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Rob - I am just gearing up for sp's this bream season so there may be more info available from others on this site.
Combo - basically I have been told 'the best you can afford'. Any of the local stores or bigger chain stores should be able to hook you up with a decent combo within your price range. I have not used the Pfleuger Echelon reel, but have used their surf reels and light graphite overhead rods. The reel I have is very heavy to use after a while, but the rod is beautiful to use. Others may have more info on this specific reel. I just picked up a Shimano Sienna 2500 and Shimano X-Cel Weapon (2-4kg graphite with Fuji guides and cork grips) for $129. This left money for braid, some small poppers and hardbodies (or would have paid for a reasonable assortment of soft plastics).
I think the stiffer graphite rods would be better for artificial bait fishing, rather than a more 'whippy' fibreglass rod. I found that with flicking lures for barra that the my first fibreglass overhead was too soft in the tip. I wanted to know that if the rod tip moves 30cm, that the lure would move 30cm. I changed over to a Shimano Backbone graphite rod and it was much better to use.
Braid - there are 2 reasons to use backing layers of mono before laying the braid onto your spool. Firstly the braid does not always grip the spool properly allowing for slipping. The mono stops this. Secondly is the cost side of things. There is a large cost in filling your spool with braid. Laying mono backing first then a 'top shot' of 120m of braid is a significant cost saving. Using 4lb is pretty light, depending on what fish you are chasing. I would kick off with something like 8-10lb, then when you get the hang of it go lighter if you want.
Leader - the leader is pretty much 100% needed when fishing with braid. There is typically zero stretch / give with braid, the reason that it is so responsive and you can feel every touch. This lack of stretch also means that there is no shock absorbancy happening when a fish strickes. Using a short leader (30-40cm is usually plenty) gives a little bit of shock absorbing. The size of the leader line is pretty much governed by the fish on the day. I'm sure there will be others on here that talk about mainline / leader strength ratios.
Knots - there are a range of knots to tie braid main line to leader. Have a search on Ausfish for knots, you will find a few to choose from.
I hope this answers some of your questions, I am sure that there are other people on here more experienced than me with SP fishing so you may get a few different replies.
Cheers.
Ed.
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I do a fair bit of bream fishing and regarding your leader, 30-40cm would be too short. Having it around 2 Meters is perfect. 4lb Braid will be fine to use and using flurocarbon leaders between 4-8lb should be perfect.
Connect your leader to the braid with a knot such as the double uni or the albright.
When I first started, I got the berkley DVD with Adam royter and it shows you pretty much everything you need to know, including tieing knots.
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good old fireline is cheap and easy to use when youre just starting out. some of the fancy brands are very thin and difficult to tie knots in so i would suggest you stick to fireline to start with. you'll find fireline breaks well above its stated breaking strain...4lb fireline can be as tough as 4kg(9-10lb) in reality, I've had some serious battles in similar fused PE lines, On one trip north I was targeting 4kg tuna on 6lb fused which held up just fine and that was the elcheapo 6lb Jarvis walker brand from Kmart.
cheers Roo.
As you will be using a lower end reel wind knots may be a bit of a hassle. That being the case I would stick with fireline as it won't bother you as much if you have to cut a few meteres off every now and then. I would also go for a reel that is at least 2000 size as they are less likely to throw wind knots.
Terry
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Okuma hardstone HS 30 on a shakespear exeed im6 graphite 160.00
But every one here would have there own combos !!!!
Mark
Not so sure about that comment Bigtez. I have seen a couple of stella's and certates that throw air knots worse than cheaper reels that I have used. I agree with you 100% about the 2000 size reel though. Often better line lay, and therefore less wind knots.As you will be using a lower end reel wind knots may be a bit of a hassle.
Personally I would place more emphasis on the rod than the reel. Get the best quality graphite that your budget allows. The rod is responsible for casting those light jigheads over a distance, it is also the rod that imparts the action on the lure. Reels for bream are not put under great strain. The drag still needs to be reasonably smooth, but for me the rod is more important.
Always use a leader. I personally use flurocarbon tied to a plaited double in the end of the braid. And I usually have my leader around 1.5m to 2m in length.
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IM is the modulus rating of the graphite, and it refers to the density/elasticity of the graphite. The higher the modulus rating, the stiffer, therefore typically better the graphite is. An IM8 graphite being better in most applications than an IM7 which is better than an IM6.
How stiff/dense the graphite is affects its performance in casting. An IM8 graphite rod loads up under the weight of the lure/force of the cast, but then returns to its natural state more quickly after the lure is released. Meaning it does not continue to bounce and vibrate as long as an equivalent IM6 rod would. The vibration during casting reduces casting distance and sometimes accuracy. Therefore, the stiffer IM8 should cast longer and further.
The less flex in an IM8 rod will also assist in working the lure, as each movement of the rod tip is transfered more directly to the lure. This direct contact is heightened when using braided lines and flurocarbon leaders, as both have less stretch than mono. The increased sensativity also results in you being able to detect a bite more rapidly.
So in order I would be looking for an IM8 graphite rod first. If I could not find one within my budget I would look for the best IM7 graphite rod I could afford etc, etc. Of course the IM rating is only one consideration. Quality and placement of guides, quality of reel seat, cork grips etc are all part of the equation. But the numerous rod builders on this site would be able to teach you more about that than I can.
Hope this helps.
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I disagree with there line of thinking. I think if your starting out then it wouldn't mater which of these rods you brought ( im6/7 or 8 ) as long at it felt comfortable !!! Remember your the person paying for it & you'll be the 1 using it, all of these rods have different flexability, so be sure it suits your action first ;-)
Mark
I agree which is why I mentioned 'within budget' and 'most applications'. I don't think that someone should spend beyond their budget just because a rod has an IM8 rating as opposed to an IM6 rating. And yes, different ratings suit different applications, just as some fiberglass casting rods in the US are preferred for certain bass fishing applications over graphite ones. Budget, quality of fittings etc are all considerations. But for most applications providing these boxes were ticked I would take an IM8 over an IM6.I disagree with there line of thinking. I think if your starting out then it wouldn't mater which of these rods you brought ( im6/7 or 8 ) as long at it felt comfortable !!! Remember your the person paying for it & you'll be the 1 using it, all of these rods have different flexability, so be sure it suits your action first ;-)
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