Saltwater Noob Rod & Reel Suggestion?

[shy_boxer]

This question is for all of you saltwater guru's!

Hello fellow FNNers....lately I've been hitting the salt and I am beginning to like the fast action the sea provides. It sure beats the slow action the lakes have been providing me, lately. Yes, I am a largemouth bass angler that may convert to the salt for a short time(summer).

I have a several saltwater setups but I think I may need something with a little more beef for catching white seabass, yellowtails, and small tuna.

The following is a list of my gear:

Shimano Calcutta 400B
G-Loomis Saltwater Series 7'6" MH 20-30#

Shimano Curado 300DSV
Shimano Crucial 8' H 15-30#

Diawa Luna 300
Shimano Teramar 8' H 15-30#

Diawa Luna 253
Dobyns 8' HL 20-40#

Shimano Calcutta 200
Dobyns 7'6" MH 12-20#

With the gear I have am I able to catch & land a 20-40# class white seabass, yellowtail, or small to medium size tuna? Or do I need a new rod/reel combo to land such exquisite fish? What would you recommend or suggest? I will only be able to fish one day trips or 3/4 day trips so please keep that in mind. Work and family obligations keep me away from multi day trips. :-(

I was thinking of getting a Shimano Trinidad 16 reel with a Shimano Teramar deckhand style 8' H 20-40# rod? Is this a good combo for the fish I seek? Or can you suggest a better combination? Thanks in advance and good fishing to y'all.

[spitbreaker]

Hello fellow FNNers....lately I've been hitting the salt and I am beginning to like the fast action the sea provides. It sure beats the slow action the lakes have been providing me, lately. Yes, I am a largemouth bass angler that may convert to the salt.

I have a several saltwater setups but I think I may need something with more beef for catching white seabass, yellowtails, and small tuna.

The following is a list of my gear:

Shimano Calcutta 400B
G-Loomis Saltwater Series 7'6" MH 20-30#

Shimano Curado 300DSV
Shimano Crucial 8' H 15-30#

Diawa Luna 300
Shimano Teramar 8' H 15-30#

Diawa Luna 253
Dobyns 8' HL 20-40#

Shimano Calcutta 200
Dobyns 7'6" MH 12-20#

With the gear I have am I able to catch & land a 20-40# class white seabass, yellowtail, or small to medium size tuna? Or do I need a new rod/reel combo to land such exquisite fish? What would you recommend or suggest?

I was thinking a Shimano Trinidad 16 reel with a Shimano Teramar deckhand style 8' H 20-40# rod? Is this a good combo for the fish I seek? Thanks in advance and good fishing to y'all.

all the set-up great all u needed backing and top-shot u be fine, new setup trin16 and 8' stik? are going to used iron or throwing some heavy bait? that Q:

My old friend taught me this set up!
this is my setup:
2 of 8' 20lb, 25lb ( this 25lb can be switch the 7' same action)
2 of 7' 30lb, 40lb (this 30lb can be switch the 8' same action)

2 of 7'11 12lb & 17lb (light gear for inshore or 1/2-3/4day trip

[SanDimasLMB]

The Calcutta 400B, Curado 300DSV, and Luna 300 could take on any fair sized WSB, albacore, or yellowtail if the tackle is right the drag is set perfectly.

If you want to catch some exotics like tuna, yellowtail, and WSB (on a party boat I assume?) it can come times get CROWDED and with a 8' stick, you literally will get your butt handed to you. I suggest a good 7' or under rod, preferebly a 6'6".

Whats you price range?

[Ricky-Ray]

I've caught a small yellowtail on the Curado 300 and it can be done but if I had the choice at the time I would have gone with a different setup. Especially if your party boat fishing. One of the things if your party boat fishing is that you are either fishing structure, close to the islands or anchored up. You want to get that fish on board as quick as possible, reason being there are some things that are out of your control while you are fishing such as:

- Anglers who don't know where their line is going.
- Anglers who are anchored in their spot and won't move.
- Fish get's unbuttoned.
- Seals

If you can afford to get a different setup go for it. You can't go wrong with that Trini 16.

[fuzzy26]

Im thinking you can catch yellows,tuna, seabass on the luna 300 or calcutta 400b setup. why spend more money if you don't need to.

[shy_boxer]

Thanks for the replies guys.

SB- I see your point…

SDLMB- Well…I would like to spend atleast as possible but $300-$500 is around my price range.

RR- Trinidad 16 and 6'6" rod is good? What rating would the rod be?

Fuzzy- You've answered my question....am I really good with the gear I got? Please elaborate?

What rod and reel would you suggests? Or am I good with the gear I got? I really don't wanna spend money right now.

[Ricky-Ray]

My curado 300 is loaded with 40# spectra and then I have a topshot of 12-15# mono, it's usually for fishing light tackle and bass on an 8ft Calstar GX-8 rod. My usual go to rod when I fish party boats and at the islands is an Avet MXJ 6.0 with 300yds of 65# spectra with a topshot of 25# mono on a Calstar 800m. The rod is rated 20-40#.

I personally like fishing 8 and 9 ft rods on party boats. The longer rods allow me to cast further than almost everyone else and makes it easier for me to just step back and hold the rod up in the air above everyone else when a fish is coming down the rail. Am I going to get an ***** woppin on a 9ft rod...maybe but all of my 9ft rods have 2 speed reels on there for that extra advantage.

If I'm rockfishing then I'm using the 6 and 7ft rods because your not casting, your just dropping straight down to the bottom.

[fuzzy26]

Honestly, if you really don't want to spend the money on extra gear then i would stick with your luna 300 and calcutta 400. I think that would be perfect for the 3/4 day trips and perhaps one day trips. Like one of the posters stated it might take you a little longer to bring the fish in on lighter gear, but it's do able. Just throw some spectra on the reels and do a top shot of you your choice of line.

Also should you decide to buy a trinidad i would rather spend the money on a avet jx 2 speed. having that extra gear makes a world of difference in my opinion. some people think its cheap to have and extra gear but the way i see it how is that any different from flurocarbon lines or anything else that gives u an advantage.

[Porkchop5420]

Your gears are fine for inshore but IMO it wouldn't be the first choice when chasing big fish. All your gear are baitcaster(nothing wrong with that), but you should look into conventional reels. A trinidad is a very nice reel, it has alot torque for a high speed reel.
For Pelagic fishes i would suggest a 7foot rod..
Calstar, seeker, and gloomis make great 7ft rods and Mount a trinidad 16 on a 7ft rod and you have yourself a killing outfit what will just kill fish.

[Ricky-Ray]

Let's put it this way...Would you take a knife into a gun fight? Yeah the knife will do the job but you'll be at a severe disadvantage. Just my 2 cents.

[flopps1]

Porkchop and Rick-Ray are absolutley correct. I would also suggest you get the TN for larger speices such as yellowtail and tuna. Now your current stock (Calcutta, Curado) could get it done but there are dis-advantages and you would have to finesse the larger fish.On a crowded rail or hot bite, that's something un-disired. Here are some of the obvious advantages with having the Trinidad for larger speices.

-More torque
-The 6.2 gear will allow more line retrieve per crank
-Line capacity
-Confidence

Basically, by having the TN you being specific to the application. You'll have every advantage of landing the fish. I would recommend a 7' footer or higher to match. The longer rod will give you an advantage on the casting. Your perference.

Here is what I think you can do with the current stock of reels you have.

Calcutta 400-Set it up as a 20# set-up. Can use it for the larger fish in if they get line shy and inshore for the 3 B's.

Curado 300-Keep is a 15# inshore for the 3 b's. Fish the plastics

Luna 300-Another 15# inshore for the 3 b's. Back up plastics stick

Luna 253 or Calcutta 200- Use it as a 12# setup for the 3 b's

Nice collection you have but maybe more inshore equipment then you need. Might even sell a couple and free up some cash to focus on the offshore gear. I'd suggest that TN16 for 25# or 30# and a heavier 20# stick. Maybe a TN14 or equivalent.

Good luck.

[shy_boxer]

Thanks for the insight guys. Flopps that break down was great. Thanks for the input Porkchop. When it comes to saltwater setups I am pretty much a newbie.

I just became aware of the hot Socal saltwater bite and it is something I want to participate in from now on. I just wanted some more info on what type of rigs I may need to chase after the elusive yellows and white seabass.

I can't sell my gear.....I am a big mouth bass fisherman first and foremost and most of the rigs are my big bait setups. I love my lmb gear....lol.

Thanks again my fellow anglers.....anymore suggestions fellas? Shall I get the Trinidad or the 2 speed Avet? What rod would you suggest?

From what I gather get the trinidad or avet with a 7' rod.

[flopps1]

Glad you found the info helpful! As for what reel? It will boil down to what feels better to you.

[fuzzy26]

Thanks again my fellow anglers.....anymore suggestions fellas? Shall I get the Trinidad or the 2 speed Avet? What rod would you suggest?

From what I gather get the trinidad or avet with a 7' rod.

I don't know about most anglers, but fishing a 2 speed reel vs a 1 speed reel is like night and day when it comes to big game fish you want to catch. For the price i say avet jx 2 speed or mx 2 speed hands down over the trinidad. if you go with the trinidad and want to save some money i would just go with the shimano torium. the torium has pretty much the same internals as the trinidad minus the all aluminum body at half the cost. Im all about getting the best deals and saving money when i can. just my 2 cents.

[Nessie Hunter]

You can use the smaller conventionals on Private boats for larger fish, lot of fun if you dont get spooled!!!!!
But if your going on party boats with more people. You will be in a world of hurt... Takes to long to bring them in, or control the fish (of size, over 15#) and will be cut off a zillion times...
So a lot depends on the type of boating your doing also...
If you dont want to spend an arm & leg for reels, you dont have to... That again depends on your budget, whats inexpensive to me may be over budget to you or visa versa...
For Y/T, WSB (good luck) or any Tuna over 15# you should have gear to match the pull..
Also enough line & drag on the reel to work it... So bigger reels are needed... Especially on party/cattle boats...
Sealine X is about $120 new, and has the sizes you will need...
Saltist/Saltiga and Torium/Trinadad are better...
But the price of the Saltiga & Trini are close to twice the counterpart Saltist & Torium... IMO, they are the same reel inside, with bling for the high rollers.... To a budget guy like me, I go for the price to quality, not the bling at twice the price...
I have very little experience with "fishing "Avet, Pro Gear, Accurate and a few others, but hear nothing but good about them.. I do know the parts & machining is excellent inside of them...

To me price matters... I have Sealines I use often, good reels for $100....
Even still use a few Penns, but they are dinosaurs that I am afraid to use more then 15/20# line on....

I do like my Saltist Reel......



.

[fishfinder333]

I agree with Nessie. If you are looking for bang for the buck i would go with the sealine or torium/ saltist.

I have the saltist and its been great. I would suggest to changing the stock drags out though.

[SanDimasLMB]

$500 to $600? Thats more than enough!

I'm guessing primary tactic will be bait fishing, so a 2-speed won't really be neccessary. As RR said, its a party boat, not yours so you will encounter newbies. Its a guaranteed thing.

So, you said a TN16? I would say go with either a Daiwa Saltist or a Avet MXJ/MXL (MXJ is narrow, MXL is normal) in a single speed. They will be around $200. So then you have to fill up with spectra, thats around $30. Lets not forget the mono for the top shot, so $10. Thats $240 right there, so now we have $260 left to keep it on a $500 budget.

Now, you could get a 7' Calstar Grafighter GFGR700M, rated for 20-50lb line, for a cool $250, which would bring the price to a cool $490, with $10 to spare for terminal tackle and other stuff. You could also get a better rod, like a Seeker Black Steel, your choice. Remember, for tuna, under 7' is best. Anything over and you'll take a beating from the fish, no joke. Some even go to 6'6" rods.

[fuzzy26]

$500 to $600? Thats more than enough!

I'm guessing primary tactic will be bait fishing, so a 2-speed won't really be neccessary. COLOR]

it may not be neccessary, but it's an advantage over the trinidad in that price range and having a 2 speeds is a big advantage when a huge fish is kicking your butt.

[zZaNg]

Yoda, stop wasting money.

Breakdown :
How many times you gonna get on a moo moo a year? A few times.
How many wsb/yt you gonna get on a few 3/4 day trips? 5% chance.

Imma tell your wifey! :ROFL:

[spitbreaker]

try the new phenix SW rod 7' come with warranty and has lots stronger and power to overwhelm and light-weight, any fish out there, as a rep i know this product really go, go to SAV-ON tackle in sante fe spring, try it out trindad 14 or 16 on that rod, try it out, its balance enough to handle its with that combination.

[shy_boxer]

Thanks for all the great info guys....Zzang..dood I know...I am gonna chill for now....but you never know. =)

[Troutman65]

Yoda, stop wasting money.

Breakdown :
How many times you gonna get on a moo moo a year? A few times.
How many wsb/yt you gonna get on a few 3/4 day trips? 5% chance.

Imma tell your wifey! :ROFL:


Thats not very nice young grasshopper.:ROFL: