hello everyone. Thought i'd join this site to educate myself on the popping n jigging phenomonon taking over the world n maybe hook up with a few new fishin buddies but most of all help myself become a better fishermen. Im pretty new to offshore but been fishing freshwater n inshore salt around jetties and piers my whole life. I only recently got into goin on party boats 1/2 n 3/4 catching calicos, rockfish n bonito. but i wanna catch sum bigger fish so i plan on doing maybe a 2-3 day trip sometime dis year for sum tuna. im looking for a popping rod n a jigging rod (preferably spinner still workin on my thumbing technique) any suggestion on reel and rod combinaton to get me started? n also line, terminal tackle, hooks, jigs, poppers? any help would be greatly appreciated. thanx.
you definitely want a spinner for popping and which ever you prefer for jigging. get decent gear that will stand up to the abuse and last you a while. for $300-400 rods- oti 7'6" 80 lb popping rod. oti 300-600gm jigging rods. they also have lifetime warranty. smith wgj series budget rods- hopper rods are a good choice. 400gm reels-minimum cabo pt 60-80 shimano saragosa 18000 shimano twinpower 8000 there are thousands of jigs, poppers, and hooks. i use mustad hoodlum 11/0 hooks for jigs. tuf line xp is hard to beat for the price 65-80lb. best thing to do is search this site and deepjigging.com, you'll pick up a ton of info
i was actually thinking about the oti rods n cabo 80 too. but just wanted a couple of opinions b4 i purchase a setup. n i'll check dat site out. hey kidflex thanx for ur input man. i appreciate it.
my buddy had a cabo 80. nice reel but not made for jiggging abuse. the anti reverse failed. i have heard other members having problems with that reel after short use.
Welcome aboard. Kidflex gave some good advice. Check Ebay and the fishing boards classifieds for deals on reels.. be patient and you will find what you are looking for.
Welcome TK. You'll find excellent info on this site. Also checkout Angler's Pro Shop and Noreast.com. Hang in there when you decide on a spinner, them SoCal conventional guys will give you lot of $$hit. They just don't know what they're missing and refuse to challenge themselves.
problems after short use???that sucks. ok maybe i wont get a cabo then. good thing i didnt buy it b4 checkin up on here thanx kidflex.
Welcome TK. You'll find excellent info on this site. Also checkout Angler's Pro Shop and Noreast.com. Hang in there when you decide on a spinner, them SoCal conventional guys will give you lot of $$hit. They just don't know what they're missing and refuse to challenge themselves. hey papio thanx for da welcome. alright i'll hold off until i find a good deal on a nice spinner. im glad were on the same page bout them socal conventional guys but i dont really give a $$hit bout wat dey think cuz i catch fish just as well and there's nothin like da sound of a fish peeling line off a spinner.
Check out the Avet Magic Cast reels before deciding to go spinner. I just picked up the SXMC, and I can cast 90 to 100 yds with no backlash and very minimal thumb work. You really only have to use your thumb to stop the spool when your lure hits the water, just like with a freshwater baitcaster. Believe me, I am not a great caster, but this reel has magnetic cast control that makes it very easy to cast. Unlike the "homemag" job which has been popular on Avets for quite a while, the magic cast is adjustable. This allows you to maximize your casting distance with various weights. I plan on picking up the HX2MC sometime soon. This reel is adequate for fishing 80lb. I won't have a need for spinners after I get that reel, except for freshwater stuff.
chris - one thing to remember is that popping isnt a one time thing. casting once with a conventional is one thing, but with popping you cast over and over and over and over and over....hours upon end without bites at times. even the best casters get backlashes which is why most guys use spinners. i'm not saying youre wrong or anything like that (actually i too prefer fighting fish with conventional reels) - but its definitely 'simpler' to cast a spinner when you're sleepy and have been casting 5 hours without a hit. let me know how that HX works though.
Bret, I have been playing with this SX for a few weeks now. I am telling you, you won't believe how easy it is to cast. Of course, you do have to stop the spool. But there is no need to thumb during the cast. I think this could really be a good solution to popper fishing. I know there are good spinning reels out there that are up to task, but I just don't like the geometry of spinning gear for fighting big fish. Plus, for the price of a brand new Stella or Accurate, you can buy an Avet HX2MC AND a very nice rod in the $300 range and fill with line of your choice. I know it is untested yet, but I have a good feeling that these new reels are going to be a big hit. Think about this, freshwater bass guys also cast for hours, just as you describe. They almost exclusively use baitcasters. Those reels all have some sort of cast control that makes them relatively easy to cast. These new Avets are just as easy. If you can cast a freshwater baitcaster, you can cast one of these Avets.
yeah, you make good points. i hope it does work well. it'll be a nice option for guys who dont want to spend a ton and are also skilled enough to cast a conventional reel. i know what you mean abt the geometry of spinning reels, though stellas are a whole nother ballgame. that being said they are very expensive, and the HX is a reel that can be used chunking as well as popping so thats a nice dual option for less money. i dont really like baitfishing with spinners (other than with the old baitrunners for bluefish and stripers ). anyway, good luck with it. what rod are you pairing it with?
Its currently on the "wish list". I would put it on a BarBar custom built St. Croix 2m86xhf trimmed to 8'; that's also on the "wish list" in the next colum Maybe I'll get it together in time for that Big E 76hr in July. Have to see how the budget goes.
TK, I also have a few conventional setup and use it exclusively for jigging. With a spinner when restrictions prevents me from an overhead cast I can underhand cast far enough to the edge of light when nite fishing, I couldn't do it consistently with conventional. I'd be too busy trying to untangle birdsnest after birdsnest. You should consider a conventional setup down the road. I use spinning 90% of the time and the 10% I use conventional, I do enjoy it.
thanx for your 2cents everyone all this info is very helpful. i dink i mite look around for a while until the fred hall fishing show in del mar fair in march. n/e one goin??? do you guys think OTI or any other jigging co.'s will be showcasing there? if they are that would be awesome then i can maybe buy the tuna sniper rod der for a good show price hehehe.
Bret, I have been playing with this SX for a few weeks now. I am telling you, you won't believe how easy it is to cast. Of course, you do have to stop the spool. But there is no need to thumb during the cast. I think this could really be a good solution to popper fishing. I know there are good spinning reels out there that are up to task, but I just don't like the geometry of spinning gear for fighting big fish. Plus, for the price of a brand new Stella or Accurate, you can buy an Avet HX2MC AND a very nice rod in the $300 range and fill with line of your choice. I know it is untested yet, but I have a good feeling that these new reels are going to be a big hit. Think about this, freshwater bass guys also cast for hours, just as you describe. They almost exclusively use baitcasters. Those reels all have some sort of cast control that makes them relatively easy to cast. These new Avets are just as easy. If you can cast a freshwater baitcaster, you can cast one of these Avets. iliveoutide dat avet reel looks sweet!!! im definitely gonna buy one those in the future if they make left hand models.
