Rods!

[Pinch]

Ive been looking at getting a couple new rods. My collection currently is mostly surf rods and all spinning reels. I have been thinking about going conventional like i used when i was a kid however the last time i picked one up it was nothing but rat nests everytime i casted. What is the general opinion about rods on kayaks is it easier to go baitcasting/ conventional for trolling and jigging or should i just stick it out with spinning rods? also general idea on length should i stick more for the 6'6'' -7'' range?

[Grilled]

For the kayak, your generally gonna be looking at 6'6 - 7' foot rods. You dont want anything bigger than that. I personally use conventionals for trolling and spinners for jigging and live lining. Some ppl use spinners for everything and just use heavier rods when trolling. I guess its whatever you feel comfortable with.

[Memory Maker]

Use the type of reel you are most comfortable with and has an adequate drag. Rods are usually 6'6" - 7' medium heavy to heavy fast action for jigging. Heavy w/fast action and soft tip for livelining. REALLY heavy backbone if you are livelining around the bridge pilings so you can get any big boys away from the barnacles fast ......... medium heavy to heavy fast action soft tip livelining in open water.

Medium heavy with medium action for crankbaits.

Just my opinion.

[ictalurus]

There's a couple in-depth responses here:

http://www.snaggedline.com/boatyard/...read.php?t=739

[ronaultmtd]

I am an "old school" conventional caster- I grew up using casting reels for everything- 4600 C3 Abu with 14# mono on a 7 foot medium heavy worm rod is my favorite for tossing lures and top water poppers- I use a 6500 C3 Abu on a 7 foot Penn medium-heavy inshore popping rod for light to medium trolling and jigging with 20 # mono. I have a little ultra light Quantum with 4 lb. Spider Wire Extreme mono on a 5'6" ultra light Shakespeare rod that is great for fresh water fishing for crappie and bluegills with 1/16 oz grubs and marabou jigs. I have a couple of Penn SS spinning reels on 7 foot rods but I use them for tossing artificial in windy conditions that would be difficult for casting reels. For Surf casting I have the Penn 525 mag reel on a 11 foot heavy duty graphite conventional rod with 40# Spectra line and a Diawa Saltist 30 on a 10 foot heavy duty graphite rod with 40 Spectra line.

[surfdog]

i cant touch a conv. reel with out it exploding with a bird nest when casting. i have a quatom cabo 30 for togging on headboats but thats the only time i use them.

while fishing this early C&R season at spsp ive seen a lot of nice outfits but i wish they would get the aim down and i can throw about as for as anybody else with my inexpensive okumas and no name rods. a buddy gave me this thing called a cannon, you tape it on to the rod where you hold the line when casting and wrap it 4-5 time around its post and it has a trigger when you pull it back it holds the line in place so you arnt holding the line with your finger. keeps you from cutting your finger with braid and get 10-20 more yds on your cast. pretty cool. all though i havent cut my finger on braid in a long time its a little safety just in case i forget to tighten the drag before casting.

for the kayak i use 7' rods med for LTGing and med hvy rated to 40lbs line for larger fish and livelinning coupled with a bait feeder reel you can troll, live line or drift. i like a fast tip because with braids no stretch i can get poppers to work better and top waters to WTD properly

[mytmouse]

I guess I go against the grain a little when it comes to rods... I like a 6 foot rod. It just works for me, I have enough length to clear my bow but not too long that I have problems pulling in my catch.

As far as conv. vs. spinner outfits, like others said throw what your comfortable. I have thrown both, I'm no expert in baitcasters, but I can go a few outings without a blow up. If your not confident, stick with the spinners... no need in ruining a day on the water with birds nests!

MYT

[tufnik]

I've used spinners for over 40 years. I continued to use spinners to kayak fish. Last year I started surf fishing and kayak fishing using conventionals. I surprised myself - I really like conventionals. I now prefer conventionals on the kayak. I like them for trolling, jigging and bottom fishing. For plugging, I use both reel types now. I use 6 6" and 7' rods on the yak. For the surf, I use 7' to 10' rods (with both reel types).

As an avid fisherman, I thought I'd try conventionals for more fishing flexibility. I went out and bought good conventional rod and reel, not cheapies. I did get birdnests, but they soon disappeared as I got better at casting. Don't be afraid of the birdnests, just practice, practice, practice.

[tufnik]

Conventionals (or baitcasters) I use: Abu C3 6500, Daiwa Saltist 30HA LW, Daiwa Sealine 20SHA, Daiwa Luna 203, Shimano Curado 200, Shimano Calcutta 400, Quantum Cabo and Quantum Catalyst.

[jet]

i have a light lamiglass inshore classic for spinning that i use for basically everything from light trolling, jigging, and live lining. it's my go to rod.

the others on the kayak are daiwa saltigas, conventional and spinning, heavier for trolling, lighter one for everything else.

my set ups are on the lighter side and i use for kayak and boat. i dont like broom sticks

also have daiwa saltiga ballistics and saltiga surfs for shore fishing

[DOGFISH]

You did not mention a price range on rods, so I many not be the one you want to listen to. I use rods from 5'4" rods to 7'6" rods on the kayak. I use alot of Lamiglas, StCriox and in the past Loomis blanks. Most anything you are comfortable with will work. The longer rod thing is mostly about working the line around the bow or stern of the kayak if need be, while fighting a fish. I like the longer rods, as they tend to keep a bend in the rod in order to keep slack out of the line and some pressure on the fish. They seem to have better shock absorbing features. The shorter rods are easy to put too much pressure on a fish, particularly if you are using braid. The longer rods also seem to keep the line up higher on the cast. I find this important on a kayak. Again, fresh water casting may be a little different as to the need for finesse.

I used to be like you, having grown up on the bay, everyone generally seemed to use alot of spinning reels for lighter fishing and casting. Buy one casting reel until you learn to cast. I started out with one of the magnetic reels to learn. In your learning process, pull some line off the reel, about as much as you would use in a cast. Place a piece of electrical tape on the reel. Wind in the line over the tape. That way if you should throw a birdsnest, also known as a whimpie, it will only go down to the tape. This saves alot of frustration, while learning. Also, if you should throw a birdsnest, which you will, tighten down on the drag, very tight, and place your thumb on the reel. Apply pressure to the spool with your thumb. Then wind some line in against the pressure of your thumb, for a few revolutions. Then hit the case control and pull some line out until the birdsnest is out or until the line gets hung up again. If the line gets hung up, repeat the process untill the birdsnest is out of the line. This helps in most cases but not all.

I leaned to use a casting reel alright, after all of those years of spinning. I still would beware, that with casting reels, used in a kayak, I find that being a little lower to the water affects the way that I cast. It is a little more difficult, as you use a different angle for the cast. You cast at a higher angle to avoid hitting the water prematurely with the lure, which will really make a mess. However, with all that said, the baitcasters are nice when you are really making alot of casts, such as with spoons. If you get the right one, such as a Shimano Curado 300 or 301 or Calcutta 400 or 401, they can double as trolling reels. However, with that said a stout spinning reel outfit will also make for a trolling rig on the bay.

Depending on how much you want to spend. Some of the new Shimano rods have a wide range of line test use. That may also give you some flexibility in rod use and the number of rods you will need until you get up to the numbers of rods that you actually need, for the type of fishing you do. Remember, buy cheap and buy twice. That also seems to go for reels. Get rods and reels that you will want to have for a number of years. Rinse them off with fresh water after every saltwater use, and they will last along time. Just use a light spray of fresh water, so as to not force the salt further down into the reel. At the end of the year, use some Saltoff in the spray. Also, lube them once a year. I seem to spend a small fortune on each rod I build, so I like to take care of them.

There can be so much to be said about types of rods and reels. Hope this helps. There has also been considerable conversation on this subject in the past, here on the forum. You may want to go back quite a ways and find some of those conversations.