biggiesmalls

After reading through the thread, I'm going with 50 lb as well. I don't see any added benefits to 65 lb.

Alright, so the Tatula SV wins. Now just to decide 50 or 65 braid, sounds like 50 is a little better in terms of lb test and such. Drew

Okay, the rod is set - ordered the blank last night. Going to wait until I've got a bit more spare spending money available to get the reel, but looks like I just might get the Tatula SV 8.1:1. Is the casting distance going to be an issue with this reel? And, will it hold enough 50-65 lb braid to work well? Not using this setup for anything other than throwing hollow-body frogs. @Tywithay Thanks, Drew

Thanks man. Is the 8.1:1 purple? If so, might have to go with some purple wraps on the rod Ordering the blank as I type this - also a 7'6" 8-15 lb XF for the salt too Drew

Alright, sounds like a custom 7'3" HF rod is the way to go. No votes for 7'4", 7'5", 7'6", or higher? I am a bit on the "vertically challenged" side of things, so I don't think going much longer gives me too much of an advantage over the negatives that will come with it. Love the looks of the Tatula SV, might just have to scrounge together a bit more money for one of them. Or shop around, if I could get one for $150 I'd be solid. That would be a $300-$350 setup, but still it'd be great. And since I'm selling off tons of old tackle, these are paying for themselves essentially. The money is just going from stuff that's sitting around to stuff that'll actually be used, so it's no biggie. Drew

Looking to put together a setup only for frogs. Would I be better suited with a North Fork Composites blank turned into a custom rod ($200 blank on sale for $100, plus other components). Or, should I just buy a rod. I can build it myself so don't have to pay for labor. The blank is 7'3" 14-30 lb 3/8-2 oz fast. Or should I go up to maybe 7'4", 5", 6", or even higher? More powerful or less? Looking to get the "perfect" frog-only rod for the perfect price. Then where should I go for the reel? Maybe a nicer Lew's or something. Magnesium speed spools on eBay for a little under $200, maybe I could scrounge together a bit more money and go with one of those? Then what braid? 30, 40, 50, 65? Let me know what you think. Tight lines Drew

Has anybody used the Lew's Magnesium Pro that they could comment on? Seems like a steal of a price for a Magnesium baitcaster. How durable are they? Drew

Lol, I'll probably keep the Trion 20 until it crashes on me someday. It's been through a rough few years so far lol and it's surprisingly a pretty tough little package (maybe not in terms of handling big fish, but rather in terms of handling being dropped, dunked even in saltwater, etc). Gotta spool it up tonight with that 6# floroclear. If I REALLY wanted to spend money, I'd get a Ballistic LT 2500 on a high-end rod. Give it a few weeks... Drew

Looking for a reel to pair with a 7' light spinning rod, which will be used for large panfish and some finesse bass work as well. Will be spooled with 6lb Floroclear, which is the diameter of 4 lb mono. I have a Trion 20 right now. Do you think it would be worth it to replace that reel with a larger Trion 25, a President 20, President 25? Or I could just keep the reel. Open to any of those options. Take care Drew

Sounds like to do this on one setup, 50 lb braid would be best. Then if in clear water, tie on a 15-17# leader. Drew

Daiwa BG is hands-down the best reel in your price range at the moment. Blows Penn Battle out of the water. I'd use a Dawia BG 2500, maybe bump up to a 3000 if you want that extra capacity. 3500 and 4000 are a bit overkill unless going for larger stripers and such. Spool up with 20, maybe 30 lb braid on a 6'6" or 7' medium heavy rod. In your price range, can't go wrong with a Calico Jack. That setup above is exactly what I use when handing out a setup to someone who doesn't fish often (except with medium instead of medium heavy). Drew

On a baitcasting setup (7'3" MHF) used for frogs, large texas-rigged worms, and1/4 ounce jigs, what lb braid would you suggest? What leader would you pair it with? Thanks Drew

I think I'll end up with a 6'6" ultralight rod here in a few days. I'll probably use it from a kayak occasionally, and I really don't mind not having that extra length on the rod. thanks everyone, Drew

Thanks for the replies. I think I need to decide what it is exactly that I'll be fishing for these bluegill. I've got a dough bait which works well, but picks up lots of smaller fish too. I think the majority of my fishing though - will be with simple float rigs for crickets, and with Road Runner jigheads (1/32 or 1/16 ounce). From shore with minimal structure around. Drew

Gotcha, I'll be fishing pinds mostly from shore but also occasionally from a kayak. Not a ton of brush here, though. Few large concrete drain pipes that we drop baits in but that's about it. Decided on the BPS Microlight rod already, they're $60 on sale right now for $40. I'm just trying to decide on a 6'6" or 7' length now. I'm fishing ponds from shore for the most part, without much brush. Drew

Awesome thanks for the reply. Do you fish from shore with yours? Thanks Drew

If you were purchasing an ultralight rig, would you go 6'6" or 7' length? Going to be buying a BPS Micro Lite for my Pflueger Trion, used to target panfish, we have some monsters swimming around the ponds around here, I've seen a redear I am 100% confident was over a pound and fairly confident would've been nearly 2 lbs. Just wondering whether 6'6" or 7' would be the better length here. Also, will 4 lb mono be okay? Or will 2 lb give better results as far as not spooking large sunfish? Haven't had a ton of trouble with that, unless they see you onshore it seems. Take care, Drew

When you're fishing livetarget frogs, do you prefer the 55 or the 65 size? Why is that? Thanks, Drew

Thanks everyone for the replies - very informative! I would've never thought of using a baitcaster for ultralight, but here we are! Perhaps I could carry two rods - if I went with two-piece setups. I carry an Orvis tackle sling, so I'd have to find a way to strap them to the sling, wouldn't be too bad though. Or, I could just pick what I want to go out for in a day, either bass or panfish - and bring something accordingly. Worst case, pack both rods in the car and walk back if I REALLY need to change it up from one and go for the other. If I did that, I'd go with a ML rod in the 6'6"-6'10" range with a smaller baitcaster with custom spool for bass, and an UL rod in the 6' range with a small spinner for bluegill. Personally, I don't see the point in spending tons of money on freshwater gear, right now any more than $50 on a rod or reel seems like a waste to me. (why spend money on freshwater when I can spend money on shark gear? ;)) That Royal Spirit ultralight rod is sweet looking for the $35 asking price. Unfortunately it's in 5'6", only step up is a 7' model which I don't really like in ultralight - might give it a shot though for $38! Drew

BaitFinesse, thank you for such a detailed post. Loving those options, especially for those cheaper prices! Would anything draw you to one of those rods/reels over the others listed? Would you prefer spinning or casting? My main thing is going to be fishing one rod here, that's my style when bank fishing - one rod, one tackle sling, that's it. Maybe I'll have to get two setups and just bring one out at a time.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Definitely going with a Pflueger Trion - treated me well for years, especially for $30. Rods, not sure yet. Looking to spend $100 or less on the rod - BPS microlight maybe? For bluegill I'll mostly be free-lining baits, but also float rigs and occasionally carolina rigs with light egg sinkers. Occasionally lures as well - I like a 1/32 ounce Road Runner, might have to upsize to 1/16 ounce though. Is there a rod that can still throw 1/32 ounce and handle heavier bass lures up to 1/4 ounce? I also fish Rebel hard baits which are typically as low as 1/16 ounce. Drew

Okay, sounds like a Pflueger Trion is gonna be my go-to then. Any rod recommendations for $100 or less? Sounds like a rod a bit under 7' would be ideal, with a medium light power rating. Will that remain run on larger panfish as well, or should I bump down to a light or ultralight? Line recommendations? Thanks, Drew

Looking for advice on a light-tackle baitcasting setup. I fish three baits - Pond Magic spinnerbaits (3/16 oz), wacky-rigged Senkos (4" weightless), and hollow-bodied frogs (1/4 oz, right now LiveTargets but I may switch before the summer to Booyahs). I want to put together one setup that can throw all of these well, I've been using inshore gear for this because it's all I had. I figured a baitcasting setup would be the best setup for these baits, but would I be better suited with a spinning reel? What rod, reel, line would you go with? Looking to spend maybe $150-$200 tops. EDIT: Anyone think that I could put together a setup to throw these lures for bass, as well as throwing bait rigs and maybe smaller jigs for 8-10"+ bluegill? I exclusively hop around ponds that typically require hiking through woods to get to, so I don't want to carry more than one rod with me. Thanks, Drew

Awesome, sounds like a great selection. When do you use a natural color over black, white, or clear?

Ok, that definitely cleared it up. I don't know if I will keep a chrome color, but I am strongly considering a clear bait. When would a bait fish pattern be best utilized? Drew