Help: I Need Rod & Reel Advice

I'm taking my 8 year old son to Canada this summer to fish for large
Northern Pike. This will be his first fishing adventure and I need to buy
him the appropriate gear for a successful experience. I don't have a clue as
to which brand of rod & reel to get him, or how long the rod should be, or
how many ball bearings the open spinning reel should have, or anything else
for that matter. Maybe I'm over complicating it. All I know is that I plan
on casting with lures, and the fish will be between 10 to 20 pounds (I
hope).

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your consideration,
Westynorth

"westynorth" wrote in message
...
I'm taking my 8 year old son to Canada this summer to fish for large
Northern Pike. This will be his first fishing adventure and I need to buy
him the appropriate gear for a successful experience. I don't have a clue
as to which brand of rod & reel to get him, or how long the rod should be,
or how many ball bearings the open spinning reel should have, or anything
else for that matter. Maybe I'm over complicating it. All I know is that I
plan on casting with lures, and the fish will be between 10 to 20 pounds
(I hope).

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your consideration,
Westynorth

I been a fishing guide and custom rod builder for over 12 years now. Here's
my suggestion.

Get your son a St. Croix Premier spinning rod, 6 - 61/2 feet in length,
medium power, fast action. Couple that with a Shimano Sahara 2500 spinning
reel and have it correctly spooled with 15 pound PowerPro. This will be a
good combination that will serve him for years without breaking the bank.

Don't get hung up on the number of ball bearings. I've seen 10 ball bearing
reels that were real junk!
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers wrote:



I been a fishing guide and custom rod builder for over 12 years now. Here's
my suggestion.

Get your son a St. Croix Premier spinning rod, 6 - 61/2 feet in length,
medium power, fast action. Couple that with a Shimano Sahara 2500 spinning
reel and have it correctly spooled with 15 pound PowerPro. This will be a
good combination that will serve him for years without breaking the bank.

Don't get hung up on the number of ball bearings. I've seen 10 ball bearing
reels that were real junk!

I agree 100% I have that combo, Just got it, along with a couple of 9
1/2 foot steel head rods from St. Croix, the rods are awesome, and that
Sahara 2500 reel is as smooth as any of my 6 and 8 ball bearing reels,
for a lot less money, (mine was somewhere around 60 dollars at Academy
Sports) it's the perfect size for me, holding 200 yds of 6 lb test, the
drag has already handled some huge fish, and long fights, it's a smooth
running drag, with a good constant resistance. My 2000 reels have been
spooled a couple of times by big fish, so far the 2500 has held enough
line, and it's not much bigger than the 2000's, and does not weigh much
more.


--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the Mojo SpecTastic "WIGGLE" rig, SpecTastic Thread,
Boomerang Fishing Pro. ,Stand Out Hooks ,Stand Out Lures,
Mojo's Rock Hopper & Rig Saver weights, and the EZKnot
http://www.ezknot.com

The St. Croix Premier is a great rod, good choice there. If it were me, I'd
consider going up to a medium heavy rod for the big pike (but the medium
will handle 20 lb pike). I'd also consider the Pflueger President in 6735
(or 6740 if you were to go with a medium heavy rod). My brother-in-law owns
a Sahara and I own a President - we both preferred the Pflueger and we're
die-hard Shimano fans. One note about the rod/reel combos that are
mentioned - they are versatile and would make great bass/walleye rods also.

"westynorth" wrote in message
...
I'm taking my 8 year old son to Canada this summer to fish for large
Northern Pike. This will be his first fishing adventure and I need to buy
him the appropriate gear for a successful experience. I don't have a clue
as to which brand of rod & reel to get him, or how long the rod should be,
or how many ball bearings the open spinning reel should have, or anything
else for that matter. Maybe I'm over complicating it. All I know is that I
plan on casting with lures, and the fish will be between 10 to 20 pounds
(I hope).

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your consideration,
Westynorth

"Mike" wrote in message
news:n72Qf.135695$0G.4578@dukeread10...
The St. Croix Premier is a great rod, good choice there. If it were me,
I'd consider going up to a medium heavy rod for the big pike (but the
medium will handle 20 lb pike). I'd also consider the Pflueger President
in 6735 (or 6740 if you were to go with a medium heavy rod). My
brother-in-law owns a Sahara and I own a President - we both preferred the
Pflueger and we're die-hard Shimano fans. One note about the rod/reel
combos that are mentioned - they are versatile and would make great
bass/walleye rods also.

I thought about a medium heavy as there is the possibility of some big fish.
But, after careful consideration, and my experience with heavy fish on light
equipment, I decided that versatility was more important. With the combo
that I suggested, he can fish for just about any species and not be severely
over or under-gunned.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Very true, a medium action rod will do well on pike up to the size they plan
to catch - no argument from me there. If it were me fishing I would
probably take a medium rod - I mentioned the MH only because my friends
think I fish with light tackle. I use a medium rod with 10-12 lb. test for
most of my bass fishing, my buddy strings everything he has with 30 lb. test
and uses mostly MH rods. I think that's because I learned to fish up north
in clear water and he's a Georgia boy. But hey, I'm gonna buy a 7' heavy
rod and go musky fishing in WI this summer!


"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"Mike" wrote in message
news:n72Qf.135695$0G.4578@dukeread10...
The St. Croix Premier is a great rod, good choice there. If it were me,
I'd consider going up to a medium heavy rod for the big pike (but the
medium will handle 20 lb pike). I'd also consider the Pflueger President
in 6735 (or 6740 if you were to go with a medium heavy rod). My
brother-in-law owns a Sahara and I own a President - we both preferred
the Pflueger and we're die-hard Shimano fans. One note about the
rod/reel combos that are mentioned - they are versatile and would make
great bass/walleye rods also.

I thought about a medium heavy as there is the possibility of some big
fish. But, after careful consideration, and my experience with heavy fish
on light equipment, I decided that versatility was more important. With
the combo that I suggested, he can fish for just about any species and not
be severely over or under-gunned.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

"Mike" wrote in message
news:fUmQf.135815$0G.78918@dukeread10...
Very true, a medium action rod will do well on pike up to the size they
plan to catch - no argument from me there. If it were me fishing I would
probably take a medium rod - I mentioned the MH only because my friends
think I fish with light tackle. I use a medium rod with 10-12 lb. test
for most of my bass fishing, my buddy strings everything he has with 30
lb. test and uses mostly MH rods. I think that's because I learned to
fish up north in clear water and he's a Georgia boy. But hey, I'm gonna
buy a 7' heavy rod and go musky fishing in WI this summer!

Cool, what lake? Maybe you'll be near me.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Namakagon is where I would musky fish. I do a lot of largemouth fishing on
Cable lake and smallmouth fishing on Owen when I go up there. About 45
minutes from the St. Croix factory in Park Falls - which can be a bad thing
if I'm on a budget!


"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"Mike" wrote in message
news:fUmQf.135815$0G.78918@dukeread10...
Very true, a medium action rod will do well on pike up to the size they
plan to catch - no argument from me there. If it were me fishing I would
probably take a medium rod - I mentioned the MH only because my friends
think I fish with light tackle. I use a medium rod with 10-12 lb. test
for most of my bass fishing, my buddy strings everything he has with 30
lb. test and uses mostly MH rods. I think that's because I learned to
fish up north in clear water and he's a Georgia boy. But hey, I'm gonna
buy a 7' heavy rod and go musky fishing in WI this summer!

Cool, what lake? Maybe you'll be near me.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

OK, I just returned from the sports store with my purchase. I picked up the
Sahara reel and my budget wouldn't allow for the St. Croix, so I picked up
an Ugly Stick. I had the reel spun with 14lb line and I purchased a nice bag
to hold the rod & reel. About $108 for everything at Gander Mountain.

My son turns eight in 7 days and this will be his present. Thanks, Steve,
for your advice. I can look forward to our trip this summer with confidence.
If you're ever in Denver, I'll buy you a beer. I truly appreciate your
input.

Thanks again,
Westynorth

"westynorth" wrote in message
...
OK, I just returned from the sports store with my purchase. I picked up
the Sahara reel and my budget wouldn't allow for the St. Croix, so I
picked up an Ugly Stick. I had the reel spun with 14lb line and I
purchased a nice bag to hold the rod & reel. About $108 for everything at
Gander Mountain.

My son turns eight in 7 days and this will be his present. Thanks, Steve,
for your advice. I can look forward to our trip this summer with
confidence. If you're ever in Denver, I'll buy you a beer. I truly
appreciate your input.

Hey, I'm glad I could help. Have fun and take plenty of pictures. You can
post them on OutdoorFrontiers.com when you come back!

You do have to be a member, but membership is free.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com