First spinning rod setup?

[dk2429]

My buddy and I have been fishing Lake Fork all week and he brought along a spinning rod setup that he was using for weightless senkos. I used it a bit, and now I’ve gotta get my own spinning setup. I hadn’t used a spinning rod since I was a young kid. I really like how they work with those senkos. I also don’t fish senkos often, which is why I never considered a dedicated rod for them. 

 

With that said, where do I start and what do y’all recommend? I’d like one to do a few things… Senkos, drop shot, flukes…. I never really use a drop shot but I’d like to have that ability with this rod. 

 

I like Falcon and Dobyns rods, but I’m open to others. Shimano or Daiwa reel would be good. Would like to stick to the $150 +/- range on the rod and reel each. Will splurge a little bit if it’s worth it. 

 

Thanks! 

[MN Fisher]

For Dobyns, I'd suggest a Sierra 703SF, though personally I'd pick a St Croix Black Bass 7'1" M/F.

Reel - Shimano Miravel 2500 - get the Japanese import version, it's a bit slower than the USDM 2500HG, but at 29IPT I find it to be about the perfect speed for weightless plastics. $114.50 at Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Miravel-Spinning-Reel-Japan/dp/B0BHDF4QLT/ref=sr_1_4?crid=FRC7X4BFURW9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KALjpPXnoArJXKZIA3r0QTF8DoCToc_ysiYm6FFrD-6e-ENZ3D_FAXH3wwyWuQ1PWFQbfkyx_U-dHB_mdlilEaQlR5cw-S-y1EHPxGMJiaoO6mlUiFpURlMdDTLE7P7MwVUfgbaVH0lXkqeUWWBaFXgkAldo5gbUjMdV8yD8Al4W-7q1qPUjjdwBZjcaWSy68R6VcfaQEJk18VJSqjFnvmvDELwzWfE_yneoad7orngDwKxRpjE8kc_oJ42jqvHx-Jl8DeEEn_1FrquTI06SQyk3lBiNU9tcyUKKfKIsNdKWEZHaI39I4IslH9nXtRsmHWR9Olb8XEw324u2xSrLoclpmG6GPnwSc-_kliPcWGk.niTqidhX6ZsHGqvdMPgqjTA4BL9THqjiNavRJFf8rFE&dib_tag=se&keywords=Shimano+MIRAVEL&qid=1742701382&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=shimano+miravel%2Csporting%2C173&sr=1-4

[Eric 26]

Ok so I’m going to start by stating I’m all over the place brand and budget wise with my spinning setups but I have and love my 13 fishing fate silver med light rod which is no longer available but I wouldn’t hesitate to try another model. I will also say if I was going to purchase another spinning setup I’d look at Daiwa rods as I feel they offer a lot of bang for the buck although I just purchased a BPS Carbonlite spinning rod to match a Carbonlite reel that I purchased last season. I will add I prefer the locking nut to be on the bottom of the rod which my 13 fishing rod has. As far as spinning reels go as long as you’re staying under a 3000 size you can purchase a Stradic from Japan right around your budget but I will add the Johnny Morris reels from BPS are made by Daiwa and are very reasonably priced especially now until the 26th of this month with their spring sale currently taking place. 

[bulldog1935]

Assuming you want to fish braid, I'll put up a standard recommendation for JDM Stradic

$152 at today's exchange rate.  

https://www.digitaka.com/item/5/4/1/4969363045836

[DaubsNU1]

You don't need to break the bank. Head to your local BPS/Cabela's/Scheels/outdoor store, and find a medium light spinning rod that fits and feels good. If you are not close to outdoor retailer, order up some rods via Tackle warehouse/Amazon/etc, (preferable someplace with a good return policy). 

 

I have recently found some Fenwick spinning reels on clearance that are quite good. 

 

Pair it up with a Shimano spinning reel that fits your budget, and you are just about there. 

 

I went from Mono to Braid-to-Fluorocarbon on all my spinning rods. PowerPro 10lb bright yellow, Alberto knotted to either 8 or 10lb. Fluorocarbon. I use this for NEDs, Senkos, cranks, jigs, etc. 

 

 

[Reel]

All the above suggestions were good but if the main thing is senkos, a rod around 7 feet long, fast,  with a medium to medium heavy action is a good choice.  A really light reel in the 2500 series makes a good outfit.  For line I would go a bit heavier like 15 pound braid with a 10 pound leader.  I use the Curado series of rods from Shimano with a Miravel reel to do the same thing.  Such a rod can be used for other spinning applications also .

[casts_by_fly]

The jdm stradic is the obvious starting point.  Just do it and don’t think twice. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Agreed with the JDM Stradic comments, what an amazing reel, let alone for the money.   I personally prefer 3000 sized reels, but the 2500 would be perfectly fine as well.  I always opt for the highest speed reels as well.  

 

Pair that with any 7" M Fast spinning rod and you got a combo that will work for the vast majority of spinning rig applications. 

[Big Hands]

The subject of a dedicated Senko rod intrigues me (a lot). And then you mentioned flukes and dropshotting. And that Lake Fork may be a place you’d like to use such a setup. 
 

I didn’t care if my ultimate Senko rod did anything else at all, but it had to be really great for tossing weightless Senkos at the lake I fish, however, after trying no less than six different rods while on my own search for a dedicated Senko rod, my biggest takeaway was that my perfect Senko rod may not be your, or anyone else’s perfect Senko rod. It varies widely from angler to angler, and even from one body of water to another. I think I am seeing some evidence of this from the responses you’re getting already. 
 

You may or may not have already had your perfect Senko rod suggested to you here. I think you’re just going to have to try some different rods out to see how they work for you (for Senko fishing as well as dropshotting and Fluke fishing).

 

With that in mind, I would suggest something like a 7' to 7'2", ML/F rod with a reel that is light, strong enough, can take up slack reasonably fast with a shallow spool that holds enough line, but not much more than that. I would put 12-15 lbs braid (I always apologize to @bulldog1935 for referring to braid sizes like the googan that I am) and 8-10 lbs fluorocarbon leader.

 

I like the reel @bulldog1935 has recommended, as well as something like the Daiwa Tatula LT 2500S-XH-QD from the same source for $180.

 

As for a rod, I would tell a friend to check out the Shimano 270ML (7', ML/F spinning rod) or the Daiwa Tatula TTU711MLFS (7'1" ML/F spinning rod) as well as other similar rods. They may not be the perfect Senko rod for where you live, but they will do a pretty good job for that as well as classic finesse-ish dropshotting and at least some versions of fluke fishing. At the risk of appearing to carry water for the Bait Monkey, you may find that your ultimate single purpose Senko rod could be something different, I think what I have suggested will do it reasonably well, as well as having a chance at dropshotting and fluke fishing reasonably well.

 

For the record, there are few things in life I would rather do than drag a June Bug colored Ol' Monster on 20 lbs monofilament through the timber at lake fork at midnight, however my biggest Lake Fork bass (a 8.5 lbs bruiser that isn't quite a Lake Fork lunker, but a pretty good fish anywhere one goes IMHO) was caught on a rig similar to what you're looking for while jigging a 1/4 oz Joe Speitz slab.

[LCG]

I picked up a Daiwa Tatula XT spinning rod 7' M-F and then paired it up with a Daiwa Exceler LT 3000 for this year. Plan on using mainly as a Senko rod (wacky, texas rigged, neko) and a general use rod. Have to wait a few weeks to put it to use, but it's a nice combo on a $200 budget. 

[Brian11719]

15 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

For Dobyns, I'd suggest a Sierra 703SF

+1 for this ^ suggestion for Dobyns. They also have a similar model in the Kaden line if you want a faster action but I prefer the Sierra line for spinning rods and you can usually find them on sale at some point and get the price down to below $150 and the difference between these lines and the Fury is worth it IMHO.

 

Right now in terms of bang for the buck my favorite line for a spinning rod is the Poison Adrena series since I don't like foregrips. That will cost more but there is a significant step up in terms of sensitivity and I really like the handles and overall feel of them. If you want to stick to that price range and prefer a rod that isn't a foregrip, then I would recommend the Sierra line.

 

On that note it might be a good time to take a look at how you actually prefer to hold a spinning rod as I've seen a few people buy one based on advice / internet videos only to find out they prefer a different style grip. And since it's your first one it might also be worth going to a local store and holding a few different ones since you can get a better feel for the different options out there than you can by just looking at pictures, reading articles or watching videos online. I haven't used it but the Falcon Lowrider also seems like a good rod and either the medium or medium heavy looks like it would also work. Interestingly enough that one also has a foregrip and the handle is above the reel so again in your case it might be best to try holding a few in person if at all possible.

[dk2429]

Thank you all for your comments, I read through every one of them. I’ll take all of this and make a decision based on that. 
 

Kind of a counterintuitive question to my original post.. Does anybody prefer using a light baitcaster setup for the baits I’m wanting to throw? I’ve done both and understand the obvious differences, just wondering if there’s anything I might have not thought about or missed between the two. I didn’t use his spinning setup a whole lot but I was terrible at accurately casting it at first. All I know is that I really enjoyed the overall feel of it when using those wacky senkos 

[Reel]

I throw a weightless texas riggged senko with a baitcaster.  Rigged that way, the shape is slim and it's easy to throw with precision.  A  wacky rig senko is more wind resistant and I get more distance and precision with a spinning rod.

[dk2429]

8 minutes ago, Reel said:

I throw a weightless texas riggged senko with a baitcaster.  Rigged that way, the shape is slim and it's easy to throw with precision.  A  wacky rig senko is more wind resistant and I get more distance and precision with a spinning rod.

Guess I should have specified in my original post… I am talking about weightless wacky rigged senkos. I can see how a Texas rig senko could be tossed no problem on a baitcaster. 

[Brian11719]

13 minutes ago, dk2429 said:

Does anybody prefer using a light baitcaster setup for the baits I’m wanting to throw?

I personally don't. A senko with a 1/0 hook in it usually comes out to about .35oz and generally speaking I don't like to throw anything less than 1/2oz on a casting setup. I also like a senko or a fluke around docks and with a spinning rod you don't need to worry about hitting the dock and dealing with a backlash.

[MN Fisher]

Weightless plastics for me is always on spinning - whether it's wacky, T-Rig worms or flukes. Depending on the weight it's on either my 7'1" M/F St Croix Mojo or my 7'3" ML/XF St Croix Panfish (yes, I use it for bass) .

[dk2429]

Awesome guys. So a 7ft+ medium/fast or medium light/fast is what I need to be after? I know Dobyns has a few in the Sierra and Kaden line that’ll fit that description like mentioned above. 
 

I’ll likely get that Stradic from Digitaka that was linked and mentioned a few times. The reel my buddy has is the Vanford. Little bit out of the price I want to stick around for a first time setup. That JDM Stradic fits the bill nicely 

[Recurve1]

14 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Assuming you want to fish braid, I'll put up a standard recommendation for JDM Stradic

$152 at today's exchange rate.  

https://www.digitaka.com/item/5/4/1/4969363045836

Hi Bulldog - I pulled up your link and the price for US is $161.42.  Not gonna quibble over $10 but wondering where you saw it at $152?

 

Thanks

[bulldog1935]

I just plugged the price in google exchange rate - but I plugged in the wrong price, JY 22700 for 2000 Stradic.  

[GetFishorDieTryin]

If I could get away with just casting gear I would, but some things are just more efficient with spinning gear. 

If it was just a senko rod you wouldnt need a super sensitive blank, but with a DS sensitivity is very important.  

I would recommend a Tatula 7'2 MH on the low end.  You wont beat it for 150$  You would have to spend 200$ or more to get a blank to reach parity or slightly more sensitive. 

Curado and Zodias are great, but the spinning rods have forward locking nut, which I really dislike and Dobyns is the same way.

If you want to go cheaper on the rod 13 has great M power blanks, that handles weightless plastics very well.  I picked up one of the new Oaths (100) and was very surprised at how good it felt.  The rod they have at the 150$ PP is very good, but IMO the Tatula is better.  If you can get a Muse it would rival anything at its PP and nearly 100$ higher, in terms of weight and sensitivity. 

As for the reel, its very hard to beat Stradic.  If you have the funds, a Vanford 3000 would be preferential over Stradic.  They are a just a much lighter stradic, same tech and attributes, just with a much lighter composite frame.  With a lighter reel, felt sensitivity is increased and they are a blast to fish with.  Fishing LMB stem flex won't be an issue, as you won't need more than 6lbs of drag max.

[Bigbox99]

I use a Zodias 72M and an old Tatula with an aftermarket Ray's Studio SV spool for most of my weightless plastics.  I use 12# Sniper skipping to docks with frequent cuts and reties of the bait so braid to leader on a spinning reel isn't an option for me.   It's a stiffer medium and more of a M+ but I like it. 

 

Nothing wrong with using a spinning reel for weightless plastics.  Back when baitcast reels all had 20 gram spools and everyone used spool tension spinning reels were the norm for a Senko reel because it's wasn't viable on your average baitcast reel that wasn't a TDZ, Alphas/Pixy or Scorpion 1000D.  

[Rockhopper]

I have two bass spinning rods.  One always stays at home.  The other gets used A LOT.  Its a bit more than your stated budget, but for me it is worth the investment as I am not buying a bunch of spinning rods.  So I figured one good one and done.

 

G Loomis 822s mag med dsr and a Shimano Vanford.  I personally have the nrx+ series, but it can be had in the cheaper rod lines (GCX).  Light as a feather.  Covers all my spinning needs perfectly.  It is such a good combo that I hold it in the highest praise.  I smile every time I use it.

 

From what I have read, people also say that if they only had one, they would choose the Loomis 852s.  Although, I am not sure of the availability of the 852s in cheaper lines as I have never shopped for one.

[JackstrawIII]

I love Dobyns and Daiwa for casting rods, but I would 100% recommend a St. Croix Premier at that price point for your spinning rod. I'd go 7' medium fast. I also happen to really like and trust Pflueger spinning reels, specifically the Supreme in the 3000 size.