New to the Forum with a few Questions.

So someone in the Texasfishing forum linked me here when I asked about tackle for a big-e trip. This place has been great,so much useful information. I have also recieved alot of help in answering my questions from another TFF member,but don't wish to bug them as much anymore As of now I have zero offshore gear,and 5 or 6 months to put together some nice rigs,so I figured to start now so the wallet doesnt feel so hurt buying it all at once. I have come to the understanding that a rig for chunk and a rig for pop'rs and jigs is a must,now my question is,with the bait rig,does it have to be a big rig? As of now I have a spinning rig that I use for surf fishing that has 25lb mono on it,would that be enough,or would I have to go bigger?Or could i use the jig setup up to fish for bait as well? I was told about the hoo-x and after doing research on it think it will be the reel I will get,I looked at the tiagra 30;s and 50's last night at BPS and they seemed like monsters,real havey,didn't really like that part. My question is will the hoo-x be a good reel for chunking? And what rating should the rod I put it on be? For jigging as of right now I am leaning towards a 9500ss penn,but was also recommended a Shimano Sphero 14000,anyone have a preference?If i go with the 9500 it would come with a Crowder 6'8" ST5066 brand new for 220 local. If not,then what rod would you suggest putting the shimano on,was pointed to Bar Bar Custom rods,anyone else have a recommendation?LOL wow I typed a story,sorry to have it run so long,usually i just impulsively buy things,can tell by my bass fishing gear . But since I have a while to look around,I would really like to get some well rounded opinions,I know in the end it comes down to what you can afford and what works for you,but I do need some sort of starting point,and I have been very fortunate to get the opinions of some seasoned fisherman. My orig price range was 5-6hundred for 2 rigs,now its looking like that much each lol which is ok,rather have something that will last then having to buy something that will need to replaced in a year.Again,thanks guys for taking the time.

Welcom to 360tuna.

Your 25# spinning out fit is too lite for tuna, you can use that rig for catching bait or casting bait to mahi mahi. I have no idea about Hoo-X, if it's single speed reel, most likely is not a really good candidate for chunking. JMO
If you are looking to purchase spinning reel, check out Fin-Nor Offshore 9500. this reel is about the same price range as Penn 9500.

For chunking reel, find a used Shimano Tiagra, Penn, Avet and Daiwa 16,20, and 30 size reel, they will get the job done nicely.
Get a custom rod wrap for you or purchase a used custom rod will be a better way to go.

Custom rod they are couple rod builders in this forum, Txseadog, and Savage rods, they can build all kinds of rod for you.

Are you in DFW area? you are welcome to stop by and check out the Fin_nor reel and pull on some blanks I have.

Oti have jigging blanks for sale http://www.360tuna.com/37-buy-sell-trade/t-349/oti-rod-blanks/

Chunking:
For chunking I'd reccomend skipping the 30's and going straight to a 50. While most gulf tuna can be caught on smaller reels, the 50 serves it's purpose elsewhere too: heavy bottom fishing, lump fishing, swordfishing, trolling. Spool with 130 jb hollowcore spectra and insert the mono or flouro topshot of your choice.
Jigging:
IMO, skip the trevala crap that rod has way too much give and no backbone. Sea Magic rods in Galveston makes a very good jigging rod. There are plenty of other options out there as well.

As far as reels go, there are more choices coming out daily. I really like the Avet LX 2 speed, it has plenty of drag and the low gear turns this reel into a winch. I also like the shimano Kiakon 4000T, I find the line counter EXTREMELY helpful. Once you see the fish on the finder it becomes just a matter of dropping down to the depth you saw them at and repeating. Just a word of advice though: the counters are in meters. So, get up on your conversions. In addition to these two I've named, there are a gazillion other reels on the market.

Topwater:
For topwater I would reccomend a spinning reel. They're relatively trouble free with no worries about backlash. There are a lot of spinners on the market now that will handle tuna: Diawa Saltiga, Accurate Twinspin, Shimano Stella, etc.

As for rods, there are some decent ones on the market, I believe islanders makes a good one. Txseadog on this board makes a great tuna spinning rod. I had the pleasure of using one of his rods paired with a Diawa Saltiga earlier this year on the Big E. I had many people approach me and marvel at the distance I was getting with each cast. The rod felt great fighting fish and had rod rings in case I needed a harness.

Hope this helps.

Brad

Ya,think the hoo-x is a two speed,thanks for the tip Ashton,ah ok you do have the same name,I posted you as the person who referred me skeeterRon.
And minnow,I was just going to use the 25# for bait fishing,that way I didnt have to buy another setup. And i just found the info on the hoo-x and it said it will be a 2 speed. I looked at crosstimbers site,but couldn't find any info on the site on how to order,maybe I am just over looking something. Also when you buy "blank rods" you have to have it customized right? Wouldn't mind doing that either,but really dont know what to look for or get in those situations,would just go with what I read or people suggest. And I am in austin,so locally I have about zero places that offer anything. I went to BPS in San Anontonio last night and found some rods,but the reels were real limited. Am going to try and get out to Roys Tackle over the holiday season and try and make some choices after seeing everything first hand,I don't know about anyone else but its hard for me to buy something I haven't at least touched in real life.Again thanks for the replies guys,I really like how this site brings GOM fishermen together,most of the sites I have been trying to do research on are spread all over and its hard to know if everything will work well in our area.