Hey eveyone!! Allan from markham

[ALN]

Hey everyone just wanted to drop by and say hi to everyone here. I just started fishing a month or 2 ago!! I always wanted to fish but never knew where to go and how to get started. So I've spend alot of my time reading online and magazines. I finally got myself a rod a canadian tires and started my fishing life so far I caught 1 LM bass and a walleye! It's not much but it's my first catches. Ooo and alot of sunfish .

I'm also interested in home renos and aquariums. And have 3 tanks at home. 1 saltwater and 2 freshwater.

I'll post some pictures of my catches asap

my first LM bass

 

[ALN]

found out this is the rod i got as a gift from my gf,

http://www.canadiantire.com/AST/browse/5/SportsRec/Fishing/Rods/PRDOVR~0786995P/Abu+Garcia+Saphire+Crest+Spin+Combo.jsp?locale=en

can anyone tell me if its any good? can i use this for salmon also? or will it snap?

 

[RedSkullz]

Hello allan
Welcome to the site and to fishin'!
Be proud of that walleye!! Many guys have to travel wayyyy up north to catch walleye!

Reading online and mags is a great way to learn techniques and habits of the different fish you'll be targeting.(plus it'll save you from asking a million questions that is general knowledge to us fishin' vets)

As for the rod- Abu Garcia makes very good rods and reels in my opinion. I have a few of the Abu Specialist combos, which would be the next combo down from your saphire combo. Ive had my first specialist combo for about 4-5 years now and it has been a great, great rod/reel for me. Ive caught huge 6lb bass, pike to 8-9 pounds, rainbow trout to 10 lbs on it and never had an issue. And its not a combo i only use twice a year. The specialist is my primary rod for bass, trout, walleye. Right now i have one of my specialist combos spooled with 20 pound braid line and use it for ripping big bass out of thick weed cover. If the medium light specialist combos can do that, i have no doubt that your medium action 7' rod can do the same.
I do unassemble the reels every season and oil the bearings and grease the gears though. Also if i drop the reel in the water i will dry it out then re-oil and grease. However for salmon, pike or muskie i highly suggest you get something stronger. Salmon are huge and powerful fish, and you'll want a rod with some length to give you leverage to overpower the fish.

 

[fisher12]

Welcome, I've been trying to catch some bigger fish but most of the fish I've caught have been small.
I started last Summer. I wish I could get a walleye.

 

[ALN]

Thanks redskullz for the input! The first rod I got was a bit flexible but ways only 20$ is it normal for abu garica rods to be a bit stiffer? I'll see if I can get come comparison photos.

 

[NADO]

I dont know how you guys make those specialist combos last, every time I get it the drag goes after a month or 30 or so bass and bass dont even pull much drag unless they are 4lbs+. For a starting reel I think the combo you got is great, for a guy like RedSkullz who owns a boat and catches 20 bass on a regular basis I cant for the life of me understand why he would use that LOL! But I guess if it gets the job done it gets the job done, after a year or two you will likely want something a little higher end with more sensetivity and smoother drag.

 

[diggyj]

Welcome and get out and fish hard, summer is coming to an end fast...

As for the rod combo, I have never owned any ABU's so I can't comment, but for a $100 I would say it is pretty decent.

Dirk

 

[ALN]

I dont know how you guys make those specialist combos last, every time I get it the drag goes after a month or 30 or so bass and bass dont even pull much drag unless they are 4lbs+. For a starting reel I think the combo you got is great, for a guy like RedSkullz who owns a boat and catches 20 bass on a regular basis I cant for the life of me understand why he would use that LOL! But I guess if it gets the job done it gets the job done, after a year or two you will likely want something a little higher end with more sensetivity and smoother drag.

Lmaooo I was wondering to, and read something about medium rods being stiff and such but yah surely will upgrade in the further any good recommendation? To keep note as when I got buying again

 

[RedSkullz]

I dont know how you guys make those specialist combos last, every time I get it the drag goes after a month or 30 or so bass and bass dont even pull much drag unless they are 4lbs+. For a starting reel I think the combo you got is great, for a guy like RedSkullz who owns a boat and catches 20 bass on a regular basis I cant for the life of me understand why he would use that LOL! But I guess if it gets the job done it gets the job done, after a year or two you will likely want something a little higher end with more sensetivity and smoother drag.

I dont own a boat (well i do own a canoe with a 2hp motor), but i do fish ALOT. Next year i am upping my game and getting some better quality gear, but for years i have done very well with crappy gear. Hell, i even stand up to pros in the tourneys with my crappy $40-60 combos!! I consistantly go toe to toe with my buddy that i fish tourneys with and the specialists are my better quality rods!(berkley rhino anyone? LOL) I personally think quality gear are just tools. It takes much more than a $300 rod/reel combo to catch fish! I have 3 garcia specialist combos, and they have treated me very well. One of them i have 20lb braid on it and i horse big bass out of the thick stuff all summer with no issues. I've pulled probably 200 bass this season out of the slop on the specialist with 20lb power pro. All 3 combos have landed rainbows over 10 pounds. Not once in the 3 combos i have bought has there been any issues at all. The secret to keeping them running well is maintenance! Greasing the gears and oiling the bearings each season (twice in a season if i am fishing hard) goes a long way in keeping it like new! One of my garcia combos is over 5 years old now and running like the day it was new!!
If you want to show me how the pros do it with your high end combos, lmk. I'm always up for a challenge!
But yeah NADO- you are absolutely right. For the amount of fishing i do, i really do need better quality gear, especially since i am getting into more and more of the tournament angling.
Really the only reason i havent switched to high end gear is money. If i have an extra grand to go out and buy 4-5 combos i certainly would! You make due with what you can afford.(looks out of corner of eye to tackles box with $3-4000 in it...lol)

 

[ALN]

Lmaooo soo true!!! Money is always the issue!! I now have. 14 lb line and your making debate in going back and getting the 20lb ones lmaoo I would love to fight bass in weeds!

If you dont mind can you post up or pm me in how you maintaining your rod??so I have a reference that at least what I'm doing is right. I'd love to keep my rods as good as new also, even if they are 30-40$ rods. A rod is a rod

 

[RedSkullz]

Lmaooo soo true!!! Money is always the issue!! I now have. 14 lb line and your making debate in going back and getting the 20lb ones lmaoo I would love to fight bass in weeds!

If you dont mind can you post up or pm me in how you maintaining your rod??so I have a reference that at least what I'm doing is right. I'd love to keep my rods as good as new also, even if they are 30-40$ rods. A rod is a rod

For sure...for spinning rods all you need to do is grease the reel gears, and bearings. First take the spool off and you'll see a nut with a set screw beside the nut. Take the screw out and loosen the nut(reverse thread) and make sure you dont lose the screw. Pay attention to where the screw comes from. The take the back plate off(on the heel of the reel). Remove the handle of the reel. Unscrew 4 screws on the sideplate and remove the sideplate. You'll see all the gears inside. Take a tube of litlhium grease and squeeze it out of the tube trying to get it in between the gears. Manually turn the bail a bit and apply a bit more until the gears are well covered. Also put some grease on the small rod.
On the inside of the side plate you will see a small bearing. Put a few drops of good quality oil and manually turn the bearing. Put the reel back together and apply a few drops of oil into the reel handle hole on the other side where there is no way to access the bearing. Done deal.

This is the take down for a specialist reel.....yours might be slightly different. Most reels are slightly different from other ones. Some wont have a back plate...ect

I'd look at utube for video on different reels....probably some there i bet!