rod and reel set up

[fatsherman]

Hi all the professors here,

I have taken up fishing seriously lately, am rather new to fishing but i am definitely an enthusiast. I spend a lot of time reading about related articles, however, when it comes to rod and reel set up, I really need recommendation for my budget. I am a young but enthusiastic angler.

Thinking of getting a shore fishing set up. My current set up is quite rubbish, eupro cyclone 8ft rod and tica Cambria 3500. there you go.

I am thinking of getting something better, however, my budget is only around 150 at mos (rod+reel)

I guess i better stick with spinning reels first, although i am tempted to get the abu garcia max, is it any good, or suitable for shore fishing? or any cheap daiwa/penn reels to recommend? (preferably around the 70 plus region), then my rod could go for somewhere around the 70 plus region as well.

If any experienced here have got some recommendations, please share! for every sharing, comes with bigger fishes on your next trip.

many thanks in advance!

[Peace]

Hi fatsherman, welcome to HLF. There are several types of shore fishing and your choice of setup depends on where and what you're targeting. Take jetty fishing for example, a 6-8 ft is generally enough but if we're fishing from a beach, typically a surf setup better suited (10ft and up) for the extra cast distance.

I wouldn't say your eupro cyclone/Cambria 3500 is rubbish, it all about using it for the right application. If you're doing luring, this rod might be a little heavy on the side considering that you need to repeatedly hold and cast using this setup. But for general baiting for medium to big fishes, it's definitely sufficient.

You should first review your reasons for getting a new rod, identify what the current rod is lacking in your fishing and work from there. If it's because your getting poor catches, you may need to rethink your fishing techniques and strategies.

I've not used an abu garcia max, but the reel does look quite nifty on paper. It's pretty compact and light, very much suitable for luring. Of course you can use it for baiting as well. I believe a new one would cost more than 70 dollars unless you get a second hand one. For 70 dollars, you should have quite a selection of rods to pair it with. Lemax and Eupro have excellent budget rods and some of them comes with sic guides at this price range if you intend to use braided lines.

It's best to go down to the tackleshop to get a feel of the rod. Many times, the design(appearance) alone is enough to buy the angler's heart. Of course you also need to check out the length, rod action, casting weight, quality of reel seat and guides as you go through them. Being there, you can easily compare the qualities of each rod in the given price range. It won't be too hard see what you'll bring home with.

If you really want a recommendation, how about pairing that Garcia Max with an abu ultracast I/II?

[fatsherman]

I see, thanks!

that brings me to more questions I hope you dont mind!

I ams already using braided line, because the mono line couldnt cast very far. Does the rod need to have SIC guides in order to be better to use braided? SIC guides btw, refer to something like FUJI SIC guides right?

Another question, for jetty/shore/beach fishing, what kind of action rod do you recommend? Light action rods are those that can bend quite a lot right? My Eupro cyclone seems to be a regular action rod then, its rather stiff, but strong though. what's the recommendation, action wise?

I am more of a bait fishing guy, as it boils down to at least 50 % luck, so could save the time luring for some cigg and chill time. Haha. but it does seem fun, will try luring some other time.

Dont mind if i ask, how much will the abu rod you mentioned likely to cost? is it more than 10ft? I am actually looking at something longer than 10 ft. yea abu max sounds good, can use it or baitcasting, can use it for luring too. since it looks pretty neat. only concerned about the amount of line it can tahan.

last but not least, can reels like abu max be used for boat fishing if I should go for one? if so, then it would be great, sounds like some kind multi-purpose all encompassing reels (i know it shouldnt be the case). haha.


thanks peace! for the help!

[fatsherman]

by the way, after using the braided line for the first time last week, I do realised it's really much easier to cast further than mono. However, does all braided line feels rough when you are retrieving it on the reel? or is it my tica cambria reel is not suitable for braided line.

anyway been reading the hlf, really got to thank you for all the help man. i guess prolly on behalf of all others as well.

cheers

[Peace]

SiC stands for Silicon Carbide, it's the material used to make the ring of the guide where the lines comes in contact with. Because braided lines have more friction than mono, it can cut into normal guides. SiC is one preferred for its high hardness(resist cut), high conductivity(dissipates heat quickly) and probably weight. Fuji is just a popular maker of guides and their products are known to be of assured quality, so people often associate Fuji and SiC to be of high quality guides. A lower grade rings would be made from aluminium oxide, and even those will have different grades, all of which can be used for braided lines. This is a good article to read on.

The guide on the tip of the rod usually takes most stress, people usually change that one guide to harder one due to economical reasons.

Action of rods is where the rod bends when loaded, a faster rod will bend near to the tip while a slower action rod will bend nearer to the butt. Rod power refers to the amount of load required to bend the rod, a light rod will bend with a small load on its end while a heavy on will require a heavier load. You can relate this with the stiffness of the rod.

For baiting, you can consider getting a fast action rod for better bite detection and setting of hook. Get at least a medium power rod so you can have more control to steer fish away from obstacles like jetty pillars.

Ultracast are available with length over 10', cost may vary across length and generation. If we're talking about over 10', I believe it'll cost more than 70 dollars. And if you're going with surf fishing, you might want to get a bigger reel for its higher line capacity.

Abu max should be suitable for light boat fishing, but may not be feasible when heavy sinker is used. If you want a single multi-purpose reel you will have to go big, the drawback will be the weight no matter what you pair it with.

You probably can feel a little rough on the reel switching from mono to braided. This is just due to the no stretch from the braided but the difference should be insignificant. Most reel are suitable with use of braided lines unlike rod guides, perhaps your reel can use some servicing to make it a little smoother.

[fatsherman]

haha seriously, i dont know where you get all that knowledge from, but thanks!

when you meant servicing, you meant oiling the inside of the reel? do people lubricate the lines?

anyway sidetrack a bit, how much roughly does it cost and where do i get the boat to get to southern islands, and is it worth it? singapore main island itself really has got not much place to fish good

many many many thanks! your website should have a nobel prize for excellent public service rendered to the sport of fishing

[Peace]

Yes, servicing checks the condition of the reel. Reel parts can wear out from excessive use and bearings are usually the first to go. There will also be dirt, salt and water trapped within the reel that prevents the reel from operating efficiently and smoothly. For most cases, cleaning out the interior of the reel and re-lubricating the parts will do. Worn out bearing can give an annoying sound when you wind your reel.

Lines need no lubrication, if anything the contact with water while fishing is sufficient lubrication. More importantly, lines need care and should be cleaned and dried after each use. Mono lines are susceptible to damage from prolong sunlight exposure so try to keep it away from the sun if you're storing it over long periods. It's important to clean the lines after use as impurities like oil or salt particles can stick onto the lines, more so on braided lines. It's a hassle to clean the lines sometimes, admittedly I don't do maintenance after every fishing trip.

Fishing at or around offshore islands seems to be more of solution for anglers who is giving fishing up on main island, much like I am going to. If you want to fish on the island itself, you can try Kusu, St John's, Sisters' and Hantu. There's a scheduled ferry from Marina South that goes to Kusu and St John's Islands for 15 dollars. For Sisters' and Hantu you will need to charter a boat just to get there and it will cost you around 200 dollars for a two way trip (either from Marina South pier or West Coast ferry terminal).

If it's fishing from boat, there's quite a handful of boatman you can look up for southern island fishing, with an average cost around 60-80 dollars per pax if you can get enough anglers to fill up the boat. You can check out a few charters from this page, but there's definitely more.

[James_Nor]

peace you delete my post reply here ar?

[Peace]

peace you delete my post reply here ar?

I'm pretty sure I didn't. When did you make the post and are you sure it was submitted before you leave the page?

[James_Nor]

hmmm must be i nv click submit le.. i got reply him on this question.. lol i online almost daily now aday.. haha my mistake =x

[fatsherman]

haha thanks james!

but if you dont mind can give me a short reply on the set up question!

i am still looking around, the abu ultratcase is hundred plus.nice yellow and black though. how about lemax rods man.

And i saw this seahawk surf rods too, they look pretty light action. seems quite fun. think its called highland or something, wonder if its any good. any reviews? HAHA

[James_Nor]

actually i not a person that go into brand de.. i mostly is look and feel the rod that i buying.. and see the PE of it.. you can get a supre ex rod but you dont like the feel also not right right? haha

[Peace]

If you're looking into surf rods, you most likely need to fork out over a hundred dollars for a decent one. I think the Seahawk one will cost you over 150, Lemax could be cheaper. You can consider Loomis and Franklin Big game surf rod as well, it's strong and affordable. I'm not familiar with this 'highland' rod though.

[fatsherman]

thanks bro for all the suggestions and replies.

in the end settled for relix pro bass 7ft. the handle is too nice. I hope its good. any bros got any reviews or precautions for this rod?

haha. reel wise, settled for daiwa regal 3000-5iA. pretty smooth.

any bros got any comments whether it matches? if not I need to shop for their pairings already, lol.

total set up about 150, just nice.

[Peace]

The combination will do just fine, go try it out and enjoy the fishing first. Some general precautions to note when using any rod is not to overload it with lines heavier than recommended. Also, try not to pump the rod at a wide angle as it will cause a lot of strain on the line and the rod. Take extra care for the rod guides, don't let it knock on hard surfaces and wash them after use.