Need New Rods and Reels

[racinmullet]

Hey guys, I have mostly always been an inshore person. I am new to near shore fishing. at kind of rods and reels do I need to troll for spanish, kings and dolphin? Also how do I set up a spread to troll for these fish? I do not have outriggers. Thanks for any info.

J.

[auguste]

There have been a pile of great hreads recently on selecting rods and reels

May I suggest you do a search using the SEARCH function

I can not recommend a specific rod and reel for your requirements because that is not what I fish

[racinmullet]

Wow! You guys are tight mouthed like the fish I try to catch.

J.

[vtdownhiller]

Support your local tackle shop! The best place to start

[787337]

There are probably something like 50 different answers to your questions. Lots of factors: What are you willing to spend? Where are you fishing? What kind of boat do you have? Start with the tackle shop, see what is out there & fits your budget. Then go out on a charter. Tell them ahead of time what you want to catch. Pay attention to what is going on and ask alot of questions.

I started out with a used Penn longbeach combo. For mahi I like C & H jet heads in pink & blue. The macks will hit a spoon, but live bait & chum will get you better results.

Good Luck!

[sandy]

Auguste told you eveything you've got to know or do you expect to be spoon fed?

[Lil 2 Sleepy]

TLD 20 on an $50 20-40lb ugly stick is all you would need for these guys. If you're nearshore, the dolphin won't be the 60lb bulls so a 20 will cut it just fine. If you do have 60lbers in the area step up to a TLD 25 and a little heavier rod. TLD 20s and rod can be had for $150-160

[HEDJUG]

Sorry you got the run around from the "search" function Nazi's. Fella's, I agree 100% that this topic, as well as 99%of the other possible boating related topics have been covered many times, but... If everyone just decided to search, nothing new would be said. This guy just wants to talk about rods, why not help him out....

There are tons of options avail for the type of fishing you are getting into. You can find rod combs from $120+/- up to $$$$.
Penn 4/0 combos are easy to find & will work fine as a starter setup for the fish you stated. These are true 30# class setups that will handle most fish. Med Tuna & billfish would push the limits of these rigs. $120+/- (Penn 6/0's- 50# class $160+/-)

Shimano TLD 25 combos are the next step up. They have a lever drag system that is better than the 4/0 & hold more line. They are true 40# class setups. They will handle larger tuna (not giant BFT's) & billfish. $170-250 (depending on the rod). (There is a new TLD 30 2 speed-great for wahoo $250+)

After that, the sky is the limit. Penn Int's, Avets, high end Shimano's.....

[beber]

I have okuma titus T-15's matched up on Tsunami rods and have no complaints. Some guys will say my set ups are cheap, which they were at around $140 a piece but it works for me and hasn't failed. I would say stick with someting in the 20 lb class, and you have a million choices, Penn, Shimano, Diawa, Avet, Okuma.

[racinmullet]

Thanks guys for the info. I just wanted to get a little info before going to the tackle shop. Sometimes those guys push what is most expensive or what they have in stock.

I post on this site so that I can have back and forth communication with folks that are actually doing what I enjoy doing. If I wanted to just search for everthing, I could just use the net.

When you are really new to something and everthing is "greek", it helps to be "spoon fed." Doesn't mean I'm lazy. Just wanting precise info.

Are there any Penn Internationals that are small enough for trolling for Spanish and Kings?

J.

[nicktg]

Penn does have an international 20-40lb TF/TS rod and a less expensive international bluewater 15-30lb and 20-40lb rod (w/o aluminum reel seat), but also a mariner stand up 20-50lb rod for half the price of the TF/TS.
Try to support the forum sponsors as well. I know that John at tackledirect can help you with Penn and other brands and give you a good deal and excellent service. Drop them a line in their forum.
I understand you're anxious and excited about this. If people don't want to answer your post they simply can choose not to!

Good luck

[y2jeffr]

if you are willing to spend the money

top of the line...accurate 665
alutecnos gorilla 12
shimano torsa 16

middle of the line....shimano tld
penn tourque 200
avet LX
shimano torium

everyone has their own opinion. i wouldnt go cheap when it comes to reels. i have fished the accurate and its awesome. i also just picked up the gorilla, haven't fished it though. i also have a trinidad 12.

some people recommend heavy tackle. for the fish you mentioned i think a tld 20 is the largest you should go. i enjoy fishing a reel thats light in weight that i can troll with and switch over to jigging and even live bait.

i use braid on my reels. if you want to use mono go with the larger reels.

one thing to keep in mind. if you are going to use a belt while fighting fish then get a rod with a gimble.

i will be using the 665 accurate and gorilla 12 for 100 lb tuna this year and i will not have a problem landing these fish.

[Pinchincrab]

Hi, eighty percent of my fishing, aside from bottom fishing, is for the species you listed. I think that a 4/0 or TLD 25 is overkill, especially for spanish. A TLD 15, Penn 225, Shimano Speedmaster, Avet SX or MX will be plenty for your needs. Spool up with some quality 20-25 lb. mono and you are all set. I would go with a 15-30 lb. 7' live bait or light stand up rod. Penn Mariners and Ugly Sticks are options here but several others will work too. You will probably want to set up a 20 lb. spinning outfit for live baiting/flat lining and even trolling if you want. I would also look at getting one rod that is rated for a heavier line so that you can troll a diving plug. You do not need outriggers to troll for these guys. You can pull an assortment of skirts with baits/strips on the two outside rod holders and, if you can, pull a diving plug like a Mann's Stretch 25 down the middle. We have caught some big kings on these. Duster rigs and king busters with cigar minnows/ballyhoo have always produced fish for us too. If you want to troll live bait, you will want to use a live bait rig (your tackle shop should be able to help you with that) and troll slow. Spoons and Christmas Trees work well for Spanish but they like any of the above stuff too. Always use the least amount of drag possible because you will rip the hooks out of their mouths if it is set too high. I am sure there are other things that I missed and I don't claim to be an expert but I hope that I helped.

[cowdogs]

racinmullet - 6/6/2007 11:42 AM

Are there any Penn Internationals that are small enough for trolling for Spanish and Kings?

No reel will be perfect for both of these. They are both mackerels, but a nice spanish is 5 pounds and a nice king is 50 pounds.
Avet SX for spanish.
Avet LX for kings.
If you want a reel that is too big for small spanish and too small for big kings I guess the Avet MLX would be it.

good luck!

[weed.line]

Start with this point then go from there...

How deep are your pockets or are you on a budget...cause you drop a few benz in heartbeat.

[nicktg]

Obviously I thought you were asking about Penn international rods and thus the answer in my previous post !!
If it's the Int. reels you're interested in then the only one I can think of is the 16VSX (~$500). For that budget I would recommend the NEW Avet HX (about $100 less) spooled with 500yards of 50-65# braid for what you need plus you can do some jigging with it too.

[CAP1]

Shimano TLD 15, Shimano Charter Special 2000 (if you want a level wind reel - I have caught a many a Spanish and king on mine, plus I love the lever drag) Penn 225LD, or even an Abu 7000 (star drag), Shimano 700 (also star drag) will all do what you want at a reasonable price. Anything bigger is definitely overkill for Spanish, but not necessarily so for larger king and dolphin. Also a Penn 330GTI if you perfer star drag (I do not).
6.5' - 7' live bait rod unless you are trolling heavy hardware will work fine. There are plenty out there at or around $100+-.
In Raleigh you have a number of places to look. Boaters World (my favorite), Overtons, West Marine (overpriced most of the time) Hills, Carolina Outdoor Sportsman just to name a few.
I'm in Raleigh as well. PM me if you need more.

[racinmullet]

Thanks for all the info guys. I think I have made my mind up that I will try some TLD 15s for the spanish. Maybe troll them on the outside and something like a 20 or 25 down the middle with a deep bait for kings. I called Outerbanks Outfitters in Atlantic Beach today. They have the 15s on one of there rods for $159. I think that is pretty cheap. May go down this weekend and pick up a few.

I still love catching speckled trout and puppy drum so today I picked up a new Calcutta 400B. Man this thing is smooth as silk. I put it on a 7ft all star rod. Can't wait to use it this weekend.

J.

[weed.line]

Tight lines, racingmullet - you'll love those tld's.

[JAGSARE1]

IMHO, you will out grow them and want larger reels too soon. Condsider starting with the TLD20's or 25's. Just my .02.