To all Salt/Fresh Water Anglers here.. What do you think...

I have plenty light freshwater fishing Equipment.. but almost all my salt water and heavier Stuff I sold before i moved from Florida to NY...

New Fishing Season start here and I feel Urge to Hit a water...

I was thinking to buy medium heavy universal set with I could use in Fresh and Salt water..and will be easy to travel with as well...

This is what I found and I wanna know what You think about it... (price was factor as well)

Rod: Shakespeare Two-Piece Medium Heavy Action Ugly Stik Catfish Casting Rod, 8-Feet

Reel: Abu Garcia 6500C3 Ambassadeur C3 Baitcast Round Reel (3 Ball-Bearing, Gear Ratio 5.3:1, Capacity 14/245)

Line: Spiderwire Ultracast Invisi-Braid 300-Yard Spool, Pound/Diameter 65/14

Everything together with Tax and 2 day free delivery from Amazon :197.53$ :D

So Any thoughts ???

Ohh Cmon ppl No Help at all ??

I was thinking about:
Berkley Glowstik 2 Piece Casting Rod (8'0", Medium-Heavy, 10-25 lbs)
instead
Shakespeare Two-Piece Medium Heavy Action Ugly Stik Catfish Casting Rod, 8-Feet

Anybody had any experience with any of this Rods ??

Need Advice because i wanna but stuff in the middle of next week...

Help plox!!!!

I have no experience with the rods you're looking at, but the Ambassadeur 6500C3 is the reel on my muskie rod (6'3", heavy action, single-piece), and it has served me well.

All I use are ugly sticks for my freshwater fishing, great rods imo! As for the reel, if using for fresh and salt I'd probably go with a spinner. Best of luck and have fun!

Hmm I found another Rod...

Okuma CELILO Graphite Casting Rod (12- 25 Lbs, 8-Feet 6-Inch, Heavy)

Is little bit longer... 8.6 but still 2 pieces and lure is from 1/2 to 4 oz....

nice price as well 49 $ and is a Graphite composite not glass.. and have cork handle...

Anybody Using Okuma rods ???

I suggest you go with some thing lighter, Like 8-15lb it will make catching fish more fun. Any thing heavier is really unnecessary(IMO) Unless your catching Marlin or 40" fish frequently...

I plan on getting some thing like this link easy to travel with. Right now I use a Shakespeare 6'6" two piece 8-15lb with 10lb line for both bass and saltwater fishing and I got it at walmart for $30. Its a great rod to fish with.

Id also check out Cabelas but Ive never used any of their spin stuff but I can vouch they have good fly rods.

Where i was Living In Florida I had 1 piece 7 feet casting Ugly Stick... and i loved it but living in Big City without car when You going to fishing location by subway or train 7 feet is little complicated. ;)
And medium heavy or heavy action is necessary for 2-3 once sinkers I will Use on stronger currents... from ocean pier...

I kind of lean toward that Okuma....1/2 once minimum lure should give me enough finesse and 4 oz enough power to throw heavier sinker with fish read for bait for example...

and 48 $ for graphite composite Rod with cork handle is good deal I think...

Is the C3 usable in salt water? Like an above poster, I have one as well for pike and musky fishing (though my 7000i gets most of the musky duty these days), but I don't know if I'd trust it to last long with salt water use.. still a great reel at a great price.

Bass Pro makes a 2 piece graphite rod that I have used on multiple occasions and has served me well in both fresh and saltwater (im in FL). As for reels, I rarely stray away from Shimano. The Symmetry Model is affordable and durable as hell. Its a great spinning reel for the price and serves well in both water types. For the price listed above you could probably even get a nice model reel like the Stradic which is just amazing.

Personally I'm a St. Croix guy, but I'd take an Okuma rod over the Ugly stick any day...I think the C3's are marketed as both fresh and salt water reels so it should be okay...may want to double check though...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

Is the C3 usable in salt water? Like an above poster, I have one as well for pike and musky fishing (though my 7000i gets most of the musky duty these days), but I don't know if I'd trust it to last long with salt water use.. still a great reel at a great price.

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I was using BCX series in FL and they works just fine in salt and fresh water...
So I believe C3 Should do even better.. I read Opinion on it on Abu Garcia page... most ppl use them for freshwater fishing but opinions from salt water anglers are up high as well....:gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sho220

Personally I'm a St. Croix guy, but I'd take an Okuma rod over the Ugly stick any day...I think the C3's are marketed as both fresh and salt water reels so it should be okay...may want to double check though...

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I love St. Croix... I have 5'6" UL and 6' Light from Triumph Spinning Series with small Shimanos on it and i just love them... I was thinking About 8'6" Heavy action Triumph® Salmon & Steelhead Casting Rod.. but max lure is only 2 oz and 100$ is little bit to high for me right now...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aes_Sidhe

I was using BCX series in FL and they works just fine in salt and fresh water...
So I believe C3 Should do even better.. I read Opinion on it on Abu Garcia page... most ppl use them for freshwater fishing but opinions from salt water anglers are up high as well....:gj:




I love St. Croix... I have 5'6" UL and 6' Light from Triumph Spinning Series with small Shimanos on it and i just love them... I was thinking About 8'6" Heavy action Triumph® Salmon & Steelhead Casting Rod.. but max lure is only 2 oz and 100$ is little bit to high for me right now...

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I've never tried the Triumphs...have to check those out. My favorite rig is a Legend Tournament with a Shimano Scorpion 1001...awesome combo! :gj:

My wife uses an Avid/Scorpion combo and loves it.

Now keep in mind that I am locally the "Ralph Davis" of fishing.... I should charge you for this kind of information.... :D

That said, your plan is no good. IMHO there is no such thing as a multi use rig.

A fresh water pole is normally too light to use in salt water. Get a big fish on and you are either going to break the pole, or destroy the drag. Even if it isn't an imediate break your fresh water rig will still be jacked up after a few decent saltwater fish. On top of that, the salt water destroys everything it touches. Saltwater specific rigs are made to stand up to this to a certain extent.

A salt water pole is normally too heavy to use in fresh water. It is no fun catching a little bass or sunfish on a big, heavy, salt water rig. And if you plan to use plugs or lures, forgetaboutit. The pole has to be the right action or the lure won't present correctly.

Figure out what you want to fish for right now, then buy a rig for that specific kind of fishing. Work a couple extra hours and save the money so the next time you want to fish for something else, you can get the correct rig for that. Take care of your stuff and it will probably last longer then you. LOL, the only rigs I have ever had to "retire" were the ones that got messed up being used for something that they weren't supposed to.

Here are SOME of the most common types of fishing. Pick the three you are most likely to do ASAP, and number those three by what one will be done the most and I will try to help you further. You have to list the species you will be going for (especially for the salt water stuff) because often times it will dictate size and type or rig as much as the method will.

Light fresh water bottom fishing
Light fresh water lure / plug fishing
Fly Fishing
Heavy fresh water bottom fishing (big, heavy fish)
Heavy fresh water lure / plug fishing (big, heavy fish)
Salt Creek / Marsh bottom fishing (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Lure / Plug casting (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Surf Fishing
Salt Trolling - (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Jetty Fishing (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Deep Sea Bottom Fishing - (Name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Deep Sea Plug Bottom Fishing (Name the top three species you will be going for)

Light fresh water

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sho220

I've never tried the Triumphs...have to check those out. My favorite rig is a Legend Tournament with a Shimano Scorpion 1001...awesome combo! :gj:

My wife uses an Avid/Scorpion combo and loves it.

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Triumphs are entry Level SCII graphite rod.. Those are little bit more soft .. so catching bluegills with 5.6 ultra light is fricking fun as hell...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

Now keep in mind that I am locally the "Ralph Davis" of fishing.... I should charge you for this kind of information.... :D

That said, your plan is no good. IMHO there is no such thing as a multi use rig.

A fresh water pole is normally too light to use in salt water. Get a big fish on and you are either going to break the pole, or destroy the drag. Even if it isn't an imediate break your fresh water rig will still be jacked up after a few decent saltwater fish. On top of that, the salt water destroys everything it touches. Saltwater specific rigs are made to stand up to this to a certain extent.

A salt water pole is normally too heavy to use in fresh water. It is no fun catching a little bass or sunfish on a big, heavy, salt water rig. And if you plan to use plugs or lures, forgetaboutit. The pole has to be the right action or the lure won't present correctly.

Figure out what you want to fish for right now, then buy a rig for that specific kind of fishing. Work a couple extra hours and save the money so the next time you want to fish for something else, you can get the correct rig for that. Take care of your stuff and it will probably last longer then you. LOL, the only rigs I have ever had to "retire" were the ones that got messed up being used for something that they weren't supposed to.

Here are SOME of the most common types of fishing. Pick the three you are most likely to do ASAP, and number those three by what one will be done the most and I will try to help you further. You have to list the species you will be going for (especially for the salt water stuff) because often times it will dictate size and type or rig as much as the method will.

Light fresh water bottom fishing
Light fresh water lure / plug fishing
Fly Fishing
Heavy fresh water bottom fishing (big, heavy fish)
Heavy fresh water lure / plug fishing (big, heavy fish)
Salt Creek / Marsh bottom fishing (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Lure / Plug casting (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Surf Fishing
Salt Trolling - (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Jetty Fishing (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Deep Sea Bottom Fishing - (Name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Deep Sea Plug Bottom Fishing (Name the top three species you will be going for)

Light fresh water

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Mike I know.. I fish 30y right now... I have spinning freshwater Equipment...

Maybe Universal rod is a to big description...

I was looking for 2 piece rod... because of easy traveling especially now when i dont have car and my means of transportation are subway or train....

Not to long (between 8-9 feet) with will be not too long for boat and not to short for pier, bridge or marina or rocky beach....

A rod with could handle catfish in Bayou Chanel and the same time dont break under Bonehead or Atlantic Sharpnose on Florida Pier...
Can Get Nice Bluefish on Hudson River in Manhattan or Red fish in North Carolina... Salmon in Canadian rivers or Pike or Trout in Connecticut lake...

So I'm looking for something with will cover this methods more or less:

Heavy fresh water bottom fishing (big, heavy fish)
Heavy fresh water lure / plug fishing (big, heavy fish)
Salt Creek / Marsh bottom fishing (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Lure / Plug casting (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Surf Fishing

Concentrating on last 3 right now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aes_Sidhe

Salt Creek / Marsh bottom fishing (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Lure / Plug casting (name the top three species you will be going for)
Salt Surf Fishing

Concentrating on last 3 right now.

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#1 and #2 you can use a long surf rod setup with medium salt water spinning reel. However that long surf rod won't work well for #2.

So Based on just these three your best bet would be to get a high quality medium size spinning reel like the Penn Battle Series. Dont get a big one, and dont get a small one. Somwhere in the middle will work. String it with 15 to 20 lb mono line. Then get (2) poles. Don't worry about he name brand on poles so you can afford 2. Honestly you can go pretty cheap on the poles and still be fine as long as you pick poles that are well made they will still last without the huge cost. Look for double supported eyes. For the bottom fishing you want a long pole (around 8 - 9 feet), medium action. Dont make the mistake of getting a long stiff pole... they cast like crap. You will get much further distance with a good flexible long pole. For the lure / plug casting you want a shorter, lighter, flexible pole. Light to medium action. Preferably about 6 feet. It will be a little bit heavier of a reel then I like for this kind of setup, but it will work.

PS, most surf rods come in 2 pieces. Shorter 6 foot rods that break into 2 or 3 pieces suck IMHO, and I would avoid them if possible.

There is Only One Problem....
I used Spinning rods whole my life... in Europe... is a miracle when You see somebody using casting stuff....

When I came to US I fall in love in casting rods reels and stuff... I got today really good deal on Abu Garcia C4 6600... (brand new and almost same price as C3 6500) so I'm looking for Casting Rod right now....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aes_Sidhe

There is Only One Problem....
I used Spinning rods whole my life... in Europe... is a miracle when You see somebody using casting stuff....

When I came to US I fall in love in casting rods reels and stuff... I got today really good deal on Abu Garcia C4 6600... (brand new and almost same price as C3 6500) so I'm looking for Casting Rod right now....

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You fell in love with casting reels because spinning reels were designed deep in the depths of hell by Satan to eternally aggravate the living *$#&% out of anglers. I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty fork than have to use a spinning reel. Seriously.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

Don't worry about he name brand on poles so you can afford 2. Honestly you can go pretty cheap on the poles and still be fine as long as you pick poles that are well made they will still last without the huge cost. Look for double supported eyes.

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Only thing I can add to this is look for Fuji reel seats. Some of the unmarked, no name reel seats are garbage...

Look like I gonna have change of heart... dictated by financial reasons...

I decided to Stick with Okuma but will go with Spinning...

Rod: Salmon Steelhead Celilo Graphite Composite Spinning rod.
I'm going to take 8'6" 2 pieces with heavy action.. line is 12-15 lure is 1/2 - 4 that give me plenty power to handle Striped bass an will be sensitive enough to get some bait fish (croacker for example) if needed...

Reel: reel is a reason why I'm going spinning...
I found Okuma Avenger Bait-feeder...
I read a lot of positive feedback mainly from saltwater anglers... ( and that is what I'm going to do right now) and You just cant beat a price... below 50 $ on Amazon for reel holding 280y of 15lb line with line alarm ?? (bait feeder/bait runner)...

Gonna Stick with Spiderwire Ultracast Invisi-Braid 300-Yard Spool, Pound/Diameter 65/14 ...

Whole set 145 $ on Amazon... tax and free 2 day shipping included :gj: :D :gj: