a few questions???????????????????

[ashroch111]

Hi all im new to this site and i was wondering if i could pick your brains for a while
me and my partner go fishing a fair bit but id like to go alot. I currently use rods and tackle that you buy from Big W but id like to purchase a couple of good alround bait caters and rods was looking for opinions on what to purchase. We mainly fish freshwater damns and saltwater estuarys. One more question should i would like to ask should i keep freshwater rods and tackle seperate from saltwater tackle and rods . any hints and tips would be much appreciated thanks cheers ash.

[alleycat]

Im wondering why you would want a baitcaster outfit?, a decent spinning reel has a much better drag and casts better, go a berkley dropshot in 7ft2 in 2-4kg matched with a shimano stradic and you got a fine outfit for snapper or bass.

[ashroch111]

hi there allycat good question i spose i want a baitcaster cause thats what everyone tells me is the go ive got a small tinnie so i dont need a real long cast as im already where i want to be hopefully haha i dont really have alot of knowledge on what rods to use and so on so the more help i can get the better cheers ash.

[tunaticer]

G'day Ashroch111,

I have over the past 30something years been a baitcaster and spinning reel freak owning litterally hundreds of reels over that period. My fishing styles and techniques have entered most every conceivable foray imagineable during that time. As Alleycat suggested a good quality spinning reel and a good sensitive 7 foot rod will be a far more versatile rod for the fishing you indicate you wish to persue. Baitcasters although they are excellent at some forms of fishing leave a lot to be desired when you want to fish very light weights and cast them as far as you can. They simply can not match a spinning reel for distance with very light baits or lures. I currently have over ten baitcasters and in the last year they have seen daylight once. The spinning reels tho have seen the water every single trip.

Jack.

[alleycat]

Hi ash, mate go to a few tackle shops and have a feel of the goods, if you want to fish fresh and also catch bream and flathead then also look at the pflueger trion 7ft in 2-4kg, great rod and lighter than the dropshot, i have a good baitcaster and it never leaves the house and honestly the drag isnt a patch on a decent spinning reel drag and the longer rod lets you enjoy the fight more, use 2kg braid for fresh and same for salt unless you want to target snapper as well then aslo a 8lb spool will see you right.

[major-defect]

I'm with the other guys my overheads hardly ever get a look in. I always make sure any spinning reel I buy has stainless bearings,they last much longer then.

[iank]

I am also with the other blokes, a 7 foot 2-4 kg spin rod matched with a 2500 sized reel, and as most reels come with a spare spool you can have one loaded with 4lb braid and the other loaded with 8lb braid for when heavier line is needed.
Cheers Ian

[Little grey men]

I take both types on every trip, but I have to agree with the previous comments. Today's quality spin outfits are a pleasure to use. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good rod and reel that will pull some good fish @ $100 to $150 will get you a fairly good mid level outfit. I use my baitcaster in tricky areas as per the photo. I was standing on the log and casting 1/2 ounce spinners right beside those snags for Yellowbelly.
To tell the truth I've only been using a baitcaster for the last six months and they are a hell of a lot harder to use than spin gear ( Heaps of practice and advice from fellow Ausfishers got me through...Thanks boys. )
Certainly still look into a baitcaster as well as they are heaps of fun, and you can get those casts to land right where you want them. I've used a spin stick for years but I can cast much more accurately with a baitcaster, but unless you have heavy lures you sacrifice distance.
It all depends on what type of fishing you will be doing and where you will be tossing your baits.

[Roughasguts]

Bait castors a great. If you don't mind practice, practice, practice.

I can fling me bait caster a further distance than me spinner after an hours practice of course, and a few birds nests.

[roydsy]

I have been a baitcaster man for quite a while and never really used any descent spin outfits until recently. Now, my $600 baitcaster combo sits as back up to the easy to use in all conditions $300 spin outfit. When casting into the wind i find the spin so much easier, and for some reason everytime I go fishing lately, the wind gets up.

I love my baitcaster in heavy timber areas, but the spin outfit just about does everywhere else.

[ashroch111]

hi all thanks for the tips i think ill be shore to buy a spinner set up. can anyone tell me should i keep feshwater tackle seperate to salt water tackle and fresh water rods seperate from the salt water rods as i fish both cheers ash

[NAGG]

Hi all im new to this site and i was wondering if i could pick your brains for a while
me and my partner go fishing a fair bit but id like to go alot. I currently use rods and tackle that you buy from Big W but id like to purchase a couple of good alround bait caters and rods was looking for opinions on what to purchase. We mainly fish freshwater damns and saltwater estuarys. One more question should i would like to ask should i keep freshwater rods and tackle seperate from saltwater tackle and rods . any hints and tips would be much appreciated thanks cheers ash.

Ash .... Unless you plan to throw lipless crankbaits , big spinnerbaits or take on Big impoundment barra ..... Just go out & buy a quality 2500-3000 size spin reel with the money that you didn't spend (+ buy a spare spool) .... A Daiwa Certate is my choice for both robustness , smoothness & drag ( you can pick them up overseas for under $400 .. or $520 locally) ..... Match it with any number of rods (Berkley , Nitro , Shimano T Curve etc etc) .... Make sure it is balanced & your fishin ....for pretty well everything .. + You certainly wont need to upgrade the reel too soon .. Nagg

[Handyman]

hi all thanks for the tips i think ill be shore to buy a spinner set up. can anyone tell me should i keep feshwater tackle seperate to salt water tackle and fresh water rods seperate from the salt water rods as i fish both cheers ash

Hi Ash, Everyone seems to have ignored this part of your question.

I have been doing almost exactly the same type of fishing as you describe for a few years now and have several outfits including baitcasters, overhead and spin. They all have their uses but I won't go into that further as you have already had heaps of good advice there.

I live inland and only get to the coast two or three times a year usually so most of my fishing is done in the inland dams for yellowbelly and cod.

I see no reason to keep the freshwater/saltwater gear seperate, although some does get used exclusively for one or the other, this is only because it is better suited.

Having said that, I always make sure that all gear, especially reels, lines and lures are washed thoroughly in fresh water after each coastal trip. This has the double advantage of helping to reduce corrosion, but also takes any salt taste away from the gear.

I was always told this was important and go to the trouble of running line off spools through my fingers in fresh water after coastal trips. Not sure if this is really important, particularly as I notice that they now make SP's for freshwater use with added salt . I figure it can't hurt though and is a good way to regularly check line thoroughly.

[Sean]

Ash .... Unless you plan to throw lipless crankbaits , big spinnerbaits or take on Big impoundment barra ..... Just go out & buy a quality 2500-3000 size spin reel with the money that you didn't spend (+ buy a spare spool) .... A Daiwa Certate is my choice for both robustness , smoothness & drag ( you can pick them up overseas for under $400 .. or $520 locally) ..... Match it with any number of rods (Berkley , Nitro , Shimano T Curve etc etc) .... Make sure it is balanced & your fishin ....for pretty well everything .. + You certainly wont need to upgrade the reel too soon .. Nagg

sorry to say, but if he has been shopping at bigW for his gear his eyes are prob. halfway out of his head. I bought a daiwa cy 2000 from ebay for $100au to my door...it's a great reel, really smooth. I have a berkley dropshot rod was $95 i think and I have a combo that for me will catch bass bream flathead whiting Caught a 49cm Jack on it....and to be honest, i would quite happily have a chuck for school jew with......whether you want to believe it or not, the 25kg jew on my avatar was caught on gear not totally dissimilar to this (6kg line daiwa procaster rod). I think this is a pretty good starting point. btw, they don't make the CY anymore apparently but my brother bought the excellor plus and is pretty much the exact reel.

Go to a good tackle store, pick up some reels and have a wind. Start at the cheapest and work your way up. 2000 size reel is a good size. as you hit the $120-$150 mark you will see a big improvement in feel. once you decide on a reel that you like the feel of. get a hold of the dearest reel and see how it compares, now I must warn you, the dearest reel WILL feel better, but you decide, does it feel 8 or 9 times better?

If I was fishing every day I could possibly justify the cost of one of those reels, but if you are like me, and get out when you can, then I think $100- $150 is much more reasonable.

One more piece of advice I can give, now there will be people out there who will dissagree with me and thats fine. But if you are buying an overhead reel, you are going to struggle to beat Shimano, If however you are buying spinning reels, I strongly recommend Daiwa, I have had a few bad experiences with Shimano reels, Having said that, Shimano often feel smoother in the shop, they just don't seem to stay that way for too long, It might even be me, I don't treat my reels perhaps as good as I should, and have found Daiwa stand up to my mistreatment better.

Last, buy your reel first, then match the rod to it, the tackle shop guys will be able to help more with this.

Good Luck, Sean

[Sean]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Daiwa-CY-2500...QQcmdZViewItem