Affordable set up for the thick stuff

[Lunker]

One thing that is missing from my arsenal is a big flipping stick for the heavy cover. I see many guys fishing the thick stuff with 50# test and heavy set ups, but I have not got into this much, even though I do fish thicker stuff much of the time. Since I am a college student with "limited funds" I was wondering what kind of set up could be more affordable for this type of fishing. I don't neeed to be fishing st. croix's and curados here, just soemhting that will work. Thanks

[FlipR70]

Hey Lunker,

I remember the "limited funds" days of being in college. A few different ideas here:

1) 99% of the time, I'm pitchin' & not flippin' (I'm assuming you know the difference). With that in mind, you don't necessarily need a flippin' stick (i.e. a 7 1/2 foot rod) if you're mainly pitchin'. If you decide to go with a pitchin' stick, look for something at least with medium-heavy action and I'd say in the 7 foot range. The nice thing about this is that you can use it for several other techniques besides just pitchin' giving you good flexibility. Some suggestions for good rods: I think that the Gander Mtn IM7 rods are really a good deal if you wait for them to go on sale. You're likely looking at $39 for the rod. As a a reel, I've used the Bass Pro Shops Extreme reels for a long time and have never had a problem with them. They were on sale at Bass Pro for $49 and they're a great reel for that money. That'd put you under $100 for the whole rig. Also, I like the Gander IM7 rods for Texas rigging & they work fine for spinnerbaits & some limited cranks.

2) A 7 1/2 foot flippin' stick for flippin'. Again, I would recommend the Gander Mtn IM8 flippin' stick. Some of the larger stores still have them around. A friend of mine has one and it is comparable to my St. Croix Premier flippin' stick. Again, Gander puts their rods on sale regularly starting in around late March. I actually put a Bass Pro Shops Extreme Reel on one of my flippin' sticks and it worked great (see #1) but if you really want to go hard core, you could look at an Abu Garcia 5600 (I like the C4's for the thumb bar). These run from $65-$75 and often have a $10 rebate in the spring.

Finally, don't hesitate to look on hsolist & on the classifieds. I've bought quite few rods & reels through several different places and haven't had a bad experience yet. For instance, I bought a Bass Pro Extreme Reel for $30 plus S&H. Make sure you know the exact thing you're looking for and what it's worth. Also remember that you have to pay shipping & sometimes insurance - so I think of everything as the total cost & compare it to what I'm willing to pay vs. new. The bonus is that sometimes you can get St. Croix or other brand name stuff really cheap compared to new.

Just my ideas,

FlipR70

[Ray Esboldt]

I agree with Flip's first point. You'll be pitchin' baits quite a bit more than you'll be performing traditional flippin'. I would buy more of a dual purpose combo. 7 foot, medium heavy will work equally as well for pitchin' and weedline texas-rigs or jigs. And, 50 pound test is bit overkill in my opinion. 20 to 30 pound braid is plenty adequate for pitchin'.

The only time I actually flip is when I'm fishing really dark water like rivers. Flippin' is pretty much the only way to present a bait to the shore side of log jam. Otherwise 20 to 40 foot pitches are the norm in Minnesota's clear water lakes.

I personally pitch with a 7 foot heavy action rod. I like how I can turn a fish's head immediately with that rod. However, you do have to be a little gentle with the fish boatside because it is quite easy to tear the hook loose.

[andy j]

7' Mediem Heavy St. Croix Avid. Great heavy bass rod, yet very sensitive and lightweight. Goes great with a shimano Curado 200 and 30 lb. PowerPro.

[delmuts]

lunker. i agree with the guys that one can set up a decent rig for under / around 100 bucks. i would say either a 7' or a 7'6" rod. it may not be as light or quite as senitive as the higher dollar rods, but it most certainly will work! my set up( that i've used for years) is in the same range as what you are looking for. gives you something to learn on, and i use mine for tossing frogs into the heavy weeds too. one of the reasons guys have gone to 50# braids is not so much for the strength,but some of the braids have a tendency to cut themselves when they over lap on the spool. the heavier, hence bigger dia. don't do this to much. my $.02

[Beef46]

I believe he is looking for affordable...

Cabela's has a fishing sale right now. I don't know much about the setups but they have their IM6 Casting Combos on sale for $59.99. I just ordered one for myself to see if they are even worth the money. I know the rod is ok but I'm not sure about the reel. I typically don't buy combos but the price was right.

[Lunker]

Thanks guys, I'll keep those in mind while I do my shopping!

[Beef46]

I got the Cabela's set up yesterday. The rod is a good rod but the real is suspect at best. (Not suprising) That is being said without having used it. I will probably just throw that real on another rod and use it for trolling cranks. I will put a better reel on the Cabela's IM6 rod.

Was it worth the $60.00?? Yes, it appears so.

[TNFL]

I've had good luck with a "black label" reel from C's.

[river rat316]

No one ever mentions em but Pinnacle has some very nice low profile baitcasting reels, was playing around with em yesterday at gander mountain and they are pretty nice. I have one thats a couple years old and has been a very good reel! They had one for $53 that was very smooth and ranked up there as a good value the guy at the counter said that all the guys that worked there have been buying em cause of value and they are pretty tough and dependable and not to mention super smooth, and they also have wiffled spools that cast forever