years of experimentation we have decided upon one answer for us. I start with an empty spool on my reel. I purchase a 330 yard spool of Stren Original Clear Blue mono and fill my reel up half way with it. This costs $8 which means it cost less than 3 cents a yard to fill any reel. This fills many reels used this way. The benefit here is two fold. I get to reduce the amount of more expensive braid or fluorocarbon line used to fill my reel thus saving money. Mono also tie tighter to a reels arbor than a braid, so slipping on the arbor is less likely. That line also makes a nice smooth bed for the braid to layout smooth on.  I usually use either 12 or 14 pound test mono.  Next I purchase a spool of Berkley FireLine in 14 pound test. This braid is not cheap, in fact none of the good braids are. Since we only need about 75 yards or more to fill my spool then the cost of filling one reel is very manageable.   Fourteen pound test FireLine is almost exactly the same diameter as 6 pound mono but fishes so nice. It casts like a dream, is pretty darn abrasion resistant.  If you fish really deep gin clear wate,r like I do when vacationing on Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee/ Kentucky then just add a 5 foot leader made of 8 pound mono or copolymer line.  I really like the FireLine when used on spinning gear (ignore that the line feels coarse when you first touch it in the box, it softens or smooths out as soon as it gets wet once.

I prefer Power Pro and Suffix 832 braid on my baitcasters personally.  Good luck and enjoy.

[Sholt]

5 minutes ago, fishnkamp said:

That combo will fish nicely.  Now I will complicate your choices a little more and talk about lines. Boy if your last rig was from hat long ago there are enough new line manufacturers and types of line to confuse anyone.

Of course you probably used either a line by Berkley, like Trilene or Stren back then. Well you have a hundred times as many choices. My wife and I have tried many modern monofilaments, copolymer lines, braids and Fluorocarbon lines. Each of these have some good qualities as well as some issues. 

The issues for a line fished on a spinning reel is most often related to line memory, causing unwanted coils coming off the spool. There can be problems of abrasion resistance vs easier casting.  After many years of experimentation we have decided upon one answer for us. I start with an empty spool on my reel. I purchase a 330 yard spool of Stren Original Clear Blue mono and fill my reel up half way with it. This costs $8 which means it cost less than 3 cents a yard to fill any reel. This fills many reels used this way. The benefit here is two fold. I get to reduce the amount of more expensive braid or fluorocarbon line used to fill my reel thus saving money. Mono also tie tighter to a reels arbor than a braid, so slipping on the arbor is less likely. That line also makes a nice smooth bed for the braid to layout smooth on.  I usually use either 12 or 14 pound test mono.  Next I purchase a spool of Berkley FireLine in 14 pound test. This braid is not cheap, in fact none of the good braids are. Since we only need about 75 yards or more to fill my spool then the cost of filling one reel is very manageable.   Fourteen pound test FireLine is almost exactly the same diameter as 6 pound mono but fishes so nice. It casts like a dream, is pretty darn abrasion resistant.  If you fish really deep gin clear wate,r like I do when vacationing on Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee/ Kentucky then just add a 5 foot leader made of 8 pound mono or copolymer line.  I really like the FireLine when used on spinning gear (ignore that the line feels coarse when you first touch it in the box, it softens or smooths out as soon as it gets wet once.

I prefer Power Pro and Suffix 832 braid on my baitcasters personally.  Good luck and enjoy.

I have 8lb mono invizX on my desk that I was going to use with half a spool of cheaper line.  Are you saying to with Cheap line to braid to a leader? I have 30lb trilene on another reel that I dont use anymore but the line is brand new.  should I transfer some of that onto the new reel?

thanks for all your help Im stoked to go out dropshotting

Steve

[frosty]

32 minutes ago, Sholt said:

Cheap line to braid to a leader?

That's right. Use the cheap line just to fill the spool 2/3's of the way then finish with about 75 yards of braid then add a leader if you want one. Works great. 

[fishnkamp]

The cheap line is okay for most people. I fish in places where big blue cats and stripers can roam and eat the lure intended for bass, so I take no chances. I use quality mono as backing all the time.  I rig all 3 of my spinning reels and all 6 of Linda's the same way, so I never worry what is on a particular rod/reel combo. The only difference is on her frog rod and jig rod we have 30 pound Power Pro. That is expected since those are heavy vegetation weapons.

 Funny story, April 2016 we arrived at Dale Hollow on vacation. Because of the warm- then cold- then warm spring the smallmouth and largemouth bass were on the beds at the same time. We arrived two days after the big females left the beds and were in a terrible "leave me alone mood"  They were not willing to much of anything. We resorted to pulling out our 6 foot medium light G Loomis rods.  The only bait they ate all week was a small worm called a Z Man TRD on a 1/10 ounce jig.  We slayed them on those baits and most were 5 to 7 pounds.  On the last day my wife thought she hooked the next world record as this fish ran her from the front deck to the rear deck and back again several times. It turned out to be almost 8 pounds of catfish! LOL. That fished pulled all of the braid out and she had some mono out the rod as well. Normally you do not go chase big catfish with a 6 foot medium light spinning rod designed to fish lures that weigh between 1/16 and 5/16.  I was on my butt behind the steering wheel laughing my tail off. I told her not even Iaconnely could do it any better!   She was upset it was a catfish, but I told her how proud of her I was! Most of my male friends would have broken the 8 pound leader or broke the rod during the fight. She fought it at every run and kept it under control till I netted that big girl

So that is the reason I use only quality line and am real careful when I tie my uni to uni knots.

Keep in mind she fishes with 6 spinning rods and I fish with at least 3 of 4 spinning rods usually. Then there are 12 baitcasters rigged in the boat as well. Here is why saving some money on each reel fill up is important. Another great thing about braid is I fish it for 3 or 4 years before it must be replaced.

 

As for the 30 pound test Trilene I would not wish to use it. That line is very thick and I doubt it would lay as smooth and level as say 12 or 14 pound test.  

 

 

[Sholt]

3 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

The cheap line is okay for most people. I fish in places where big blue cats and stripers can roam and eat the lure intended for bass, so I take no chances. I use quality mono as backing all the time.  I rig all 3 of my spinning reels and all 6 of Linda's the same way, so I never worry what is on a particular rod/reel combo. The only difference is on her frog rod and jig rod we have 30 pound Power Pro. That is expected since those are heavy vegetation weapons.

 Funny story, April 2016 we arrived at Dale Hollow on vacation. Because of the warm- then cold- then warm spring the smallmouth and largemouth bass were on the beds at the same time. We arrived two days after the big females left the beds and were in a terrible "leave me alone mood"  They were not willing to much of anything. We resorted to pulling out our 6 foot medium light G Loomis rods.  The only bait they ate all week was a small worm called a Z Man TRD on a 1/10 ounce jig.  We slayed them on those baits and most were 5 to 7 pounds.  On the last day my wife thought she hooked the next world record as this fish ran her from the front deck to the rear deck and back again several times. It turned out to be almost 8 pounds of catfish! LOL. That fished pulled all of the braid out and she had some mono out the rod as well. Normally you do not go chase big catfish with a 6 foot medium light spinning rod designed to fish lures that weigh between 1/16 and 5/16.  I was on my butt behind the steering wheel laughing my tail off. I told her not even Iaconnely could do it any better!   She was upset it was a catfish, but I told her how proud of her I was! Most of my male friends would have broken the 8 pound leader or broke the rod during the fight. She fought it at every run and kept it under control till I netted that big girl

So that is the reason I use only quality line and am real careful when I tie my uni to uni knots.

Keep in mind she fishes with 6 spinning rods and I fish with at least 3 of 4 spinning rods usually. Then there are 12 baitcasters rigged in the boat as well. Here is why saving some money on each reel fill up is important. Another great thing about braid is I fish it for 3 or 4 years before it must be replaced.

 

As for the 30 pound test Trilene I would not wish to use it. That line is very thick and I doubt it would lay as smooth and level as say 12 or 14 pound test.  

 

 

Thanks I ordered 14lb crystal fire line and I will use an InvizX 8lb leader

Thanks

Steve

[NHBull]

Just a side note, I back my reals with old braid and it may be my imagination but I really think it allows  me to run lighter braid without digging in.....

[Sholt]

4 hours ago, Sholt said:

I have 8lb mono invizX on my desk that I was going to use with half a spool of cheaper line.  Are you saying to with Cheap line to braid to a leader? I have 30lb trilene on another reel that I dont use anymore but the line is brand new.  should I transfer some of that onto the new reel?

thanks for all your help Im stoked to go out dropshotting

Steve

I cancelled my order am I supposed to get the Berkley Fused Crystal Fireline 14lb?