Proposed Fishing rods and reels

[Tank1987]

Hi everyone,

 

Could someone please help me out on what kind of rods and reels should I be using for Dipsey Diving, Trolling and downrigger? I just got a boat for the lake and trying to learn what I need to get.

 

Cant that you enough in advance for anything you can share.

 

Thanks,

Frank

[GAMBLER]

19 hours ago, Tank1987 said:

Hi everyone,

 

Could someone please help me out on what kind of rods and reels should I be using for Dipsey Diving, Trolling and downrigger? I just got a boat for the lake and trying to learn what I need to get.

 

Cant that you enough in advance for anything you can share.

 

Thanks,

Frank

Buy high end reels for wire divers.  Wire divers are hard on reels.  Cheaper reels will wear out faster.  I run Daiwa Saltist 30's for my four wire reels.  I have owned them since 2007 and they have been flawless.  

[UNREEL]

There is nothing wrong with high end reels as Gambler said. If you’re on a budget look at Okuma Convector 30’s for less than half the price for divers and downrigging.  Okuma GLT 9’ rods are a decent choice for around $50 for divers and Okuma White Diamond 8’6’’ rods for the riggers are a good choice. Check out FishUSA.com, hard to beat

[SusanJames]

I use Convectors for my copper lines on GL Classic 7'6" rods (small boat). Everything else is Okuma Coldwater low profile reels on 7 and 7'6" GL Classics as well. The convectors give me the line capacity needed for coppers and the enlarged reel guide allows splices to pass through easily.

[VanderLaan]

Good advice so far. Lots of ways to skin this cat. I am a weekend warrior, so I don't feel the need to spend top dollar for high-end gear. That said, cheap stuff can be wasted money. With the exception of some old Penn 209s that I use for coho high lines in the spring, I use convectors and coldwaters. Most of my reels have the drag upgrades (lost a big one due to a sticky drag, so the upgrade is worth it to me. ) and I use coldwaters with upgraded drags for my wire divers. As far as rods go, I have had good results with Daiwa Heartland rods. They are cheap and have served me well. I also have a few of the Shimano TDRs. At $20 each, I won't cry if they get broken. I generally use 8'6" Medium action for board rods, 8' Medium for riggers (some like ML, but that seems too light for me) and 9'6" medium-heavy rods for divers.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited November 19 by VanderLaan

[Yankee Troller]

After a few years of use with the FishUSA's Flagship Series Trolling Rods I'd say you can't beat them. Below are the models we use and for what presentation:

 

Downrigger Rod

• FFSHIP-T-802M - We use this primarily for spoons with 20lb main and leader. It pairs well with a Daiwa 30 or 47 size reel. I've had captains using other brands fish with us and comment on how great this combo feels in hand.

Wire Diver Rod - FFSHIP-T-902MHW & FFSHIP-T-1002MHW

• We run these rods with 30lb wire using Daiwa 30 or 47 size reels. Really nice rod with a twilli tip already installed.

Leadcore/Copper

• FFSHIP-T-701MH - This rod is good from 300' of 45lb copper to 600' I still prefer a little bit lighter rod on the 300' copper when using a spoon. This rod is a stiff rod, but you need that on those long coppers.
• FFSHIP-T-802MLC - This is a good rod for cores and short coppers. 

[UNREEL]

FYI. Those rods mentioned above by Rick are 25% off today.   

[lachsforelle]

Buy old Penn 320s, 310s and 330s when you come across them on ebay or this site.  You'll leave them to your grandkids and you can get them for a song a piece.

Rods are not worth spending extra $$ on.  My recommendation with them is to buy as many of whichever one you settle on.  It doesn't matter as much for salmon, but when trolling leadcore, it's helpful to see all your board rods doing the same thing...at the same time.

 

When one breaks cadence, even a little, that'll tip you off to a hangon.

[sherman brown]

for running wire line on Erie for walleye, the Convector 30s are hard to beat. I used the Diawa Sealine sg17lca  and the accudepth plus 17s for years and they had a great service life. when I upgraded the ACD plus reels I went with the newer sealine sg17lc3b reels and still use them. when I started having issues with the old LCA reels and Tuna Tom wasn't working on them anymore I upgraded to the Coldwater 203 reels but haven't been using them long enough to be able to recommend them for long term use. but they are the smoothest reels of any I have used. but for a mid range reel, I think they fill the bill.

 

I run 3 lite bite slide divers on each side but don't use them as slide divers. I fish with a lot of inexperienced people and kept having a problem getting the divers put out on the wrong side of the boat. for me, the best solution was using one brand reel on one side of my boat and another brand on the other side.

 

when I started doing this I used the silver accudepth plus on one side and the black sealines on the other side. when I ran across a great deal on the sealine sg17lc3b reels I upgraded the ACD plus reels that were still working great but they were getting on in years. the metal ring on the lc3b reels was a bright gold which stood out over the older LCA reels. and with all the great reviews on the coldwater reels that's the way I went. I would have been happy to have gone with the lc3b reels but then they would look like the lc3b reels I was already using. and I don't regret getting the coldwater's yet.

 

I recommend the Daiwa wilderness trolling rods I got from Fish USA for 20 bucks but for salmon, I recommend the 8' medium rods. for walleye, the med/lt works best. you can use these for divers, or boards, but for your riggers, I recommend the Daiwa ugly stick GX2 medium action. They have enough flex for loading them up on the riggers but still have the backbone for fighting kings.