Have to start somewhere... and this looks like a fine place.

[TragicMagic]

Hello gentlemen, and perhaps the occasional lady.

My name's Terry. I'm 28 years old. I like long walks on the - er, wait, wrong website.

I started fishing for the first time, in a long time, last year. Got myself a fishing license and everything.
I bought my first rod and reel combo from Walmart, last year, for a little under $15. Already had line on it too. Nice!
The rod is a 6'6", medium action, Shakespeare "Mantis" of fiberglass construction (I believe). The reel was also "Mantis", with the E-Z cast bail lever thing, which turned out to be a rather crappy feature. It broke. 4.9:1 ratio, no instant anti-reverse, and so on. Probably best if I shorten this by suggesting you think of what you'd get for $15.

On that note, I assume that like most things in life, fishing tackle is something to which the adage "you get what you pay for", is fitting.

I'm happy to report that I've upgraded my reel. Bought myself an Abu Garcia Cardinal 104i, 4 bearing, with an instant anti-reverse bearing, 5.1:1 ratio. It was $48 at Walmart. Kinda kicking myself in the behind since I found it at Bass Pro Shops for $10 less.

Regardless, I'm hoping that this was a fairly decent purchase, however uninformed it may have been. :evil: That was going to be my only major tackle purchase for the year. However, in Zone 17, Walleye opens up on the 15th. Two very good friends of mine and I are going to Sturgeon Lake, where one of their Uncle's is renting a cottage.
Thing is, I've never fished for Walleye. But I've talked to a few people who have, and they are suggesting that my Mantis isn't up to the task. Apparently, a light action graphite rod will make me A LOT more successful, as Walleye are not the easiest fish to detect, especially for the inexperienced angler.

So, I'm hoping that you guys could throw out a few suggestions around the $50 range for a respectable graphite rod. Probably a light or medium light action. Something sensitive yet strong, like me. I guess it could be something a little specialized, as I still have the Mantis with which I can fish for bass. Should I be concerned with the number of guides the rod has? The Mantis has 5. Metal ringed, not ceramic - which I was told is a good thing.
I'm also told to switch to braided line. The Berkely Fireline Crystal has very high ratings on the Bass Pro website, so I figured I'd go with that.

I reside in Brantford, and have mainly stuck to a few portions of the Grand River, and have made a handful of trips out to Waterford Ponds - for bass fishing, exclusively. 90% of my fishing is done from the banks of the Grand.

I'm looking forward to using this forum as a valuable resource for finding new fishing holes.

Thanks for your time,

TragicMagic

 

[bobbyb]

Welcome................. from a recent Newbie. Hey at least you've started on the fishermans journey - which is never look back.......lol............especially at the $$$ your going to spend.

Try this site for various tricks and techniques. (If I had a choice of anyone in the world I would fish with - he would be the "man" - Gary Roach)

Read the in depth articles - check out the various Rods - Not schilling for him or the site - but this guy is a legend. You will get an idea for rod matchup by reading the articles.

bobby

http://www.prolinefishing.net/mrwalleye/university.html

 

[PainInTheBass]

Welcome to the site and to the sport!

As far as gear (I consider myself a gear junkie), the cardinal is a nice little reel for the price. I bought one for my dad because I felt it was nice and smooth. The reason your friends may have suggested going with a graphite rod is that fibreglass rods have a slower or moderate action (they bend closer to the handle (fast rods bend closer to the tip). They are also generally heavier than graphite rods as well. The weight and action all play a role in rod sensitivity. Basically, the general consensus is that fibreglass rods are less sensitive than fibreglass equivalents.
As far as fibreglass rods in the $50 category, there are quite a few you can choose from. You can look at the bass pro extreme or tourney special rods. Berkley also has the lightning shock and amp series of rods which are decent. I actually just bought mygirlfriend's sister a berkley amp rod and a quantum array reel. The combo balances extremely nicely.
Otherwise, just look for something with im7 graphite. You can use im6 graphite, but it is slightly less sensitive.

Hope that helps!

 

[reefrunner]

Welcome to the site.

I don't think you would have a problem fishing with your current rod. My dad hs rods from the 60s and still does well. It's more about presentation and technique. I would spool up with some braid and you will feel the subtle walleye hits. Just my two cents, might save you a couple more. If you are set on getting a better rod for the application, I second teninchman's suggestions.

 

[efka]

welcome aboard, you doing good job doing research first before buying.
thats a good starter reel, can be very versatile.
as far as line goes, found that fire line is awesome for winter, not summer. better stick to power pro or spiderwire braids.
and rod under $50.... gonna stay loyal ... you cannot beat ugly stik . ugly stik lite 7' Medium would be my choice.

good luck

 

[TragicMagic]

I picked up the Berkley Lighting Rod Shock yesterday, model SHS662ML. It's a two-piece, which isn't ideal. But I have a little car, and don't want taking my rod with me to be a hassle. Also grabbed some 10# SpiderWire EZ Braid (3# equivalent diameter).

The rod had plenty of good reviews on BPS. So I'm hoping that this, too, wasn't a terrible purchase.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s..._104159_100002000_100000000_100002000_100-2-0

What I need to know, is if there is a special way of tying braided line onto the arbor? I'm not sure if the Arbor Knot I use for mono will suffice.

 

[efka]

I picked up the Berkley Lighting Rod Shock yesterday, model SHS662ML. It's a two-piece, which isn't ideal. But I have a little car, and don't want taking my rod with me to be a hassle. Also grabbed some 10# SpiderWire EZ Braid (3# equivalent diameter).

The rod had plenty of good reviews on BPS. So I'm hoping that this, too, wasn't a terrible purchase.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s..._104159_100002000_100000000_100002000_100-2-0

What I need to know, is if there is a special way of tying braided line onto the arbor? I'm not sure if the Arbor Knot I use for mono will suffice.

put some mono first, it will fill up the arbor allowing you to cast further.

 

[PainInTheBass]

What efka said. Braid, due to the material and coating, slips on the arbor. It has no stretch, so it can only get as tight as the diameter of the arbor. Mono stretches and will allow you to tighten the knot to the point where when relaxed, there is tension around the arbor. This, combined with the properties of the mon will allow it to not slip around the arbor. I always partially fill my spools with mono before putting braid on.

Conversely, you can use straight braid, but use a piece of electrical tape to tape the line to the arbor, preventing slip.

TIM

 

[TragicMagic]

Okay, thanks guys. In my research I found mention of both methods - using mono backing, or some kind of tape. I'm not certain how using the mono under the braid would affect my casts, however? Care to explain?

Tim, how do you connect your mono and braid lines together? I'm sure there's a crafty knot for that application.
Let me Google it...
Found this >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92R9F9ZNi2I

 

[efka]

if you spool your arbor fully your line will have less resistance while casting. its hard to do it perfect first time. But if i'm using anything less than 20lb braid i usually spool half arbor with any diameter mono then use uni knot and continue with the braid. make sure you follow spooling instructions in the package. trust me you don't want twisted braid on your gear.

 

[TragicMagic]

I've managed to get my rod, reel, and line together. I did about a half spool of mono backing, with 8lbs Trilene, then used the suggested uni-knots to attach that to my 10lbs SpiderWire braid. I gave the lines a good heave to see if the knots would give, or if a line would snap. I feel confident that it will hold up. Though its quite unlikely that I'll have that much line run off the spool.

Thanks everyone.

I'd post some pictures of the setup, but my sister borrowed my camera...

 

[efka]

good job man. you did it right and half the job is done, all is left is catch some fish.