thoughts on my rod/reel/line setups

the majority of the gear i have is hand-me-down from family and friends. some it is crap, some of it is decent. this spring I’ll be buying my first baitcaster and i’m wondering if it’s even worth mounting to one of my current rods? the majority of my fishing happens on the mississippi, but i’ll hit metro area lakes as well. I don’t have the budget to have great dedicated setups for trolling, jigging, casting, etc, so I’m looking to make the most with what I have, with the expected addition of a baitcaster:

Rods
– Daiwa Samurai 6’6″ medium action
– Shakespeare Ugly Stik 5’10” medium
– South Bend Proton 7′ medium-heavy
– Handful of pistol-grip rods in the 5.5′ range, mostly medium-light

Reels
– Shimano Snycopate open face spinner
– Zebco ZSE open face spinner (yes the $9 walmart special
– Handful of older closed spincast reels, Daiwa silvercast. Shakespeare Durango, some Cabela’s cheapies, etc.

Line
– I’ve been running 10 lb Trilene exclusively since that what was given to me. Open to tryin something new.

So if you were me, and that’s what you had to work with. . . how would you put it all together?

So you don’t have a baitcaster on any rod right now?
The Trilene line will work fine.
Buy a baitcaster and play with it on the rods you have until you find the one you like.

Tuma wrote:

So you don’t have a baitcaster on any rod right now?
The Trilene line will work fine.

Nope, it’s on my list for this spring. Until 2 seasons ago I’d never used an open-faced reel before, so, you know, progress.

I also found an unopened spool of flourocarbon and a half-used package of some spiderwire in my dad’s old kit.

What is your budget?
I see you can find combos (rod and reel) starting around $50. Stick with the Trilene line for the bait caster. The fluorocarbon is too stiff in my option.

I think id skip the baitcaster and buy a quality spinning rod and reel. Get a reel with two spools. One for braid, one for mono or flourocarbon.

Depending what kind of fishing your doing. A 7′ medium rod is a great all around rod.

Personally, I hated every baitcaster i tried, until i could afford a nice one.

Tuma wrote:

What is your budget?
I see you can find combos (rod and reel) starting around $50.

Honestly, probably about that. Maybe a little more if it’s for a combo, although I’d love to pair the new reel with one of my existing rods — and would loe even more to have some advice on matching up my current rods & reels to get the most out of them.

David Blais wrote:

I think id skip the baitcaster and buy a quality spinning rod and reel. Get a reel with two spools. One for braid, one for mono or flourocarbon.

Depending what kind of fishing your doing. A 7′ medium rod is a great all around rod.

Personally, I hated every baitcaster i tried, until i could afford a nice one.

I do a ton of long-line trolling on the Mississippi and everyone I’ve asked has recommended I try a baitcaster or line-counter for this application.

Caught enough fish on both the Shimano and the Zebco reels last year, so I guess I’m not in a huge hurry to spend my limited budged on another spinning reel.

Go to cabelas and buy their troll master combo with the line counter. Usually around $60

David Blais wrote:

Go to cabelas and buy their troll master combo with the line counter. Usually around $60

I will check that out, thanks.