Woobwoob Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 (edited) Hi all I've just bought the lovely Shimano Stradic c14 FA in the 2500 size and I'm looking for a balanced rod to use with it. It needs to be a solid all rounder, I like to fish the flats for flathead, bream, tailor etc with live poddies, while also fishing with soft plastics and occasionally night fishing with bait for big bream. In general I fish quite light, hardly any weight and 2.2kg line with 3.5kg leaders. I'm assuming a 7ft graphite 2-4kg range would be ideal? So far I've checked out both the Trion Pflueger and the Shimano Raider Mexican Fire II as possible options and while I've heard great things about the Pfleuger, when I tested the balance with my reel attached it seemed a bit tip heavy which is an issue when you're standing on the flats all day holding a rod. I'm also interested in knowing which of these two rods has more grunt to stop the occasional big flatty or salmon bycatch in the channels, from testing them it seemed to be the Shimano? So now I'm asking the people who own these rods about their own experiences with them and if they have any other suggestions for me to check out? Not looking to spend more than $150 on a rod so that rules out the Shimano T curve range. Thanks in advance for any feedback. Edited October 23, 2015 by S&S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mii11x Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 anything 2-5kg is perfect as you've already mentioned mate........they'll handle bigger fish than you could imagine if played right. Think about the overall weight of the combo as well. I have a second jew rod - raider 4-7kg - it gets a little heavy at times of extended use........great rod though. If the trion was lighter id be picking that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mii11x Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 sorry man, just re -read your post.......i was talking about plastics by the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woobwoob Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 Yeh I figured you were talking plastics. Really need the rod to be a good all rounder though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cargo05 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I have a Pflueger Trion matched to a Stradic Ci4. I like the combo a lot, however the tip broke recently after netting a nice flattie. The rod was OK on landing the fish, but after a photo and release I noticed the top 50mm of the tip had broken. My mate had the same experience with his under similar circumstances. I have reattached the top guide (to the shortened rod) and have fished without further incidence. Also worth checking out are the Daiwa Generation Black Itchy Twitchy and the Gen Black Wild Weasel. I have both these also matched the Stradic Ci4+ reels and rate them highly. The only downside to the Gen Blacks that I can see are the guides are very small and on a windy day the braid can at times become tangled at the top guide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefish Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Hate to tell you mate, Broken rods and wind knots are both the fault of the angler. Nothing else, but the fault of the angler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woobwoob Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 Cargo, thanks for the info, I hadn't looked at the Daiwa range yet as I often find them to be overpriced. I'll add them to my research efforts So what rod would you suggest Stevefish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefish Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I fish 2 and 3 pound, sp only with .5 - 7g jigs in really skinny to around 5m of water. Although I'll throw it at Kings if they're in the open I have (among others)a Trion and reckon it's good value and balances well with a shimano 1000. General consensus seems to be the raider is better but I've never used one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossfire63 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Hate to tell you mate, Broken rods and wind knots are both the fault of the angler. Nothing else, but the fault of the angler. What a load of rubbish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefish Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 I'll soften a bit and say if a rod fails in the first outing or 2 it may have a manufacturing fault. But a decent rod used with reasonable technique and within its design limits should not break. Put 10 pound line on the rod listed above and it can break Cast 1/2 ounce and it will break High stick it, say no more Unfortunately high end gear can be more fragile to obtain weight loss at the expense of durability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mii11x Posted October 26, 2015 Share Posted October 26, 2015 I wouldnt use any of my plastics rods to bait fish.......plastics are light even with heavier jigheads. There is no way id even try to cast out a 20 gram sinker and a bait on any of my plastics gear due to overload on casting. Why not get two rods for that 150.....a glass rod like silstar, ugly stick etc for your bait duties and a graphite rod for your plastics. You can find silstars and uglys for about 80, giving you 70 for a plastics rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macman Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I have a 6'6" Trion with my Stradic ci4+ 2500. Its a good combo, although the rod is cheap(but not nasty) compared to the reel. You might consider 2 rods and buy a spare 3000 sized spool for the ci4+, the 3000 spool fits and will carry a little more heavier line. I've done this, haven't tried the ci4 out with the 3000 spool yet, but intend to use it in the harbour on the light pelagics during summer/autumn. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woobwoob Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) I ended up going for a Raider II Mexican Fire 2-4kg, about 7' I think at a good price from my friends at Windybanks. Nice rod so far, broke it in on a short session at Narrabeen Lake for 5 flatties, 2 bream and a tailor, plenty of power throughout the rod although none of the fish were large and troublesome and casting is a breeze. Very sensitive rod tip that makes it easy to anticipate a bite when the baitfish panics and you can feel it. mii11x: regarding mixing duties between plastics and bait, I only ever fish very light weights(00 or 0 size sinkers), tiny swivels and 8lb flourocarbon leader so I'm not casting much difference in weight and usually gently cast my live baits anyway, though I do have a heavier Uglystick that doesn't see much use due to being 1 piece and not fitting well in the car... as well as a Silstar Crystal powertip but it's only 6' hence the change. Macman: I will definiely be looking into a second spool, great tip on the 3000 size! Side note: It's been a while since I got into my fishing and fishing line has evolved massively. I miss my bright pink Braided Fireline which seems a bit dated nowadays, does anyone know of a good pink or maybe orange? braided line on the market? Just makes it easier in low light conditions to do all the necessary rigging, knots etc. Cheers to all of you for your advice and insights. Edited October 27, 2015 by S&S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macman Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I find the yellow power pro is as good as anything, bought a heap from OS when the exchange rate was good, its expensive locally though. Bizzarely the 2500 spool is $79 and the 3000 spool is $60! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cargo05 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I have just picked up the BCF catalogue and noticed they currently have Stradic Ci4+ Spin Packs on special which include a Cranx rod. Price is $349 which apparently a saving of $99. I have not picked up a Cranx rod so cannot comment on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guimaras Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I matched my stradic fj 3000 to a lox iridium 4-7kg rod. The balance is perfect for me. Use that rod a lot and I don't get strained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amkr Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 The daiwa gen blacks look like a nice rod! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novicefisherman Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Nitro rods are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM79 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 (edited) Nitro rods are great. I second that, but the OP isn't looking to spend that kind of money. I would suggest the 2015 version of the Pflueger Trion, model PFLTII-SP701L, $140-150. Edited November 13, 2015 by PM79 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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