Surf rod/reel combo advice pls 4 UK too

[Rayzor]

Hi I'm looking to upgrade my surf rod/reel outfit and would apreciate some advice...currrent have a pen 12ft rof and black/gold spinning reel but would also like another set-up for bait...

The complication is that I am returning to UK next year and would ideally like to get something that would be good for uk beach fishing..its a different affair there as I understand distance casting is key and rods are longer, stronger (carbon rather than fibre?) and most use overhead reels which can be used for pendulum casting etc for greater distance.

Willing to pay for quality..

Anyway..been to a few tackle shops today and the Shimano Trinidad DC reel came out tops a few times and looks like a reel which would fair well here and distance work and live up to the harsher conditions in UK. I'm aware these are not popular in QLD as they are expensive and prone to sand damage (I know how great Alveys are but got one of them and dont like it) etc but this would prevent me having to buy another reel later....

So assuming I go with that reel what sort of rod should I be looking at....the Shimano tirajelo looks lovelly but at a price and would this be any good uk for beach fishing..say in Kent....

Or should I be looking at a cheaper rig for now and buy another one locally in UK...reels look about the same price and seem to be available everywhere but rods seem to be a localised thing depending on local conditions which makes sense I guess..

sorry, I'm rambling now...any help appreciated...

[u.r.s.4]

I'd wait till I got to the U.K. before buying a rod; their rods are far superior to any thing you will buy here, look at Century and Zipplex. I have used a D.C. for the past 18 months, fantastic reel but youll need something more specialised for for the great distances required over there ie. the small Abu's, penn 525 super mag extra. Just my 2 bobs worth.
Cheers.

[nigelr]

Too right, rod-wise even the Diawa, Penn and Shakespeare models available in the UK are different and in many cases far superior to those available here.
They are expensive; personally I'd be checking out the scene when you arrive and see what the locals use to fish the local conditions.
Reel-wise, if you want to stick to a threadline, Diawa Emblem Pro or better from Japan, Bahia Surf etc.
Cheers.

[deepfried]

Yeh i think the others have covered it. I have a Tiralejo but would wait till you got to the UK as other rods would be better suited. Can recommend the Emblem Pro reel but even that isnt going to get you the distance of a pendulum cast from a rod and reel designed to do it.

[NIZ180]

I'd wait till I got to the U.K. before buying a rod; their rods are far superior to any thing you will buy here, look at Century and Zipplex. I have used a D.C. for the past 18 months, fantastic reel but youll need something more specialised for for the great distances required over there ie. the small Abu's, penn 525 super mag extra. Just my 2 bobs worth.
Cheers.

What size DC do you have?? I am thinking of getting a 16DC & plan to use it off the rocks & double as an offshore boat reel. Not sure what the size difference is between the 16 & 20? Plan on running 40lb braid with a topshot of 50lb.

[Rayzor]

The 16DC is what I looked at, there is not much in it, ir over a lot for a reel but they are cheaper here at the moment with the Aussie dollar being strong. Think I might get it anyway and just get another reasonable rod to pair with my penn spinning reel and put the old Alvey on the cheaper rod for bait work.

Capacity differences:

Shimano Trinidad TN 16 DC450 yds 16# Mono
Shimano Trinidad TN 20 DC420 yds 20# Mono

so any steer on what would match with a PENN black & gold reel for spinning...will spend up to $400?

[deepfried]

so any steer on what would match with a PENN black & gold reel for spinning...will spend up to $400?

Mate there are heaps out there. Anything from Wilson, Gary Howard etc is always given a good wrap. I like the newer type rods though like Daiwa Sensor Surfs etc. Again i wouldnt go a Tiralejo for bait fishing, they are too stiff. Have a look at the sensor surfs, good rod for bait in the surf.

[Rayzor]

thanks for that will look tomorrow.

Any particular rods that would match a penn 850 spinfisher...for around $350...I always get daunted by the millions of rods on display...will take a look at the sensor though as you suggested...

[Jurkyjj]

As stated mate....wait till you get back to the UK.
That way, you can get exactly what is going to match the conditions and the beaches (?).

[Rayzor]

I'd wait till I got to the U.K. before buying a rod; their rods are far superior to any thing you will buy here, look at Century and Zipplex. I have used a D.C. for the past 18 months, fantastic reel but youll need something more specialised for for the great distances required over there ie. the small Abu's, penn 525 super mag extra. Just my 2 bobs worth.
Cheers.

Hi...URS4...the guy in the tckly shop our way has a 16dc on special for $800...this is almost half price compared to uk so I was tempted to get one...but you say its not doog for distance beach casting....? Keen to understand you have that view and this reel matched with a heavy daiwa sensor surf (also on special) would be no good as keen to strike a bargain if I can before going back....

[u.r.s.4]

I use the dc30 (mainly for shark fishing); these reels are nice and easy to cast but are no good for distance as the spools have the magnets attached to them making them very heavy. If you want a good cheap casting reel available locally then I'd be looking at a Daiwa SL30SH, centrifugal brakes, cast a mile, easy to use.
Just my 2 bobs worth.

[Rayzor]

thanks but arent magnetic braking systems better than centrifugals to avoid those nasty backlashes....I would be looking at the smaller 16tc...I just like the thought of not worry about all that and letting the DC take care of that....Shimanos website says it has a distance cast option?

[u.r.s.4]

I still get some huge blow-ups on the DC and I've had it for nearly two years, more than with my SL30SH; which I use more often. Given a choice between the two I'd pick the DC every time.

[HST]

Been watching this to see where it goes .DONT buy here wait till your in the UK ,
there is nothing here to suit UK beach ,
REELS to think about


Daiwa 7HT Turbo
Abu 6500 ct mag elite
penn 525 mag or 535 the 535 would suit you back in ozz

spinning reels
for a big reel go the 6500 shimano big pit bait runner up of the UK

other reels that do work well are the daiwa certate 3500 fished with 14 lbs fireline very light reel for the power you can get out of them plus fished with a good uk rod 200 mts cast are achaviable .

rods
ZZiplex or Century are far fetter than anything you will get hear ,

if you can get a ZZiplex V Max F2 you will find it has a very fishable tip and is good to cast up to 200 mts ,

I have over 12, 14 foot plus surf rods that i cast and fish with ,none are made in Australia ,

the extra distance you can achieve with a good casting, fishable set up is worth its weight in fish ,places that have been out of reach to the land based angler are reached and most of these spots boats dont fish so its all new ground with resident fish . these are 3 schanaper taken in a early morning in the last month .



So buy in the uk

[Rayzor]

thanks...do you have a view on the Shimano trinidad 16dc? just that this is much cheaper that in uk but no one can tell me if its a boat reel or shore reel or just a good all rounder?

thanks again...