Cheap starter Rods and Line Counter Reels.

[jimalbert]

OK.. I am a virgin lake trout/land locked salmon fisherman and need to pick up a few rods on the cheap as I dont want to spend a ton of cash until I find out if I will really enjoy fishing with downriggers etc...  I have 2 cannon downriggers (Cannon unitroll and cannon mag) and would like to purchase 4 rod/reel combos as inexpensively as possible.  I have been looking at the Shimano TDR rods and was thinking about buying 2 8'6" MH rods for the riggers and 2 9'6 rods for dipsy's.  I also thought about pairing them with Okuma Magdas.  Will this setup be OK for the time being?  I dont expect them to last forever but I thought they would be suitable enough to find out if I enjoy it.  I also have 2 other line counter reels (one cabelas digital and I dont know the other one off hand) as well as two rods.  The cabelas reel was paired on a cabelas rod that the line ran through the interior of the rod.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

[Sea-IV]

The best deal for your money would be the Okuma Classic rods matched up with the Magda reels. You can get those is combos on EBay or local sporting goods stores for $55-$65 for the combo.

[lineman49]

Someone here had 6 ugly sticks with line counters on them a week or 2 ago, seemed like a good deal. check the classified ads.

[finsntins]

okuma or diawa rigger rods,bout the same price i believe and magda reels.

[ontherise]

Yo- kuma

[Sk8man]

The Okuma Magda Pro DX 45's aren't a bad reel and have pretty good capacity and an acceptable drag, they are sturdier than the 30's although the clicker is not real loud (you can probably tell I'm a dinosaur right? )

Edited April 21, 2015 by Sk8man

[TileMan Dan]

You look on ebay for okuma's classic rods with a magda 30 reel Can probably get a 4 pack for about 250. Thats what I run , 3 yeats and no problems so far. For the price if I need to do a new package a year I'm still ahead. You will get lots of opinions to the contrary , but you decide ultimately.

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[Xxx]

If your looking for the cheapest rout, I would look into Cabelas Depth Master, and get the depth master III (3) don't buy the depth master II (2) You can pick them up on sale for $39.00 regularly $59.00 and get the DMIII30 the old DMII30's were ok but guys complained the counter reset button stuck down and you can purchase a combo for under $80.00 but that's on sale you would have to go on their site for the prices. I just went on their site and their DM30III are on sale for $41.99. I swear they are made by Okuma, the cold water style they look identical, the thru bolts are in the same place and the counters look the same I could be wrong. For $89.98 you can get a Daiwa AccuDepth with a Cabelas trolling rod, these are on sale also. Just a thought for you if your not sure this fishing is for you. Good luck whichever direction you choose.

Edited April 21, 2015 by pap

[Chas0218]

I run the magda pro 30's next year I am switching over to the Covectors.  I have had real good experiences with Okuma I bought a couple of broken reels and called them and they sent me new parts free of charge.Great company with exceptional customer service.

[BAZOOKAJOE]

I started out with ugly stik combos with the tidewater reels. The reels do ok. But I knew they wouldn't hold up well on big salmon. I still use the reels for Browns. But upgraded to better reels for salmon after the first year. I have a couple of the depth master reels too. They're ok. Those are only used for Browns, also.

[DJ 17]

I have run the magda's in size 30 and 45 with the Shimano TDR's with no issues. They are a great entry level set up. I recently picked up 4 TDR's to try on leadcore as well. Time will tell.

[jimalbert]

Thanks everyone!  I really appreciate the advice.  I am not cheap when it comes to equipment by any means, but before i go spending a ton of cash, i need to know that my son and i will enjoy it.  Thanks again.

[jimalbert]

By the way,  I looked at some of the equipment I was given from a friend and there are 2 penn reels (leveline and some other) and a big diawa spinning reel.  Does anyone use spinning reels on their rods?  Its a shame because the spinning rod is like an 8'6 Kunan.  There is also a really short rod that was apparently bought in Canada that has a roller on the end.  If the rod is 5' long i would be surprised.

[BAZOOKAJOE]

IMO: Buy the best you can afford and you'll save money in the long run!

[Chas0218]

You could look into the Okuma strata master combos at Bass Pro. Nice setup for semi cheap.

[Sean Youngblood]

  Daiwa-Wilderness Trolling-Rods Hard to beat for $16.00 a rod.I bought 4 last season with not very high expectations but have been very happy with them so far.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Sean Youngblood

[Thun]

I'm pretty sure Cabela's higher end reels are made by Daiwa, that said, I try to buy from the small local guys myself.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Thun

[KING ME]

Hey bud where you locAted? I have one shimano tdr dipsey rod and 2 cabela downrigger rods that I don't use and have been sitting for a few years in basement..... I will give them to you free.

[TileMan Dan]

Nice offer King!! You are to be commended!!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[ifishy]

if your targeting landlocks and lake trout it sounds like you are fishing the fingerlakes?  One thing I would highly recomend that i have not seen mentioned dont get medium heavy rods get light action or medium light at the most for your riggers.  if your in it for the fun than you want as much fight as you can get and lighter rods are the way to go.  i'm a big fan of the classifieds and ebay.  you can get gear of a better level for the price of low end if your willing to get used especially if you just testing the waters.  if you are fishing the fingers you should search the finger lakes section on this site it will help a ton with putting some fish in the boat in a lot less time to give you a better idea how you feel about trolling.

[jimalbert]

Thanks everyone... I appreciate all of the great advice.  Its great to know there are experienced guys out there willing to help someone learn the ropes.  You have a PM King Me.

[LakerTaker]

It's worth the upgrade to go with Okuma Convector line counter reels. I have two each of the 15, 20, and 30 series. Best reel for the money in my opinion. The 45 works good for dipsies but I find the 30 is the best all around size.

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[ontherise]

Free stuff is the best stuff!!! I have a couple miscellaneous rods you can have... You'll have to pick them up in Rochester .

[jimalbert]

Thanks guys... I really appreciate the help getting started.  I just picked up 4 Okuma Magda 45's and 4 Okuma classic rods to go with them as well as two 10'6 dipsy rods.  I still need to order reels for the dipsys but I am off to a decent start.  I also have a cabelas depthmaster tournament interflow rod and reel with a digital counter that I just picked up from a family member.  I thought that the interflow rod would be good for a wire dipsy because there arent any guides to worry about getting chewed up.  Thoughts??