| Even
for relatively experienced anglers, today's vast selection of saltwater
tackle can be mind-boggling. But the truth is that 90 percent of
saltwater fishing on the West Coast can be done just fine with a single
outfit: a medium-action 7-foot rod paired with a conventional reel
loaded with 200 to 300 yards of 20-pound monofilament line. That's not to say, of course, that a basic 20-lb. outfit is ideal for 90 percent of West Coast saltwater fishing. More specialized gear can without a doubt make fishing both easier and more productive. In fact, it could be argued that for every single fishing situation there's a "perfect" rod and reel. Even if you could afford a separate outfit for every situation, though, you wouldn't have room for all of them on your boat. So the challenge in selecting and buying tackle is finding a happy medium, based on your budget and your fishing tastes, between a single "catch-all" outfit and a separate outfit for every situation. In order to do that, it helps to understand the advantages and disadvantages of various types of rods and reels. Long Rods Seven feet is the standard length for West Coast rods. It offers a good compromise between casting range and pulling power. Longer rods cast better, while shorter rods offer more leverage against a fish — or, more accurately, offer the fish less leverage against you. The most common reason anglers use rods longer than 7 feet is to cast lightweight metal jigs (commonly called "surface iron") long distances to yellowtail feeding at the surface. "Jigsticks" are stiff 8- or 9-foot rods designed for 30- or 40-lb. line, usually with a plain cork-tape handle and no reel seat. In the hands of strong, skilled casters, they can make a real difference in range. For less skilled casters and those without the upper body strength to take advantage of the added length, they make little, if any, difference. Also, jigsticks were developed for fishing on party boats, which usually anchor to fish for yellowtail. On private boats, if the fish are boiling beyond casting range, you can just idle over within range. Another common application for longer rods is casting plastic swimbaits for calico bass. Stiff 8-foot graphite rods designed for 15- or 20-lb. line cast lures farther than similar 7-foot rods, and they also "pick up" more line when you set the hook. In other words, the tip of an 8-foot rod travels farther when you swing than the tip of a 7-foot rod, which can be surprisingly helpful. Unless you spend a lot of time fishing for calicos with plastic lures, though, such a rod probably isn't worth the money. Short Rods The most common reason for using a rod shorter than 7 feet is to make fighting fish easier. The shorter the rod, the less leverage a fish has against you. Rods between 5 and 6 feet long are favored by anglers targeting giant tuna in Mexican waters. In U.S. and Canadian waters, though, the only fish that really call for shorter rods (commonly called "standup rods") are sharks and big Pacific halibut. Still, many anglers use stout 5- to 6-foot rods matched with big reels and 60- or 80-lb. line for offshore trolling in Southern and Central California, even though they rarely encounter anything over 50 lbs. This heavy gear allows troll-hooked fish to be brought quickly to the boat, which improves the chances that the rest of the school will follow them and then may be kept around the boat with chum so that they can be caught on live bait. On the other hand, on a private boat with 2 to 6 anglers, getting a school of tuna to come to the boat after a trolling strike requires a good deal of skill and coordination on the part of the crew. If you take your fishing less seriously, and/or if you don't have live bait on board, the fish you catch trolling may be the only ones you get, so you might as well enjoy the fight, rather than winching them in on short rods and heavy line. Rod Construction Fiberglass is the least expensive rod material, but fiberglass rods are thicker, heavier and less "sensitive" than rods made of graphite or fiberglass composites. Nonetheless, they're perfectly suitable for most applications, and they're harder to break than rods of any other material. They make great day-in, day-out "boat rods." Graphite and composite rods are genuinely better for fishing with artificial lures. Fish usually swallow natural baits and swim away with them, so detecting strikes quickly isn't an issue when fishing with bait; with lures, sensitivity is critical, as fish quickly spit them out. Graphite and composite rods "telegraph" bites better than fiberglass and, because they're so much lighter, allow for quicker hook-sets. The importance of rod components depends on how hard and how often you fish. Less expensive componentry is generally heavier and less resistant to corrosion. Also, stainless steel guides — the least expensive — will eventually develop grooves which can chafe or cut your line. On the other hand, having a guide replaced at your local tackle shop usually takes a day or two and costs around $10. Another very important consideration when purchasing a rod is the warranty. Most rod manufacturers offer some kind of warranty, but it often requires sending the rod back to the factory for repair or replacement. Other manufacturers, remarkably, will simply replace a broken rod no-questions-asked. Always ask your tackle retailer about the warranty policies and service of various companies. Baitcasting Reels What a misnomer! The main reason to purchase a baitcasting reel is for fishing artificial lures. Baitcasters are relatively small, revolving-spool, level-wind reels that come out of gear with the push of a button and engage automatically when you turn the handle. When fishing with lures that fish often bite while they're sinking, like plastics and jigs, the ability to engage your reel quickly is crucial. To engage a conventional reel, you have to flip a lever before you start cranking, which, although it takes a second or less, can still result in missed bites. Baitcasters, on the other hand, engage instantaneously. The levelwind feature is also very nice for repeated casting and retrieving. If you fish a lot with plastics and/or small jigs for calico, sand or striped bass or shallow water rockfish, you should definitely consider a good-sized baitcaster capable of holding 150 yards of 15- or 20-lb. line. Larger baitcasters also work well for California halibut, inshore Baja fishing and salmon trolling and mooching. Spinning Reels Spinning reels aren't just unpopular on the West Coast, they're downright maligned. Nonetheless, they have their advantages. Most importantly, they're easier to cast than revolving-spool reels. It takes a while to learn to cast a revolving-spool reel without backlashing it every other cast and even longer to cast it very far without backlashing. So spinning reels are great to have aboard if you often take relative novices fishing. Just like a 20-lb. conventional outfit, a 20-lb. spinning outfit will cover most situations. A big part of the reason spinning reels don't enjoy much popularity here is that we so often "flyline" live bait (fish it without a sinker), which requires the ability to control the flow of line off the reel even when it's out of gear — something you can't do with a traditional spinning reel. But many newer spinning reels have a "freespool" feature that allows line to flow off the reel with the bail closed. Still, spinning reels aren't well-suited for offshore fishing, since they lack the line capacity and drag power of conventional reels. Big Single-speed and Two-speed Reels Like short rods, large conventional reels designed to hold 60-lb. or heavier mono are useful mainly for monster tuna, sharks and Pacific halibut and for offshore trolling. Larger reels almost always have lower gear rations than smaller reels, yielding more power to grind in strong fish. Two-speed models feature just that — a high gear for picking up line quickly, and a low gear for maximum mechanical advantage. Also like short rods, large single- or two-speed reels aren't necessary except for a few species in U.S. and Canadian waters. The heaviest gear you'll realistically need if you don't target those species is a 40-lb. outfit, consisting of a conventional reel that can hold at least 300 yards of 40-lb. monofilament and a 6-1/2- or 7-foot rod. That's plenty stout for even large yellowtail and albacore, and even for Bay Area sturgeon. |