Novice Here Looking for Budget Rod + Reel Setup for Kayak & Small Boat Fishing

[Sai]

Hello All,

 

I am new to this forum and new to trolling for salmon out on the great Lake Ontario .

 

Before getting into the meat of my question, I thought it would be good to give a background on what we're doing so far, so maybe you can suggest something that will be suitable for our situation.

 

I have been pier fishing salmon for several years, but this year I decided to try trolling with my fishing buddy. My fishing buddy rents a pleasure boat, so no rod holders nor rails to mount trolling equipment. We simply tie the rods to the boat using ropes and pray we don't lose them; sometimes we hold them in our hands and pray. Three rods in total, 2 dipsys off to the side: one with a spin doctor + fly on 40lbs braided mainline to 30lbs fluoro leader, the other dipsy with a simple fly + spoon on 30lbs braided mainline and 30lbs fluoro leader, and last one right down the middle stern using a heavy trolling weight + spoon on 30lbs braided mainline and 30lbs mono setup.

 

We've caught all sorts of salmonids on these rods and reels, but they were all medium-heavy spinning rods between 8-9ft length, so no line counters. It has been somewhat difficult to gauge depth and I believe it directly affects our productivity in the waters. That's why I wanted to change out one of the rods we use for our dipsy, and go for something more tuned-in for trolling w/ divers. But the added twist to it is that I wish to use it for kayak fishing sometimes too, when the rented boat is not available.

 

I'm using an inflatable kayak roughly 12.5ft long and it has a rod holder mount to it. I don't plan to troll deep when using the kayak, maybe a max depth of 10-20ft, and will probably throw in spoons/j-13 instead of dipsys, but I'd still like to use the same rod+reel for it, even if it's a little overkill for the job.

 

Based on these needs, I believe I am looking for:

 

1. Rod: An 8-9ft "dipsy" rod (I put them in quotes because I don't know if they are specifically different to normal or downrigger rods), medium-heavy power, but I'm not sure if moderate or fast action would be better? I typically use fast action but I think moderate would help absorb more shock and give enough time for salmon to bite down on treble hooks while trolling? Please let me know your thoughts on this.
2. Reel: A reel with line counter and relatively smooth drag system. I'll be going for 30-40lbs braid for my mainline, and maybe a 40-50lb mono backing if needed. I'm used to 5-6:1 gear ratios but from what I've read so far, 4-5:1 gear ratio would be more ideal because I get more torque which makes it easier to reel while fighting heavier fish? Of course, a reliable line counter is a must. If possible, I'd love to be able to cast with these kind of reels from a kayak, so free-spool would be great. Not ideal, I know, but I'm hoping there is something out there like this.

 

I'm trying to spend less than $200 CAD (or $144 USD) for each, but I'm willing to go more expensive if there's better value or fits my needs better. A lot of demands and a small budget, I know . Looking forward to some good recommendations either way.

[Sai]

Update: I ended up just going with the 8'6" Okuma Classic Pro GLT, MH Moderate rod with an Okuma Coldwater C453D reel. I'll be spooling on 300 yards of 40lb braid for a mainline. I don't think that will be enough to fill the spool, so I am considering adding some backing mono (big game 50 or 65lb just because the diameter is larger?) but need some time to calculate this properly

[rolmops]

Go shorter if you can. If you can get a hold of a some 7 foot rods you will be better of, specially on a kayak. Also you should think of jigging in a kayak instead of trolling. It is very easy to jig off a kayak and just as effective as trolling in many cases. A friend of mine caught a 150 pound goliath grouper in a kayak. He had to call s on his cell phone to come over and get that monster out of the water.

Edited July 31 by rolmops

[Gator]

There are good budget trolling rod options from Shimano (TDR) and Okuma (Classic Pro GLT), and linecounter Daiwa (Sealine) and Okuma (Magda) reels show up used here all the time. You should be able to put together a combo for <$100 easily if you are willing to go that route.

[jk1]

Go with someone that is knowledgeable or even a charter and ask them.  Post on here to go along with some and get ideas from them.  there are a lot of highly skilled people that would help you on this web site.   Find someone local to you so you can visit them once in a while for ideas.   The classified section here has a lot of equipment for sale to cut your cost too.......kj

[Sai]

Thanks to everyone that replied! In hindsight, I realized my setup is a little overkill for what I was looking for. It's too late now though since I've already purchased it. I will still definitely make use of it. Might be a bit more difficult to manage with though...