What model Curado do you guys recommend for this rod? Give me a couple to choose from.
What model Curado do you guys recommend for this rod? Give me a couple to choose from.
As far as reels depending on your price range; Cardiff 400, Calcutta 400 or Curado 300 would all be good choices.
cardiff 300, calcutta 400, curado 300, calcutta 400te,
in my opinion this would be from lowest to highest
the cardiff 400 was a bit wide and it got wobbly in my hand.
go to a tackle shop and hold them in your hand and get somthing that is comfortable for you
My opinion in this order for reels
400TE, curado 300E, Luna 253
I own curado 200E7, 300E, Luna 253, 300 and 400TE, citica 200E, revo inshore and they are all nice reels and performs superb.
If you're going to be throwing the following this is what I recommend:
swimbaits 9 - 14" - 400TE
swimbaits 6 - 8" - curado 300E/Luna 253
Anything smaller than 6" you can use curado 200, citica 200, revo inshore (reel is small though)
Like others said, just go to local tackle shop and feel the reel to see what suits you best. One thing to keep in mind, make sure you choose a reel that will be comfortable in hand and won't wear you out while throwing swimbaits all day.
Last edited by Fysher; 03-29-2011 at 07:54 AM.
Curado 300 on a Crucial 711H is my favorite...and Ive owned or tried a lot. It beats my Calcutta 400/GLoomis 964 all day....
Slow, Medium and Fast Actions
A slow rod is one that will flex down its full length.
A medium rod has most of its flex in the top half of the rod leaving the bottom half stiffer.
A fast action rod has most of its flex in the top quarter of the rod and will be stiffer in the middle and butt section.
Progressive Taper
A progressive taper is a rod which has a smooth, even increase in thickness all the way to the handle.
A rod built to this form will get increasingly stiffer towards the handle, therefore the more load that is applied the deeper the rod will flex.
This type of design is good for casting at short, medium and long distances.
Compound Taper
This is basically a progressive taper, but the increase in diameter is varied along the length of the rod. Most of the old classic tapers were made to a compound taper.
Parabolic
This type of rod will flex more in the butt section when a heavy load is applied.
They have a stiff middle section and a flexible butt section.
Rods with parabolic tapers are slow and powerful and make fantastic roll casting rods.
I think I decided on Okuma Guide Series swimbait rod for $100 and Cardiff 300 for $90. What do you guys think?
Question first: I can get telescopic and non-telescopic rod. What's the difference? Which one would you go with?
Last edited by Surfnsnowboard3; 03-30-2011 at 10:28 PM.
i know there are a lot of choices out there and everyone has their opinion. But consider this...a california calico special from turners. I bought this rod about 8 years ago and NEVER used it until last week for throwing 8-9" swimbaits...and it was perfect. Before I used it though, I took it with me to Last Chance to compare it with swimbait models of today. Well the guys at last chance thought my rod was awesome. it is extremely parabolic, much more so than some of the rods in the 150-175 range. Additionally, it has a metal tip. (this is much better than the ceramic insert tips because they break out). I know that some swimbaiters actually switch out their rod tips with saltwater tips for this exact reason.
anyways...consider it. I don't exactly remember what I paid for it or what they go for today, but I don't think they are much more than the Okuma.
Regarding the reel, I think you need to seriously consider this as an investment. If you buy a good reel, you won't need to buy another in a few years. I don't know if I would buy the cardiff. $90 is really cheap considering that you are fishing huge baits (potentially very expensive; triple trouts are $75, punkers $45, etc) for huge fish. I would like to buy the right equipment once. Furthermore, if it doesn't work out for you, you will not have a hard time reselling the good stuff.
save your money and go with the calcutta 400te. OR, go with a smaller reel (200 size) I know that people think that you will run out of line; but i seriously doubt that for many reasons.
good luck, and keep us posted on what you buy.
I would go with the non-telescopic. Telescopic slides down for easier storage. I like the feel of a solid one piece rod for sensitivity.
If you're dealing with a lower budget then go with the Cardiff but in 400 size. If you're looking for better performance and budget is not to much an issue, then go with the low profile baitcaster like the Curado 300. Don't know your price range for a reel though? Both these reels are rated for 20 lb. mono line capacity and are well suited for 6" swimbaits.