Pier rod/reel

[Fish-cador]

I've been carting a Travel Master rod around in the car with me recently. Love it.
Check em out here.
http://tacklebusters.com.au/details.php?prodId=82

The beauty of these jobbies is that you can basically mix & match the components to make up any sort of rod to suit bucket loads of conditions.
There's basically 36 different rod combinations available with these, evenything from a trout rod to a 13 foot surf rod & everything in-between.
I have 2 spin reels I use with it, a 2500 Sienna with 8lb braid on it & a 5000 Tica Scrambler with 2 spools - 1 with 15lb braid & the other with 30lb braid. Pretty much have just about any situation I'm likely to come across whilst travelling covered.
Comes in a nice tube container that's only about 2' long so it stores quite easy in the car.

:doh1: :doh1: budget is $150 or under. This rod alone is $120. :doh1: :doh1:

:doh1: reel for $30? :doh1:

[Bartnmax]

So he stretches his budget a bit, big deal.
He get's a hellova lot more rod for that $120 than buying a single stick for lower money.
Reasonable reel to start with (say 2500/4000 size Sienna) can be had for $50-$60 bringing it to around $170-$180.
I'm sure that saving an extra $20-$30 wouldn't break the bank & mean the kids don't eat for a month.

If he's after more versatility, then waiting that extra month while he saves that bit extra is worth it IMO.
Gives him a lot more options & would save him a heap in the long run - one rod for damn near any situation.
I've used mine for everything from spinning for trout in high country streams to cod fishin in the Murray, & catchin Sammys & gummys in the surf down the 90 mile. Haven't seen that level of versatility in any other rod & for someone on a budget that's a hellova lot of rod for buggar all outlay IMO.

[Fish-cador]

:doh1: :doh1: :doh1: :doh1: :shutup: :shutup: :doh1: :doh1: :doh1:

[minimal]

I had a look at the Daiwa Sensor in a store today. The guy in the shop seemed to reckon an Ugly Stik is better suited to bait fishing though and that the Sensor would be better for lures and plastics.

The Sensor looked incredibly nice, I have to say, and was light as a feather. His advice was to pair it with an equally light reel - the Shimano Stradic Ci4 4000 was on offer in there and looked like it would combine well.

It would be splashing out to buy this combo, mind...

But again, he seemed to lean in favour of the hardiness of the Ugly Stiks. The difference in weight was huge and he suggested pairing it with a heavier, bigger reel if going with a cheaper option.


I am SO confused right now!

[Fish-cador]

if you are going to soak bait, ugly stick is perfect. Cheap and will do most of the job.

If you are going to spin using lures, have mercy on your arms and buy graphite rod. Pair it with very light CI4 reel loaded with nice braid. Prepare to burn a $400 hole on your pocket.

[minimal]

Cheers Cador,

Coming round to the idea that getting an expensive carbon rod might be overkill when I am mainly soaking baits. Perhaps when I get more into it and the weather is warmer, I can add a carbon rod for soft plastics.

I can also realistically get two decent rods and reels for baitsoaking with the $500 I'd need to fork out for the Daiwa Sensor/Ci4 combo...

[Bartnmax]

I've gotta admit that the ugly sticks are nowhere near the quality they used to be.
Nothing wrong with the base blank but the guides, reel seat, etc are much cheaper & nastier than they used to be.
There's just no comparison between the old USA made ugly sticks & the later chinese made sticks.
Those older US jsticks are classics & far, far better than todays rods.
The ugly stick is now just a so-so rod with the Silstar crystal tips & Penn Mariners being far better IMO.
I personally reckon the Tica's as some of the best value for money rods going at present.
I have several of em & they're head & shoulders better than the ugly sticks.

[minimal]

Regarding my situation, I actually ended up buying a Silstar Crystal Power Tip. I think this is the 'middle tier' of their rods - better than 'Power Tips' and not as good as 'Crystal Blue Power Tips'.

The build quality of it seemed similar to the Ugly Stik to be fair (probably a bit worse in some areas, notably the joining socket thing), but it just 'felt' better - lighter, more balanced. I paired it up with a Shimano 6000 reel and they just felt 'good' together.. hehe, hard to explain.

In the end, having some time in the shop to try combinations of rods and reels was really helpful. Actually holding them and seeing how they felt when matched up unveiled some striking differences.

For the reasons suggested in previous posts, I avoided graphite this time - I'm only slamming out bait and waiting for a hit (which I seem to be getting consistently now on my cheapish rods, so why worry!)

I am so horribly addicted to fishing already and the inevitable gear browsing that accompanies it :-S

[minimal]

I personally reckon the Tica's as some of the best value for money rods going at present.
I have several of em & they're head & shoulders better than the ugly sticks.

Where sells Tica gear? I can't find many or any aussie retailers online...

[Bartnmax]

Don't know what area you're in but 'Hooked on Bait & Tackle' in Old Geelong Rd Hoppers Crossing usually stock a god range of Tica rods/reels. Give Michael Falsovary a call on 9748 3811. Great bloke & very helpful.