This week and next week, I am going to talk about some of my favorite rod and reel set ups for certain types of fishing.
Today we will look at 2 different styles or areas to fish and what I prefer to use at each location. Of course, there are plenty more options that we carry than the 5 I will mention over the next 2 weeks but I wanted to stay in the $375 to $450 price range and talk about brands that I have and still do personally use when I fish. Over the next 2 weeks we will be discussing the following 5 types of fishing set ups: Inshore, nearshore (up to 80ft), offshore (80ft to 200ft), tarpon/offshore freeline and best overall value of a premade rod/reel combo based on affordability. First let’s start with inshore fishing. Inshore fishing is interesting because it is where most people learn to fish and it’s also some of the more difficult fishing because tides, bait, time of year and water temps are all very crucial to be successful. So, we see ranges of very novice anglers to pro’s running fishing charters inshore. For this type of fishing, I chose the Shimano Stradic 3000 reel paired with a Bull Bay Infantry rod. The Stradic 3000 has 20lbs of drag and is a very smooth and popular reel. I put it with the Bull Bay Infantry 7’6″ M rod with 8-17lbs rating. This set up will allow you to cast into tight places but also give you the power if you hook into that slot snook or red fish. This pairing retails at $374.99 total for both rod and reel together.
A very nice set up for under $400. Next we will look at nearshore fishing which I consider water up to about 80 feet. This is mainly fishing for hogfish, red grouper, gag grouper, sheepshead, snapper and much more. This style of fishing is easier in the sense that if you can find a ledge on your bottom reader, chances are you will find some fish to catch! For this style, the set up I chose is the Quantum Benchmark 4000 reel with the Bull Bay Karbine 7′ 6″ MHF rod with10-20lb rating. The Benchmark 4000 has 25lbs of drag and the Karbine with a 10- 20lb rating is more than enough to reel in that keeper red grouper or gag grouper if you can find them. This set up will easily handle hog fish, mangrove snapper and all of the other usual suspects we find nearshore. This pairing retails for $419.99 total for both rod and reel together. A truly excellent set up that doesn’t break the bank. Stay tuned next week when I discuss my go to offshore (80ft to 200ft depth) set up and tarpon/offshore freeline/trolling set up along with, in my opinion, the best overall value of a premade (from the manufacturer) rod/reel combo. We have all of the brands I mention and so much more at Palmetto Bait and Tackle to choose from. Feel free to stop by and check out our selection, we are getting prepped for spring fishing so this is a great time to look into getting a new inshore, nearshore, offshore or tarpon set up and we are more than happy to help you get set up!
