Review What are you using and why do you like it?.

[chesilpete]

I thought it might be interesting to see what everyone is using at the moment for general beach fishing.
Not the entire contents of your shed and loft just what you would take out as your normal rods and reels and why you like them.
Its not about how expensive they were/are not even about the brand just what you got out of the shed last time you headed to the beach.
If you can be bothered then maybe a little about why you like them and what ground you fish over and species.
Its a genuine interest I love a bit of tackle................. so the last rod n reel you used?
I will kick off in the post below this one.

 

[John Mitchell]

I like my trabucco continental rods and shimano size 6000 reels with 20lb braid , I like these a lot i get a reasonable distance with these using 4oz leads , I don’t have the upper body strength to cast big weights , I have bigger rods and reels with 50lb braid for when I think there will be bigger fish and then use 5oz leads , then I have lovely estuary rods for 3oz leads using my shimano 6000 s , and I have lure rods for bass an lrf so I got all bases covered

 

[chesilpete]

The last time I went out I took a pair of Italcanna LAs and a pair of daiwa 7ht sts.
I have had a bit of a love hate relationship with these rods, they feel and fish absolutely great but the blank fittings and finish are a complete disaster to look at. Quite how they have managed to create one of (in my opinion) the best 4-6 oz rods is a bit of a mystery especially as the spigot is so poor. But fishing with them is a pleasure, they are a very lightweight blank and when it comes to the power/weight thing I love them for 5oz.
My normal beach is Chesil and when the sea under 1.6M these are the rods I will usually take once the sea gets over that then they are undergunned and I need something a bit more powerful.
Reels I have had a decade long love affair with the 7HT STS, set them up right and they are just easy to use, I load them with .31 to the brim and love em.
I have had these Italcannas for 3 years and have tried a few other similar rods along the way, but I think that now these are so battered and generally playworn I will replace them.
With another pair exactly the same!

 

[chesilpete]

I like my trabucco continental rods and shimano size 6000 reels with 20lb braid , I like these a lot i get a reasonable distance with these using 4oz leads , I don’t have the upper body strength to cast big weights , I have bigger rods and reels with 50lb braid for when I think there will be bigger fish and then use 5oz leads , then I have lovely estuary rods for 3oz leads using my shimano 6000 s , and I have lure rods for bass an lrf so I got all bases covered

A couple of those trabucco rods were absolute classics, but I think the Imperra (excuse the spelling) was the nicest true conti rod I think I ever handled.

 

[J Richards]

Couple of Century SS Super Sports for plaice all the way up to hounds,rays and whatever takes the bait. Bit over gunned for Chesil but i like them.
Reels are Daiwa Saltist 30h lovely reels just very hot.

**forgot to add…. The rod & reels look epic, so when the fishing is poor….. at least i can look at a nice setup. (Although i dont wash any of it) ? and Pete can vouch for that

 

[Live in hope]

my go to rods are my afaw match pro’s cracking for the likes of Chesil one day next day fishing the Bristol Channel, can see the smallest bites but plenty of power for the rays , hounds etc. need to step up rods in only the roughest areas.
Plus due to tendon relocation surgery on my thumb it’s the only rod I found I can fish reel down or up depending on my hand and it not effect my casting timing.
Reels wise Chesil west a sentimental choice is my green mag elites with mono mag. Down east and up the channel my casting specials. Of all my gear prob these get the most use but always looking at adding and justifying more.

 

[Wolf]

a pair of sonik Vader's,with tronix pro mono mags loaded with 25lb bs mono,with a 2 hook clipped down rig with squid baits

 

[Wolf]

Forgot to say I like my set up coz it works for me

 

[Stevie69]

I use a zzplex zeteque txl GT with a penn fathom 15 for mixed to heavy ground with a rotton bottom short pulley rig. Sandy beaches I use my Grey's Nitra mk 1 with a penn 525 with a clip down rig. Baits I normally or try to use if I can get my hands on them are fresh yellow tails and bluey.
These work for me? on my local beaches.

 

[Dutchman]

Cheapo rod and reel for me.
I think the dearest rod i use is a Penn Spinfisher or Bass Fisher, and reels are any thing.

 

[Reevsey]

Tip tornado smg's with fathom 12's and 15's .Had t800s and TTsg's and replaced them all with the supermatch's . Hopefully they will cover 90% of my fishing . Might get a Afaw estuary rod for very light stuff next year .

 

[Tatunka joe]

Pair of mk1 afaw gbfs which I love feel like I get better distance with them than my sonics htc which I’ve really enjoyed useing this year arfter not like ing them at all to begin with I’ve been borrowing a mates t 700 which at first I thought were going to be my dream rod but for one reason or another I’m not feeling it ??I think next year I may have a complete overhaul get a pair of gbfs mk2 and find a high end pair of contis whould orso like to add an estuary rod to the mix for scad macs and light work I’ve used the afaw one before and it’s a stunning bit of kit reels a shimano power areo and a shimano c14 loaded with 29 lb braid and 80 lb braid leader 80 lb straight tru on the rough stuff love em

 

[Mike hemming]

After a massive clear out of rods iv left my self 1 j-curve ,1 t800 and a kompressor ss , plus my like new conoflex rods which comprises of a Welsh wizard, mirage 56 extra , a frenzy and a brand new flattie fanatic, reels are 2 diawa 7 ht mags, 4 penn fathoms , 2 tg rocket reels, 2 Akios shuttles , 2 Akios 565 , 2 shimano power Aeros and 4 other heavy duty fixed spool reels for heavy duty work

 

[ouchthathurt]

I fish with a pair of Leeda icon elite match rods rung for multis, brought them off wingnut (true gent) when I saw them advertised on here. Found them a bit strange to cast at first, the light tip felt like it was folding away on the power stroke, but once I got used to it I’ve grown to love them. They are now the first choice rods out of the shed. They are coupled with a pair of Diawa 7ht multis (black ones) with 18lb Diawa sensor and Diawa tapered leaders. 95% of my fishing is over clean sand with low lying rocky reefs. After buggering my shoulder in Afghan, I found I couldn’t cast well with stiffer rods, but the icons I can match the distances I used to, with a 4-5oz lead they are lovely.

 

[Trampster]

Great thread Pete! Last time out?

Abu Tormentor spinning rod 20-60gms which I mainly use with SG seekers, surf seekers, or Panic Prey surface lures. Shimano 3000 or 4000 reel - the only 2 reels I have Braid on.

Fladen 50-150gms Bass rod & Okuma 5000 baitrunner which I use for occasionall float fishing, or Sabikis with a 100gm Dexter wedge instead of a weight. Rod came from John quite a few years ago before either of us knew each other via WSF/TSF!

Otherwise:
If I do go bait/beach fishing, I love my Grauvell Vertix Jack 4.5 metre Conti Rod with a Penn Surfblaster 2.
John also kindly donated a Grauvell Vertix Volcan 4.5m to me last year that he had broken the tip on, about 120mm from the end.
I was debating whether to shorten the rod & just fit a new tip ring, but I would have had to move the next ring down too - it wouldn't have looked right.
I managed to find some suitable diameter Carbon tube that I put a slight taper in, and joined the two broken bits back together with epoxy.
It works well, and is usually paired up with the Mitchell Blue Water RZ 8000 that I've mentioned recently in other threads.

Probably got about 20 rods stashed away, some going back to the 70's & beyond, and a similar number of reels!

 

[Craig]

Last time out would be a shakespear agility mpv with a Penn spinfisher 4500 reel and a Penn squadron 2 20-50g with a quantum throttle 50 reel, both with 30lb braid fishing 2-4oz leads on a clean sandy beach with 2 hook rigs.
Had problems with my wrist last year and decided to give lighter fishing a go, haven't used my bigger rod on local beaches since as there's not alot of big stuff about and its way more fun catching schoolies and little stuff on a spinning rod than a 6&bait.

If fishing off the rocks (North Wales) it's my 6&baits with quantum cabo 80s or fin nor lethal 60s with 60lb braid and 80lb mono leaders.
Hope to get a couple of old icon m-power rods rebuilt that I got off a member on here for the rocks though as I'm not a massive fan of the 6&baits, just couldn't find anything to replace them that I liked and in a sensible budget til the icons came up.

Boat fishing would be the same Penn spinning setup as before for light bottom fishing and feathering for bait aswell as smoothie fishing in summer. Plus a 150g cabo spin rod with the Penn spinfisher 4500 for drifting wrecks/reefs/banks and bottom fishing upto
6-8oz. I've used these for a few years now and love them as they catch everything I want and make it fun at the same time, plus it means I need alot less gear to fish multiple situations.

 

[Topwater]

This time of year it's mostly lure fishing for me. My usual shore set up is a Shimano Dialuna 9'6" with an old Daiwa Certate 4000 and 20lb Suffix 131 braid. On the boat its 9' Okuma Octanas paired up with ancient but reliable 44/4500ss Spinfishers and 26lb J braid8x. If I do go bait fishing it will be after bass over clean ground in surf - in the estuary mouth I use Flattie Fanatics with 5500mag elites and .31mono, in the bigger surf of the sea proper its usually Greys 12'6" BZe's with 7htmags and .35 mono, or a pair of custom 13' glass tipped Cono-flex blanks that came off the Source mandrel if its heavy surf requiring 150g.
IF the codling appear ? then usually it will be a pair of Zziplex FZero's if I can hold with 150g or Cono-flex Pulse's if I might need a bit more, matched with mk1 525mags and .35 mono.
I've more modern gear but lure fishing apart, I keep coming back to the old favourites. I should sell the rest as its gathering dust but being a tackle hoarder it's hard to let the pets go?

 

[chesilpete]

Its really interesting how we all use something a bit different and why we use it.
Location, life stage, target species are the main drivers for our choices.
No brand dominating here no rod type no reel type goes to show how we all do it a bit different to the next guy.
I generally fish chesil and its the time of year when I will start targeting cod in bigger seas I just got a pair of heavier winter rods out with a pair of heavy multipliers ready for some 200g fishing and my thoughts are christ these are heavy!!
The rods are afaw match pro mk2s and the reels saltiga 20s and although they are not heavy to most people after a summer of using light rods they feel like scaffold poles and winches I must be getting bloody old. Still no point in having them if I am not going to use them I guess. I will take them down Chesil over the next few days along with a heavy 7ft tripod and a winter shelter, the change or seasons.... change of gear.

 

[chesilpete]

Pair of mk1 afaw gbfs which I love feel like I get better distance with them than my sonics htc which I’ve really enjoyed useing this year arfter not like ing them at all to begin with I’ve been borrowing a mates t 700 which at first I thought were going to be my dream rod but for one reason or another I’m not feeling it ??I think next year I may have a complete overhaul get a pair of gbfs mk2 and find a high end pair of contis whould orso like to add an estuary rod to the mix for scad macs and light work I’ve used the afaw one before and it’s a stunning bit of kit reels a shimano power areo and a shimano c14 loaded with 29 lb braid and 80 lb braid leader 80 lb straight tru on the rough stuff love em

Do you ever use mono Paul?
On Chesil I always seem to have a mare with braid in a big sea, just add a pinch of weed and I have problems.

 

[chesilpete]

I fish with a pair of Leeda icon elite match rods rung for multis, brought them off wingnut (true gent) when I saw them advertised on here. Found them a bit strange to cast at first, the light tip felt like it was folding away on the power stroke, but once I got used to it I’ve grown to love them. They are now the first choice rods out of the shed. They are coupled with a pair of Diawa 7ht multis (black ones) with 18lb Diawa sensor and Diawa tapered leaders. 95% of my fishing is over clean sand with low lying rocky reefs. After buggering my shoulder in Afghan, I found I couldn’t cast well with stiffer rods, but the icons I can match the distances I used to, with a 4-5oz lead they are lovely.

I have the same tip folding feeling with my 4-6 oz rods with 6oz I just dont like the way it feels. Its food for thought, should I just keep going with my medium gear and try and load it slower..... the rods are rated 200g.
Like you I am not as capable as i used to be.