• Becoming a member is completely free!

    • Join the community and start contributing to a large source of sea angling information.
    • Members who are regular contributors and have posted more than 25 times, will see no adverts.
    • Become an active member and you can enter member exclusive competitions.

    REGISTER FOR FREE HERE

Newbie - rod question

Skutter

Skutter

Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2024
Messages
25
Reaction score
75
Points
13
Location
Sweden
Favourite Fishing
Lure
Very new to boat fishing.

just got a 7,5ft 12lb boat rod with a multiplier reel loaded with 12lb mono. The guy I bought it off said it would be fine for feathering mackerel and targeting flatfish but Im wondering if the rod if used with a different line ( going to guess it will need a stronger one) would be ok for going out on the cod seeking charters run locally? Got a feeling it's a bit on the light side. I live in South Sweden and would be fishing the sound between Sweden and Denmark where there are often strong currents. any thoughts / advice as I have to opportunity to switch the rod for something like 15-30lbs or 40lbs.
 
Thanks for the reply.

What size braid would you recommend?

The main style of cod fishing of the charter boats is what is called ' Pilke' over here - where you just hang to rod over the side off the boat and jig up and down a lure and usually some feathers, pretty much the same as for mackerel and herring.
 
forgive my ignorance but a 12 - 20 lb rod will have a stronger back than a rod that is just marked as a 12lb rod right?
I just hung some weights off it to get a feel - a 10oz sinker put quite a bit more bend into the tip than I was expecting but others have told me this rod has a lot of flex.
 
Spoke to one of the skipper of a local charter boat and he seems to think it's a bit on the light side. Due to the strong currents between Sweden and Denmark it might not be able to handle the weight required.
 
Welcome to the Madhouse Skutter!

I think the rod should be OK, but you definitely need some heavier line. As Ollie said, about 40Lb should be OK.
If you get a string of Mackerel plus your weight, that's going to weigh a fair bit.
 
yeah - Im starting to wish I stuck to spin fishing from the shore and wading.... After sleeping on it i'm probably going to switch the rod for something like 15-30lb. Not a great step up but have a feeling it's going to be a bit better as a general all rounder for the type of fishing I will end up doing which at the moment will be mackerel bashing and be able to handle a bit more weight for cod trips as well as be a bit more forgiving with me as a beginner
 
It's a welcome from me as well.
 
Bit of an update. Went back to the tackle shop and had a chat with one of the staff. Turns out he uses the same class rod for targeting flatfish as well as mackerel, herring and pollack. He did agree that if I was targeting cod I would need something a bit stringer to handle more weight BUT he also pointed out that in the sound between Sweden and Denmark there is ban on taking cod and will be for several years so its nothing to actually be concerned about. He recommended sticking with the 12lb rod as I won't be needing to to drop such heavy weights when targeting other local species and it will be more sport . Hopefully will be out on a boat next week to give it a test.
 
I catch decent pollock, cod, big bull
Huss, ray and other species - my 2 favourite rods are an ugly stick 8-12 and an ugly stick 12-20. Literally use them for everything

Icon m30 reel loaded with 30lb braid

So much more fun with a lighter rod
 
Nickcook77 said:
I catch decent pollock, cod, big bull
Huss, ray and other species - my 2 favourite rods are an ugly stick 8-12 and an ugly stick 12-20. Literally use them for everything

Icon m30 reel loaded with 30lb braid

So much more fun with a lighter rod
Click to expand...
I’ve caught some huge fish on my 12-20… great fun
 
I've got both a straight 12lb class & a 12-20lb class & they're completely different beasts.
the 12-20 is my go-to rod for the Bristol channel, with a charter special 200 & 30lb braid it's quite happy up to 1.5lb lead,
but the 12lb is outgunned at 3/4lb, 10oz being more like it.
 

Support Us

Support from our members means we don't need to plaster advertisements around the website! Keeping it clean and fresh! Maintaining a website such as this takes time and money, and your support helps to keep the lights on, provide new features for the website and, hopefully, make you feel warm and fuzzy!

Thank you for considering to help support our work.
Donate
Back
Top