Good Spin Combo Under $500
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I have a problem. A friend has a general purpose spin combo that he lent me the other day when we headed up the coast a bit and found some blue water (we’re in Derby) and a few Tuna. I didn’t really have anything suitable, so he lent me his gear… a Saltiga 4500H on a Raider rod. I don’t remember the exact details of the rod but it was probably the Snapper 701. The combo was about the right size, nice, light, cast a feather jig a fair distance, was pretty well balanced and easily accounted for a few Tuna around the 8kg mark.
I thought at the time that I’d like to get something that could do a similar job and be the right size to be useful tossing lures from a boat and from the shore if needed. The problem is this; there’s no way I can afford a similar outfit. I really can’t justify spending more than $500 to try and compete with him but I want to try and get a spin combo that he’ll be a bit jealous of when he tries it.
There’s obviously nowhere to go in trying to match the Saltiga overall. I’m never going to get a reel with 15kg of drag. It’s got a ratio of 5.7, so I might be able to get something a little bit faster to inspire a bit of envy there, say a Stradic 4000/5000 (5.8) or a Saltist 4500 (6.1) or Ballistic 4000 (6.2). I don’t really know much about spin reels in general and these ones in particular but I wouldn’t want anything much bigger than his Saltiga. I’ve heard good things about the 5000 Saragosa, so maybe it would be better to get one of these (only 5.2) and forget trying to surpass him in any way on the reel.
While his Raider rod was fine and there’s nothing wrong with them, I see this as the obvious area that I could trump him in. I need a rod around 7ft or a little more that is lighter, will cast further, feel better and match up beautifully to one of the types of reels suggested above. Furthermore, I’m only up in Derby for another year, after which I return to Kalbarri, so I’d like the combo to be able to cope with tossing Roosta poppers and 65g slices around for big Tailor.
I’ll feel victorious if as the least I can inspire him to use my combo and then decide that he needs to upgrade his rod. If I can get him to admit that my gear is not bad considering it cost less than half the price of his, that would be good too. So any suggestions and advice in support of my childish goals would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mathew.
Mat.T.
Posts: 27
Date Joined: 05/12/09
Sorry about the jumble at the
Sorry about the jumble at the start of my post, must have something to do with writing on Word then pasting it in. I cant seem to edit it out. Apologies for that.
Mat
tim-o
Posts: 4657
Date Joined: 24/05/11
Hmmmm, was readin the new
Hmmmm, was readin the new Daiwa catalogue in bed, Im thinkin of a new combo myself, the new Sol II (not out yet) with one of the Gen Black rods.... http://daiwafishing.com.au/ ... Maybe the supercasta model will suit you. I like the Sustain FG if I was to go Shimano, even those jewel rods look the goods or a raider, tcurve will blow the bugdet
I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.
SABRE
Posts: 404
Date Joined: 17/05/12
sanctum
There was a post on here a while back about the xt sanctum 5000 from bluewater tackle. I believe that was stated as having 15kilo drag and it was only $120.00. Food for thought maybe ??
If fishing is a sport I,m an elite athlete
Mat.T.
Posts: 27
Date Joined: 05/12/09
Thanks Tim-o and SABRE. Sorry
Thanks Tim-o and SABRE. Sorry it took a while to respond but I got caught up at work and then had issues trying to access the site last night.
Tim-o you mentioned the Raider as an option and this is probably my fall back postion. I'd probably go for the one piece Snapper HVY but of course that's what he's got, so I can't trump him there. There's a T-Curve Offshore 701 Spin that seems to have the specs I'm after and is around $80 more than the Raider. That's no big deal but is it a better rod? I've also heard mention of a Fishing WA 7ft Spin rod but I don't have a lot of info on them, am I right in assuming they'd be similar to the T-Curve?
I'm starting to lean towards the Stradic FJ 5000 as the option for my reel. The Sustains look good but are probably moving my budget boundary too high. The Sanctum sounds interesting SABRE but I can't find out much about them. I could try and trump my mate by getting a $220 combo (Raider Rod $100 + Sanctum $120) that looks like it might do mostly the same job as his but of course I don't want it to all fall apart on the first fish I hook.
Stuck up north, it's a bit hard to visit stores and get a feel for the different rods and reels, so does anyone have experience with or an opinion on using a Stradic FJ 5000 on a 7ft Raider/T-Curve/FWA rod? Are these practical and well balanced combinations? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mat.
Mat.T.
Posts: 27
Date Joined: 05/12/09
Forgetting the fact that I'm
Forgetting the fact that I'm trying to beat my mate's Saltiga, which I'll never achieve, I've clarified what I'm really after...
I have specific function gear that I'm happy with for chasing Barra, tossing lures for Tailor, trolling in the bluewater and bottom bashing. What I don't have is a combo small enough to leave ready on a boat rigged up to cast a jig/slice/lure/SP at a school of Tuna that appears or a Mack that unexpectedly cruises up following a hooked fish. As a secondary function, it would be good to have as a general purpose rod and reel to throw in the car and grab if I happen to be doing other things but spot something interesting to throw lures at from the shore.
Mat.
scottnofish
Posts: 1621
Date Joined: 28/08/07
I use a
t curve saltwater spin 5 to 10 kilo with a sustain 5000 fg as my soft plastics rod and lure rod and love it ,has landed dhuies to 8 kilo sambos to 15 kilo yet still light enough for kg fishing
Mat.T.
Posts: 27
Date Joined: 05/12/09
Sounds like a very versatile
Sounds like a very versatile combo scottnofish and it's the second comment for the Sustain. Looking at it price-wise it's heading towards the $600 mark. Googling and reading a bit, most seem to think there are only minor differences between the Stradic and Sustain. The following choices seem to be presenting themselves:
1. Sustain + T-Curve = $600
2. Stradic + Raider = $320
3. Stradic + T-Curve = $500
4. Sustain + Raider = $420
Considering I'll be buying blind somewhat, I'm leaning towards Option 2. There seem to be a variety of T-Curves at various prices that might do the job and I'm not too sure about the differences between them, which is why I'm thinking about the Raider, as I've used it and it seemed okay.
Mat.
Codhead
Posts: 159
Date Joined: 25/11/11
T curve/Stradic
I have a T curve revolution 6-8kgs with a Stradic 4000 just for casting small lures to surface stuff, particularly tuna. The beauty of this combination is the ability to cast very small and light lures a long way into the schools.
The gods do not deduct from mans allotted span the hours spent in fishing