New to fishing and need some equipment advice.

altairscreed

Hi lads/ladies, I only started fishing recently using a rod borrowed from a friend, I had some good craic and reckon I've found a new hobby for life, anyway, I'm looking to buy myself a rod, reel and all the other bits that I need to get started problem is I have no idea really what to go for, I'll mainly be fishing from a beech in Courtown but also occasionally go out on a boat.

The rod I had borrowed from my friend was a 390cm rod which is around the size I'll be looking for, I don't really know what sort of reel or line I'll be wanting to go with the rod tho hence the reason I'm asking you guys

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

altairscreed

Here are a few of the rods I have been looking at online.
http://fishingtackledirect.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_78&product_id=197

http://fishingtackledirect.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_78&product_id=334

http://fishingtackledirect.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_78&product_id=206

catastrophy

Budget would be a deciding factor (for me anyway). What are you willing to spend? Lots of cheap gear on the market, some far better than others.

altairscreed

catastrophy wrote: »

Budget would be a deciding factor (for me anyway). What are you willing to spend? Lots of cheap gear on the market, some far better than others.

I'm hoping to get the rod and reel for €100 or less

.red.

altairscreed wrote: »

I'm hoping to get the rod and reel for €100 or less

im not trying to be smart but you wont get a decent rod and reel new for €100. Youll get plenty that will do the job but wont last, especially the reel and youll be buying again.
Best advise is to wait and save up a bit more, or better again go down the 2nd hand route. Plenty of bargains to be had on nearly new gear.
ive never been in but the lads in courtown angling are highly thought of. Pop into them and have a chat to see what they can offer.

altairscreed

.red. wrote: »

im not trying to be smart but you wont get a decent rod and reel new for €100. Youll get plenty that will do the job but wont last, especially the reel and youll be buying again.
Best advise is to wait and save up a bit more, or better again go down the 2nd hand route. Plenty of bargains to be had on nearly new gear.
ive never been in but the lads in courtown angling are highly thought of. Pop into them and have a chat to see what they can offer.

Thanks for the reply, I was only in there around an hour ago, he had a 15 foot rod with a reel which he said the cheapest he could let it go for is €120, he said the rod was very good quality for that price but I'd probably want to upgrade the reel in the future if I was fishing a lot. I know €100 isn't a lot but I didn't want to go too crazy after only a few outings, I'll probably end up getting that from the chap in Courtown.

.red.

altairscreed wrote: »

Thanks for the reply, I was only in there around an hour ago, he had a 15 foot rod with a reel which he said the cheapest he could let it go for is €120, he said the rod was very good quality for that price but I'd probably want to upgrade the reel in the future if I was fishing a lot. I know €100 isn't a lot but I didn't want to go too crazy after only a few outings, I'll probably end up getting that from the chap in Courtown.

Can you remember what makes/models they were? Ive got 2 15ft rods and love using them. Others dont like them as much. Some people find them floppy and akward but like i said, i love using mine.
If you are going with them haggle like mad. Ask for everything and anything thrown in. They will probably tell you where to go at first but you might get a spool of line, a lead or 2 or a few traces thrown in. Speak to Joe and ask him any questions you might have. Hes one of the best anglers in the country and is supposed to be one of the nicest guys you could meet. He wont steer you wrong.

catastrophy

To be fair that's not a bad budget for a rod alone. But a reel as well? If you spend it on both now you'll regret it later.

Go second hand if you can.

One thing I neglected for years was comfort. You might laugh now but it's make all the difference. So a low budget and a hobby for life don't mix, lol.

Spend the money on a decent rod and keep borrowing a reel, then when funds permit, get a new reel.

Pick up a sea angling magazine and have a look at the catalogues with it. You'll get a good idea of what's available at your price point.

Most importantly though, enjoy it.

altairscreed

Thanks for the advice lads I think I'll go with the Rod and Reel combo for €120 in Courtownangling I'll try haggle him down a bit more but I don't think he even wanted to go that low in the first place.If needs be I can up my budget a little but as .red. said the guy in there (Joe) is supposed to be sound so I don't think he'd try sell me something that's not going to suit my needs.

.red.

local shops owners will know that you dont have much of a clue when your a newbie buying gear for the first time. If he sells you junk or something unsuitable your not likely to come back again.
give a fella a bargain and a wealth of advise to go with it and he will be back over and over again. Angling can be addictive, buying shiny new gear is even more so. if you enjoy yourself and keep it up he'll make enough money off ya in the long run to make up for what he doesnt make on your first purchase lol.

catastrophy

.red. wrote: »

local shops owners will know that you dont have much of a clue when your a newbie buying gear for the first time. If he sells you junk or something unsuitable your not likely to come back again.
give a fella a bargain and a wealth of advise to go with it and he will be back over and over again. Angling can be addictive, buying shiny new gear is even more so. if you enjoy yourself and keep it up he'll make enough money off ya in the long run to make up for what he doesnt make on your first purchase lol.

wise words, Ive spent almost as much on terminal tackle as I have done on rods.

.red.

catastrophy wrote: »

wise words, Ive spent almost as much on terminal tackle as I have done on rods.

Did you purchase?

altairscreed

.red. wrote: »

Did you purchase?

Hey dude yeah I picked up my rod yesterday, it's a Grauvell Mc Surf evolution and the reel is Avalon pro surf 6500, I ended up getting it for €100 with some weights and hooks so I'm happy with it at that. I was out for around 4 hours yesterday evening and just managed to land one dogfish which was a bit of slap back down to earth after the previous weeks where I caught 6 one week and 8 the next week :pac:

.red.

The smoothies will arrive in numbers shortly and youll have good sport with that rod.
Just a bit of advise for ya tho, the lower end grauvell rods are fantastic and great value but the eyes tend to be not brilliant. They break easily so be carefull around rocks. Mind them and they will last years tho.
Make sure after you cast out and set the rod on the tripod that you loosen the drag a little, just enough so you can pull line off it by hand but not so much that the tide can pull it. If you dont and a big fish takes the bait while your back is turned itll get pulled over and head towards the water. Just remember to tighten it again before you reel in and cast out. It takes a little practice to remember to do this but after a while it becomes second nature.
Another tip is when you turn the handle, the spool moves up and down(obviously), when casting have the spool as low as possible, this puts less pressure on the reel and can make it last a lot longer. If that doesnt make sense at first think about it when the reel is in your hand and it should do.
Good luck and tight lines.

altairscreed

.red. wrote: »

The smoothies will arrive in numbers shortly and youll have good sport with that rod.
Just a bit of advise for ya tho, the lower end grauvell rods are fantastic and great value but the eyes tend to be not brilliant. They break easily so be carefull around rocks. Mind them and they will last years tho.
Make sure after you cast out and set the rod on the tripod that you loosen the drag a little, just enough so you can pull line off it by hand but not so much that the tide can pull it. If you dont and a big fish takes the bait while your back is turned itll get pulled over and head towards the water. Just remember to tighten it again before you reel in and cast out. It takes a little practice to remember to do this but after a while it becomes second nature.
Another tip is when you turn the handle, the spool moves up and down(obviously), when casting have the spool as low as possible, this puts less pressure on the reel and can make it last a lot longer. If that doesnt make sense at first think about it when the reel is in your hand and it should do.
Good luck and tight lines.

Thanks again for the advice red, I understand what you're saying about the spool so I'll try to keep that in mind.:)