Rod options for 2 new spin outfits

[evobda2]

Hi guys,

First post. So firstly Hi to all, and hopefully i can get some good advice & knowledge from you guys.

I’ve come back to fishing after spending too much time in the city over the last few years and have bought myself 2x Shimano Stradic reels in 2500 & 4000 sizes.

So im after 2 spin rods to match under $200ea.

One for estuary fishing targeting whiting, bream, small snapper, smaller flathead etc.
And the other more for targeting larger snapper and flathead, and the occasional other fish if they come along off the rocks but also to be used in the estuary if i need a bit more reach etc. So still nothing too thick and heavy. (Im not actually sure what most of you would class as heavy?)

Both id like to use both bait, lures and possibly plastics in the near future.
Id like to also double up the smaller rod as a rod for my girlfriend who is also pretty fond of fishing (as long as she catches fish quickly with as little effort as possible haha).

I did have a look at the new Shimano TCurve rods which i thought were well built and a nice feel, and come in at $175ea at a local retailer down here on the South Coast.
Preferably not in cork either.. not a huge fan of cork handles really.
http://www.shimanofish.com.au/publis...ournament.html

http://www.shimanofish.com.au/publis...ve_flight.html

I was thinking possibly a 661, 662 or possibly the 691 to match the 2500 real.
And either a 701 or 722 to match the 4000 real.
Am I going down the right track here? Im open to alternatives of course, as id like to get the best stuff in my budget.

My next question of course will be whats a good quality line i can use on these?? What type of line, and what weight and setup should i be looking at? I do have 2 spools for each reel so id like to use this to my advantage in having line options.

Many thanks in advance, and hope to show you the final rig setup and what fish i catch in the near future!!

Cheers
Ev

[Skippy_]

I recently bought very similar reels and matched them with rods for very similar purposes. The 2500 ci4 I put with a xl shimano fire blood which is t-curve blank and 6 lb fireline crystal. That set-up has caught snapper up to 70cm but is really at home swinging small plastics for whatever is biting, the butt feels a little short for really getting into the bigger stuff though.
The 5000 i got matched with a berkley dropshot im7 7"5 7-9kg and 30lb Tuff line xp. It's pulled in snapper a bit bigger but felt like its still got a lot in the tank for when something bigger jumps on. Really looking forward to the tuna and macs to get on the chew.

[HeadBanger]

Might be somewhat hard to find a rod like that that doesn't have cork grips, as most graphite rods do. I'm using a Shimano Sahara rod at the moment (just a cheapie, around $80), but I'm getting a Pflueger Trion around Christmas time. I've compared the Trion to a range of rods, including the Shimano T-Curve, and I reckon dollar for dollar, the Trion is the best option. $129, or $99 on sales at BCF.

As for the line, fill one spool with mono and the other one with braid. Mono for bait fishing and braid for casting lures.

Cheers,
Kaidon

[Horse]

Personal preferance is for cork for me. The range of Tcurves that I have seen with the hard EVA grips are the revolution series. These have Pacific Bay Zirconian guides rather than the usual Fuji Silicon. I would probably get a couple of Starlo tournament pros instead. Then again at $175 the t-Curves are a great buy

[evobda2]

Bit of an update..

Ive now noticed nearly all the main brands using cork grips, so ill just have to go with it i think.

Went and had a quick feel of a few more today. In particular the Pflueger Trion rods as they seem a good value rod for the price and a couple people have recommended them.
I tried the 2-4kg 1.95m 2pc which I would match up the the Strad 2500..
and also the 3-6kg 2.1m 2pc which id use with the 4000.

They didnt have the other Pflueger rods in at the time, like the tournament, president or the surpreme. So if any of you have used these, are they worth the touch extra $$?

Does anyone have any negative reviews on these? Otherwise i may just go with these over the Shimano and save the rest for decent lines (as ill have 4 spools all up to fill). I think the quality on the Shimano was a touch nicer. But as far as weight and feel the Trions felt rather good i think.

The other one that did catch my eye was the Berkley IM7 Tournament Pro GenII series. But i didnt have enough time to have a good look, as i did with the Pfueger.

*Note i thought id opt for the 2pc rods as i still live in the city, just a bit easier in travel etc.

[Horse]

See if yo can find some Starlo stix Tournament Pro Spin rods. They sit below the T Curve range but some of them are great rods

[evobda2]

Hit the nail on the head there Horse. I had a very good look at the Starlo stix today. A very nice rod indeed. Good price too.

However i found all of the Shimano rods (besides the Tcurve T Series which are very nice) had a slightly heavy tip and overall compared to the others. This wasnt a bad thing, just preferred the feel of a couple others. There’s also no doubting the Shimano has one of the nicest build quality of all I looked at.

I had a good look today at the Shimano Tcurve T, Tcurve Revolution, Shimano Raider, Pflueger Trion, President, Patriarch Xtr, a nice Nox rod, couple of Shakespeare rods etc..

I’ve decided to go with a couple of Pflueger Patriarch XTR rods.
Things that won it over was mostly the feel. Strong butt, and sensitive tip and good range of sizes. Carbon rods, Fuji Silicon guides, and a nice Fuji reel seat. I preferred the reel seats that covered the screw on thread when wound up, so your holding onto the grip part wherever on the handle your holding (not on the thread).
I also decided on 1 piece rods. Both had a nicer feel overall.

Thanks for the help guys. Ill post some pics once there together.