Rod differences...?

H
Herefishyfishy
Being a rookie I have read pretty much every post on this site trying to pick up as much as I can. One of things I haven't yet been able to figure out is what rod should be, or what peoples opinions of what rods should be used for different types of fishing. I've heard the terms "bobber rod" and "casting rod" etc.. Right now I have an 8.5' IM8 and a 6' Ugly Stick both are medium action. Can I get some thoughts on what will work best for what? Plan on mostly float fishing for winters right now. Thanks!
 
J
joesnuffy
well I'm by no means an expert but here's my 2 cents.

The more sensitive the rod the better "feel" you will have for fishing.

When bouncing gear off the bottom, I like a light action because you will "feel" every rock and hopefully, nibble/bite.

If I'm bobber fishing, I don't require such a light rod, i use a medium action, because your going off the bobber dropping and not the sesitivity of the rod tip.

Trout fishing requires a light action because of the nature of a trout bite being so soft (usually) you need to be able to see any motion. I also us a 6' ugly stick for this.

that's my little world, hope this helps and hope others can add in on the stuff i don't know much about.
 
H
halibuthitman
I would say if you have a rod and reel and you like and trust ... you are set up, I love using a 5 wt flyrod for winters.. but an the miami and skagit it has cost me some fish... but I like it and thats what matters most, fish are like buses... a new one comes along every half hour
 
Y
youngbuck307
well with what you have right now i would just use that IM8 for everything until you get anouther steelhead\salmon rod. who is the IM8 made by? my berkley worked great for bot but i would rather have the 9'6. if it was my i would get a second rod and go like 9'6 or maybe evan 10 and use it for bobber and your IM8 to drift fish with.

but just so u know im out with a off brand 8'6 IM7 and thats the only rod i use for everything. so it can be done on one rod
 
D
DirectDrive
Used to be that the standard "drift rod" was 8'-6" ~ 3/8-3/4 oz ~ 6-12#
Now more common are 9'-0 - 9'-6" drift rods.

I don't bobber much, but I know that guys that do like even longer rods.
Like 10-0" or more.

The Bill Herzog line of rods (spoon/drift) from Lamiglas are 10'-0"
The Dave Vedder line of rods (bobber) from Lamiglas are 10'-6"

It's all about line control.....longer rods are better at this.
I do like a shorter stick on small water because long rods can be a PITA in that situation.

My favorite drift rod and spinner rod are both 9'-6" and I have my eye on one of those Vedders :D
Maybe Santa will bring one.
 
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H
Herefishyfishy
Thanks everyone. The IM8 is a Buzz Ramsey edition Berkley, I really like the action of it. I think I will look at a 10' at some point. How about reels? I've got a Penn Peerless 9 and I don't like it at all (hate it). I am buying myself a new one for christmas and really can't go over $100 any recomendations there? I've been looking at AG Ambassadors and Quantams.
 
D
DirectDrive
Herefishyfishy said:
Thanks everyone. The IM8 is a Buzz Ramsey edition Berkley, I really like the action of it. I think I will look at a 10' at some point. How about reels? I've got a Penn Peerless 9 and I don't like it at all (hate it). I am buying myself a new one for christmas and really can't go over $100 any recomendations there? I've been looking at AG Ambassadors and Quantams.
Spinning or casting ?
Right or left crank ?
What is an "AG Ambassadeur" ?

Edit:
I just looked at the Penn....that thing is a beast !
You definitely need something else.
 
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H
Herefishyfishy
DirectDrive said:
Spinning or casting ?
What is an "AG Ambassadeur" ?
Casting, Abu Garcia Ambassaeur from what I understand is a Low end Abu casting reel. Cheap but not that cheap. That was just one opinion I got, they're about $100.
 
D
DirectDrive
Herefishyfishy said:
Casting, Abu Garcia Ambassaeur from what I understand is a Low end Abu casting reel. Cheap but not that cheap. That was just one opinion I got, they're about $100.
OK.
Ambassadeurs are bomb-proof reels and would feel space-age compared to what you are using.
Generally this class of reel is called a "round reel". They used to rule back in the 60's and 70's as far as drift fishing is concerned. They are still very useful for some bank and boat methods.
The knocks on the Ambassadeur are that they are heavy, by today's standards and the line guide does not disengage during free-spool. This feature makes it tougher to cast light baits.

In the late 70's, early 80's, Shimano started the "low profile" revolution and this type of reel now rules the roost. The low-pros have steadily been improved over the years.
I use Shimano Curado "B" models which first appeared in '94. The next morph was the "D" model and now it's the "E" model.

To hit the $100 price point I would recommend either the Shimano Citica or the ABU Garcia Revo S model.
I checked on a rumor and found that it is true, Bimart has both right and left crank Citicas on in-store special for $99.99.....that's $20 off..
They are still marked $119.00, but will scan $99.99 'til the 25th, I'm told.

Make sure you are clear on whether you need right or left crank.....
HINT: It has nothing to do with being right or left handed, but has everything to do with what seems natural to you.
I am right-handed and have always fished with a left crank....I want to set hook with my right hand and I don't want to constantly "swap hands" with a right crank.

Also, if you want to buy an Ambassadeur, check here with your findings, there are some less desirable Chinese made models around that you may want to avoid.
 
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H
Herefishyfishy
DirectDrive said:
OK.
Ambassadeurs are bomb-proof reels and would feel space-age compared to what you are using.
Generally this class of reel is called a "round reel". They used to rule back in the 60's and 70's as far as drift fishing is concerned. They are still very useful for some bank and boat methods.
The knocks on the Ambassadeur are that they are heavy, by today's standards and the line guide does not disengage during free-spool. This feature makes it tougher to cast light baits.

In the late 70's, early 80's, Shimano started the "low profile" revolution and this type of reel now rules the roost. The low-pros have steadily been improved over the years.
I use Shimano Curado "B" models which first appeared in '94. The next morph was the "D" model and now it's the "E" model.

To hit the $100 price point I would recommend either the Shimano Citica or the ABU Garcia Revo S model.
I checked on a rumor and found that it is true, Bimart has both right and left crank Citicas on in-store special for $99.99.....that's $20 off..
They are still marked $119.00, but will scan $99.99 'til the 25th, I'm told.

Make sure you are clear on whether you need right or left crank.....
HINT: It has nothing to do with being right or left handed, but has everything to do with what seems natural to you.
I am right-handed and have always fished with a left crank....I want to set hook with my right hand and I don't want to constantly "swap hands" with a right crank.

Also, if you want to buy an Ambassadeur, check here with your findings, there are some less desirable Chinese made models around that you may want to avoid.
I really appreciate the advice DD and everyone else on this great forum. I am left handed and always use a right hand crank. I have heard some great reviews for the Revo but the cheapest I've seen them is $159 maybe they weren't the "s" models. I will check into that and the citicas.
 
M
Mike123
If I was rich... I would have a rod for each different method..
I could easily have 30 rods.... if... I were rich. :lol:
Right now I have 3 spinning 8'6 8-12# Berkely's
An 8'6 15-30 IM7
8'6 8-12 casting
9'6 Okuma 4-10... cheap bobber rod..
8'6 South Bend Trophy Tamer... sounds gay, but it is actually a really nice rod, or used to be.
And old reliable... Shakespeare Intrepid IM7 8-20... thing is stiffer than a board but has caught 100's of fish... big fall chinook to steelhead. I give it to my dad to use cause I don't care if the thing breaks or not. I don't think it will ever break. :lol:

Next rods im gonna buy are a good 9'0 drift rod and a 10'+ bobber rod
I'm having trouble finding a decent bobber rod that is the right length for under $150... I really want a Loomis drift rod...
 
D
DirectDrive
Mike123 said:
Next rods im gonna buy are a good 9'0 drift rod and a 10'+ bobber rod
I'm having trouble finding a decent bobber rod that is the right length for under $150... I really want a Loomis drift rod...
I hear ya.
My two favorite rods are Lami Certified Pro's....9'-6"
Got 'em at the Lami factory store for $115.00 (cosmetic blems) Shhhhh!!
You have to go to Woodland. It's hit or miss.
They've tightened up quality control and there are not as many blems coming off the line.

Currently, the to-die-for drift rods are the Lami XMG 50 model EXC 92M (cool graphite handle) and the G. Loomis IMX 1082 or 1084. These original IMX numbers are not being made anymore and the hoarders are all over them.
At retail these sticks sport prohibitive prices, IMO, so I would look for a used one (IMX) or possibly a blem (Lami)

The Certified Pro is one notch below XMG 50 and they're great rods in their own right. Easier to find a CP blem.
 
F
fishhunter
halibuthitman said:
I would say if you have a rod and reel and you like and trust ... you are set up, I love using a 5 wt flyrod for winters.. but an the miami and skagit it has cost me some fish... but I like it and thats what matters most, fish are like buses... a new one comes along every half hour

Hey Halibut, When and where do you fish on the Skagit?
 
F
fishndad
if your looking for a good real for this you can look into, ag ambassaduer 5000 series c3 and c4 model reels, okuma fina reels are real nice, shimano, and there is some others that are nice! if your using light weight give a pflueger trion baitcast reel it has the smoothest free spool ive seen in sch a long time in its price range! it can handle some weight as well
 
M
Mike123
fishndad said:
if your looking for a good real for this you can look into, ag ambassaduer 5000 series c3 and c4 model reels, okuma fina reels are real nice, shimano, and there is some others that are nice! if your using light weight give a pflueger trion baitcast reel it has the smoothest free spool ive seen in sch a long time in its price range! it can handle some weight as well

Yea if this is gonna be a steelhead rod/reel, go with the Trion. I've even used the Trion for bobber fishing springers and it works just fine. Don't buy a Shimano Corvalus for casting anything... I bought one and it sucked!
 
D
DirectDrive
Somebody please post a link to "ag ambassadeur"
I'm an Ambaasadeur junkie and I've never heard of this.

Wait a minute, I get it, It's ABU Garcia :rolleyes:
We get so into model numbers with these reels.
 
F
fishndad
DirectDrive said:
Somebody please post a link to "ag ambassadeur"
I'm an Ambaasadeur junkie and I've never heard of this.

Wait a minute, I get it, It's ABU Garcia :rolleyes:
We get so into model numbers with these reels.

lol ya some times company slang can fool the best of us:lol:
 
D
DirectDrive
fishndad said:
lol ya some times company slang can fool the best of us:lol:
Yeah, with Ambassadeurs one letter in the model description can mean the difference between a $30 reel and a $300 reel :D
 
H
halibuthitman
fishhunter said:
Hey Halibut, When and where do you fish on the Skagit?

the sauk and below, it used to be a christmas day tradition.. but now I like it in january, and you need to have a boat, there is some bank access but the boat will double your score.:)
 
N
nointrntrprts
long

long

love my 12.5' noodle rod for bobber fishing - allows me to get away with using 6lb test for spooky summer steel. had a 9.5' and broke the tip, fixed the tip and use it now for drift fishing.... good feel and run 10lb main - confident when i set the hook on a winter steel, usually with a 10lb leader as well.

to each their own - i fish with a pretty successful guy uses only 8.5' rods and does really well.... he gives me grief for using such long rods, but he also sees how well they work for me.

good luck!
 

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