rod line weights

[txangler81]

will a 10 foot rod rated at 10 to 25 lb work with a jigmaster with 30lb line or would it be better suited for a squidder thanks

[Ron Jones]

Alan has a great post on this that is on here in a few places and all over the web. Line rating needs to be taken with a grain of salt, I just fished a 30# 8.5' Super Seeker with 40# line for a week and couldn't wish for a better combination. That, of course, is with a Super Seeker (Thanks again Alan!)

30# line needs between 8-10 pounds of drag. Both of your mentioned reels can do that if set up correctly. If you are referring to 30 pound mono then the Jigmaster will have the capacity you are probably looking for. If you have the rod, connect ANY reel to it with 30# line on the spool, run the line through the guides and hang 10 pounds of weight off the line. Lift the weight off the ground and see how the rod bends. If You are happy with how the rod bends then run your Jigmaster with 30# mono and be happy. If the rod bends to much for YOU, then it is a 20 pound reel and a Squidder or Surfmaster or something in that class would be better suited.

Hope that helps.
Ron

[wallacewt]

be careful
i just hung 10lb bucket of water off shimano t-curve 200 deep jig.
rated at 24kg.
snapped like a carrot.
nice easy lift off the ground,bang!
bought it on sat; took it back today
said he would do me a favor and try and replace it.
before i bought it i rang shimano and asked about the drag
"depends on the angle,it will handle 20lb"
i said i cant handle anything over 15lb.
but im happier with 10lb
"enjoy the rod"

[Newell Nut]

Seeker explained to me that it all depends on the drag settings for rods. The stated rating of 15-40  with drags set at 1/3 the line strength means this rod is good for 13.3 lb of drag on the high side. It makes no difference if you use 80 line on a 15-40 as long as the drag is set correctly. The line does not break the rod, the drag does.

This morning I tested a P332 with a maxed out drag system and I picked up a 20 lb dumbbell with a Calstar 700M which is good for a light weight rod.

[wallacewt]

my drag was set at 9lb with digital scales,
i allowed 10% over the rod
bucket+water=10lb,slow lift bang!
i could have bought 6 ugly sticks for the same $,s

[txangler81]

ok I forgot to say what I am fishing for I am surf fishing for reds and speckled trout and whatever bites lol

[Jeri]

Hi 'txangler81'

In surf casting, whether bait or lure, it is not so much a case of the line weight to be used, but the weight of the lure or sinker & bait – particular to each blank. So, it is the casting weight which is the most critical trait for a particular blank, to get optimum performance. Then add a reel according to balance and conditions.

In most cases you will probably be looking to use a casting leader to take the stress and strain of the actual cast off the main line, and then the main line is going to be dependent on the actual conditions you are fishing in. Because all the shock and power of the cast has been taken by the casting leader, much finer main lines can be used; which is the case in surf casting to achieve maximum distances. In some tournament situations, folks are casting 6oz sinkers with just 15lb line, and a suitable casting leader, and achieving huge distances.

Generally in most 'clean ground' situations going down to 15lbs can give a lot more distance to your chosen casting rod, but as soon as you start to fish more rocky or broken ground the main line needs to be upped to cover terrain; but suffer a loss in overall casting distance. Also there is the factor of what fish you are likely to be catching – for sharks or large fish, certainly heavier lines are going to be the norm, while smaller fish are going to be a lot more fun on lighter lines.

Balancing this to a specific reel, is usually about capacity and again the species likely to be targeted. Generally in 'near' surf casting capacity is not such a critical issue, so 300m of your chosen line would be more than adequate, while 'distance' surf casting, perhaps increased capacity is more the norm. There is always the option to bottom load with an appropriate sized braid, then have a top shot of working nylon to cover casting situations, this gets you the extra capacity. Typically here in southern Africa, we will have a 6oz rod teamed up with a reel that would have a capacity of about 300m of 30lb braid, then a top shot of 300m of 30lb nylon. This set up might be stepped up to 40-45lb lines on a 7 or 8oz rod intended for sharks – but the same principle applies. Then we are generally fishing over heavy ground or reefy areas.

Either of th reels you mention would be adequate for 'near' surf casting, but less than optimum for 'distance' work.

Hope that helps.


Cheers from sunny Africa


Jeri

[txangler81]

I will be fishing for red fish speckled trout and whatever else comes along on sand in Galveston, TX

[txangler81]

will a conventional reel work with a spinning surf rod. It is really hard to find low budget casting surf rods

[Ron Jones]

It really doesn't. Your best bet is probably the Ugly Stick.

[txangler81]

Eagle claw makes some for casting rods but they only go up to 10 foot 1-5 ounce lure weight and 1-25 lbs on the line weight ive got a 112h that im looking for something a little longer and heavier in a similar price range under $40

[Keta]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Daiwa-Beefstick-Surf-Spinning-Rods-arg-/171188912931?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item27dba78323

[txangler81]

that would be a good one if it was a casting rod. has anyone used the hurricane rods

[Keta]

Like this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Daiwa-BFSF1202HRB-Beefstick-SF-Casting-Surf-2-Piece-Rod-/221469084115?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item33909609d3

[Ron Jones]

That's the Diawa I was referring to. It is slow, but it is hell of tough and can get you on the water.
Ron