looking for a good casting/trolling setup.

[blacksheep]

i am doing some research on a new casting rod/reel combo for this coming season.

i am looking for a nice rod to cast and troll cranks with, hopefully that isn't too much to ask from one rig. it would be used more for casting than trolling. i'm intersted in the avid crankbait series and loomies in either imx, or there is one glx that might work. i am looking for something in 7'

what are some things to look for when considering my options?.

would i be better off just getting two rods?, a nice casting rod and a longer, cheaper trolling rig?.

as for the reel, i have no clue where to start....so any ideas would be great. on the upper end of the quality spectrum, with a decent retrieve, good drag, smooth casts, and enough line cap for the trolling side as well.

thanks for any info..blacksheep.

[Jason Boser]

I like the avid series rods and I tend to go to the light to med light I like alittle give when I am trolling do to the fact I like fireline for that. I also go with the abu Garcia reels they are good quality and never have much trouble with them

hope that helps alittle

Jason

[Fishing Realtor]

I have the St. Croix Avid Medium/Fast 7" and love it for trolling. Couldn't imagine a better rod for pulling smaller #5 Shads with thinner Power Pro...feel everything.

Put a Shimano Curado on that stick and you have one of the best set ups to get the job done. I like the lower profile reels fitting in my palm compared to the "barrel" style reels. The Abu's are low cost and bulletproof, though.

Not a bad bass rod either for plastics - talk about a quick hook set with just the flick of the wrist.

[delmuts]

jason. an outfit like realator descibe should do well for casting also.i don't walleye fish, but use a 7' bionic blade(BP) with a diawa reel and braided line for much of my casting for bass. does make a nice outfit. i can cast 1/8 to 3/8 oz lures with no problem.

[SteveWilson]

I've had great experience with a St. Croix AC70MM rod (Avid, 7', Medium action, moderate power) rod with a Daiwa 153HST reel spooled with 10lb fireline. It's great for casting crankbaits and will do for light trolling. I also like to use this rod from shore. I have a couple of Shimano Talora rods (TLA-80M-2, 8' Medium) with Diawa AccuDepth Linecounter reels (AD27LC-W) that I plan to use with downriggers for trolling this summer; that rod and reel setup is around $110. You could go with a longer Talora rod and a couple of rod holders and use it with planer boards - that would work well too.

[blacksheep]

steve, the AC70MM is at the top of my list right now. good to hear from someone that has fished it. i haven't decided yet on what power, straight medium or medium/heavy. how does the medium handle a bigger fish?. what kind of cranks do you like to throw with it?

i will definately be getting a seperate trolling rig.

thanks again for the info, blacksheep

[Jason Boser]

blacksheep I do some casting not alot but when I have I use the 7fters like the one the guy mentioned and they have worked good for the Bass I cast for.

Jason

[rangr]

Blacksheep, give Bill or Al a call at www.midwestrodandreel.com they will set you up with what ever you can dream up in a rod. They will build you a rod to fit your needs thats very affordable. Plus their sponsers of FM, that help keep this site running.

[Guest]

I will second Midwestwestrodandreel from Bill and Al. Great product,local company,great service and very knowledgable and a FM sponsor. Also IMO you will enjoy working with these two guys and will get exactly what your looking for. Also, this is my opinion from dealing with these cats.

[SteveWilson]

Quote:

---

...i haven't decided yet on what power, straight medium or medium/heavy. how does the medium handle a bigger fish?. what kind of cranks do you like to throw with it?...

---

Well how big is big?? I've caught reasonable size walleyes, bass and the occasional pike on it. A decent medium weight rod will catch most things although you might have quite an adventure if you nailed a 50" Muskie with it though. My preference is to go a bit on the light side. As for crankbaits that setup works well on Rapalas of a size 7 or larger, I like to use a lighter rig for the small Rapalas. I find the medium action is a bit nicer with the fireline as you get a bit of give from the rod which helps in hookseting. The medium action is also nice when trolling as your rod is always loaded and you can see the tip move when a bite occurs. I've used a couple of DT-16's and the new DT-30's last fall trolling around Tonka and Prior and it was fairly decent - nice if you don't plan on using dipsy divers, planer boards, or down riggers.

[blacksheep]

thanks for all the info guys.