What's your "guest" rig?

[mrlitetackle]

What i mean by this is,

what rod/reel setup do you deem worthy to use by others than yourself?  (ie.... friend, wife, girlfriend, next door neighbor's bored kid, etc... you get the point)

I'm highly meticulous and careful with "my personal" rigs, but do have one's that i will let others handle without worry.

that being said,

the two that i let go to others are....

1.   Really old Daiwa Regal Z (prob. about 13 yrs old!!) 1500, on a POS FLW rod 6' md. act, spooled with suffix braid 8-30.

2.   Daiwa Exceller 4000, on some ridiculous ranger rod (6'), spooled with ande mono 10lb.

..#1, is the rig i keep in my car at all times... just in case i happen upon some random fishing territory

...#2. well, that rod only see's catfish........ if its lucky ;D

[Stasher1]

My "loaner" now is actually a Shimano Symetre 2500FI on a 6'6" MF Shimano Crucial.

The reel is smooth, reliable, and almost bullet proof. The rod is light, sensitive, and has a lifetime warranty.

I can relax and not worry about the guest breaking anything, and they can't blame their lack of success on the equipment.  ;D

[ww2farmer]

If they don't have there own gear, I let them use mine. As long as they can handle a baitcaster, they are free to use what ever set up is not in my hands at the time.  I want my guests to enjoy there time spent fishing, using my "good" stuff helps that. If I see they are rough on stuff they get a  few warnings/pointers on what not to do and told how much it would cost to replace , and that they will replace it if they brake it.............that usually ends any rough treatment of gear.

[swilly78]

They can use any of my stuff EXCEPT my pt tour/carrot stix combo.  Various shimanos, quantums, one browning, on a multitute of rods ranging from ugly sticks to pro qulifiers.  Both spinning and casting.

[CHEVYRIDAZ]

Shimano Crucial 6' 6" MH/F paired with a Revo S spooled with 15lb mono.

[mrlitetackle]

i suppose that i am a little more "ocd" with my good stuff than others,

but i will readily let others "in the know" use my personal rigs......

the 2 i mentioned are reserved for the inexperienced, or of "unknown experience"... as in....

(ie.... friend, wife, girlfriend, next door neighbor's bored kid, etc... you get the point)

[Koop]

Depends who the person is. If its a young kid I'll let them use a spinning rig in the lower tier, if its a fishing friend or partner they can use any of my stuff they want UNLESS fishing a tournament, then no one touches my gear as I may decide I want to use it at any given time.

Same rule applies, it breaks they pay the warranty cost and any shipping fees.  No warranty, they replace it, that is made known.

[steezy]

BPS spinning reel and BPS MF rod, mid priced combo and probably setup with a t-riged black finesse worm.

If they cant catch something with that then theres no hope for them.

[ab8aac]

quantam rod and reel 6' mh spooled with 15lb xt rigged texas style or with a black and blue jig/rage tail craw, that will usually have her on the fish most of the time it is the texas rig and put a grande baby rattlesnake on it and she usually doesn't ever change it just keeps me busy taking her fish off.

[skunked_again]

shakespeare spinning gear, serviced with good line. it works flawlessly and it will land the fish.

[Quitlimpin]

Cheap-*** BPS graphite series rods with BPS Bionic reels. I went a little overboard at spring clearance a couple years ago.

[The Rooster]

6'6" Quantum Dance Class (Bill Dance signature series) IM-6 graphite rod with Pflueger President 6735 spinning reel spooled with 8 lb. Berkley Trilene XL mono.

Until recently it was a 6' Shakespeare Ugly Stik Lite Pro with a Mitchell Avocet rear drag spinning reel on it, but I gave that one to my brother so he'd actually own some bass equipment. He only had 8 to 12 foot long rods for salt water fishing and then he also had one 5' ultra light micro rod with sewing thread sized mono on it and that was it. Guess that's all he needed in Hawaii but when he came back home to Kentucky they're all too large to use. Now when we go he will have one he can't easily tear up but still be more sized to the fish we catch around here.

Nobody touches my Shimano rods......ever!!!  Not for any reason as I'm meticulous with my stuff and want zero scratches on it.  Over the years I've loaned rods to people only to watch them swarp treelimbs as they make casts, get snags and yank on the rod like it's unbreakable trying to get it loose, lay then down in the rocks, even put rocks on top of the handles to keep fish from dragging them in (hello, we don't use nightcrawlers and bobbers with Compre rods).  So now as I upgrade in gear, nobody ever uses them but me.  No exceptions (unless dad ever asks but that's as unlikely as me winning the lottery).

[SirSnookalot]

Any thing I own is replaceable and my only guests are my son in laws, good enough for me it's good enough for them. Last year I bought a new stradic and redbone for him to use.

If I had lesser equipment that's what I would use, I want their experience to be as good as possible.

[TrippyJai]

They use my gear.

[camman]

I hated having to maintain my gear as well as loaner gear...eventually got rid of the loaner stuff and let them use my stuff.  Honestly who cares if it gets a little scratched up, it still catches fish.

[shootermcbob]

They use what I use....only person who really fishes with me is my sister. She likes it so much she bought her own rigs...one spinning and one baitcasting. My daughter uses her own rod and reel.

[zelmo]

I wanted to get an inexpensive combo to have on the boat for my kids or wife to use.  Dick's had their Daiwa Capricorn XTC  paired with the St. Croix Triumph in a spinning rig on sale for $75, plus I got another $10 off with a coupon I had.  I figured that was a decent set up and it turns out I use it myself occasionally.

I have never had someone on the boat who knew how to use a baitcaster that didn't bring their own.  If it came up I would give them something I didn't plan to use that day.  

[flechero]

I let them use mine. As long as they can handle a baitcaster, they are free to use what ever set up is not in my hands at the time.  I want my guests to enjoy there time spent fishing, using my "good" stuff helps that.

Same here.  

[fishfordollars]

Revos (S, Sx, & STX)

Curados

The last thing I want to do is help them pull out a bird's nest. Just takes away from the good time. If you give them junk, it just ruins it for the both of you.

[KevO]

My guest rigs are:

Shimano Symetre 2500 on a 7' Fenwick Venture rod (I found at the bottom of a river) w/ 8# Hybrid

Diawa Capricorn 100 XTC on a 6' MH lightning rod w/ 12# sufix seige.

I only let my partner use my rigs because he knows how to use them and he lets me use his.

[J Francho]

I let anyone that fishes with me try my gear out, even n00bs.

[bilgerat]

Yup, let them have the good stuff. The Zebco's are still kept in service for when a real little one (6-7 years old) tags along.

[SammyLee]

I bought a Zebco Omega spincaster on a Cabelas 6' medium for those who are beginners.  I have a BPS qualifier spinning outfit for those guests who are just a bit more advanced.

When they watch me cast a topwater lure to the far side of the lake with my baitcaster and want to learn, they can use my best.  I still get a kick from my great nephew watching me cast, "How you do that!?"

[central.PA.bass]

I let whoever i fish with use any of my gear..  the nice thing (for me) is that 99% of the people i take out ie family, friends dont know how to use a baitcaster so they usually just use my spinning gear (abu garcia Cardinal/ Berkely AMP and Abu Garcia Cardinal/Lightning Rod custom)

[mrlitetackle]

wow, i must say that most of you are all more giving than i......... when it comes to others using your personal gear.  Its actually quite nice to hear that as well!

I suppose there is a host of factors that lead to my personal decisions on lending my personal gear, and as i've said... if i know that they are "in the know"... then they can use my "good" stuff.

But, i seem to take out a lot of buddies that literally have no clue whats going on (just love to see'em catch fish, its quite fun!)....

That being said, i had one of my really good pals set down one of my nice rigs into an ant pile, then proceed to rinse it off in the water (ie, a quick dunk!)......

he did this on the other side of a large pond that we were fishing, unknown to me.

after we finally met up again, he told me what happened.... and how he cleaned it for me!

... he had no idea that this was bad,

so i wasnt mad at him, but it did sour me from readily lending my good rigs to others.

....as for the reel mentioned, it is back to normal....and fishing great still!