What are your favorite troling rods and reels
- Thread starter borg
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wetnets88
Well-Known Member
I like my okuma rods and line counter reals. They have gone up in price but still reasonable!!
Favourite Lake Erie reel would have to be Diawa Saltist very well put together and geared to winding in walleye with a 6.1:1 gear ratio. This ratio is really nice with long lead lines as well. Lead rods would have to be Rapala Erie Core ( heavy) price is very affordable and you have a nice balance between control and still being able to feel the fish For dipsy combos I run rapala magnum (heavy) 10’6” rods with Okuma Clarion reels
Twister
Well-Known Member
Daiwa saltist 30 size for riggers/dipsey and 50 size for lead core. You need a larger size for lead core as it takes up a lot of room. Pricey reels but I've never regreted buying quality. Have not found a favorite rod yet however the Ugly sticks seem to work with out being too spendy.
Grassy2040
Well-Known Member
willisride
Well-Known Member
I too like the okumas if you find them on sale. (Around 120-135 for combo) Stacking up the numbers the last two years I’ve been grabbing a bunch of the cabelas depth masters. I’ve heard the reel is manufactured by and based off a mainstream company they signed on (possibly diawa if I remember correctly??) The rods come in NUMEROUS formats, and all for 89.99$ Canadian..... it’s not top notch but I’ve never had an issue on any of them, and if something failed.... at that price.... I wouldn’t loose any sleep over it. Again being budget minded for numerous rod set ups that’s what I went with. Good luck.
Yeah not in love with my ugly sticks either looking forward to replacing them all six of them !
hvyhaul
Well-Known Member
I don't have any favourites developed as yet.
My counter reels are all Okuma except the 2 that came with the boat and 1 of 3 I bought used. They are all the Magda series and a used Diawa Accuview or something like that.
I have a mix of rods, Okuma, Diawa, Ugly Stick, they all produce and I don't have a dislike for any of them.
The set up is rod length, longer outside shorter to the center.
Nothing I have is the best money can buy, personally I don't see the need for it.
Only my opinion.
My counter reels are all Okuma except the 2 that came with the boat and 1 of 3 I bought used. They are all the Magda series and a used Diawa Accuview or something like that.
I have a mix of rods, Okuma, Diawa, Ugly Stick, they all produce and I don't have a dislike for any of them.
The set up is rod length, longer outside shorter to the center.
Nothing I have is the best money can buy, personally I don't see the need for it.
Only my opinion.
You may want to consider the Rapala Magnum Trolling rods. I tried Rapala Magnum Dipsy rods this year and I'm very impressed with them. They use E-Glass Rage blanks, custom Fuji black nickel reel seats and superb Alconite guides with the toughest super high density EVA handles I've ever seen. I will definitely try their Magnum downrigger rods next as they use the exact same construction. Both Magnum lines sell for $90 which isn't bad for a quality rod. I use both Rapala Hydros LC and Okuma Clarion LC reels but have to say I prefer the smoother drag system on the Okuma reels. The Shimano Tekota, Diawa Saltist and Penn Fathom are great choices but tend to be pricey especially if you want 4-6 reels. Lots of more affordable choices out there to choose from that will serve you well for many years to come. I would say the best bang for the buck has to be Okuma.
Good luck with Erie trolling because your hooked now.
Good luck with Erie trolling because your hooked now.
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I'm running all tekota 500 and 600s linecounters (would love to replace my 600s with 500s). They all sit on shimano compre trolling rods(I'd love to find 4 more of these rods in the 7'6 version), I generally just pull crankbaits on inline boards.
If I'm pulling dipsy s I run run 9' daiwa rods. For downrigger rods I run 9' uglysicks,
If I'm pulling dipsy s I run run 9' daiwa rods. For downrigger rods I run 9' uglysicks,
willisride
Well-Known Member
They are 89.99 Canadian from cabelas.ca (depthmasters) I either add on a 10$ item or order two at a time and you get free shipping (99$and over) I’ve only had one show up broken (they replaced)