Saltwater Rod Reel / Gear

[RayRay'sToys]

Just getting back into fishing and looking for some recommendations on how forum members would setup up their rod & reel gear. Will be fishing a variety of things in the South Florida area both inshore/intracoastal and offshore on a 30 foot center console open fisherman. Boat will have outriggers and some have recommended six trolling rod & reel setups with a couple of the rod & reels being a little heavier guage / capacity. Someone mentioned on top of the six for trolling, having a couple other rods for casting quickly into schooling fish. One friend mentioned Shimano TLD but don't know which ones exactly and it sounds like the Tiagra are the upgrades and don't know if that is necessary or worth the extra money. Someone else recommended Star rods. Any opinions are appreciated.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Saltwater Rod Reel / Gear

If you want the ideal rod and reel,I would say that those should be multiple purpose units.Nothing is half as aggravating as having to unknot line from different rods that are laying in the boat,while you really want to be fishing.
I lost many good fish because of too many rods to take care of at the same time.
As for brands, salt water means Penn.
On the other hand,a thirty footer has a lot of room.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Saltwater Rod Reel / Gear

I know very little about the east Coast and Flordia but have fished the West Coast and Pacific Ocean my entire life.

I have about 30 rods and reel set ups and not one time have I had problems with any of the rods or reels. I carry 5 rods of each type so we usually have a spare with only 4 fishermen most of the time. I think having a spare keep Murphy away. Depending on what we will fish for on any given day we will get out our favorite rods for that type fishing.

In the reels I use two brands Penn and Abu Garcia Ambassadeur.
My heavy gear I started with Penn 113H 3/0 reels for deep water 400 or more and heavy weight or for Tuna.

Today I use Penn 330 Gt and Penn 320 GT2 These are level wind and with Spectra line hold more than enough line and have been 100 percent trouble free. You can spend 3 times as much but will not get a more relibiable reel. After a day fishing Spray the rod and reel down with fresh water. Lube once every year or two and you will have no trouble.

Most rods are FiberGlass but some are E-Glass. Line size 20 to 40 mostly with one 40 to 80 used mostly for shark or tuna. Shortest rod I own is 6 foot 6 inch and the wife uses it or Kids will use that size. My Favorite is 8 foot fiberglass/graphite combow. Have several bass pro CATMAX rods that a 7 foot 6 inch and 20 to 40 rating.

Lighter reel for Salmon, Halibut, Stripers, Shallow Rock fish I like
Abu Garcia 6500 C3. The reel is light and holds up to salt water very well. I also have Abu Garcia reels C4 and Record which cost a little more and have more bearings and a little smoother.

Rods for the lighter gear I use 8.5 to 9 foot rods rated at 15 to 30, 15 to 40 and one at 15 to 50 Most are graphite but also have some that are E-Glass.
E-Glass give more and good for fish like halibut who it very easy to pull the bait away from. Also softer hook set so not as likely to pull the hook out.
Graphite is light and we use most for Salmon. This lighter gear is more fun and with the new spectra lines works very well.

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: Saltwater Rod Reel / Gear

i live in southeast florida also... i mostly inshore fish, but do a little offshore as well. for offshore trolling/bottom fishing you will want a couple bigger penn or shimano tld type of set-ups. the reels like the tiagra and the international are nice, but definitly not necessary. the reels these other guys mentioned are great choices. my advice would be stay away from the longer rods on your heavy stand-up outfits, it decreases your leverage greatly, particularly on fish such as grouper and AJs that like to tug-o-war down deep.

some other set-ups to consider would be a couple of shimano baitrunners, great for something a little lighter for kingfish, dolphin, and inshore as well. always nice to have a 20lb class spinning reel you can throw into action, and the clicker is a must for trolling or live baiting. For inshore fishing i fish mostly with spinning tackle, occasionally a couple light baitcasters, shimano is my favorite but penns are good too. i love catching big fish on light line, so i have quite a few 10-14lb outfits. for inshore fishing on the flats or around mangroves i highly recommend long, relatively stiff rods (i use mostly 7'). the long cast distance is nice, and the long rod gives you more ability to move the fish around and get it out of cover or turn a big fish on a run.