ABU GARCIA, DAIWA, SHIMANO or PENN ???

Hi everyone,

I’m relatively a newbie in this forum and I’m glad to have discovered this wonderful fishing forum in malaysia. Well a little about myself before I start off my question here, I’m a newbie in fishing but been fishing the old school ways many years back and now wanted to pick up some seriousness in fishing these days (got poisoned I guess.. hahaha).

For a start, I’m trying to get myself a new set of fishing equipment for a start.. but am a little lost when it comes to which brand of spinning reels should I buy.. I’m looking at Abu Garcia, Daiwa, Shimano or Penn (alphabetical order not preferrence order). I couldn’t risk listening to the shop people as they would just tell you which is good when they wanted to push that product (hope you all know what I mean).

So to all the “sifu’s” around.. mind to give me some guidance… it would be utmost appreciated for any piece of advise given… Thanks everyone in advance.

“Melvin Learns To Fish” [:p]

Mel - welcome to the forum - I am sure that you will have a good time.

As for your request for information and guidance, you need to provide more details first before your new friends can help you.

  1. What type of fishing do you want to do ? - freshwater, payponds, sea fishing ? etc.

  2. What kind of a budget are you looking at for rod, reel, line, and bits and pieces like hooks, lures, floats, etc.

I notice that you are in KL - there are a lot of shops to visit - but do not spend a cent until you are clear as to what you want to do. [:)]

correct .. =)

richie_huan@yahoo.com @ 0124901148

Lets go fishing and Tight lines brother !

(the contact above is strictly for pretty girls or people who is interested to go fishing only =)

Hi Mike,

Thanks a lot for replying my discussion topic… really appreciates it a lot bro… well.. first of all… I guess I’m more into sea fishing but sadly to say, the only place I’ve been to so far is port klang… lolz… brought there by a good friend of mine who is really a fishing enthusiast (my poison started from there I guess) hahaha… so currently been using his sets of equipments for the time being. So I guess it’s time to start getting my own stuffs now or anytime sooner.. lolz.

  1. I will prefer sea fishing if possible but I don’t mind spending time on fresh water fishing cos as I guess all of you from KL will face the same problem as me I guess, which is there are not much places nearby klang valley to actually go for fishing (according to my knowledge as I’m only been in KL for almost 3 years).

  2. As for my budget, I don’t mind spending anything “not exceeding” RM3k for a start (inclusive of rod, reel, line and etc)

Your last piece of advice is truly useful for newbie like me as I don’t really like to listen to what the shops say as I know they will push more on the products which they want to sell or “to get rid off” so I’m not really rushing into anything at the moment. Just starting to survey around to see what good stuffs I can find… lolz.

At this current moment, I’m looking closely (as in surveying) on Abu Garcia’s Soron STX 70.

As for Shimano’s spinning reels, there are too many models and I’m really confused but am looking at Shimano Baitrunner 6000, SPHEROS 14000, Stradic 2500, Sensilite MG 4000 (confusing man !!!) lolx.

As for Daiwa, totally blank.. lol.. but am using friend’s DAIWA FREAMS 4500J (any good recommendations on DAIWA spinning reels ?)

“Melvin Learns To Fish”

Hey there LuckyFisherman,

Thanks for the reply, really appreciated it a lot.. and sure I’ll tag along for fishing trips bro… I’ve got your contacts and you’ll be hearing from soon ya (ehh.. strictly for pretty girls and people who wanna go fishing only arr ??? Like that when I want to bring you along to go hunting for pretty girls can call or not ??? LOLz.. just kidding bro !!!)

By the way, are you from KL too ???

“Melvin Learns To Fish” [:p]

Looks like we are both up early on a Saturday morning ! Anyway, I normally do this as a visit to the many tackle shops for breakfast is on the agenda for today.

Rm3K is a large budget for a start - but in your case, with Salt Water fishing ( boat fishing ? ), and your looking at KL ponds as well - you may want to consider 2 sets so that you can maximize your fun in both areas. A typical set for the ponds ( saltwater or fresh payponds - you have a choice of both in / near KL )would be significantly lighter than what you are currently looking at for the sea.

I do not have an Abu Soron - but have used the cheaper Abu Sargus SG 4000 when fishing for large siakaps ( 8+ kg ) in Bangkok. Light, the drag performed as it should - felt good. Your Soron probably will perform even better - and will take the salt water as well.

Regarding reels - do not overlook the Shimano Baitrunners - these are good and tough reels with the added advantage of a choice of 2 drags - making it convenient if bottom fishing with the rod in a holder etc. I was using a 6000 for the huge Pla Buks in Bangkok - absolutely no problems, but we will be hard pressed to find similar sized fresh water fish over here.

As for rods, I have a preference for older model US made rods - but I have been severely " teased " for this by friends who have bought newer models made in China. From what I can see - they may have a point - maybe I am still thinking like a dinosaur ! My favorites are St. Croix and Fenwick, with the odd Fin Nor thrown in for freshwater ponds.

Have a look around - with your budget, quality should not be a problem as you will be able to cover most of the bigger brands.

Happy fishing ! [:)]

I am from Penang actually but I am now in Kl because of my studies .. Been here for 2 years already =) Having exam soon thus fishing is impossible for me now =( but luckily my exam is finishing soon d .. next week on saturday I am a free bird to go fishing .. Maybe we can go fishing together at that time haha !

As for your reels and rods, I agreed with what mike said .. getting two set is a really good idea .. For the first set, get a light one .. maybe around size 2000 reel .. as for the second one, get a big heavy duty one for the open seas like shimano stella 4000 .. that way I am sure you would be having a lot more fun haha .. as for lines, 15-20 pound for the light set and 30-40 pound for the heavier one ..

To be honest I am not really familiar with the spinning reel scene, thus I can’t be giving you proper advises .. But there is a single advise I can give you is that to budget yourself .. If I were in your situation with 3K to spend, I would spend 1K on the light set, 1K on the heavy duty set, another 1K for accessories such as bags, lines, pliers, hooks, rapalas and etc …

But at the end of the day to be realistic, heavy duty set is not really that useful .. At times I would just usually go to pay ponds or just like you go to port klang .. The fishes that we caught usually seldom exceed 5kg, thus it is safe to say that a really good light set with 20 pound line should prove to be more than safe haha !

In conclusion, it is up to you .. If you think you would go out to the ocean often (eg: taking 4 days 3 nights trip catching tuna and gt) then you could consider a heavy set .. If not then a heavy set is not advisable as you will for sure to just leave it rust at your house.

Cheers and all the best in buying your set .. A place that I would recommend you to go and buy your set is at Kepong Tackle .. It’s a big shop with many many choices and so far their price is not bad and quite cheap at times.

richie_huan@yahoo.com @ 0124901148

Lets go fishing and Tight lines brother !

(the contact above is strictly for pretty girls or people who is interested to go fishing only =)

Oh ya ! Please do bring me along when your going to hunt for pretty girls !!! I WANT I WANT I WANT to go also =D

richie_huan@yahoo.com @ 0124901148

Lets go fishing and Tight lines brother !

(the contact above is strictly for pretty girls or people who is interested to go fishing only =)

quote:
Originally posted by LuckyFisherman
Oh ya ! Please do bring me along when your going to hunt for pretty girls !!! I WANT I WANT I WANT to go also =D
[:0] *a-hem* [:(]

[:p]

Don’t be sad .. You are always welcomed to join us =D

richie_huan@yahoo.com @ 0124901148

Lets go fishing and Tight lines brother !

(the contact above is strictly for pretty girls or people who is interested to go fishing only =)

" Abu Sargus SG 4000 "

Oops ! … I meant the Penn ! Sorry.[:o)]

Dear Mike and LuckyFisherman,

Thanks a lot for those valueable advises… went to “Kepong Tackle” on that Sat (5th June) morning after I woke up… lots of stuffs to see there indeed… Lolz.. got so overly tempted with all the stuffs there but luckily I brought friends along who could actually asked me to think twice before I pull cash out from my pocket. Hahaha… :slight_smile:

Now I’ve confirmed on Abu “Soron STX 70” after tested it in “Kepong Tackle” and the price sounded fair. (RM 4++) I would like to listen more on “Shimano” spinning reels but unfortunately I couldn’t find a “Shimano” fanatic around to give me an advice or two… I had also looked on the Daiwa reels… phew.. so many models… hahaha.. made my head spinning the other day. Those staffs working there ain’t giving any much of a help either cos when I’ve asked them which is good and any recommendations on Daiwa.. they showed me few models and told me “you suka lor” (wtf !!!) Not much of any help there… lol

I’ve also saw the rod I think I will buy, It’s a Tenyu 7ft made in Japan rod (cost almost RM 1k) and it looks nice to me… hahaha.. :stuck_out_tongue: I’ve checked out the “Shimano”, “Ugly Stik”, “Abu Garcia”, “Berkley”, “Daiwa” rods… too many to choose from.. headache again.. hahaha.. didn’t saw any “Fenwick” rods. Any tips in choosing a good rod please ???

Speaking of 2 sets, bright idea, but in the first place I was thinking of getting 2 sets too but my 2 sets setup will be something like this (correct me if I’m wrong here):

  1. Spinning reels (4000 - 6000) [I think "Soron STX 70 should fall in this category as it looks big enough]

  2. Spinning reels (10,000 - 20,000) [For future “deep sea” fishing purposes]

Reasons are because I think that any 4000 series reels can be an all rounder for everything right (big fish, small fish) ??? The second set of 10k and above series is for going into * “deep sea” which I will only buy in the future as that is very expensive game to play. Please correct me if I’m thinking wrongly here.. hahaha.. thanks in advance :slight_smile:

Now here’s the confusing part for myself, my fellow fishing friend also says the same thing as both Mike and LuckyFisherman, get a smaller set like 2000 series spinning reels. I understand that we don’t get any fishes exceed 5kg most of the time when fishing in KL but doesn’t the 4000-6000 series reels like “Soron” already can do the job even for small fishes ??? Probably the only thing I don’t get is the fun of fighting the fish when I got a 500g - 2kg fishes using such big reels (4000-6000 series reels) as I’ve experienced that even when I caught a 1.5kg fish in port klang the other day, I easily bring up the fish without any hassle with the “Daiwa Freams 4500 J”.

  • Mike, my salt water fishing refers to fishing in the sea like boat fishing usually done somewhere near Port Klang especially at around Pulau Ketam, West Port Wharf and some places which I don’t even know cos we were brought by the boater to fish around in their boats. Those “deep sea” fishing like going miles of nautica off the water hunting for GT is still not my game as it is not cheap.. hahaha… :slight_smile: Oh yea, KL pond will be a very very rare scene for me as my fellow fishing kaki don’t like fishing in the ponds… hahaha.. they prefer boat fishing but since I’m in KL, I probably will visit that once in a blue moon I guess… hahaha.. :slight_smile:

LuckyFisherman, send me your photo first.. If you’re good looking then I’ll not bring you along when hunting for girls.. hahaha.. later I’ve got no “kang tao”.. but if you’re too ugly.. I wouldn’t bring you along either… cos you’ll just be like the dolphins I encounter on my fishing trip last sunday, scaring all the fishes away !!!

Hahaha.. just kidding bro !!! :stuck_out_tongue:

Cheers.

“Melvin Learns To Fish”

bro .. you can try going tow foo and u can have fun for sure .. that is what i can assure you .. a 5kg pacu will make ur day haha ! I’m planning to go on this weekend .. want to join ?? =)

richie_huan@yahoo.com @ 0124901148

Lets go fishing and Tight lines brother !

(the contact above is strictly for pretty girls or people who is interested to go fishing only =)

Yes, I have a few friends who also do not like fishing on land … but they tend to be the minority. Most of them now do both - the convenience of picking up their stuff, and heading for a place to fish, chin wag, light eats and having a few drinks, home before dinner with the family, etc. is more common. Think properly about this one - if not, you will be looking for your second set faster than you think !

Your current choice of a 7000 series will cover most fishing in the areas you mentioned. On my part, I use 4000 up to a 6000 series ( Shimano Baitrunners mainly ) Where I need even more power and more line capacity - I use a multiplier - but this is a cheapee as it has very low use in a year.

Happy spending !

Have a look at the cheap sales now going on in some of the larger importers - they look as though they are clearing old models in time for new shipments. What they have on offer may not be attractive to some, but like I said, my preference is for the older well tested models - just shows my age lah ! [:D]

Mike,

who what where when having sale? [:p]

Check your monthly local fishing magazine - TCE right now, and SEA tackle in July.[:)]

tested models are always better than newer ones cause its proven already =)

richie_huan@yahoo.com @ 0124901148

Lets go fishing and Tight lines brother !

(the contact above is strictly for pretty girls or people who is interested to go fishing only =)

quote:
Originally posted by Mike
Check your monthly local fishing magazine - TCE right now, and SEA tackle in July.[:)]

Thanks very much, Mike !

Have FUN, but remember the 20 second rule - don’t hold anything for longer than 20 seconds if you want to avoid buying it.[:D]

LuckyFisherman,

Bro.. what is “tow foo” ??? Where are you going again on previous weekend ??? 5kg pacu ??? Lolz… blur here.. explain plz dude.. :slight_smile:

Cheers :stuck_out_tongue:

Melvin Learns To Fish [:p]