My new rod / reel setup - Fenwick / Pflueger combo

When I got into Crappie fishing, I quickly bought a bunch of UL gear. I like them... but I'm just really not used to longer, UL stuff. Those 7' UL rods are like thin pool noodles. Ha! They just bend at the slightest touch. I don't know... I'm still a newbie at Crappie fishing, but I wanted to try something different. This may be a mistake, but I'm going to try it anyway - moving to a light power setup for one of my rigs.

I found a Fenwick Elite Light Finesse Spinning Rod (6'3", Light Power) and paired it with a Pflueger President size 20 reel. It's odd, because Pflueger's sizes don't correspond to the normal "size" groupings. My Abu Garcia Revo X size 10 is significantly bigger / holds more line than this reel. Turns out (I wasn't even aware of this until they arrived) - the rod and reel almost match in color (and balance) perfectly.

Looking forward to using this combo soon!

All the best,
Glenn

Attachment 470497

I have some UL stuff. Most of the rods I fish are Light action

From what I can tell looks like a good setup

Lookin good! Hope you catch a bunch of fish with it.

Nice rig. From experience, keep an eye on the dust cover on the other side of that reel. Hard to find if you lose one. They tend to back off and disappear, tighten it every time you use it.

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Originally Posted by Gone Fishin'

Nice rig. From experience, keep an eye on the dust cover on the other side of that reel. Hard to find if you lose one. They tend to back off and disappear, tighten it every time you use it.

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Just bought 3 dust covers for President 20. $1.50 each because i lost one last winter, wanted extra spares

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

From what I can tell looks like a good setup

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Yes, that looks to be a good match. Please let us know how it fishes. U/L can be addictive.
Bob

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Originally Posted by mullinsb2000

Just bought 3 dust covers for President 20. $1.50 each because i lost one last winter, wanted extra spares

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Where did you find them? I had to find a used one on Ebay for about 7 bucks. Yikes!

I have a 7 ft UL and it’s totally a noodle. Great rod for brim, but even then almost too light. Next one will be a light power. That is my preference


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That looks like a nice rig. I am not fond of long UL rods either. Mine are 5 1/2, 5 and 4 1/2 feet long. I have two of the 20 sized Presidents on two of those rods. I really love that reel especially for the price. I just wish they made a shallow spool for it. I hate having to put backing on before winding on the 4# mono I use on them.

UL is a little light for crappie fishing. Especially if your fishing heavy cover. I like a light to medium light spinning rod with 6lb test for most crappie fishing.

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Originally Posted by Grainraiser

UL is a little light for crappie fishing. Especially if your fishing heavy cover. I like a light to medium light spinning rod with 6lb test for most crappie fishing.

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Yep. I was just following suggestions because I’m still new at Crappie fishing. I’m moving towards my preferences now that I’ve tried a few and know what I like / don’t like. Luckily, the reels will work on the new rods I move to, as the reels are sizes I like.

All the best,
Glenn

Great looking set up. Fenwick and Pfleuger have great reputations.

I’ve had a lot of Pfluegers, but this is my very first Fenwick. It looks good and feels good in the hand. Hope it fishes well.
All the best,
Glenn

Sorry. I don’t know what happened. It triple posted my reply.

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Originally Posted by Cajuntec

Sorry. I don’t know what happened. It triple posted my reply.

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I think sometimes it's because the internet is a little slow and you don't see your post pop right up when you click on "Post Quick Reply" and you click it again (thinking you missed hitting the button) ... or maybe hold your finger/pointer on the button too long ??? :dono

Ain't the first time it's happened, and won't be the last .... so, don't fret over it. We Mods will usually catch it and delete the extra copies, but if we don't ain't nobody gonna pay it much mind.

Don’t get rid of the UL rods. I think you’ll find that as you progress through this that you’ll come back to them. That said, I have 5 phleuger 20’s and a couple of 25’s. All work fine and do everything I’ve asked of them. Lots of my gear is light action from 5’6” up, rated 2-6lb and maybe a little heavier but not much. Tight quarters gets the shorter gear and open water gets the longer ones. A rod I really like is the St Croix Premier 66lf. Light action and a fast taper, I prefer the one piece. I don’t tell you this for you to run out and buy one but to give you something to feel when you find one. Not cheap but very nice in a lot of ways. The Triumph model doesn’t compare to me, very different. Other side of the spectrum is the Shakespeare micro series rods at about twenty bucks. They do a real good job for the money and come from 4’6” up to7’6”, though I’ve never found a 7’6” model. The seven footers do well both casting and trolling. Good luck with your search.

Nice 😊

Update on this combo - I loved it so much, I bought a second one exactly like it - both rod and reel.

I’m planning on using a different line on this new one when it gets here, but this setup was awesome to fish with last week. I loved the power, action, and length, and the reel was very smooth. Loved it!

The original setup had 10 lb Power Pro hi-vis yellow tied to a 4 lb Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon leader.
The new setup is going to have 10 lb Spiderwire Invisbraid tied to a 6 lb Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon leader.

I carry both spools of Fluorocarbon leader material with me, so if the 6 lb is too much, I can swap back to 4. The change in braid is due to the Power Pro becoming very abraded very quickly. I had always used Spiderwire Invisibraid, but under the advice of others, I tried the hi vis yellow Power Pro. I’m going to swap back to Spiderwire and see how it performs in the same area.

Al the best,
Glenn

A line that you’ll probably like and is plenty tough is Sufix Nanobraid. Casting is off the charts and it’s pretty tough. I use it in two pound test and it takes quite a beating. A leader. Is needed but once you use it I don’t believe you’ll mind.