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Max Reel Size For Fishing With SP's?


shane1234

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What you have is suitable. You don't need top line stuff... Just something that's comfy to cast with. 

So really no right or wrong answer. I have a shimano Stradic 3000. Have also used an alvey spooled with only 120m of mono and have used both reels for SPs catching flatties from the beach. It just depends on what terrain/depth you will be fishing and what's comfortable for you and what suits your rod.

If fishing a beach or from shore landbased,  it will be quite shallow water. 200yards is more than enough. So really a full spool of any small spinning reel or baitcaster is plenty. I say small as you will need something light as you will be covering ground while flicking. 

If going deeper, boat or land-based you may want a slightly larger reel. You may also want a larger reel if targeting fish that will peel line like bonnies Sambos or kings. Even then a small reel will do just fine.

But Unless fishing deep like off a reef, only then would you want to up to something like a Penn spinreel 950 for example. It will have stronger drag to deal with larger species like kings or smaller tuna for example. 

 

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41 minutes ago, Kracka said:

What you have is suitable. You don't need top line stuff... Just something that's comfy to cast with. 

So really no right or wrong answer. I have a shimano Stradic 3000. Have also used an alvey spooled with only 120m of mono and have used both reels for SPs catching flatties from the beach. It just depends on what terrain/depth you will be fishing and what's comfortable for you and what suits your rod.

If fishing a beach or from shore landbased,  it will be quite shallow water. 200yards is more than enough. So really a full spool of any small spinning reel or baitcaster is plenty. I say small as you will need something light as you will be covering ground while flicking. 

If going deeper, boat or land-based you may want a slightly larger reel. You may also want a larger reel if targeting fish that will peel line like bonnies Sambos or kings. Even then a small reel will do just fine.

But Unless fishing deep like off a reef, only then would you want to up to something like a Penn spinreel 950 for example. It will have stronger drag to deal with larger species like kings or smaller tuna for example. 

 

Thanks for the info

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I would leave both rod and reel for bait fishing. Rod from that JW combo are fibreglass with solid tip - You would want something lighter with faster action for working soft plastic - e.g graphite or at least composite rod.  I use a 2500 JW (about Shimano 3000 size equivalent) reel for most of my lure and bait land based estuary/light beach fishing (from whiting to small sharks bycatch). I would say  JW 4000 size combo reel would be too heavy and large for light soft plastic, and too weak to fight a fish regularly on large soft plastic/lures. 

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2 hours ago, shane1234 said:

Hi Everyone

What is the max size reel you would you use for fishing with SP's? I have a Jarvis Walker MaxiSpin 4000 Rod and Reel Combo and I was wondering if that was good enough to use.

My preferred alround light plastics reel is a 2500. What you have is a little larger and heavier than ideal for throwing around flathead and bream plastics, but your question is, is it good enough to use and I say yes for sure. If it’s all you have it’s fine. 

What is important is the line size. Your casting and catch rate will suffer if your line size is too large. I would recommend 8-10lb mono as a starting point. 

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12 minutes ago, Hateanchors said:

My preferred alround light plastics reel is a 2500. What you have is a little larger and heavier than ideal for throwing around flathead and bream plastics, but your question is, is it good enough to use and I say yes for sure. If it’s all you have it’s fine. 

What is important is the line size. Your casting and catch rate will suffer if your line size is too large. I would recommend 8-10lb mono as a starting point. 

Did you mean 8-10lb braid??

 

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1 hour ago, Hateanchors said:

My preferred alround light plastics reel is a 2500. What you have is a little larger and heavier than ideal for throwing around flathead and bream plastics, but your question is, is it good enough to use and I say yes for sure. If it’s all you have it’s fine. 

What is important is the line size. Your casting and catch rate will suffer if your line size is too large. I would recommend 8-10lb mono as a starting point. 

 

1 hour ago, Hateanchors said:

I’m thinking you are kind of just starting out so I suggested mono to start with.  You can use either. Braid is better as long as you have some experience and know your knots. 

The combo that I have comes with 15lb line, will that work?

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To have good success on bream and whiting you really need to drop down to 6lb or less. Yes you can catch a few with heavier line but the lighter you can fish the further light lures will cast and the more chance you have at ticking that fussy fish. 

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Hi Shane.

 I'm going to state the obvious and then take it in more detail from there. "Maximum reel size depends on the plastics you are using. Gear selection makes a huge impact too".

You mentioned you are chasing bream and flathead. A starting point for plastics for those species would be 2" and 3" (and maybe 4") grubs, minnows, paddle-tails or wriggle tails. Recommended jig head would be 1/8 to 1/6 of an ounce but I will fish them up to 1/4oz and other people will fish down to 1/20th and even lighter. You will get bugger all casting distance out of the rig you mentioned. It will be difficult to get the twitches and subtle movements you might want. When I advise on gear for someone getting into SP for the first time for the bread and butter species then it would be a 2-4kg graphite rod minimum 6 foot but I prefer 7.5 foot for casting speed matched with a 1000 to 2500 reel and 4 (my preference) to 6lb braid for the sensitivity. Leader 6lb to 8lb fluoro or clear mono.

I fish Soft Plastics with a 4ooo reel and 15lb braid but then my go to is 6 to 9" Sluggo/Slapstix type lures with jig heads ranging from 3/8 to 1/2 to 3/4oz (less often) depending on casting distance I am trying to achieve. The rod is graphite so the stiffness gives me a lot control of my plastics. The lightest lure recommended by the manufacturer of the rod I use is 15 gram which is heavier than most of the lures I mentioned in the paragraph above.

As for your Jarvis Walker 4000 Maxispin - while I am not familiar with the rod the literature suggests it has a fibreglass solid tip. I agree with what @Savit said above in that it makes it hard to work plastics properly as it would likely lack stiffness. You haven't mentioned if the line is monofilament or braid but as it is a combo outfit I'd take a good bet on it being mono. Very bad way to get into soft plastics fishing as the response will feel so spongy and the softness in the rod won't help. Soft plastics with the right gear are a joy to use. It opened my fishing world right up again after being introduced to them. Spend some time with someone that fishes them and really knows what they are on about and it will really open up your eyes.

They really work and they are fun if you like to be proactive in your fishing. Relegate the JW combo to bait duties or as a guest rod.

Derek

 

Edited by DerekD
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5 hours ago, DerekD said:

Hi Shane.

 I'm going to state the obvious and then take it in more detail from there. "Maximum reel size depends on the plastics you are using. Gear selection makes a huge impact too".

You mentioned you are chasing bream and flathead. A starting point for plastics for those species would be 2" and 3" (and maybe 4") grubs, minnows, paddle-tails or wriggle tails. Recommended jig head would be 1/8 to 1/6 of an ounce but I will fish them up to 1/4oz and other people will fish down to 1/20th and even lighter. You will get bugger all casting distance out of the rig you mentioned. It will be difficult to get the twitches and subtle movements you might want. When I advise on gear for someone getting into SP for the first time for the bread and butter species then it would be a 2-4kg graphite rod minimum 6 foot but I prefer 7.5 foot for casting speed matched with a 1000 to 2500 reel and 4 (my preference) to 6lb braid for the sensitivity. Leader 6lb to 8lb fluoro or clear mono.

I fish Soft Plastics with a 4ooo reel and 15lb braid but then my go to is 6 to 9" Sluggo/Slapstix type lures with jig heads ranging from 3/8 to 1/2 to 3/4oz (less often) depending on casting distance I am trying to achieve. The rod is graphite so the stiffness gives me a lot control of my plastics. The lightest lure recommended by the manufacturer of the rod I use is 15 gram which is heavier than most of the lures I mentioned in the paragraph above.

As for your Jarvis Walker 4000 Maxispin - while I am not familiar with the rod the literature suggests it has a fibreglass solid tip. I agree with what @Savit said above in that it makes it hard to work plastics properly as it would likely lack stiffness. You haven't mentioned if the line is monofilament or braid but as it is a combo outfit I'd take a good bet on it being mono. Very bad way to get into soft plastics fishing as the response will feel so spongy and the softness in the rod won't help. Soft plastics with the right gear are a joy to use. It opened my fishing world right up again after being introduced to them. Spend some time with someone that fishes them and really knows what they are on about and it will really open up your eyes.

They really work and they are fun if you like to be proactive in your fishing. Relegate the JW combo to bait duties or as a guest rod.

Derek

 

Very good advice Derek. bn

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What Derek said is correct, there is a fair bit of finesse with soft plastic fishing and the most critical aspect is "feel", so having a light weight outfit with a fairly "crisp" rod is pretty important- the reel is less so. Sure you can fish plastics with nylon but bite and snag detection will be difficult, thats why everyone uses braid. Find a good tackle store and go in with a budget in mind and talk to the staff (better done at a "local" than a big chain store) and get a feel for whats available. TAlk to an experienced soft plastics fisho and get them to help you out and maybe try a couple of their bits of gear. Softies are a very versitile way to fish- personally I use them for everything from flatties in creeks to dolphin fish and tuna and kings offshore, you are asking all the right questions so keep going!

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1 hour ago, shane1234 said:

Seems good, but is there anything a bit lower in price, like maybe max $150 in price? 

Rod and reel combined or just rod??

The rod I fish and recommend as a starting point (or at least baseline) for others is the Shimano Raider bream finesse 762 (7 foot 6 inches 2 piece) 2-4kg lure weight 3-12grams. The length gives me good tip speed for casting and the slightly shorter butt works with my rod tip down fishing style. You should be able to find this at a RRP of $129 but if you look further I am aware of shops selling it for $105. Check with the site sponsor Dinga too and also see what they might recommend. For someone on a bit more of a budget the Shimano Catana 702 spin used to be around $70.

Reels - something 1000 to 2500 sized. I like the 1500. Recently I picked up a Sedonna 2500 for $50 as it was price dropped due to the new range coming in.

Braid - I like PowerPro in the white as it is easy for me to spot when working plastics. Wasn't a popular colour/shade so stores don't seem to stock it any more. There are many excellent and well priced braids out there. Don't get too stressed about thinking 4lb is too light. Most of the braids overtest (probably to factor in knot weaknesses). I'd challenge you to take a length of braid between your hands and gradually load it up until it breaks. Bet you will cut your hands before it breaks. Often enough 4lb will break at more than double that.

A couple of things to think about. Ideally get an experienced SP mentor for the first few times as it will shortcut the learning process. If you can't then:

  •  to start, don't fish stupidly light lures (less than 1/8oz) as you start to get casting knots (bird's nests)
  • learn a main line to leader knot and try to avoid swivels.
  • get some help putting the braid on the reel for the first time. You will want to use mono backing to stop the line slipping on the spool and to bulk it up for optimum casting.
  • keep in contact with the lure as much as you can.
  • don't high stick the rod (if you don't know the term look it up). Fight a fish with a nice arc in the rod and let the tip absorb the shocks and the base of the rod take the load
  • learn to play a fish and not muscle it. Use the lift and then wind technique. Don't lock down the drag as it protects your line from snapping under load.
  • graphite rods bruise. Don't let them bang around. I store mine in a case.
  • graphite rods conduct electricity. Watch power lines and stay away from lightning.
  • do persist but don't be too optimistic. I do get donut days but I find in general the quality (size) of fish I get on plastic are better than I get on bait.

When I am teaching someone at the very least I want 4 hours of their time and I prefer 8 if I can. We cover gear selection, line and leaders and knots, lure choice, casting techniques, different retrieves, playing and landing the fish. Once it all comes together you can apply what you learn to other aspects of your fishing. What I am trying to say is there is a lot to learn so don't be discouraged if you are not a natural at it when you start off.

My 2-4kg outfit probably gives me the most fun from all my outfits and it is what I would choose if I could only fish with one rod for the rest of my life.

Regards,

Derek

 

Edited by DerekD
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58 minutes ago, DerekD said:

Rod and reel combined or just rod??

The rod I fish and recommend as a starting point (or at least baseline) for others is the Shimano Raider bream finesse 762 (7 foot 6 inches 2 piece) 2-4kg lure weight 3-12grams. The length gives me good tip speed for casting and the slightly shorter butt works with my rod tip down fishing style. You should be able to find this at a RRP of $129 but if you look further I am aware of shops selling it for $105. Check with the site sponsor Dinga too and also see what they might recommend. For someone on a bit more of a budget the Shimano Catana 702 spin used to be around $70.

Reels - something 1000 to 2500 sized. I like the 1500. Recently I picked up a Sedonna 2500 for $50 as it was price dropped due to the new range coming in.

Braid - I like PowerPro in the white as it is easy for me to spot when working plastics. Wasn't a popular colour/shade so stores don't seem to stock it any more. There are many excellent and well priced braids out there. Don't get too stressed about thinking 4lb is too light. Most of the braids overtest (probably to factor in knot weaknesses). I'd challenge you to take a length of braid between your hands and gradually load it up until it breaks. Bet you will cut your hands before it breaks. Often enough 4lb will break at more than double that.

A couple of things to think about. Ideally get an experienced SP mentor for the first few times as it will shortcut the learning process. If you can't then:

  •  to start, don't fish stupidly light lures (less than 1/8oz) as you start to get casting knots (bird's nests)
  • learn a main line to leader knot and try to avoid swivels.
  • get some help putting the braid on the reel for the first time. You will want to use mono backing to stop the line slipping on the spool and to bulk it up for optimum casting.
  • keep in contact with the lure as much as you can.
  • don't high stick the rod (if you don't know the term look it up). Fight a fish with a nice arc in the rod and let the tip absorb the shocks and the base of the rod take the load
  • learn to play a fish and not muscle it. Use the lift and then wind technique. Don't lock down the drag as it protects your line from snapping under load.
  • graphite rods bruise. Don't let them bang around. I store mine in a case.
  • graphite rods conduct electricity. Watch power lines and stay away from lightning.
  • do persist but don't be too optimistic. I do get donut days but I find in general the quality (size) of fish I get on plastic are better than I get on bait.

When I am teaching someone at the very least I want 4 hours of their time and I prefer 8 if I can. We cover gear selection, line and leaders and knots, lure choice, casting techniques, different retrieves, playing and landing the fish. Once it all comes together you can apply what you learn to other aspects of your fishing. What I am trying to say is there is a lot to learn so don't be discouraged if you are not a natural at it when you start off.

My 2-4kg outfit probably gives me the most fun from all my outfits and it is what I would choose if I could only fish with one rod for the rest of my life.

Regards,

Derek

 

Thanks for the reccomendations, I will check them out. Do these come in combos or are they seperate because I was looking for combos but I am willing to buy the rods and reels speerately.

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