[Andy2005]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to buy a new rod. I currently have a 20 - 30 LB rod with 30LB mono on it.
Its a bit heavy for most things apart from wrecking and deep water stuff.

I want a rod that will allow me to both uptide and downtide for the likes of ray, tope, plaice and for use for pollack fishing with jelly worms etc... any ideas?

I would like to start using braid as well...what do you reccommend?

Although in the past i've always been a multipiler man... i've heard good things about modern fixed spools? is this a option?

thanks

Andrew

 

[groomyd]

Terry (Cascars) advised me to get a Penn "Giller Thriller" (16Lb rated) and i must say that its a superb rod.

It has a very soft tip so has good bite detection but has a strong mid section that has a lot of power. Perfect for fishing a jellys and great for uptiding IMO as the tip wont pull the lead out but will give you a nice bend for bite detection.

Even better they are on special at Veals just now for £40.

You can get it with a Penn 535 for about £100 a the moment which would cover lots of your fishing.

 

[Andy2005]

would the giller thriller be more suitable than the 6 - 12LB....

it seems a good deal at veals but the giller thriller has a 220CS ( i.e. without level wind) i think i'd prefer the reel to have a level wind

 

[groomyd]

IMO the Giller would cover almost anything you want to do. Fun with bream but with enough backbone to cope with all but skate and conger.

If you call Veals they would quote you for the level wind version i'm sure, no price difference i dont think?

However if you can stretch to a 535 then its money well spent IMO (although no level wind). I won a 220 with level wind on the Newhaven trip from Terry and while its good value for £40 its retreive is not as good as the 535 and you can just feel the difference in build quality.

Get them to quote you a combo on that too.

See what others think first mind!!!

 

[wilba]

right i have used the giller thriller and its good, but the 6-12lb penn power stick on offer at veals at the moment are great i got mine 2 weeks ago and they great fun my god dont they bend

 

[Andy2005]

thanks guys for the replies....

I'm not sure which would be best out of the giller thriller or the 6 - 12LB??

Also what do u guys think of the 220GTO?? is it a suitable reel?? any alternatives?


Cheers

Andy

 

[groomyd]

The 220 GTO is excellent value for £40 but IMO the Penn 310 or 535 are both a class above it.

If you want a level wind then a Penn 310 and a Giller Thriller would cover pretty mcuh all of your fishing IMO and will last you for years and years.

About £135 the pair.....................

 

[Jamie Donnelly]

groom,

what would be the best wrecking rod for about £70/£80??

my Slosh 20 is fine for wrecking isnt it?

Jamie

 

[groomyd]

I'm no expert Jamie but I reckon your Slosh is too light for big fish wrecking. Fine for fishing shads and jellies...................

What sort of wrecking do you mean? Conger?

By the way get your arse on the boat on Saturday! I even got you a present! Same jellies i got that cod on!

 

[Andy2005]

i agree, i have a slosh 20..... its a great reel but too light for big fish wrecking

 

[Guest]

As Groomyd says, I reckon the Giller Thrillers are excellent value for money and the 535 is also a great reel to go with it.
If you want to spend a bit more the Abu Suveran Boat Combo is a good all-rounder. 9'6 Uptider with all 3 sections, take out the middle one and you have a 7'6 downtider or gilling rod.
Again I recommend the 535 to go with it.
You will soon get used to not having a level wind and unless you are fishing very deep water (150ft+) I dont see why you would need it.

 

[Andy2005]

i know my current reel hasnt got a level wind nor does all my shore reels.

But for boat fishing i cant see the point in not having one because you dont really have to cast..... is there a reason i'm not aware of?

andy

 

[Guest]

The only reason for having one that I can see, is to lay the line evenly on the spool. This can be done manually when reeling in but in the heat of a fight with a big fish you may forget. That is why I suggested only using one when in very deep water as the line build up on one part of the spool could get too much.

 

[Guest]

Hardly any of my boat reels (believe me I have dozens) have levelwinds.

Personally I think they get in the way and prefer to thumb the line onto the spool.

I agree with a lot of Cascars info, but am not a fan of the 535 for drifting wrecks or anything that requires a fast retrieve. I like the reel for casting, but find it is a bit slow when reeling up from the depths. That said, if you want a realy good allrounder that you can use for uptide and downtide then I guess the 535 is as good as most.

Then comes the question... Do you really want just one reel for everything?
Most of your downtiding will be with a reel loaded with braid. Almost all of your uptiding is likely to use mono.
This meas you need two reels. Or at the very least, two spools.

If I could stretch to it I would go for something along the lines of the Abu Suveran combo rod, a Penn 535 for uptiding and a Torium 16 for my general downtide and drifting with braid. With this little lot, you will have a set-up to handle nearly all UK eventualities.

Pretty shortly you will become an out and out tackle tart and buy stuff becuase you know you need it only to find that three years later your collection of rods and reels has taken over the whole garage and only about 10% of it ever sees the light of day.

Good luck
Tom

 

[Guest]

Are you calling me a tart Tom:kissing:
You are right though. I probably have about 20 boat rods and a dozen or more reels but only ever really use the Giller Thriller and the Suveran and a couple of the reels.

 

[Guest]

Well maybe but I was kind of describing myself.

It has just dawned on me as my latest piece of essential equipment has just arrived from our very own StanM of Alba Rods.

He has even put my name on the stunning new 6lb class he's built! :notworthy
It's looooooovvvvveeeeelllllly and I can't wait to put it into action against something like a nice big Tope or Blue Shark :clap2:

Tom

 

[Flathead]

Terry (Cascars) advised me to get a Penn "Giller Thriller" (16Lb rated) and i must say that its a superb rod.

It has a very soft tip so has good bite detection but has a strong mid section that has a lot of power. Perfect for fishing a jellys and great for uptiding IMO as the tip wont pull the lead out but will give you a nice bend for bite detection.

Even better they are on special at Veals just now for £40.

You can get it with a Penn 535 for about £100 a the moment which would cover lots of your fishing.

Been looking on Veals and can't see the Giller Thriller. Interested in purchasing one of these. Did ask about the Powerstix on the Tackle forum but had no real reply.

Will be going to North Wales next week and looking to get an extra boat rod at a low price before I go, maybe a reel to go with it. Can't afford too much at the moment as the holiday will use up most of the spare cash I have.

 

[groomyd]

Go inot the site then go to boat rods, then Penn, and its one of the powerstix options.

We cant post links can we?

 

[Guest]

Go inot the site then go to boat rods, then Penn, and its one of the powerstix options.

We cant post links can we?

You can PM him a link

 

[Flathead]

Cheers groomyd found it in the bargain box and special deals.