Light tackle rod/reel

[shorefisher]

Question for you all, I have been trying to find a rod & reel set up for casting light baits. Mepps #0 etc. The ones I have used will not cast far and the line will not stay tight on the reel causing line twist and bird nests. What have you used that works and what line has worked best with this set up. Thanks for the help.

[CrappieJohn]

You do not state any preference to rod length, but I'd grab up an avid series Sciii made by St.Croix in a 6' or 6'6". Couple that up with a Shimano Sahara or Symetry reel spooled with clear 4 pound Berkley xl.

[Matt Johnson]

I use the 6 foot ultra lite by St. Croix and put on a Tica Cetus spooled with 4 pound test. Works pretty good for casting those lightweight jigs.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[delmuts]

my main set up is a 6' st croix, with a pinnacle reel and 4 # XT. line. i use this from crappie to light lures for bass. del

[Oldtyme]

Wow. A lot of St. Croix people eh?

Well. If your budget minded then I'd recommend a 6'6" Eagle Claw Feather-lite rod. I have 3 of them now & for throwing light lures they work wonderful. They have a nice springy tip which is good for getting the lures moving. If you are interested let me know & I can point you to a hsolist seller that sells 2 new rods for around $20-$25 shipped.

As far as reels, I think any decent ultra light spinning reel will work.

I think the line is very important. I use 6lb fireline on all my reels. (even my slipbobber rig) I've tried quite a few different mono's & nothing can compare to it. I've caught everything from bluegill up to big bass & walleye.

[shorefisher]

Thanks guys, It looks like I need to check out a longer rod. The ones I have been using are the shorter ultra-lights. I will pick one up and give it a try. The St. Croix is out of my price range that I like to spend but it looks like a 6/7 foot rod is the way I need to go. Oldtyme I like to try to buy from the small local shops if I can ( I want to make sure they stay around )but if I don't have any luck I will hit you up for that name. Thanks once more.

[Bobb-o]

I am really partial to the new Rapala rods, they are just as light and sensitive as a St. Croix, but they only cost $20, and come with a year warranty.

[delmuts]

shore. you will find the longer rods give you so much more casting distance with very light lures. i had the shorter ones years back, but will take my 6' over all of them! a seven would be nice, but i prefer a one pc. rod and 6' is about the limit for them. i have the st. due to getting a geat deal at a bait shop that was closing its' doors. most of the rods i buy now are the B.P. shop bionic blades. check around. there are great rods out there that are not very exspensive! as you see, many of us prefer 4# mono. i do use a braid on lakes/rivers where i am fishing brush or trees. that is where the spare spool is handy! do some looking! that is half the fun!! del

[Northlander]

I have a 7' Diawa ultralight that I put a 1000 Shimano Sedona on with 4# Xl for the Crappie. Rod was $20 on sale at Gander and the reel was $35 on sale at Marine General.

I also have a 7' light action Rapala that I really like.

[SteveWilson]

I started with a Shimano Compre 5'6" ultra light rod (CPS-56ULA) with a Tica Cetus SB500 reel. The rear handle length of the rod is real short which I find very comfortable. If it had a more normal rear handle length it would be called a 6' rod. Anyhow, my wife fell in love with this combo so it's now her ultra light rig. I then picked up another Tica Cetus SB500 reel (these reels are fantastic) and put it on a 6' St. Croix Avid rod (AS60ULF). Both rigs are set up with 4lb and 2lb Trilene Sensation.

[stoneeyes317]

I was just at Cabela's this morning getting ready for their triple point weekend and I checked out the St. Croix Avid 6' UL; WOW I can see why you guys are raving about it. I am wondering if anyone would like to comment on the difference between the Premier and the Avid (i.e. the SCii vs. SCiii). Is there much diffrence in the sensitivity of the rods? The price difference alone is causing me to consider the Premier, since with a 10 week old boy (and future fishing partner) I will have a tough enough time convincing momma that a $100 rig is viable, much less one @ $150.

Thanks for any input...

eyes317

[CrappieJohn]

There is some significant seperation between those two rods, with the SCiii being better. Between the SCv and the SCiii, nada. In my opinion the SCiii is the better rod even though it is less expensive and has a lower graphite rating. More expensive does not always equate to better.

For a light rod with a light reel for pannies and such, the SCiii is indeed the best bet over any rod.

[delmuts]

hey tom !! welcome back. the crappies still haven't gotten strted here yet. hope they don't start now for alteast a couple of weeks; three would be better!! keep the reports coming. i'll be laid up for a little while.

[stoneeyes317]

Thanks for the reply CT; now if you will just meet me @ Cabela's next weekend and explain to my wife why I NEED a $120 rod...

eyes317

[CrappieJohn]

Hey Stone....

My dolly asks similar questions. I just ask here why she needs a sewing machine that costs as much as a new truck. The conversation generally takes a different turn.

[stoneeyes317]

Crappie Tom:

Mine isn't QUITE like that. She will just ask me about the 3-4 other rods I have that are supposed to do the same thing (which isn't the case, since none of my stuff is that good). And now there is our boy to think about, and pay day care for, and diaper and... well I'm sure you know the rest. But, I wouldn't trade him for anything

eyes317

[CrappieJohn]

I have about 22 rods in the closet, not counting ice fishing stuff. They all have thier place in my fishing agendas.

In all seriousness now, if you are looking to step up to the quality plate and find yourself caught up by a few extra dollars, don't be afraid to get into that SCii. That is one fine rod as well and will reward you handsomely with what you need in a darned nice pannie rod. I look at the SCiii as the kingpin of pannie rods, but hat SCii is one heck of a rod to get you further up the quality ladder.

To help you out here....If I was on a trip and snapped the only SCiii pannie rod I had with me and went to find another rod built on that blank but could not, I'd be looking at the SCii with just as much fever before I looked at ANY other rod. Factory or custom made, the St. Croix lines in the Scii and SCiii are simply some of the best built rod blanks there are, so don't be afraid to get into that SCii if that thirty or so dollars is the straw.

[augernaut]

For casting ultralight baits, there was just a good article in In-Fisherman , a couple issues ago. They profiled a guy who uses fly rod blanks built into long, light spinning rods. I thought it sounded like a great idea - he's using 0 to 2 weight rods to cast jigs as light as 1/100 oz!! I'm a custom rod builder, and I picked up two 7'6" 3 weight fly rod blanks, I'm going to build them into spinning rods for casting light lures - I'm anticipating being able to cast jigs as light as 1/64 oz up to about 1/8 oz with ease. For light stuff, longer is better - at LEAST 6'6" if you want to be able to get any distance, and a nice limber tip will help as well. The 6'6" Avid is a very nice stick, and will do ok - but I bet you will do better if you can find a rodbuilder who will build you a long spinning rod from a light fly blank. Maybe contact Midwest Rod and see if they can do it??

[maj330]

Does anybody every use one of the spectra lines on their UL gear? Say, maybe, 6 lb FireLine or something equivalent?

[CrappieJohn]

As for the rods I build which are ultralight, I simply say no to the braids. The factory rods, as you wish, but remember that these rods are like buggy whips and the use of a forgiving line, such as mono with some stretch to it, will eliminate accidental breakage from harsh hooksets.

Another consideration is that if the fish are in a funk, they will be studying that bait and if they see the line you'll likely go hitless.

I have a couple heavier rods rigged with the braid for vertical jigging plastics during the winter from the boat, but use these only when the bite is so pensive that the extra sensitivity is needed to feel the hits. That doesn't happen often. These same rods are used to cast bass tackle into weeds during the late summer months. Other than these two senarios I don't use braids at all.

[Guest]

I would agree very much with the crappie man as I have 3 St.Croixs for panfish,a premier,avid and a sv1v and they are all very light and sensitive rods,all with tica reels.

[delmuts]

a couple of suggestions to help save some money for toys( rods reels etc) i put $5 a week away in my toy fund.i also take all of my loose change and put it into a jar , and that goes into the kitty too. it does take some time, but that is how i manage to buy the good stuff.

[stoneeyes317]

Crappie Tom:

Thanks for the info on SCii vs. SCiii. I think I MAY be able to swing the Premier, and then I think I will as Delmuts suggests and start building a kitty for an Avid next spring

Now comes the question of a reel. I spent some time looking at some of the reels mentioned previously, but I was a bit intrigued by Cardinal Agenda 301. It was light weight, had a larger spool than the Tica's and has instant anti-reverse. but I don't know much about the drag. Priced right @ $29.99. Anyone care to comment on this reel??

eyes317

[CrappieJohn]

There are a million reels out there today that are very serviceable. This is an issue which will certainly fire up some prejudices.

Personally I lean towards the Shimano Sharahas and Symetries....spendier but a solid investment.

On those light rods try to keep the reel appropriate for the rod weight, ie. a series 100 or 1000 reel will balance very nicely. Lighter reels will also be a good fit.

Once you find a few reels in this size range, take a close look at the size of the line roller bearing, the drag system, the depth of the spool ( from front to back), the retrieve rate, and the type of anti-reverse.

When fishing this light duty stuff and light line, the drag and line roller are perhaps the biggest concerns. The drag should feel like it is buttered and that bearing should be huge and smooooooth. Line retrieve rates are an arbitrary thing, but I like something 5.2 and faster. With the lighter lines the spool should be fairly deep from front to back and if you are going to jig at all the anti-reverse needs to be instant in nature.

Now go out snooping. When you find a reel that fits all of those particulars and is in your budget, that is the reel you want to get. Like I said, everyone will hit you with thier pet brand. I did already. My advice? pay attention to those particulars and not the brand. If you go out to a trap range and look at what is being shot you will likely see a whole arsenal of name brands out there. Ain't going to be the brand of gun that breaks the birds, it'll be the shooter.

[fisherdog19]

I've got a 7'6" medium lite, 1 piece avid coupled with a tica taurus size 1000. The rod was custom and fishes great, the real was about $120 on hsolist (retails for $199). I can honestly say it is the best reel I have ever put in my hands. The drag is smooth as silk, instant anti reverse, and reels in very smoothly. I believe the longer rod will produce longer casts with light wieght lures. I can cast a 1/16 oz jig preety well on its own. That extra bit of leverage and torque allows an easier cast and hookset. I would definately go 6'6" or longer if you're looking for that extra casting distance. A longer rod will also make a great slib/set bobber rod, you won't have to reel in as much slack line and risk pulling the hook out of the fishes mouth before you can set the hook. The longer rod will pick up the slack line for you.