After 15 years of offshore fishing I am slowly moving away and wanting to get back to my roots of inshore fishing. I grew up in SW FL fishing for snook, reds, trout and tarpon. I haven’t purchased inshore terminal tackle for over 15 years an could appreciate some updates and insights/■■■■■■■■ from you all on selecting reels/rods.
1st- I am a shimano fan.
2nd - I plan on fishing the flats/backwater in FL and backwater/bays/creeks in SC.
3rd - I plan on throwing topwater, jigs and live bait.
I have decided on purchasing 2 - 3000 and 2 - 4000 size reels. I am looking at the Stradic CI4 and Sustain and Saragosa’s. What do you all suggest? I am looking at pairing them with either Shimano - Teramar, St.Croix of G Loomis “Greenwater” rods. What size 6’6" - 7’6", class (L-ML-M-MH-H)and action (S-M-MF-F-XF). Thanks for the ■■■■■■■■.
I have a penn battle 4000 and love it. Smooth, solid, and good to go after a quick fresh water rinse at the end of the day. It’s currently on a penn battle rod to match but the at croix rods are tough to beat and I plan on getting one soon.
I prefer the Shimano Calcutta 400 on a Shimano Teramar 7’6" MH or H rod. Great for striper fishing and redfish. But then again I really like the way the Calcutta casts a larger topwater plug. Good for freelining as well since it has the clicker feature.
I forgot to add that I also have a 4000 Shimano Thunnus on the same rod setup. I fish for striper here in the Upstate regularly and tried to find a “dual purpose” rod and reel setups. It has a Baitrunner feature that works well for live bait as well.
I use all 3000 stradic fj’s on 7’3 tfo med lite tactical. I have a ci4 that I got to see how I liked it, but I rarely use it because I like the fj’s better. Tfo rods are good rods to and cheaper than greenwaters
I love my shimano symetre’s on teremar rods, bout a $200 setup but its awesome. I think you’ll find that a 4000 is the largest you would ever need for inshore and it can be overkill. For casting a lot of plugs and juligs a 2-3k is ideal. A 3000 is what I use for baitsoaking.
Edit I just saw that you’ll be in Florida. A 4000 might be good for pulling snook and reds from under the mangroves. But you also don’t need a lot of finesse of a 4k reel like a shimano Sahara ($80) on an ugly stik or shimano compre…
I second the Shimano Symetre. I’ve had two for 4 or 5 years now and they have held up great. Almost as smooth today as the day I bought them and I’ve put them to use. I’m from FL and agree that for the larger snook/reds, the 4000 is the way to go.
“…Livin’ and dyin’ in three quarter time”
-Jimmy Buffett, Nautical Wheelers
Thanks for the great ■■■■■■■■. Please keep it comin. You have given me a lot to research (Shimano Symetre, penn battle etc. Forgive the ignorance about inshore. I am finding out it’s a different animal with rods/reels. I have a few more questions:
what’s the advantage of using a 7’0" vs 7’6" rod for throwing plugs/jigs?
is M action better than MH? I plan on throwing 1/4oz to 1oz plugs/jigs etc and most M rods lure weight is 1/4 - 1/2 and MH 1/2 1 1/2oz? Is there that much difference in the action with the tip of the rod in the M vs MH?
The other difference i have noticed is line strength and it varies for 6-12 to 10-20lb.Is it better to ingnore the mono ratings and use braid and a mono/flurocarbon leader etc?
What are TFO rods?
I appreciate all the input. If you all ever need any offshore input i can definetly help out you there. Please keep the advice comning. I want to make sure my investemnt will last.
TFO acronym for Temple Fork Outfitters… They’re regular spinning rod is $100 and the tactical is like $150. $40 unconditional warranty. Break it send it back with $40 they repair it or replace it no other charge. Company has good customer service.
Also med to med heavy rod would be better action for redfish. Where as light to med light action rod would benefit more for trout. That being said I use Med action rod for Redfish and trout and whatever else I come into contact with. I have fished with the 7’6" green waters and they are a great rod just a little long for my taste and more expensive. Fun fighting a fish on a long rod but not fun casting one all day compared to my 7’. This is all a matter of my personal opinion.
I would skip the 4000 size reels and stick with the 2500/3000 size range. The drags on today’s reels are great, and since you’ll probably be using braid, line capacity won’t be an issue. I’ve owned Penn, Daiwa, Shimano, etc. and have found to be Shimano the smoothest and most trouble free. I have a bunch of Stradics and really like them. The Ci4 us supposedly one of the most trouble-free Shimanos out there. I’ve heard through the grapevine that a new ci4 is being unveiled this summer, so I would either look for a deal on the current model or wait for the new model.
As far as rods go, you will definitely want a F or XF action rod - light tip for tossing lighter baits and artificials, but plenty of backbone for fighting fish. With respect to rod power, each manufacturer’s rod power and line class ratings are subjective and differ from the others. I would try to see what feels right and balances out well with the reel and line class you want to fish. There are plenty of good rods out there. Rod length depends on what you’re doing. On the flats where long casts are required, you will be glad to have something longer in the 7’6" range. In tight quarters, around docks, near mangroves, etc., you’ll want a shorter 6’-6’6" rod. A 7’ rod is pretty versatile. Generally, you get what you pay for with rods, and what you’re paying for is higher modulus graphite (lighter weight for a given stiffness) and better, lighter, more corrosion resistant components. You’re basically paying for light weight, sensitivity, and castability. All 3 are very important if you’ll be fishing a lot of soft plastics or small jigs, so consider spending a bit more if you’ll be fishing that way. I would steer clear of the Teramars. They are a very strong rod, but are generally on the heavy side and not as sensitive as high modulus graphite rods. Along with Loomis, I would check out St. Croix. Very good quality, made in the US (higher end models), and generally a little bit better value than Loomis.
I just want to say, the dude I don’t disagree with what your saying, and the teremar may be a little heavy bit that term is relative. I have a 7’ w/ a 30000 symetre and throw light lures on it all day for bass, and can crank an over slot redfish from a dock the next day. Their are lighter rods out their I’m sure but for the money($100$) from HPT its hard to beat!
I have Mitchell combos that I spent $30 on and I’ve fished them for 4 years and caught many fish. With braid, I don’t think it really matters what you fish with, it’s mainly preference. I only mention this because the Wally combo specials will work for years.
I’ll probably upgrade next year and the Penn Fierce is at the top of my list. I prefer the 4000 size because of the additional line capacity - mainly the capacity after you’ve fished hard for a year and lost line b/c of cutoffs.
Now, offshore, is a whole different game - only the best for fishing the blue water.
Thanks again for the great ■■■■■■■■. I’ve budgeted 1k for rod/reel and tackle. Will get into tackle suggestions later. I have decided to go with 2 - 6’6" and 2- 7. To “The Dude” or to anyone is a 7’ MH class and F action then the best versatile rod to go with or 7’ M - XF? I have narrowed my choices to a couple of rods that you all have suggested and want to get the best bang for the buck? I’ve decided to purchase 2 6’6" M - XF but havent decided on the 7’ for heavier plugs and live bait. Your thoughts/advice/suggestions are much appreciated.