recommended setups?

1

let’s heat things up here a little shall we? [:D]
(controversial topic)</font id=“size1”></font id=“purple”>

DISCLAIMER

1.this thread is created for Kino and newbies who have just started to indulge in this ‘disease’ of sorts that we call tackle buying/shopping! a rough guide to getting started… it should act as a GUIDE, and only a guide, written by fishos and not a holy book where it is the ultimate truth.

2.it is hoped that all forummers can help to participate to expand the write-up. i shall be updating this thread from time to time as long as there are new recommendations deemed fit by majority

3.to participate, just type in:

  1. the name</font id=“red”> of the product with
  2. estimated price</font id=“red”>:no exact prices pls, just give a range e.g RM150-200 +/- etc
  3. pros</font id=“red”>: e.g light, powerful drag, good line-laying etc
  4. cons</font id=“red”>: e.g wobbly, cheap or plasticky feel, rust etc
  5. suitable usage</font id=“red”>: e.g light inshore, offshore, freshwater,Peacock Bass, Haruan, Toman, casting, bottom, live-baiting etc etc

4.this thread is not intended to boost sales of certain products or any (possible) affiliates

  1. responds are best if author has a personal experience with the mentioned product

  2. KISS</font id=“red”>: K</font id=“red”>eep I</font id=“red”>t S</font id=“red”>hort & S</font id=“red”>imple. you can debate the products if you think that they are wrongly portrayed, and the list will be updated

  3. ‘lemons’ or poorly made products can be mentioned anywhere within the constraints of this thread, but will not make the list as the intention is not to degrade a product, but to recommend a fairly good buy for a beginner.

  4. parties interested in a certain product are encouraged to use the PM(private messaging) to contact the intended person, or just post the question at the correct forum. there are tackle retailer/tackleshop forums here namely Tacklebox,JD Artac, JT fishing, PAW, Akapiman, Rapala, etc

now to get the ball rolling…

1.REELS

2.RODS

3.LINES

4.LURES

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/FYRTYGR/FTlogo.jpg[/IMG]

http://longkanggang.blogspot.com/

WAR: it’s not about who’s RIGHT, it’s about who’s LEFT

2

hahaha..it is real?dedicated for me an d all newbie out there?huhuhu..im flattered..thanks bro FT

3

wow.. now only noticed there’s a thread like this… should i be creating new topics on a particular reel/rod or just put my reviews here?

  • Team BKT - U4 2006 *

Fishing & TKSS… http://www.fishingkopitiam.com

4

anything you like bro Chun..you can make this thread a ‘benefit instrument’ to people like me..put ur review or any new topics regarding on reels and rods..and also a suitable leader. what is the best combo for reels and rods for the beginners like me..

cheers!

5

hi kino.

if u r totally new to fishing, n this would be your first rod n reel set, i’d suggest that u keep your budget to below RM100.

then again, it’s most important to identify what type of fishing u’ll be doing most, coz there’s hardly a setup that can be used for all situations.

so, first things to do are to:

identify how passionate u r about fishing. if this is gonna be a serious, long-term hobby of yours, then u can invest in something a bit better n a bit costlier at the same time. (identifying your passion is important because we wouldn’t want u to spent a lot of money on equipment n end up only using it less than 3 times a year, or let it sit in the store room for a few years)

identify what type of fishing u’d probably be doing most. (a lot of times, this also depends on your fishing kakis, if u have a gang of them. if all of u go saltwater fishing most, or only enjoy going haruan hunting, or well… some other type of fishing, then it’s important to get equipment that will suit your type of fishing interest)

set a rough budget as to how much u are willing to spend. if RM80 is your budget, dun fret, there are a lot of options out there nowadays that dun cost mush for beginners. if u plan to set a higher budget like maybe RM200-RM300, u could get something that’s really good for a beginner (maybe too good for a beginner, in my opinion. although, if u get something better, u could use it still even after you’re experienced…)

look at more than (just) one tackle shop. going around to a few shops gives u a wider range of options to fit your budget. Not to mention probably better deals.

Hmmm… I think it’s best u answer the above few questions for us so that everybody can give u better, more specific advice

Just to let u know, i’m also considered a beginner compared to all the expert sifus here on mfn forum. i only got a couple of years experience. Let me tell u, u dun necessarily have to spend big bucks to get good gear that will catch u fish. when i started fishing (freshwater - wild ponds, lakes, rivers, etc.), my first set up cost me only about RM50. I still use it once in a while even though i have about 7 rods and 8 reels now. it’s all about choosing the best out of the cheaper gear.

i caught a lot of 1 kilo+ fish with my first set up. and until today my first setup caught me my fav catch - 1.5kg ketutu/soon hock… (favourtie coz of the taste… hehe)

6

In my humble opinion, a beginner should identify/do the followings:

1] As far as possible loan/borrow/beg/steal gears from fishos who is trying to poison them before indulging into any buying as per what nyamaoan have mentioned, they do not know whether they will catch the dreaded fishing bug or not. No point spending even a single sen if they are immune to the bug as even the cheapest elcheapo will be left gathering dust.

2] If they ever catches the dreaded bug, then go scouting around, ask opinions from terminally poisoned fishos [fishos who have the dreaded bug implanted so deep that they have reach the point of no return lio], advises from tackle shop owners [at your own risk] so that they can collate all these info and hopefully comes to a conclusion of what is gonna be best for them.

3] Armed with these conclusions, newbies will next dig into their pocket to find out how deep their hands budget can go. Try to get the BEST gears to suit the budget [Warning: This is the point where they will be subjected to the more potent/dangerous tackle shop bug</font id=“red”>]. Try to get something average and not be enticed by the wide variety of toys that are camo as fishing gears out there.</font id=“purple”>

Born To Golf
Live To Fish
Forced To Work

7

Very good advice sincerely given above … but you must also watch out for the " nice to have pitfall "

Some of us are targets for every new release from our own favorite brands, but guess what ? - by choice, many of us still prefer our older models. They serve perfectly well as we normally do not have the opportunity to push them beyond their designed limits, and we take care of our stuff.

Having a nice hobby therefore need not be expensive - our weakness towards trying to get the " best " will never be a fulfilled dream - and can be very expensive ! [xx(]

8

thanks for all ur opinion..i’ll use it as my guide line..yup, im start fishing since i 8 years old, following my father..but yet that tyme just using ‘pancing bodo’ laa..find puyus and sepat..i recently have buy a abu cardinal 103FR, shimano nexave 4000 and ryobi 1000 at carboot, cost me about 150..it’s a second hand but still in a good condition..i just a bit confuse what is the suitable rods to suit with this 3 reels??i mean what the lb, wt and ht..

cheers!

9

Kino - many people will have different opinions, and mine goes something like this.

In most cases, your reel is there primarily to carry your line, and to allow you to cast and retrieve without having line all over the place.

The other important function will be the drag / brake. Functioning smoothly, this will help you handle the big one that suddenly comes along.

These 2 functions are normally met by any decent well serviced reel - so long as you do not push their design limits ( no going for 30+kg Pla Buks here ! )

The above being given, I tend to concentrate more on the rod. In my case, I would recommend a rod with a max of 12 - 14 lb for normal use ( and 10 - 12 lb line, drag set at 1/3 ).
Some people use up to 20+ lbs because of snags etc. but they pay a penalty for having a stiffer rod - they will find it difficult to cast bait like live fish, dedak, without smattering the stuff all over themselves and friends.

This means that in your case, my suggestion will be for you to look for rods that suite your fishing intentions - your reels will suffice to give you a good fishing experience. Does not matter too much if they are slightly bigger, or smaller - go for the rod you need.

Hope this helps [:)]

10

many2 thanks mike..this thread really helping me

11

Just remember to service your second hand reels well - and if you have to change bearings, decent ones can be bought for a few ringgit up to about RM 20 depending on brand.

Check the drag and service them - there used to be a thread somewhere in this forum - go take a look see.

All the best [:)]

12

thanks bro!

13

haven’t been ‘upkeeping’ the room lately…wow…many thanks for the great tips from all!

kindly contribute some value-for-money setups for the new fishos here!

let me start with a few:

REELS:

  1. shimano baitrunner B series:
    pros</font id=“red”>: undeniably reliable reel, good price point for the quality (abt RM 350 and above depending on size), smooth drag, good line capacity, awesome baitrunning mechanism often copied by others. able to take years of beating before showing any slowdown. highly abusable!
    cons</font id=“red”>: heavy reel, graphite body may not appeal to everyone, old-school styling may not appeal to everyone.

all in all, a very well made good local product. popular among sea-fishing kakis here for balloon-drifting. recently updated with the shimano baitrunner D series which looks great(have yet to test) but slightly more costly.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/FYRTYGR/FTlogo.jpg[/IMG]

http://longkanggang.blogspot.com/

WAR: it’s not about who’s RIGHT, it’s about who’s LEFT

14
  1. Name: Banax Zest Baitcasting Reel
  2. estimated price: ~ RM150
  3. pros: cheap, smooth drag, can cast far
  4. cons: antireverse clutch kaput after fighting momma toman, bearings easily rust even in freshwater usage, need to change the cast control knob rubber washer inside otherwise always birdnest
  5. suitable usage: freshwater, land based casting, for medium game like peacock bass, sebarau, haruan, etc

Cheers

[img=left]http://xs127.xs.to/xs127/08226/bka3671.png[/img=left]

15

1 Name Abu Ambassadeur 3601 BC reel
2 Estimated price: ±RM250.00
3 Pros: Robust, smoother cast & retrieving as getting older, value for money, easy to dismantle and to service, good drag, good
bearing life with minimum oiling.
4 Cons: Need cleaning after fishing in salt water esp. it spool,
5 Suitable for siakap fishing and freshwater such as haruan and toman fishing.

talitampar

16

Quantum Energy E3 (father-in-law’s)
Estimated acquisition cost on FIL’s part >RM100 (Kepong Tackle tauke concurs)
Robust, long lasting
Cons: Drag needs to be changed. Lost handle, serviced and replaced with power-type handle, much heavier now.

Shimano FX 2500 series (made in China)
Cost Rm55
Smooth, light, stress-free usage - wish the drag was more reliable
Cons: plasticky, reverse clutch or some minor gearing prob after fighting a coupla young toman. Nothing that can’t be fixed in a jiffy sez Ocean Sea tauke. Ain’t made for strong fish running for immediate or short range cover with lotsa snags

ABU Ultracast 2000
RM110
Feels much better made than the rest (but not as solid as the Quantum)
Smooth, reliable, nice heft/balance to it
Cons: Looks and sometimes feels a little plasticky, but beggars can’t be choosers [:I]. Performance-wise, haven’t been put through its paces yet.

Next on the list:
a) Sustain FE 2500 series
b) Certate Hyper R 2500 series

Save up the money, get a good reel once and for all [:D]

17

Quantum Energy E3 (father-in-law’s)
Estimated acquisition cost on FIL’s part >RM100 (Kepong Tackle tauke concurs)
Robust, long lasting
Cons: Drag needs to be changed. Lost handle, serviced and replaced with power-type handle, much heavier now.

Shimano FX 2500 series (made in China)
Cost Rm55
Smooth, light, stress-free usage - wish the drag was more reliable
Cons: plasticky, reverse clutch or some minor gearing prob after fighting a coupla young toman. Nothing that can’t be fixed in a jiffy sez Ocean Sea tauke. Ain’t made for strong fish running for immediate or short range cover with lotsa snags

ABU Ultracast 2000
RM110
Feels much better made than the rest (but not as solid as the Quantum)
Smooth, reliable, nice heft/balance to it
Cons: Looks and sometimes feels a little plasticky, but beggars can’t be choosers [:I]. Performance-wise, haven’t been put through its paces yet.

Next on the list:
a) Sustain FE 2500 series
b) Certate Hyper R 2500 series

Save up the money, get a good reel once and for all [:D]

18
quote:
Originally posted by acheong
Quantum Energy E3 (father-in-law's) Estimated acquisition cost on FIL's part >RM100 (Kepong Tackle tauke concurs) Robust, long lasting Cons: Drag needs to be changed. Lost handle, serviced and replaced with power-type handle, much heavier now.

Shimano FX 2500 series (made in China)
Cost Rm55
Smooth, light, stress-free usage - wish the drag was more reliable
Cons: plasticky, reverse clutch or some minor gearing prob after fighting a coupla young toman. Nothing that can’t be fixed in a jiffy sez Ocean Sea tauke. Ain’t made for strong fish running for immediate or short range cover with lotsa snags

ABU Ultracast 2000
RM110
Feels much better made than the rest (but not as solid as the Quantum)
Smooth, reliable, nice heft/balance to it
Cons: Looks and sometimes feels a little plasticky, but beggars can’t be choosers [:I]. Performance-wise, haven’t been put through its paces yet.

Next on the list:
a) Sustain FE 2500 series
b) Certate Hyper R 2500 series

Save up the money, get a good reel once and for all</font id=“red”> [:D]

err…that was what i thought before. then ended up spending even more on buying good reels…hehehehhe…good reels, better reels, best reels. marketing gimmick too strong huhuhuuhhhuuuuu [:D]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/FYRTYGR/FTlogo.jpg[/IMG]

http://longkanggang.blogspot.com/

WAR: it’s not about who’s RIGHT, it’s about who’s LEFT

19

… after the reel, the Best Rod, then the Bester Rod, and then the Bestest Rod until bankrupt.

Then the nice knife, the nicer knife …

Better to marry into the Sykt. Kepong family lah ! [:D][:D][:D]

20

LOL!!!

FT bro, i know wot you mean [:D]

but we must draw the line somewhere [:o)]

wot would you rate as the ultimate? van staal?

get one or two units of van staal, no need to buy reels ever after [:p]
come to think of it, would/does our usage justify such purchases? [:D]

be happy with wot we have and go fish … [8D]