Planer Board and Mooching Rods

[Char_Master]

Hey guys, looking for some recommendations for new trolling rods for this year’s upcoming open water season.

 

First, I’m looking for a pair of new board rods, as my current ones are way too stout. I’ve heard good things about the Okuma Classic Pro GLT board rods, but was wondering if anyone here has used them and what they thought, or if anyone has another suggestion. Going to be running them with inline boards and 50lb braid plus snap weights to get down. (Also in the market for some new inline boards since my current offshore ones are trashed).

 

Second, after three years of rugged use and hundreds of fish, my Cabela’s downriggers rods are finally ready to go. The butts are so indented they look ready to snap and the guides are getting pretty worn, so I want to replace them before something unfortunate happens while on the water. I contemplated doing this last year, but this season I think I might make the switch over to the mooching-style downrigger setups, with single action “knuckle buster” reels to make the fight of just about any fish more enjoyable. If I do decide to switch (which I’d like to), I already have some affordable reels picked out, but am having a hard time deciding which rods to go with. Traditional downrigger mooching rods are 10’6” long with short 8.5” rear butts. The two problems with this are 1) I can’t store any rod longer than 9’ in my cabin and 2) any rod with a rear butt shorter than 12” is liable to bounce out of my rod holders when cruising in rough seas. Because of this, traditional mooching rods aren’t really an option for me at the moment. I’ve had some guys say they used plain old Ugly Stiks with mooching rods and had no problems, but I’m not sure which ugly stick would be best suited to downrigger fishing? I’m also considering just going for another pair of cabela’s depthmaster rods and sticking some mooching reels on them, as I don’t think the slightly smaller “casting” guides would really hurt much. Anyone have thoughts/experience/recommendations with mooching gear? If I don’t make the switch, I’ll probably just buy another pair of cabela’s rods since they’ve been so reliable and fun to use.

 

Thanks in advance!

-Sean

[Char_Master]

Wow, not sure why the next in the original post is so big, sorry to those of you that actually read it all lol.

[Legacy]

26 minutes ago, Char_Master said:

Wow, not sure why the next in the original post is so big, sorry to those of you that actually read it all lol.

fixed

[Char_Master]

42 minutes ago, Legacy said:

fixed

Thank you!

[Fishmaster 196]

I have 8 of the Okuma Dead Eye open water trolling rods that I use as board/leadcore rods.  I have the 8'6" telescoping model that's breaks down to 7' which is great for storage.  The action is perfect for running inline boards.

https://www.fishusa.com/product/Okuma-Dead-Eye-Trolling-Rods

[Blue Knight]

Some years ago I switched over from level winds to mooching reels. I decided to go to the top of the line in mooching reels, ISLANDER! and I don't regret it. They are fantastic reels and I'd never use a level wind on my downriggers again.

[hard knox]

Cant bet Okuma classic pro glt rods with dxt reels for the money fish usa has all the combos you could want  cheap with free shipping and the best customer service  .

[Char_Master]

1 hour ago, Fishmaster 196 said:

I have 8 of the Okuma Dead Eye open water trolling rods that I use as board/leadcore rods.  I have the 8'6" telescoping model that's breaks down to 7' which is great for storage.  The action is perfect for running inline boards.

https://www.fishusa.com/product/Okuma-Dead-Eye-Trolling-Rods

Thanks, I’ll look into them!

[Char_Master]

1 hour ago, Blue Knight said:

Some years ago I switched over from level winds to mooching reels. I decided to go to the top of the line in mooching reels, ISLANDER! and I don't regret it. They are fantastic reels and I'd never use a level wind on my downriggers again.

Those islanders look great! Unfortunately, they’re a bit pricey for my wallet haha. I was planning to go with the Daiwa M-One UTDs if I make the switch. More just trying to figure out which rods would be the best fit for my boat.

[Char_Master]

6 minutes ago, hard knox said:

Cant bet Okuma classic pro glt rods with dxt reels for the money fish usa has all the combos you could want  cheap with free shipping and the best customer service  .

Definitely! I do most of my online shopping with FishUSA and their customer service is top notch. 

[Knotlost Charters]

The Shakespeare  new part number is usbwdro620c902  for downriggers and dipsy poles and about anything elce you want to use them for....

[MarkNY]

Check out the shimano convergence mooching rod. I have 2 of the 10'6" models with daiwa mooching reel. They are fun to run on riggers and I love the drag on the reels. I've caught kings on them with no problems. They are not the best with rookies though. Take a little getting use to so I don't put them out when I have new guys on the boat. Mark 

[LakerTaker]

What are you guys using for line on your mooching set-ups?

Regarding poles, I have also been updating my board poles with 8ft 6in Okuma Dead Eye telescoping rods. Their action is just about perfect for a rod in that price range.

 

[scobar]

Aren’t mooching reels 1:1 ratio for reeling in, that could be a lot of turns!


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