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Boat fishing Rod/Reel/Braid setup advice please!

F

FreddieBaker

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Sep 4, 2024
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Falmouth
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Hi All,

I am new to the forum and have a question for you all.

I have been sea fishing for quite a few years, but over the past year or so I have started taking my boat fishing more seriously and been trying a few different techniques/marks which has lead to me landing my PB fish an 11.5lbs Pollack this summer.

I am fully hooked now and as the summer season draws to a close I am starting to think that I should be buying a proper setup if I am wanting to continue to catch fish like this.

So, I would like your advice and expertise to aid my decision on the perfect Rod/Reel/Line setup for me.

I am fishing mostly from the boat with: baited boat rigs, heftier wrecking rigs, plaice rigs, baited feathers etc. I am targeting: Cod, Pollack, Ling, Bass, and flatties. Anywhere between 15m and 70m of water.

I am unsure whether to go fixed spool or multiplier? So far I have been advised a Penn Fathom II 25 Lever-Drag.

Rod wise, I cant decide between an Ugly Stik 12-20 or 20-30?

I want something that is fun and going to put a nice bend in the rod with good tip sensitivity but will not break when we have a decent size fish on.

Lastly, Braid. What strength do you recommend? Again I want nice feel through the line but do not want it to break under a good fish.

Thank you very much in advance a look forward to hearing your responses.

Freddie
 
Welcome to the Madhouse Freddie! 👍👍

I haven't boat fished for many years so best I leave it for someone else to advise you.
 
It's a welcome from me as well Freddie (y)
I used to fish light when I had a boat, so 12lb test curve boat rod and a multiplier reel with 25lb mono. Caught loads of stuff up to 30lb.
 
You will get as many different answers as there are hairs on a cat here .🤣
Some people like to fish very light setups I.E 12 lb class rods and thin braid lines. Very sporting but sometimes I think playing a fish for ages does it no favours in the survival stakes.

Some like to fish a bit heavier, 12/20 lb class, as above but with a bit more meat in the lower section of the rod.

And on it goes……20/30 lb , 30/50 lb . A lot depends on where you fish and what for.

I do a lot of wrecking and rough ground fishing for Cod and Ling , at least when the weather doesnt blow the trip off .
I use 30/50lb class rod, a good quality Multiplier and 50 lb braid. Its meaty enough to land virtually anything that swims in the UK and I am likely to hook.

A lot of people will say that it is way too heavy, but I like to have a bit of insurance in case I do actually hook something that will pull back hard. The above is also good for big blonde rays, maybe a small / med Halibut ( chance would be a good thing ) Tope etc.

Take from the above what you will.

I am sure that others will be along to give their two pennorth.. As said, a lot depends upon where you fish and what species you will be targetting .

Dave
 
Welcome to TSF Freddie 👍Well done on the double figure pollack too. Both of those rods are good and not expensive - I have them both in Ugly Elite series. Do you need a 25 sized reel? It's bigger than I'd personally choose, but as The Third Earl correctly says its a subjective matter, as is all tackle choice.
 
Hi Freddie. Welcome

My entire boat collection is made up of ugly stik elites and fathom 2 speed lever drags. I have each in all sizes and can recommend both!
Size for you is another matter. Personally id go 12-20lb rod and the fathom 15
 
Topwater said:
Welcome to TSF Freddie 👍Well done on the double figure pollack too. Both of those rods are good and not expensive - I have them both in Ugly Elite series. Do you need a 25 sized reel? It's bigger than I'd personally choose, but as The Third Earl correctly says its a subjective matter, as is all tackle choice.
Click to expand...
Thank you, it put up quite the fight!
 
Ollieollie said:
Hi Freddie. Welcome

My entire boat collection is made up of ugly stik elites and fathom 2 speed lever drags. I have each in all sizes and can recommend both!
Size for you is another matter. Personally id go 12-20lb rod and the fathom 15
Click to expand...
Hi Ollie,

Thank you very much for your comment, judging by your response, it sounds like I am along the right line.

I think 12-20 is the way to go. In terms of reel size, does the 25 give more grunt than the 15?
Only other reel I have been recommended is the Slosh 30 would you say one is better than the other?

Braid wise 20lb enough?

Sorry for all the Q's just want to buy once and get it right!
 
FreddieBaker said:
Hi Ollie,

Thank you very much for your comment, judging by your response, it sounds like I am along the right line.

I think 12-20 is the way to go. In terms of reel size, does the 25 give more grunt than the 15?
Only other reel I have been recommended is the Slosh 30 would you say one is better than the other?

Braid wise 20lb enough?

Sorry for all the Q's just want to buy once and get it right!
Click to expand...
Tbh I tend to use the 15 the most. It’s just nice!! With 30lb braid on it
 
The Third Earl said:
You will get as many different answers as there are hairs on a cat here .🤣
Some people like to fish very light setups I.E 12 lb class rods and thin braid lines. Very sporting but sometimes I think playing a fish for ages does it no favours in the survival stakes.

Some like to fish a bit heavier, 12/20 lb class, as above but with a bit more meat in the lower section of the rod.

And on it goes……20/30 lb , 30/50 lb . A lot depends on where you fish and what for.

I do a lot of wrecking and rough ground fishing for Cod and Ling , at least when the weather doesnt blow the trip off .
I use 30/50lb class rod, a good quality Multiplier and 50 lb braid. Its meaty enough to land virtually anything that swims in the UK and I am likely to hook.

A lot of people will say that it is way too heavy, but I like to have a bit of insurance in case I do actually hook something that will pull back hard. The above is also good for big blonde rays, maybe a small / med Halibut ( chance would be a good thing ) Tope etc.

Take from the above what you will.

I am sure that others will be along to give their two pennorth.. As said, a lot depends upon where you fish and what species you will be targetting .

Dave
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the detailed response. Do you get enough feel through the 50lb braid?

In terms of what I am targeting, it is mainly the species I mentioned above. Would you say a Fathom II or Slosh 30 is a quality enough reel?
 
Ollieollie said:
Never used a slosh so can’t speak for them but I know they’re popular
Click to expand...
Sloshes are fine and pretty bomb proof but a bit basic in modern terms - I’d say the Fathom is a better reel these days.

Have also heard the quality of the new Sloshes available now isn’t as good as the older ones.
No experience of that myself, mine are all older and have been used for everything from wrecking to Norway and beach/rock fishing.

But I’d also second the Fathom for what the OP wants
 
With braid, you could go a little higher, say 40-ish, it’s still thin as feck and potentially gives you more chance to get your gear back if it snags on a wreck.
But 30lb will cope with almost any fish you’re likely to hook in uk waters, very big sharks and tuna excepted…
 
FreddieBaker said:
Hi Dave,

Thanks for the detailed response. Do you get enough feel through the 50lb braid?

In terms of what I am targeting, it is mainly the species I mentioned above. Would you say a Fathom II or Slosh 30 is a quality enough reel?
Click to expand...

Mr Fish is bang on re Braid and Sloshes . I have a couple of older Sl30’s . They are pretty basic, and I seem to remember they have spools made of plastic or something similar.
That said I have used them for Wreck Pollack and they were fine . I have never used a Fathom but only heard good things about them .
Braid is a no stretch line and you will feel the slightes nibbled using it . The difference between braid and mono re bite registration is huge. Braid wins easily , I have not used mono when boat fishing for years .

Dave
 
What sort of weight will you be using?
I've got a 12-20 kenzaki fs rod, great for some boat fishing but I can say I enjoyed it alot with 12+ oz of lead when wrecking.

As Dave said, all down to personal preference.

If it was me, I'd be going to a good shop to try some rods out, maybe take what you already have to compare to them.

My go to setup is a 150g spinning rod and a fs reel for heavy stuff and the kenzaki 12-20 with a small fs for lighter work (up to 10 Oz).

I've not tried many rods so can't really compare my setups very well, but what I've got works very well for me and is the most comfortable setup I've used so far.
 

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