Morning, 1st post on the forum.
Just getting back into fishing after a long lay off, got a really keen 10yr old who's showing a real interest.
Couple of questions, I'm going to be fishing a small 2acre lake with fish to mid 20's, bit of weed but not really too snaggy. I'm looking to buy a couple of 10ft rod we can both use, I've looked at a few last week and liked the feel of the scope 10ft 2.7/5lb rods. The 3lb ones seemed like a poker, similar to all the other 10ft rods I looked at. Any other advice on sub £200 rods I should be looking at with cork handles and more of a through action?
Secondly, my old Baitrunner 6000gte's seem like a good size fit but having used them again recently after 15 plus years they seem a bit sticky drag wise and the handles have been nibbled by mice in the loft! Do you think sending them for a service and maybe some nice new single handles would be worth it or should I be looking at some new reels?
Thanks for any advice.
Just getting back into fishing after a long lay off, got a really keen 10yr old who's showing a real interest.
Couple of questions, I'm going to be fishing a small 2acre lake with fish to mid 20's, bit of weed but not really too snaggy. I'm looking to buy a couple of 10ft rod we can both use, I've looked at a few last week and liked the feel of the scope 10ft 2.7/5lb rods. The 3lb ones seemed like a poker, similar to all the other 10ft rods I looked at. Any other advice on sub £200 rods I should be looking at with cork handles and more of a through action?
Secondly, my old Baitrunner 6000gte's seem like a good size fit but having used them again recently after 15 plus years they seem a bit sticky drag wise and the handles have been nibbled by mice in the loft! Do you think sending them for a service and maybe some nice new single handles would be worth it or should I be looking at some new reels?
Thanks for any advice.
In reply to Post #1
Free Spirit S Lite / CTX Creeper 10ft 2.75
Free Spirit S Lite / CTX Creeper 10ft 2.75
In reply to Post #1
10ft 2.75tc scopes are lovely rods to fish with, I've got the 2.25tc and love them though the haters will tell you there over priced nash rubbish but have probably never used them, just looked and bent them in a shop which doesn't tell you what they are like to use. Reel wise just contact Shimano's UK service Felindre for a quote to service/upgrade, they are a quality reel and would be a nice match on those rods.
10ft 2.75tc scopes are lovely rods to fish with, I've got the 2.25tc and love them though the haters will tell you there over priced nash rubbish but have probably never used them, just looked and bent them in a shop which doesn't tell you what they are like to use. Reel wise just contact Shimano's UK service Felindre for a quote to service/upgrade, they are a quality reel and would be a nice match on those rods.
In reply to Post #2
Second that free spirit great rods quality rods that will last
Second that free spirit great rods quality rods that will last
In reply to Post #1
Have a gander at the 10ft sonik cork.
I recently bought three 8ft recons, not corks but £50 each and the 10ft corks are not much more and the build quality is really good.
https://www.total-fishing-tackle.com/sonik-xtractor-cork-rod
Have a gander at the 10ft sonik cork.
I recently bought three 8ft recons, not corks but £50 each and the 10ft corks are not much more and the build quality is really good.
https://www.total-fishing-tackle.com/sonik-xtractor-cork-rod
In reply to Post #1
I'm using the 10ft Avid Exodus rods in conjunction with some really old Shimano GT4000 Arolex reels, these will be the same size as those you've asked about, these are my lob in the car short session gear, I've had fish to 30lb this year on them no bother at all on small water's, the only thing with the old reels is the retrieval rate when you're used to big pits it's a pain but most of the fishing is done 8 to 10 wraps so it's not that bad ,I tend to notice it when I wack a spin doctor out, I've got a feeling the clutch/drag washers will be sticking with what you're describing how the reels feel, these will want removing cleaning and lightly lubricating, these are removed at the rear
I'm using the 10ft Avid Exodus rods in conjunction with some really old Shimano GT4000 Arolex reels, these will be the same size as those you've asked about, these are my lob in the car short session gear, I've had fish to 30lb this year on them no bother at all on small water's, the only thing with the old reels is the retrieval rate when you're used to big pits it's a pain but most of the fishing is done 8 to 10 wraps so it's not that bad ,I tend to notice it when I wack a spin doctor out, I've got a feeling the clutch/drag washers will be sticking with what you're describing how the reels feel, these will want removing cleaning and lightly lubricating, these are removed at the rear
In reply to Post #1
. . .or maybe Shimano TX4 10' 2.75 . . .seriously considering a pair myself to be matched with GS4000's!
. . .or maybe Shimano TX4 10' 2.75 . . .seriously considering a pair myself to be matched with GS4000's!
In reply to Post #7
My first thoughts were the free spirit rods, nowhere local to actually see them though. Does the CTX and the S Lite have a similar action, what sort of action do they have?
My first thoughts were the free spirit rods, nowhere local to actually see them though. Does the CTX and the S Lite have a similar action, what sort of action do they have?
In reply to Post #8
I have waggled loads of CTX recently (in 10, 11 & 12ft) but not S Lite - IMO they are generally understated for the test curve and have a through action (especially in the lighter test curves - eg 1.5-1.75+)
I have waggled loads of CTX recently (in 10, 11 & 12ft) but not S Lite - IMO they are generally understated for the test curve and have a through action (especially in the lighter test curves - eg 1.5-1.75+)
In reply to Post #1
I have Harrison torrix cork customs 10' coupled with basia custom reels as I always wanted a set of basia's saved up hard for these may seem a bit much on 10' but handles well for what I want to do
I have Harrison torrix cork customs 10' coupled with basia custom reels as I always wanted a set of basia's saved up hard for these may seem a bit much on 10' but handles well for what I want to do
In reply to Post #10
Had 10ft 2.75tc torrix myself but they are a fare bit stiffer action than the scope and cast further but not as nice to play fish on.
Had 10ft 2.75tc torrix myself but they are a fare bit stiffer action than the scope and cast further but not as nice to play fish on.
I've only used free spirit for years now and had the ctx and the s lites in 10fts 3.25tc they are both lovely rods but I'd pick the s lites they just seem to be built better, I'm just about to get a set of 10ft hi-s black editions in the next month or two I love 10ft rods
I've used a lot of different brands and just really love free spirit, my friend has 10ft scopes black ops n he loves them I'll be honest they do look amazing not actually played anything on them though so can't comment on that side of it.
I've used a lot of different brands and just really love free spirit, my friend has 10ft scopes black ops n he loves them I'll be honest they do look amazing not actually played anything on them though so can't comment on that side of it.
In reply to Post #11
I had ctx creepers 9' before had carp from my canal upto 32lb but broke a top on one of them fixed it sold them and got my torrix they are 3.5tc so quite beefy for canal carping as you never know what you can hook in there and they can cast a fair bit on lakes too with a decent pva bag which is how I fish,also had no issues playing fish on them,I was going to buy a new set of rods and reels for me to reach a spot I need to get to in winter but wading out in chest waders gives me the extra yards I need anyway.
I had ctx creepers 9' before had carp from my canal upto 32lb but broke a top on one of them fixed it sold them and got my torrix they are 3.5tc so quite beefy for canal carping as you never know what you can hook in there and they can cast a fair bit on lakes too with a decent pva bag which is how I fish,also had no issues playing fish on them,I was going to buy a new set of rods and reels for me to reach a spot I need to get to in winter but wading out in chest waders gives me the extra yards I need anyway.
If you can find them the TF Gear Compact Commercial 10' 2.5lb is a lovely rod as is the ESP Stalker rods.
GTE baitrunners are a very capable reel but the clutch isnt as smooth as more modern mini pit reels .... For less than £150 you can buy 3 x Okuma Inc 6000 which compliment a 10' rod well and may not be much more in cost to servicing 3 reels (ive no idea what a reel service costs these days)
GTE baitrunners are a very capable reel but the clutch isnt as smooth as more modern mini pit reels .... For less than £150 you can buy 3 x Okuma Inc 6000 which compliment a 10' rod well and may not be much more in cost to servicing 3 reels (ive no idea what a reel service costs these days)
That is my thoughts regarding the baitrunners, a service, new handle and shipping is going to be a good £50 per reel. Always used baitrunners though. Not sure how easily I'll adapt to adjusting a front drag?!
Thanks for all the suggestions so far, going to look into the rods and reels mentioned.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far, going to look into the rods and reels mentioned.
In reply to Post #15
Okuma do baitrunners of various sizes and quality. It's worth going through their range. Check the weights compared to your existing reels to get an idea of what you're looking at. I've got some (655 models with 5+1 BB weighing 403 g or a bit more with other spool) on my 10 fts and they're very smooth, only down side as I said elsewhere is the clickers are a bit quieter than I'm used to.
I might increase the spring tension on one just as an experiment.
Alternatively you could just look on eBay for some suitable handles and try to get some oil inside your reels which should liven up the grease with the minimum of work. I've got some shimano fighting drag reels that I bought secondhand close to 30 years ago. I've started using them again for my floater fishing so gave them bit of a clean, regrease, oiled the drags and they're still as smooth as they ever were.
Okuma do baitrunners of various sizes and quality. It's worth going through their range. Check the weights compared to your existing reels to get an idea of what you're looking at. I've got some (655 models with 5+1 BB weighing 403 g or a bit more with other spool) on my 10 fts and they're very smooth, only down side as I said elsewhere is the clickers are a bit quieter than I'm used to.
I might increase the spring tension on one just as an experiment.
Alternatively you could just look on eBay for some suitable handles and try to get some oil inside your reels which should liven up the grease with the minimum of work. I've got some shimano fighting drag reels that I bought secondhand close to 30 years ago. I've started using them again for my floater fishing so gave them bit of a clean, regrease, oiled the drags and they're still as smooth as they ever were.
In reply to Post #15
My advice would be don't bother with the old baitrunners, I had a bit of an obsession with the old baitrunners, ended up getting my old ones serviced, and I've got too many. Used for winter pike and spring tenchfishing, in all honesty it was a lot of money wasted, they feel almost agricultural compared to modern reels.
My advice would be don't bother with the old baitrunners, I had a bit of an obsession with the old baitrunners, ended up getting my old ones serviced, and I've got too many. Used for winter pike and spring tenchfishing, in all honesty it was a lot of money wasted, they feel almost agricultural compared to modern reels.
In reply to Post #16
I agree look at okuma range lot of reel for price
I agree look at okuma range lot of reel for price
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