Which rod n reel?

[AndyNuttall1981]

Right. Decided I'm going to get into this plugging lark next year so, what rods n reels do people recommend?
Don't really want to be spending more than £150 for both so forget the red things! lol
Would rather get a decent rod n reel but, not over the top and then I got more money to spend on plugs, braid, lure bag etc.
Oh, I 'll mainly be using the rod for surface lures. Was looking at the Mike Ladle Sure Popper £88 from veals.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[TerryG]

I started out with and still use sometimes a shimano travel rod and a shimano exage 4000 reel, ideal for plugging and think I got both for around the 100 quid mark,I take these down to Cornwall on my hols, my reels loaded with braid and you can't beat the old storm chug bug as your lure you could get away with a carp rod if your just giving it a whirl though

[Rushy]

If you're mainly planning on topwater plugging (the best in my opinion, beware though... once sampled there's no going back, nothing else compares) you need a rod around the 8-9ft length and fairly fast actioned

The SavageGear Bushwhacker 8ft 10-40g is a popular choice and is priced around £65
http://www.veals4carp.com/3445/SavageGe ... 40865.html


A bit pricier is the Teklon Concept 802ML 8' - 10-40gm around £120
https://www.veals.co.uk/acatalog/Spinning.html .....a good all rounder

Henry raves about it....
http://www.henry-gilbey.com/blog/this_n ... ecial.html


Then there's the budget end but still a decent starter rod for all round plugging/spinning...the Ron Thompson Tyran range 8ft 10-30g & around £35 http://www.gerrysfishing.com/spinning-a ... 95-74-.php ...the shorter 8ft version is better than the longer 9ft one which is a bit 'whippy'....


Reels wise, in my opinion you can't go wrong with a Shimano 4000 size spinning reel. How much you want to spend is up to you. Personally I've got the Shimano Exage 4000 and it's served me well for 4yrs though others have said theirs have packed up after a season or two. Price around £60
http://www.castaway-tackle.co.uk/2049/S ... gn=pid2049

There are dearer Shimano's, depends what your budget is. Any 4000 size fixed spool will get you started though

[rains]

i have bought both of mine on ebay, new greys multisection 15-45g 10' travel spin rod (£65) and shimano seido 4000(£40). I thought of 2 piece rod but i am more a bait then lure angler at moment hence a travel rod. My Combi works fine but tried the 'red' rod the other day... emmm you certainly get what you pay . Even better if you have a cashconverter nearby..go look for bargain new reels there.

[TerryG]

Had a look at the RT Tyran at gerrys this morning, these come in 8ft, 9ft and 10ft and look good value for money, I would take a punt on this rod Andy

[AndyNuttall1981]

Thanks for the advice lads. Sneaked off to Gerry's this morning while the boss was still in bed and bought a 9ft Tyran for £35. Would've liked to get an Exage 4000 too but, sadly they had none in stock.
Apparently it's the Shimano show thingy this week where they release all the new models so, hopefully in the next 2 weeks or so, they'll have some reels in stock for me to choose from.
Failing that, there's always the good old faithful e-bay. lol

Still can't decide on front or rear drag although I'm leaning towards rear.

Cheers lads.

[Rushy]

I've a rear drag Shimano exage 4000 and while it's served me well and I've had no problems with it, I think I'd get a front drag next time.
The considered wisdom is that rear drag reels are more suited for freshwater fishing and the front drag are a little more robust for the saltwater environment.

[AndyNuttall1981]

Cheers for the advice Rushy. Thinking about getting a Shimano Sienna 4000FD for £35.
No point spending too much at the moment til I start getting into it. Then I might treat myself. Picked up an IMAX waist bag this afternoon for £25 so, all I need now are a few poppers, some braid and the job's sorted!

[TerryG]

Nice 1 Andy, won't be much time to try for the bass mate but if you want to try them out have a crack at the pike and get some practice in for next season

[benhben]

I have the 8ft Grauvell Teklon Concept Spin 10-40gm. Lovely Rod, especially good for jigging soft plastics and topwaters.

Depends what you want, if you want control over lures such as jigging softies or working topwaters then 8ft is ideal, if your more interested in casting distance go for 9 or 10ft.

As for reel I have a Shimano Stradic 4000FI. Its an American model. don't know if there available over here in numbers. Was 125 quid, but its as smooth now as when I bought it 3 years ago. Its also got a waterproof drag so corrosion shouldnt get to the drag bearings.

I think a decent reel is more important than a decent rod. Its simply impossible to fish lures effectively with a grindy jerky old reel.