What heavy lure combo for freshwater largemouth AND inshore stripers

[haggard]

90% of my fishing is on a M/F baitcaster with 1/4 to 1/2 oz lures targeting large & smallmouth in a clear, open freshwater lake in southern Maine. Never done salt water yet.

 

Looking to throw some heavier lures (1 to 2 1/2 oz) and also try some inshore striper fishing on a back channel (southern Maine). Given that I'd be using this less frequently than my usual rig, I'd like to buy a single combo to do both, rather than two separate setups.

 

Also want to be able to use this from a sit-on-top yak, not just from the boat.

 

I'm 5'10 and I'm most often using a 6'6 rod, but comfortable with 6'0 to 6'8, haven't tried longer yet.

 

I like a quality setup but I'm not made of money either, and again given this won't be my most often used setup I don't need or want to spend tons of money. That said, I'm drawn to the Calcutta 400B reel which I think could serve both purposes very well. Not sure about the rod though - what power and action. 

 

Lures would most likely be hard swimbaits around 2 oz.

 

Is this all too much to ask for from a single combo?

 

[roadwarrior]

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/DHC7-761-CAHFS-primmus-review.html

 

[dave]

Same tackle.   As long as you are fishing open water,  bass tackle will handle the task.   Here on the Chesapeake Bay,  6'6" M-MH spinning or baitcasting tackle are standard equipment among LTJ fisherman.  Drag and skill.

[haggard]

8 minutes ago, dave said:

Same tackle.   As long as you are fishing open water,  bass tackle will handle the task.   Here on the Chesapeake Bay,  6'6" M-MH spinning or baitcasting tackle are standard equipment among LTJ fisherman.  Drag and skill.

Good to know... I've got a 6'8" MH/F baitcaster that I really like, though it's rated for up to only 1 oz. Maybe I'll downsize the lure weight for starting out and see how it works out. Thanks.

[jbmaine]

You and I have fished the same waters, and I have caught a ton of stripers in this area, so maybe I can offer some insight. Your current setup should be fine for inshore stripers. As for lure size you don't need super large, heavy lures to catch stripers. I caught a 35+ inch striper on a fly rod,  and the fly weighted practically nothing. If you want to present a large profile bait and stay in your rod weight size throw lures that trail feathers or bucktail. Stripers aren't the smartest fish out there so exactly " matching the hatch" isn't necessary.

                                                           Jim

[haggard]

1 hour ago, jbmaine said:

You and I have fished the same waters, and I have caught a ton of stripers in this area, so maybe I can offer some insight. Your current setup should be fine for inshore stripers. As for lure size you don't need super large, heavy lures to catch stripers. I caught a 35+ inch striper on a fly rod,  and the fly weighted practically nothing. If you want to present a large profile bait and stay in your rod weight size throw lures that trail feathers or bucktail. Stripers aren't the smartest fish out there so exactly " matching the hatch" isn't necessary.

                                                           Jim

Thanks Jim. Sounds like I'll be fine with what I've got (6'8 MH/F, and the 1 oz swimbait) - I'll try that and see how it works. I'll just get a saltwater reel and should be good to go. Now if it would only warm up....

[WRB]

The reel you have choosen, Calcutta 400B, is a large wide round reel that is very difficult to hold in your hand and cast/retreive lures and fight fish with using 6'8" MH bass rods. The rod/reel balance will poor, no foregrip makes this outfit very questionable I M O.

Take a look at St Croix Avid VIC70HF inshore rod, 7' fast with foregrip  rated for lures 3/4-2 oz, 15-30 lb line.

Tom

[jbmaine]

3 hours ago, haggard said:

Thanks Jim. Sounds like I'll be fine with what I've got (6'8 MH/F, and the 1 oz swimbait) - I'll try that and see how it works. I'll just get a saltwater reel and should be good to go. Now if it would only warm up....

I hear you on wanting Spring to come. Will you be fishing the river, Great Bay, or out side?

                                                    Jim

[Dtrombly]

Irod Gensis II 7'8" JR Swimbait rod comes to mind here. Depending on budget of course, that is a $149.99 rod. 

[haggard]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

The reel you have choosen, Calcutta 400B, is a large wide round reel that is very difficult to hold in your hand and cast/retreive lures and fight fish with using 6'8" MH bass rods. The rod/reel balance will poor, no foregrip makes this outfit very questionable I M O.

Take a look at St Croix Avid VIC70HF inshore rod, 7' fast with foregrip  rated for lures 3/4-2 oz, 15-30 lb line.

Tom

Thanks for the good advice Tom, good to know the 400B might not balance well on the 6'8.

 

Checked the specs, the VIC70HF looks promising.

 

To confirm, you're saying you think the VIC70HF would pair well with the 400B?

 

[Skew12]

I’ve caught a few on 130 whopper ploppers. 

[WRB]

1 hour ago, haggard said:

Thanks for the good advice Tom, good to know the 400B might not balance well on the 6'8.

 

Checked the specs, the VIC70HF looks promising.

 

To confirm, you're saying you think the VIC70HF would pair well with the 400B?

 

5.8 oz rod should balance well with the 11.8 oz reel, this isn't a lightweight combo, it's a good inshore striper outfit that can double for fresh water fishing.

Tom

[jbmaine]

I sent you a message.

                     Jim

[new2BC4bass]

13 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/DHC7-761-CAHFS-primmus-review.html

 

I can vouch for the reel.  Not about its longevity as I haven't used any of my reels enough to wear them out.  But I can vouch for how nice it casts.  Liked the reel enough to now have 3 of them.  Never tried one of their rods although I would have liked to.  Price of the DHC7 is way more than I can afford.  Even the DCH5 is on the high end for me.  Not many places sell them.  You can find the DHC7 7'1" HF for 53% off ($190 while others run $335-$350).  A great deal if you need that power.

 

OP, I am about the same height and can tell you that you should have no problem handling longer rods.  The only thing is a longer rod may be hard to land a fish with from a kayak...from what I have read.  I've fished from a little 14' dinghy and used 7' rods with no problem and I am sitting almost even with the water.

[Angry John]

For a cheap decent reel the daiwa advantage htsa can be had cheap and it's solid.  A step up would be a zillion costal.  

[fishwizzard]

From a kayak the long rear grips on a lot of heavier rods can be a huge pain.  My advice is to find a rod you are interested in and mock it up with a dowel rod, your reel, and some electricians tape.  A 3/4" dowel with the reel taped the right distance from the butt will let you sit in your yak and see a little how the rod will cast and retrieve, in addition to general handling.  I did this when I was swimbait rod shopping and it was really helpful.   

[Master Bait'r]

For topwater, jerkbaits and things like smaller sinking needlefish lures etc. I use an 8’ MHF Crucial swimbait blank with a Shimano Exsence DC and love it.  I find it to be a great Goldilocks setup where you can have a really nice twitch action for walking topwaters and jerking with super light weight & sensitivity but still have the length to bomb that sized bait out past the surf and the power to horse them in.  

 

In freshwater its it’s a great swimbait setup too, and I primarily fish from a kayak.  Brings me joy year ‘round and I personally like longer rods even from a yak.  I toyed with selling the crucial a while ago for something with more power but it just handles that slot so well I’d rather do a full-on Calcutta 400/10+oz rod setup for deep water and chunking than “break up the band”.  Trying to work lighter salt tackle with a trolling or surfcasting rig is torture.

 

[haggard]

On 12/17/2017 at 3:27 PM, jbmaine said:

I hear you on wanting Spring to come. Will you be fishing the river, Great Bay, or out side?

                                                    Jim

Keep in mind I'm just starting out (never even fished salt water yet) but now that I have one season of lake fishing down, I like the idea of trying something totally different, as close to the open salt water as possible while still being safe for a yak (a stable 12 footer) - so thinking the river (depending on tide), maybe the New Castle area. Easy paddle from where I would launch in Kittery, current permitting. For now, I'm keeping the powered boat and motor in fresh water only. 

 

That said, I'm not set on any specific area yet. The main thing is the excitement of learning & trying something new. A new technique, new water, new species, and above all, spending time outdoors on the water. We're so fortunate to have access to so much water in this area.