MDRookie

Thanks again Bob... I think my confusion is mainly why or how MM, MHF, MLXF, etc... works best for each technique...

LOL.. thanks for the help ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving all! After reading a boatload of threads here, meeting with fishnkamp and reading some more.. I'm still a little confused on what duties to assign my rods and reels. Mostly because.. based on what I've read.. my rods and reels may not match up for a certain technique.. such as the gear ratio, having more spinning gear than casting and maybe due to having 3 medium/moderate rods? I am also unsure of what size line would be best on each. I talked with Bob (fishnkamp) about line and possibly using braid but decided against it at this time. So I'll stick with mono for now. I need to learn how to best utilize what I have before I experiment with other line. Anyway, here's a list of what I have (which has grown since my previous thread here) and if anyone would advise how each would be best used and what size line to match up with it.. I'd appreciate it! I'll put what I think they would be best for in ( ) Newest acquisition is a St, Croix Avid 6'6 MLF, Lure size - 1/8-3/8, Paired with a Sahara 2500 6.2:1 spinner (texas, small finesse, ned?) My oldest and favorite - Berkley Scout 5'6 Medium. This rod bends a 1/3 the way down.. medium? Lure size - 1/8-3/8, Line size 4-10, Paired with and old BlackMax baitcaster - don't know the ratio (crank?) Old.. Shakespeare Synergy 6' Medium. Bends a 1/3 the way down also. No lure size on it, Line 6-12, Paired with an Okuma StratusV 6.6:1 baitcaster (top water, jerk?) Old.. Quantum Lite 6'6 Medium. Again bends 1/3, Lure size 1/8-5/8, Line 8-14, Pair with Sahara 3000 6.2:1 spinner (not sure) BPS Graphite Series 6'6 MHF, Lure size 1/4-5/8, Line 6-17, Pair with Pflueger 6935 5.2:1 spinner (carolina, finesse, spinners?) I also have a BPS Bionic Blade 6' MHF baitcast rod, Lure size 1/4-3/4, Line 6-17 that I currently do not have a reel for. Do I want a higher gear ratio here? So if someone wants to make a suggestion for one.. awesome. (not sure) I don't want or desire to fish a heavy/punch rod.. so, no suggestions needed there. In that past.. I have fished mainly texas rigged worms and spinner baits, at times a small frog and sometimes a crank or jerk. I just purchased a bunch of new stuff consisting of shaky head, ned, dropshot, grubs.. but not sure which rods to put what on :-( I'm not sure why.. but it's just not sinking in!

Thanks for all the replies! I went to BP yesterday and looked at reels. I tried the Nasci and it felt great. I think I'm going to save some $$$ to put toward line by pulling the Sedona 1000FE off my St. Croix UL rod to use with this new Avid for now. I will purchase a 500 size Sahara which will be on sale Wednesday ($49) for the UL rod. Make sense? I'm still new and learning... I think this rod would be used like described above by smr913 and would be considered a finesse set up? I've never used braid but would like to give it a try. Any other braid line I should consider? Thanks again......

This is why I asked for some help... with so many choices with different features.. it becomes confusing and overwhelming. Does anyone think the Hook 4 with Nautic Insight Pro is a good unit? I think coastal mapping would be something I could use with so many waterways off the Chesapeake Bay. They said it is loaded with 3000 lakes and rivers... but I have no idea what lakes and rivers those are? Are they relevant to the area I live?

Thanks for the info.. seems like a good buy. I think I'd be okay with 2D. Are the loaded maps just lakes? Does it have any coastal mapping or rivers?

Went to BP today to look at what they have.. They didn't have any Striker units out. Sales guy said they had to pull them due to a legal issue. The Helix units seem to be pricey and don't come with mapping. The Lowrance Hook 4 with GPS and maps appears to be a decent unit. It will be on sale for the holiday...

With there being so many choices out there... it can be a little bit overwhelming. I'm not sure what I'm looking for.... I'd like something as small as possible with the most features. Is that possible? What's the smallest unit that I can possibly have maps with contours? Not a necessity but would be nice.. My budget is $200-300. Thanks in advance!

Everywhere I've found the Stradic... shows a weight of 7oz. One example here: http://www.baytackleonline.com/Shimano-Stradic-CI4-2500FA-Spinning-Reel-p/stradic-ci4-2500fa.htm

What do you consider a "normal" Stradic reel?

Is that the one I cast into the tree? LOL I read all the reviews on Amazon for the RTX and the only couple of minor gripes were that it's not smooth out of the box.. but does break in.. and some notice a little bit of wobble. Why would it not be smooth out of the box? This reel does not seem to be available at any of the local chain stores to take another look.... I cannot find a Symetre 2500... did they make one? A NASCI 3000 seem too big and heavy to me... I am leaning toward a Stradic CI4 2500FA at the moment...

What line do you have on the spool? What do you use this set up for? I'm still learning what rods are best used for this and that....

Yes, It's a regular Avid. Thank you. I played with a Stradic CI4 2500FA last week at BP and loved the way it felt but am having a hard time with the cost. If I were to pull the trigger on a Stradic... should I go with a 2500 or 3000? Is there anything else as light as a Stradic? What else should I look at.. maybe meeting somewhere in the middle (~$100)? Thanks Bob... I'll give it a look!

Sheesh.. I thought I had a lot to set up. I ventured into this forum to find info on a picking a fish finder for my canoe. Thanks for showing the deployment arm as I was thinking of mounting it to the trolling motor but seems like a PITA. Nice rig...

I came across an Avid 6'6 ML at a good buy and now need a reel for it. I am thinking of picking up a Shimano Sahara 2500.. when they become available at BP for $49. Would this be a good match for this rod or does the rod deserve a better reel? Is a 2500 series the correct size?

Thanks for the replies... We fished a finger of the Quinnipiac River on Saturday.. windy as heck but managed and had a good time. Probably reeled in 30 or so stripers. Sunday we went up north a little to West Hill Pond... only managed to catch 2 trout but was a beautiful day. Monday.. another beautiful day.. went to the Housatonic and had a great time catching 30+ stripers. End of day my buddy caught a 33 incher.. roughly 15 pounds.

Hi.. I'm heading up to New Haven, Connecticut to see a friend for the next six days. Can someone help me out with some places to fish? We are going to try the "Tidal Marsh" and the southern part of the Housatonic River... for some stripers.. maybe? I would like to be able to do a little trout fishing as well.. any suggestions? Willing to travel an hour any direction. Thanks in advance for any suggestions/help!!!

Update.. I did meet up with fishnkamp (Bob) and spent about 3 hours soaking in as much as I could. It was awesome and a pleasure to meet with him. He assessed my rods and reels and showed me some of his gear. He had a written breakdown of spinning rigs and baitcasting rigs waiting for me. Later that evening he took the time to email (lengthy) basically reiterating everything we had discussed with suggestions... again.. awesome. Thanks Bob!

Update... After a week of researching, searching and agonizing.. I went into Dick's and looked at my options and decided to give an Okuma StratusV SV10 a try. Only took 10 seconds after opening that it was not what I wanted.. not really smooth and made a little bit of noise while winding. Back it went... Today, (taking my rod with me) I decided I wanted to check out Gander Mountain (never having been there) to look at my options.. Tried the Pflueger 20 and 25... nice but did not seem as smooth as the Sendona 1000FE that I have. Tried a Symetre (nice) and then a Stradic. I was not that impressed with the Stradic.. I think it was the knob (too round) and the short stroke/handle... I dunno.. not for me. Then I noticed in the case next to the Stradic that they had a Sedona 500FD (last one) on close out. Put it on the rod and seems like a perfect fit! Only 6.2oz and 4.7:1 gear ratio that I like for a slower retrieve. For $40... I'm in love. Thanks for the help!!!

I'm going to take the Sedona 1000fe off other and try on this rod tomorrow. I'd like to keep it under $100 and have a connection at Dick's....with discount ... $80. Would like to buy the right/best reel the first time....

Appreciate the feedback.... Not sure I can bring myself at this point in my rookie stage of fishing to spend 4X the President. :-) I have my eye on President Supreme XT... the SP25 model but according to feedback.. might be too big. I may be able to pick it up for $70ish. Question... Is there a difference between a 6920b and 6920x?

Ultralight is not a super popular topic here... I have searched through previous threads regarding ultralight reels. I see that the Pflueger President is highly touted. Would a 6920b be a good match for the 5'6" St. Croix travel rod? Is a Pflueger Supreme XT (25 series) too much reel for this rod? Is a Supreme XT twice the reel of the President? Anything else that would be better suited for this rod? Thanks in advance......

Thanks Nut and Wayfarer.. I can't take credit for the idea... just my alteration to it. I tried to buy the original but they couldn't accommodate my request.. so I said to myself.. I can build it myself using PVC (they used aluminum.) Stability was the main reason... the rest was/is a bonus. It's awesome.. plus I can stand on the platform. All I need now is a fish/depth finder :-)

My ride... :-)