Experienced Opinions Needed Please

[Kevy89]

Hi Raiders

I would like to start of by saying that even though I love fishing and try to get out as much as I can. I have always found myself on the end of an empty session. I do all my fishing landbased with bait. I have recently decided to give a go on SPs.

I purchased the Pflueger Trion 7ft 3-6kg and matched it up with a Shimano Sienna 2500. Its spooled with 11lb braid with 8lb leader.

Opinions from all people would be greatly appreciated. Do you think this is all suitably matched up or is there something that should be changed???

The gear is mostly going to be used for SPs targeting breams, flatties, whiting but I wanted it to be able to handle itself if something with a bit more grunt came along.

All opinions will be welcomed. Were heading up north for a new years holiday so Im looking forward to testing it all out.

Cheers

Kev

[joseph2593]

Hey kev your rod may be to heavy for what you're targeting. I have a Siena 2500 on a 2-4 kg berkely drop shot. Also your braid and leader might be a bit heavy, maybe consider 4pound braid with 2 pound leader for targeting bream etc? These are just my two cents then again I'm no expert and I'm sure other people will help you out on this forum.

Cheers Joseph.

[slinkymalinky]

G'day Kev,

To get into soft plastics and give yourself the best chance of success and to really enjoy it, you should think about getting a lighter rod. The reel is a good versatile size so if you get a 2-4kg 7' spin rod, the reel should still balance it nicely. Fishing soft plastics for bream and flatties is a finesse game so make everything as light as possible. If your Sienna came with a spare spool, think about loading it up with 6lb braid for your plastics fishing.

The Pflueger Trion is a great choice... great rod and great value so if you can, another lighter model will give you 2 great outfits. The 3-6kg outfit is the sort of outfit I take plastics fishing for Mangrove Jacks or Snapper... unfortunately it's really a bit heavy for throwing around small, light jig heads and lures. It will do it but you'll be limiting your chances of success and more importantly, making your transition to plastics a lot less enjoyable than it should be.

All is not lost though... keep the 3-6kg rod for throwing bigger plastics at Jewies, snapper or rat kings.

Maybe before you rush out and spend any more hard earned, see if you can spend a session plastics fishing with someone with a lighter outfit and try it out side by side with the outfit you currently have. You'll notice the difference and get a better idea of whether you want that sort of rig.

Cheers, Slinky

[Kevy89]

G'day Kev,

To get into soft plastics and give yourself the best chance of success and to really enjoy it, you should think about getting a lighter rod. The reel is a good versatile size so if you get a 2-4kg 7' spin rod, the reel should still balance it nicely. Fishing soft plastics for bream and flatties is a finesse game so make everything as light as possible. If your Sienna came with a spare spool, think about loading it up with 6lb braid for your plastics fishing.

The Pflueger Trion is a great choice... great rod and great value so if you can, another lighter model will give you 2 great outfits. The 3-6kg outfit is the sort of outfit I take plastics fishing for Mangrove Jacks or Snapper... unfortunately it's really a bit heavy for throwing around small, light jig heads and lures. It will do it but you'll be limiting your chances of success and more importantly, making your transition to plastics a lot less enjoyable than it should be.

All is not lost though... keep the 3-6kg rod for throwing bigger plastics at Jewies, snapper or rat kings.

Maybe before you rush out and spend any more hard earned, see if you can spend a session plastics fishing with someone with a lighter outfit and try it out side by side with the outfit you currently have. You'll notice the difference and get a better idea of whether you want that sort of rig.

Cheers, Slinky

Hi Slinky,

Thanks for your feedback mate. I was hoping to have this rod as an all rounder soft plastics. Some ok sized fish and some bigger sized fish. The trion seems to be quite whippy so I thought it might be ok in regards to the lighter stuff but I dont know all my stuff obviously .... Do you think a 2-4kg rod would still be able to handle itself with fish a little bit bigger. Also they matched up the 4000 reel to the rod but it felt a bit too heavy. It hasnt been spooled yet so I wanted some raiders opinions wether to change it over or not.

I have a 2-4kg outfit already but its just a glass blank. Its a shimano aquatic 6'6 which has done me well but I have never tried SPs on it.

[Kevy89]

Hey kev your rod may be to heavy for what you're targeting. I have a Siena 2500 on a 2-4 kg berkely drop shot. Also your braid and leader might be a bit heavy, maybe consider 4pound braid with 2 pound leader for targeting bream etc? These are just my two cents then again I'm no expert and I'm sure other people will help you out on this forum.

Cheers Joseph.

Hey Joseph,

I was thinking about going as light as you mentioned. My thought was though I wanted something that I could balance having light options and a bit heavier all in the one rod. But I was very close to getting the 4lb braid and 2lb leader. I havent touched any of it yet and havent decided if I will go swap it or not. I just wanted as many opinions as I could get.

[Novicefisherman]

Just got into SP's myself. I have a 2-4 kg shimano ballastic 2 piece matched up with a 2500 shimano reel. Spooled with 3lb braid and 8 lb leader. Throws all the small SP stuff up to 4inchs good. I'm no expert just my 2 cents worth. In the process of figuring out what to buy for throwing bigger plastics.

[joseph2593]

Just got into SP's myself. I have a 2-4 kg shimano ballastic 2 piece matched up with a 2500 shimano reel. Spooled with 3lb braid and 8 lb leader. Throws all the small SP stuff up to 4inchs good. I'm no expert just my 2 cents worth. In the process of figuring out what to buy for throwing bigger plastics.

I recently purchased a shimano stradic 4000 fj with a 6-8 kg shimano Sahara outfit. I have not used it yet but bcf has a deal for Xmas all that for $249. Might be something worth looking in too

[slinkymalinky]

Hi Slinky,

Thanks for your feedback mate. I was hoping to have this rod as an all rounder soft plastics. Some ok sized fish and some bigger sized fish. The trion seems to be quite whippy so I thought it might be ok in regards to the lighter stuff but I dont know all my stuff obviously .... Do you think a 2-4kg rod would still be able to handle itself with fish a little bit bigger. Also they matched up the 4000 reel to the rod but it felt a bit too heavy. It hasnt been spooled yet so I wanted some raiders opinions wether to change it over or not.

I have a 2-4kg outfit already but its just a glass blank. Its a shimano aquatic 6'6 which has done me well but I have never tried SPs on it.

G'day Kevy,

IN your original post you mentioned you had a 2500 Sienna matched to the 4-6kg rod. Did you mean to say 4000? Both reels would probably balance ok with the rod although the 4000 is probably a bigger reel than I would use on it. Its also way to big for light soft plastics work. I use 2500 size reels for everything from bream to Jacks to spanish mackerel.

A 2-4kg rod is plenty to handle most of what you'll come across but if you wanted to up the ante a bit you could look at getting something special... but it will cost. A few manufacturers have ultra fast taper rods in the 3-5kg range that have super light tips but enormous reserve power in the butt. I have a Berkley Venom Copperhead (and before that I had a Lox 2-5 7'2") that are built like this. My Copperhead can cast 1/16oz heads comfortably and then still manage 1/2oz heads for snapper offshore. It's a bit like fishing with a rod that has the tip of a 2kg stick and the butt of 6kg stick.

You can't pick up any old 3-5kg rod though and get this configuration. I have a 2-5kg T-curve for example and its a totally different rod, really only at home at the lighter end.

You'll be able to handle most fish you'll come across with a light rod. It's all just a matter of a good drag setting and patience. You won't have the stopping power to prevent a king from bricking you but you shouldn't have too many problems with most other fish. Most of the people I fish with up here are surprised how light I go. A lot of fish that freak out when hooked on heavier gear won't panic so much on light stuff and so become easier to catch. My standard jack outfit is 10lb braid when a lot of guys fish with 50.

As for the glass 2-4kg, sad to say that won't work for you either. One thing that's really a must for soft plastic fishing is you need the sensitivity of a carbon fibre rod. With the glass rod not only will you struggle with casting light weights but you won't really be able to feel what your plastic is doing... something that as you learn you'll realise is very important to consistent success.

As I said earlier though, all is not lost. The 2500 size is a good reel that would suit the rod you have or a lighter one. Maybe keep an eye out for a lighter rod 2nd hand and if you have one spool up a spare spool for the Sienna and suddenly you have 2 outfits that would cover almost anything you could want to chase around estuaries.

Cheers, Slinky

[Kevy89]

G'day Kevy,

IN your original post you mentioned you had a 2500 Sienna matched to the 4-6kg rod. Did you mean to say 4000? Both reels would probably balance ok with the rod although the 4000 is probably a bigger reel than I would use on it. Its also way to big for light soft plastics work. I use 2500 size reels for everything from bream to Jacks to spanish mackerel.

A 2-4kg rod is plenty to handle most of what you'll come across but if you wanted to up the ante a bit you could look at getting something special... but it will cost. A few manufacturers have ultra fast taper rods in the 3-5kg range that have super light tips but enormous reserve power in the butt. I have a Berkley Venom Copperhead (and before that I had a Lox 2-5 7'2") that are built like this. My Copperhead can cast 1/16oz heads comfortably and then still manage 1/2oz heads for snapper offshore. It's a bit like fishing with a rod that has the tip of a 2kg stick and the butt of 6kg stick.

You can't pick up any old 3-5kg rod though and get this configuration. I have a 2-5kg T-curve for example and its a totally different rod, really only at home at the lighter end.

You'll be able to handle most fish you'll come across with a light rod. It's all just a matter of a good drag setting and patience. You won't have the stopping power to prevent a king from bricking you but you shouldn't have too many problems with most other fish. Most of the people I fish with up here are surprised how light I go. A lot of fish that freak out when hooked on heavier gear won't panic so much on light stuff and so become easier to catch. My standard jack outfit is 10lb braid when a lot of guys fish with 50.

As for the glass 2-4kg, sad to say that won't work for you either. One thing that's really a must for soft plastic fishing is you need the sensitivity of a carbon fibre rod. With the glass rod not only will you struggle with casting light weights but you won't really be able to feel what your plastic is doing... something that as you learn you'll realise is very important to consistent success.

As I said earlier though, all is not lost. The 2500 size is a good reel that would suit the rod you have or a lighter one. Maybe keep an eye out for a lighter rod 2nd hand and if you have one spool up a spare spool for the Sienna and suddenly you have 2 outfits that would cover almost anything you could want to chase around estuaries.

Cheers, Slinky

Hey Slinky,

Thank you for the in depth info mate. Much appreciated. Yesterday after work I went down and purchased the sienna 4000 to match up with my pflueger trion 3-6kg. I than purchased a 2-4kg shimano ummmmmmmm I think its called a platinum I will double check this morning. Its a 2-4kg graphite rod which I matched up with the sienna 2500. I took it for a squid yesterday and between me and my mate we managed a dozen or so squid in the hour down at yowie bay.

I think I am set with rods for a while to come now ...... Just have to start catching some fish haha.

Any good lures you can recommend for a beginner on the light rod and heavier rod?

Cheers

Kev

[slinkymalinky]

Hey Kev,

The number of different opinions you get on good lures is only going to be limited by the number of people you ask... everyone has their favourites.

As a good starting point though, get some 65 and 80mm squidgy wrigglers or some Gulp Minnow Grubs and maybe some 3" Atomic Prongs (my own personal favourite) and some 3" and 4" flick baits or bass minnows. Between them, that collection would cover most everything you're likely to find in the estuaries.... bream, flatties, school jew small kings, etc.

Then for the heavier outfit get some bigger platics like 110 or even 145mm flick baits, some 100mm Squidgie fish, some 4" Atomic prongs, some 5" or 7" Gulp jerkshads. They'll cover you for specifically focusing on kings, jew, snapper and other bigger critters.

The list of brands is endless but as long as you stick with the better known ones you can't really go wrong... Search the forums and you'll get lots of ideas...

Cheers, Slinky

[Spooooled]

Hey Slinky,

Thank you for the in depth info mate. Much appreciated. Yesterday after work I went down and purchased the sienna 4000 to match up with my pflueger trion 3-6kg. I than purchased a 2-4kg shimano ummmmmmmm I think its called a platinum I will double check this morning. Its a 2-4kg graphite rod which I matched up with the sienna 2500. I took it for a squid yesterday and between me and my mate we managed a dozen or so squid in the hour down at yowie bay.

I think I am set with rods for a while to come now ...... Just have to start catching some fish haha.

Any good lures you can recommend for a beginner on the light rod and heavier rod?

Cheers

Kev

Like Slinky said i pretty much would use the squidgy bloodworm wriggler in 80 - 100mm and the gulp 3inch grub in watermelon or pumpking seed colour. And when you start catching some fish on those and you know the fish are there then experiment with different lures. Also apparently the squidgy Black/Gold Fish in 70mm is a top plastic for flathead can anyone confirm this?