fishing equipment opinions needed ...

bsteckel

bsteckel

Junior Member
when i get my boat in shape, i plan on fishing the indian river inlet, surrounding bays, and offshore in Delaware.

I have been fishing all my life in freshwater here in PA and on the Finger Lakes in NY, but other that surf fishing and an occasional party boat, i have not had much saltwater experience.

what do you recommend for rod size (length, action, brand) and reels (brand and line weight) for catching inshore fish?

what gear do i need so i am prepared for most of what i will encounter out there?

i really have no brand loyalty .. looking for best bang for my buck. i would like to have several rods/reels for when i take friends/family out.

thanks for your input.

Brad
 
I generally go for reduced prices but dependable stuff.
No sence spending money on an outfit that might get dropped overboard, stolen or slammed in the truck tailgate.
Ambassadeur 5500, 6500, 5600, 6600 are exceptional baitcasts.
Shimano Baitrunners have been nice to use on most occasions.
Ugly Sticks in the 6'6" - 7' range are hard to beat.
All of these are in the 12-15 pound range, most suitable for a wide range of fishing and can double for freshwater.
 
For the fishing you'll be doing I'd stick with rods 6' to 6'6". No need for a longer rod on the boat. Check with the local tackle shops nearby. Sue Foster at Oyster Bay in N.Ocean City / Fenwick area comes to mind. Okuma reels have been popular down here for about 5 years and have proven dependable. Ugly Sticks used to be the goto...but they did away with the lifetime warranty. If you want to spend a little more, St. Croix has been my stick of choice. I have a few M's and a few MH's. I like the Medium action rods for flounder fishing in less then 20', and the MH's are good for deep water floundering. tog and bass on the wrecks, and blues and rock around the inlets. Lastly, I'm going to reccomend Power Pro or another braided line for the greatly enhanced feel.

If ya need more specifics, just ask...
 
i could not agree more on the "reduced prices" statement!!

would these rods be stout enough for striper use as well?

i have heard great things about the ugly sticks ... great rod, great price.
 
I have gone to Shimano rods in the last few years. They are very affordable for the inshore bottom fishing and light to medium spinning gear. I think they are great rods for the $$. Another thought is many tackle shops have used tackle sales usually at the beginning and end of season. I don't know if you want to wait that long, but sometimes you can find some sweet deals.

Carl
 
I grab whatever I find on sale, I am just cheap that way.

Around the area, fishing is always good, it is the catching that seams to be a problem.
Take a look at the thread for Delaware bay fishing, I posted a link to the reef guide.
That will increase your chances.

http://wellcraftv20.com/community/showthread.php?t=9874

Check this thread as well:

http://wellcraftv20.com/community/showthread.php?t=9258

Another thing I have found is never believe the fishing report on line,
one day the will be biting and within hours.... nothing.
I even went on a headboat trip thinking "well these guys will know where they are biting,
out of 30 people on the boat, 2 flounder but no keepers.
So instead of fishing reports, ask locals.
 
Depends on how many setups you plan on buying.. If I had to choose 1 setup I think the best bang for your buck would be a 6'7 MH 12-25lb St. Croix Premier Road and a 500 or 600 Shimano Tekota.. Soft/light enough to have fun on 5lb fish, but tuff enough to land a inshore fish of your dreams.
 
you need some 130 class bent butt setups for the inshore stuff.

c'mon guys. . . . . . go to walmart and get 4 6.6 m-l action boat rods for $15. each.
then go to capt harry's .com and get 4 penn 9m levelwind reels.
then get a spool of ande pink in 15 lb class.
then go fishing.
 
I think you should get yourself at least one or two rod reel combos to handle up to a 30lb power pro, especially if you are going to chunk or clam for big stripers, also if using eels for them.
I have had good luck with the shimano rods and reels. I have had really good luck with the Tsunami line of rods, they are a lot of rod for the buck.
Something in the 6-7 foot range, a couple of lighter rods with a good action for casting plugs and spoons.
I can tell you I have had the Abu Garcia's for years and love them for an all around combo. But this year fell in love with one of their 6500, it is one that is made in Sweden not China. Only some dealers get them but the difference in construction and quality is quite literally night and day. I have two others sizes made in China and they are a great bang for the buck and have held up now for years, but they don't come close to the Swedish version.
Any of the Penn's will do well also.
Consider bait runner type reels with good capacity as they are really a great addition for any type of fishing you do, Okuma makes a very inexpensive one in four diffrent weights and I am on my fourth year with it. The finish has started to wear off in spots but it has worked well.
And for reasons of price and durability and performance the Shimano reels are in my opinion the best for most all fishing until you get into the really heavy stuff where Penn also makes great stuff.
 
CTT, I love my Penn #9's, they were my Grandfathers and are probably 40-50 years old. He showed me how to cast them when I was a kid. He could stand at one end of a football field and cast a weight through the uprights at the other end of the field.

Willy, I bought me a couple of those 6500's this spring, very nice!
 
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