i am new to crappie fishing and i would like to know anyones outlook on what kind of spinning reels would be best and anyones outlook on the zebco slab seeker spinnig version:D
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i am new to crappie fishing and i would like to know anyones outlook on what kind of spinning reels would be best and anyones outlook on the zebco slab seeker spinnig version:D
newbie,, just purchased one of the zebcos myself but haven't tried it yet.
I use quantum SS1 reels as a general rule
Quote:
Originally Posted by newbie20
I'm not overly impressed with the "slabseeker" rod ... I've never "fished" with one, but I have handled them at a local bait shop.
I own many different brands of spinning reels, from UL's to med sized "bass" reels, and use them all for various Crappie fishing methods. Matching the reel to the rod, and getting a reel that balances well with the rod, are critical measures to consider. You can't really pinpoint a "best" reel, just by opinion ... there really is no "one size fits all", in spinning reels. You need to do some hands on comparisons, and be able to mix and match the reels and rods that you think you have an interest in.
The method you intend to use the rod/reel for, is also critical to consider ... as far as weight, length, spool size, line capacity, weight of bait used, line size used, and so forth. And there is always "budget" to consider.
Give us a little more idea about "how" you intend to use these oufits (what method --- casting, trolling, vertical jigging, tightline, etc), budget range per outfit, how familiar you are with spinning outfits, etc ... and we might be able to point you in the right direction. Are you looking for one really good quality outfit ... or a couple of cheaper ones, to get you started.
What lakes do you fish, or intend to fish ?? And are you a total newbie to fishing, or just new to Crappie fishing ?? The more we know about you, and where you are (as far as knowledge base about fishing, in general), the more likely we are to be able to help you along. We want you to succeed, have a blast doing so, and end up with a rod/reel outfit that will make your fishing fun and exciting.
... cp :cool:
I have a friend that owns a tackle shop & he sold me 2 12' combos at cost to see how I liked them. After using them 1 time I took them out of the boat & put them on the "spare rod" hooks in the garage. They are mainly a glass rod & are not very good for vertical jigg'n. Not very sensitive to the touch. Too whippy for my taste also. Where they are best is bobber fish'n. The best part of the combo is the little #11 zebco reel. Just my 2 Cents! :D
I use Quantum SS1 reels as well. I think that I have 5 or 6 rigs. All are set up on Graphite rods. I spool with 4 pound Stren Gold. I only fish jigs so this set up allows me casting distance and are sensitive. The gold line lets me see the slightest peck on the days when they are not knocking the daylights out of my jigs. The jigs for the most part are 1/16 ounce with tubes or curly tails. I do on occasion use 1/32 and 1/8. I also use a road runner style head that I pour my self. I like to have plenty of each style jigs and tails so I can give the Crappie what they want. My two cents worth.
THE BANDIT
well i am located in ky and i will mainly be fishing in yatesville and caverun lake during spring spawn but in summer mainly caverun i plan to use vertical jigging and live bait dropped in increments untill i find a "strike zone"" but i am open to any better suggestions as far as my general knowledge of fishing goes i fish for anything that swims and have been scince i was 6 years old i have many spincast reels but i want a spinning reel to mainly specify for crappie i am willing to bend on how much to pay in my book theres no price for a good fishing reel but i am mainly looking for a spinning under 50 or so dollars so there is my
fellow Kentuckian.Quote:
Originally Posted by newbie20
Never fished Yatesville ... but have fished Cave Run since it opened.
I don't vertical jig ... but, I do cast a lot :D then follow-up with a method I call Vertical Casting. If you haven't read it already, I wrote an article explaining how I do it : http://www.crappie.com/articles/crappiepappy.htm
You might want to try it, sometime ... it works ;)
If you're looking for a med size reel, in that price range, I would suggest looking at a Mitchell 308X @ $40 or Shimano Spirex 1000 or 2000 @ $60 (depending on whether you like a manual bail/single handle or trigger bail/double handle). And if you were looking for something a little smaller/lighter/cheaper .... consider the low end Shimano's (AX - TX - CX ... between $15-25). Between those, in the Shimano line, are several nice reels .... Sienna $30 - Sonora $40 - Solstace $50 - Sidestab $30
Mitchell Avocet Silver AV-S500UL @ $22 or AV-S1000 (same reel, slightly larger) @ $22 .... might be a consideration. You might also want to look at the Spidercast Tarantula 200U @ $30
You might want to consider what brand/length rod you will be using, before deciding on which reel to put on it. Balance and overall weight of the outfit, especially for vertical jigging, is a big consideration. A rod with a Tenn Handle is easier to balance, with most any reel, than one with a fixed reel seat. Check out the BnM FnF rods (Tenn Handle - cork) and the Sam Heaton Super Sensitive (fixed reel seat) .... see website link at top of page (site sponsors).
I don't want to sound like I'm pushing any particular brand/model ... and I haven't used, or don't own, all of the above mentioned rods/reels. I'm just familiar with some of them, and I own/use some of them. They've all been very reliable, and trouble free.
... luck2ya ... cp :cool:
thanks for your info crappie pappy i appreciate it what about the Abu garcia cardinal on a ugly stick??? i am interested in these poles my friend has one and it is the sensetive rod as they come also i would like a kind of ligther reel is the crappie combo by shakespeare a good choice or is the better deal bying reel and pole seperate or maybe the zebco genesis any more reels you would reccomend in th 0-35 dollar range would do just fine for a begginer reel so any more info would be appreciated
I just don't know what to tell you about the outfits you have mentioned here, as I've never used them.Quote:
Originally Posted by newbie20
Combo's are OK ... if you can handle them before purchasing. That way you would be able to feel the actual weight distribution and balance, and how it feels to you. You might pick up one of my outfits, and wonder how in the heck I can cast all day with it ... but, for me it's just fine. Everybody's taste is a little different.
What length rod are you looking for ?? Is there a tackle shop near you, where you could go and do some comparison "feel" tests ??
... cp :cool:
thanks again i have felt of many poles and one of the lightest and my favorite is a berkly ultra light pole at Wal mart it is sensitive and super light have you tried this pole or maybe the rhino with glow action tip also is abu garcia a good brand or would shaakespeare or mitchell be a better brand i pesonally think the abu garcia cardinal looks like it could hold up to anything but again just a thought what about also the length i am preferring is anywhere between 5-7 foot but is there any poles u would reccomend for crappie if so i wpould like a price range below or at 25 dollars preferalby less but i will be going to bass pro shops they might have a wider variety but any brand poles or reels you would reccomend would be good any info
Thanks again your an awesome help
I have 10 Ugly Stick Rods and in my opinion they can't be beat for the price.
I use a various brands of reels, but I like the rear drag Lite reels. I think Shakespeare reels work great, but it's been a long time since I bought a reel.
Let me get this straight ... you're looking to vertical jig and tightline with the same rod, and you want a beginners outfit price, and you want to use a 5-7ft length range rod that's light and fairly sensitive. Hmmmm. That's a daunting task :DQuote:
Originally Posted by newbie20
First off ... vertical jigging is "usually" done with a rod longer than 7ft. Point being to have a rod long enough to reach a good distance away from the boat/angler, so as not to spook the fish with the boat or angler movement. Consequently, I don't own any rods over 8ft long, and don't vertical jig much (due to that fact) .... but, a 7 or 8ft rod can be used (it's less significant if you're vertical jigging in deep water, stained to murky water, or in heavy cover ... since the fish feel a little more secure in those circumstances).
Length of rod is not a big factor when tightline fishing, as that's usually done in deeper water ... or the use of a float, technically makes it "longer" than it actually is.
My vote would be a 7ft rod and a "lite" reel ... not a UL !! Reels with small diameter spools have the tendancy to cause the line to coil in very small loops (memory coils), and this can affect line flow thru the guides. Using light jigs or casting then becomes a bit of a problem. Reels with large diameter line spools or "long cast" type spools would be a better choice ... regardless of brand. ABU Garcia is OK ... just check the weight of the reel vs other brands/similar models. If you're going for a 5-7ft light action rod ... you don't want a reel that weighs very much. That's why I suggested a "X" series Shimano ... I have a TX500FA on a 5.5ft IM6 UL rod, and it makes a nice little outfit. The reel runs around $25 (BPS price), has 2 bearings, and only weighs 5.9oz. The Cardinal 100 is comparable -- same price, 6.3oz (probably less with the graphite spool on) and it has 5 bearings. The Cardinal also pulls in 22" of line per handle revolution, compared to 18" for the TX (Cardinal is 5.2:1 retrieve ratio -- TX is 4.2:1) IF it's a smooth cranking reel, it might not be a bad choice. It's certainly worth comparing it against other brands, and similar size/weight/priced models.
Rods to consider .... Berkley Cherrywood ($25 or less/Walmart) - Ugly Stick Lite ($30/6ft/BPS) - BPS Tourney Special ($30/sale/BPS) - Berkley Lightning ($35/BPS) - BPS Micro Lite graphite ($30/BPS)
The Cherrywoods are the only <$25 rods, that I know about, that are worthy of considering. I don't own any, but my fishing partner has several, and they perform very well for him. I don't own, nor have I ever used, any of the other rods I listed for you to consider ... I picked them based on price, lengths available (prices are for 7' rods, except the "Ugly"), and construction/components (IM6 graphite, guides, handle material) ... and I tried to find those with varied components (cork handle vs foam - alum oxide guides vs ceramic - etc), so you'd have a spread of choices to suit you.
If you go to BPS ... take your time, and match and compare several different rods/reels to see which combination feels the best to "you" ;)
.... luck2ya ... cp :cool:
BnM poles, mitchell reels
Ive fished with the slabseeker telescopic rods and spinning reels spider rigging here in Ky at nearby Yatesville, and in Guntersville Alabama too. I find they work well with my rod holders and are ok fighting a fish..... but BnM rods beat them bad, Id give the a B on a grading scale.
http://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/p...ducts.php?p=14 or this http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...&cmCat=3401809
reply as soon as possible maybe with links to different
reels
btw cp that is my last questoion on this forum
Quote:
Originally Posted by newbie20
Ask away ... this forum, main forum, wherever :p that's what we're here for ;)
I don't really know anything about those two reels you posted links to ... but I do have a Zebco & a Shakespeare UL spinning reels ... both of which are at least 15yrs old or more ... and I still get good performance out of them. I really don't get to use them as much as I'd like :p ... and if I did use them more, and they wore out or broke down, seeing as how I paid less than $20 for either one -- I'd just trash them and buy something to replace them :D (figger I got my money's worth ... LOL!!)
I had a Zebco Depth Finder type reel (similar to the Bill D Zebco you posted) ... used it mainly for minnow fishing. It worked OK, while I had it ... but now it's at the bottom of Taylorsville Lake :eek: ... and I can't remember if it was the reel on the outfit that got jerked out of the boat and into the lake by a Hybrid Striper --- or if it was the one that got hung up while I was trying to position the boat in heavy wind, and got dragged out of the boat :D
Does any of the local tackle shops, in your area, have a "consignment" shelf ?? Where one can sell used reels/rods/etc (usually for store credit) ... I've picked up a couple "used" reels, here at my local tackle store, and they're two of my best performing ones (Shimano Spirex 2000 @ $25 -- Mitchell Spidercast @ $15)
You're pretty much going to have to pick a rod you like, then match a reel to it, according to your personal taste (or vice versa). How it feels to you is going to be more important than my opinion on it. That's why I'm not much on the "one brand combos" setups ... that "one size fits all" mentality doesn't work for me.
... luck2ya ... cp :cool:
where can you catch hybrid striper and what bait is the best to use a lure ore live bait is there any lakes near me ( im about 25 miles from jenny wiley lake but anywhere near cave run or closer is fine
The only places I fish, that have Hybrid Stripers, are Herrington Lake and Taylorsville Lake. Herrington's Hybrids get pretty good sized ... Taylorsville's Hybrids are mostly small (since the White Bass explosion, that occurred there several years back). Cave Run has White Bass, but I don't think they have Hybrids ... and I don't know any other "Eastern Ky" area lakes that do, either. Barren River Lake is a good Hybrid Striper lake.Quote:
Originally Posted by newbie20
Taylorsville's Hybrids got to the 15" keeper size, then someone found out you could catch them on chicken livers :eek: and I haven't caught (or heard of anyone catching) any of that size, since. Mostly I used live Shad, about 3" long, when catching the bigger ones, there. But, for numbers, a Hot-n-tot with a 12-18" trailer line and 1/16oz chartreuse crappie jig tied on, has produced the best when trolling. When they're "in the jumps" ... it's hard to beat a small Silver Buddy (painted white). White Silver Buddy's are also a fairly good trolling bait, too. I've also caught them using a Kastmaster, casting to mud or sandy bottom banks, and using a "lift - drop" method (good when they're holding close to the bottom) .
Haven't fished Herrington for them, much ... but, shad colored cranks ... Silver Buddys ... and the 1/2oz (& larger) Rooster Tails are used alot. Trolling & drifting live Shad works ... and fishing under the dock lights, at night, during the Summer, is also popular.
BadBrad can tell you about Hybrids on Barren. I've never fished that lake.
... cp :cool: