Lure fishing gear spin or baitcaster

[BabySnapperKiller]

Hi All,

I am recently into fishing.

I bought a Shimano Sedona surf combo and used that for bait fishing.

Sick of smell, barely caught anything,  and would like to start trying lures. My sedona seems to be overfitting: 9ft surf rod with 6000 reel.

I would like to buy a lighter gear. Whats recommended？i only know Shimano.

Spin reel or baitcaster reel？

I am fishing in sydney harbour area.

Any expert is welcome.

[big Neil]

Definitely spin rod and reel for the harbour area. Baitcasters are not suited to long distance casting. It really depends what you are trying to catch. If you are chasing Bream, Flathead, Whiting, Trevally, Salmon you will only need a 7ft (2.1m) rod in the 2-4 kg or 3-6kg range, a 3000 or 4000 size reel. The main thing is to cover lots of water. 4kg line should be suitable and get some soft plastics and a few different sized jig heads (biggest being 1/4 oz). That should get you started.

Contact DerekD, he may have some time to show you what to do.

Good luck Mr. Wang.

bn

[Little_Flatty]

 @Mr.Wang. Neil is right, talk to @DerekD. Here is his very comprehensive article:

See also the other active thread on pretty much the same topic:

The TL;DR, quoting Derek, is to buy a Shimano Sienna Quickfire combo (2-4kg 2500 reel and get it in the two piece). We can't mention retailers here, but if you google it, you'll find it is $99 if you take out club membership with said retailer (which I think is free).

To answer the other part of your question, I used baitcasters extensively in the earlier part of my lure fishing career. To get a baitcaster that is capable of casting such light lures, it will cost you $400+ these days, and the casting performance will not be as good even a cheap spin reel. That said, if you have a good application for them (e.g. Bass/Cod/barra) they are fun to cast, even though you can target these species perfectly well with a spin reel these days. I'm taking up fly fishing for similar reasons.

[noelm]

8 hours ago, Mr.Wang said:

Hi All,

I am recently into fishing.

I bought a Shimano Sedona surf combo and used that for bait fishing.

Sick of smell, barely caught anything,  and would like to start trying lures. My sedona seems to be overfitting: 9ft surf rod with 6000 reel.

I would like to buy a lighter gear. Whats recommended？i only know Shimano.

Spin reel or baitcaster reel？

I am fishing in sydney harbour area.

Any expert is welcome.

Good bait should not smell bad, best guess is, being a beginner, you're just fishing from easy to get to locations, in the middle of the day, with packets of frozen bait, big sinkers, heavy line and hurling out as far as you possibly can, none of those things are conducive to consistent catches. Lure fishing is rewarding, but around Sydney, don't expect it to be like TV shows, you will put in a lot of casts for every fish caught.

[DerekD]

What is your budget?

[BabySnapperKiller]

4 hours ago, big Neil said:

Definitely spin rod and reel for the harbour area. Baitcasters are not suited to long distance casting. It really depends what you are trying to catch. If you are chasing Bream, Flathead, Whiting, Trevally, Salmon you will only need a 7ft (2.1m) rod in the 2-4 kg or 3-6kg range, a 3000 or 4000 size reel. The main thing is to cover lots of water. 4kg line should be suitable and get some soft plastics and a few different sized jig heads (biggest being 1/4 oz). That should get you started.

Contact DerekD, he may have some time to show you what to do.

Good luck Mr. Wang.

bn

I believe these are the species I can find in the harbour areas. Great advice Thanks bn!

[BabySnapperKiller]

3 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

 @Mr.Wang. Neil is right, talk to @DerekD. Here is his very comprehensive article:

See also the other active thread on pretty much the same topic:

The TL;DR, quoting Derek, is to buy a Shimano Sienna Quickfire combo (2-4kg 2500 reel and get it in the two piece). We can't mention retailers here, but if you google it, you'll find it is $99 if you take out club membership with said retailer (which I think is free).

To answer the other part of your question, I used baitcasters extensively in the earlier part of my lure fishing career. To get a baitcaster that is capable of casting such light lures, it will cost you $400+ these days, and the casting performance will not be as good even a cheap spin reel. That said, if you have a good application for them (e.g. Bass/Cod/barra) they are fun to cast, even though you can target these species perfectly well with a spin reel these days. I'm taking up fly fishing for similar reasons.

Thanks for sharing the links LF. The $99 sounds like a great starting kit, definitely will have a look. 
I went for large lines targeting bigger fish, apparently it is not what I thought at the beginning. 

Then I looked back and decide to start with basic tactics, ultimate goal would be to catch kings.

[BabySnapperKiller]

2 hours ago, noelm said:

Good bait should not smell bad, best guess is, being a beginner, you're just fishing from easy to get to locations, in the middle of the day, with packets of frozen bait, big sinkers, heavy line and hurling out as far as you possibly can, none of those things are conducive to consistent catches. Lure fishing is rewarding, but around Sydney, don't expect it to be like TV shows, you will put in a lot of casts for every fish caught.

OMG you were not there when I was fishing but that's exactly what you said!
Easy location: blue point reserve, milson s point

Middle of the day, packets of pilchards, big sinkers, 30lb & 50lb line LOL 

[BabySnapperKiller]

1 hour ago, DerekD said:

What is your budget?

Hey @DerekDThat was such a great article!
My budget is between 100-300 for rod and reel. I am thinking about starting with $99 quickfire as @Little_Flattymentioned earlier then upgrade once I get my hands on it. 
Or grab a nice gear and use it for years.

[slothparade]

heres how i use my lure setups

Bait caster:

- usually on kayak where precission casting required, great when casting into mangroves, pylons, trees, rocks ect 

- great for chucking 'heavier' lures

I absolutely love my biatcaster though the learning curve wasn't easy but it is one of my most used setups

In the other hand for light things like bream I use a nasci on a dawia td, pretty nice and fun to use though I tend to loose more gear when casting into snags 

for heavy lures, i use a slammer or a penn battle as the baitcaster is suited to hardbodies, like 10-25g not large stick baits ect

as your new, id be going a spin setup probably a sienna 2500 on a catana rod or simillar, will be quite light and should be easy to learn and not cost an arm and a leg. also buy second hand, so when you go to upgrade you can hopefully make some money back if not gain money, 

as for technique, look for bustups, bait schools, snags and edges and drop offs. I not any where near as experinced as others but i do enjoy doing a bit of lure fishing now and again and had great sucess, just recently caught a bream on a lure which ranked in the top 3 of the largest bream ive ever caught 

 

[Little_Flatty]

37 minutes ago, Mr.Wang said:

OMG you were not there when I was fishing but that's exactly what you said!
Easy location: blue point reserve, milson s point

Middle of the day, packets of pilchards, big sinkers, 30lb & 50lb line LOL 

@noelm knows his beginner fishos well  

At risk of sounding like a broken record, the key to successful fishing often is:

• FRESH or live bait, if you are bait fishing.
• Lightest line and leader possible (Note that this is relative, but for bream/flathead/whiting etc 2-4kg is as much as you need. The same 2-4kg for Kings might have you under-gunned)
• Lightest weights possible (again this is relative, depending on conditions). Often you don't even need a sinker if wind/current is low. That's why the lighter rod is important, to be able to cast lightly weighted baits.

Often beginners cast as far as they can to deeper water, but more often than not, the most successful fishing is to be had within 10-20m of shore. In the harbour, the deeper water is often completely sandy and barren, unless there's structure to attract fish. Don't discount the shallows if you have light gear; fish are often well camouflaged and you don't see them until you catch them! Flathead are famous for scoffing your lure as you lift it out of the shallows for your next cast; often they've followed your lure in from its hiding place and I'm guessing they want to eat it before it jumps out of the water!

[noelm]

I regularly take beginners out showing them the very basics, just wandering along the shore line, pointing out structure I guess in a way, I am cheating, because where I take them, I know where small rocks and so on are, but, I make them "look" and if it's missed, I point it out! Nothing beats a newcomers first Flathead on a lure (or any fish) In my opinion, Flathead should be your first target species, they are found everywhere, readily take lures, and teach you how to "work" a lure. A small spin reel, some 2-4kg line and a few plastics in a container in your pocket is all you need. I said nothing beats a newcomers first fish, I just thought about that, and there is, your grandkids first fish on a lure or even better, on fly. After you get a bit of experience, you will find you will start gathering bits and pieces of gear, a Nipper Pump, a small landing net you can clip to your belt/shorts, all sorts of small things that will enhance your fishing many times.

[big Neil]

18 minutes ago, noelm said:

I regularly take beginners out showing them the very basics, just wandering along the shore line, pointing out structure I guess in a way, I am cheating, because where I take them, I know where small rocks and so on are, but, I make them "look" and if it's missed, I point it out! Nothing beats a newcomers first Flathead on a lure (or any fish) In my opinion, Flathead should be your first target species, they are found everywhere, readily take lures, and teach you how to "work" a lure. A small spin reel, some 2-4kg line and a few plastics in a container in your pocket is all you need. I said nothing beats a newcomers first fish, I just thought about that, and there is, your grandkids first fish on a lure or even better, on fly. After you get a bit of experience, you will find you will start gathering bits and pieces of gear, a Nipper Pump, a small landing net you can clip to your belt/shorts, all sorts of small things that will enhance your fishing many times.

Great reply noelm. bn

[Rebel]

Welcome aboard.

I hope you don't get confused with all the answers on the Forum.

Cheers.

[onearmedfisho]

i vote baitcaster!!!

[BabySnapperKiller]

On 11/15/2022 at 9:19 AM, slothparade said:

heres how i use my lure setups

Bait caster:

- usually on kayak where precission casting required, great when casting into mangroves, pylons, trees, rocks ect 

- great for chucking 'heavier' lures

I absolutely love my biatcaster though the learning curve wasn't easy but it is one of my most used setups

In the other hand for light things like bream I use a nasci on a dawia td, pretty nice and fun to use though I tend to loose more gear when casting into snags 

for heavy lures, i use a slammer or a penn battle as the baitcaster is suited to hardbodies, like 10-25g not large stick baits ect

as your new, id be going a spin setup probably a sienna 2500 on a catana rod or simillar, will be quite light and should be easy to learn and not cost an arm and a leg. also buy second hand, so when you go to upgrade you can hopefully make some money back if not gain money, 

as for technique, look for bustups, bait schools, snags and edges and drop offs. I not any where near as experinced as others but i do enjoy doing a bit of lure fishing now and again and had great sucess, just recently caught a bream on a lure which ranked in the top 3 of the largest bream ive ever caught 

 

Thanks for the sharing! Lots of tips and congrats on catching that milestone bream using lure! :beam-swimming

[BabySnapperKiller]

On 11/15/2022 at 9:59 AM, Little_Flatty said:

@noelm knows his beginner fishos well  

At risk of sounding like a broken record, the key to successful fishing often is:

• FRESH or live bait, if you are bait fishing.
• Lightest line and leader possible (Note that this is relative, but for bream/flathead/whiting etc 2-4kg is as much as you need. The same 2-4kg for Kings might have you under-gunned)
• Lightest weights possible (again this is relative, depending on conditions). Often you don't even need a sinker if wind/current is low. That's why the lighter rod is important, to be able to cast lightly weighted baits.

Often beginners cast as far as they can to deeper water, but more often than not, the most successful fishing is to be had within 10-20m of shore. In the harbour, the deeper water is often completely sandy and barren, unless there's structure to attract fish. Don't discount the shallows if you have light gear; fish are often well camouflaged and you don't see them until you catch them! Flathead are famous for scoffing your lure as you lift it out of the shallows for your next cast; often they've followed your lure in from its hiding place and I'm guessing they want to eat it before it jumps out of the water!

This is so true. I barely see fish in the water through my eyes but apparently they are all there!

I am also confused about sinking all the way to the bottom using larger sinker, as I thought some fish enjoying staying at the bottom. I used to catch a few baby snapper in the harbour areas putting my pilchards to the bottom.

Can't wait for this weekend to throw some plastics for flatheads!  

[BabySnapperKiller]

23 hours ago, Rebel said:

Welcome aboard.

I hope you don't get confused with all the answers on the Forum.

Cheers.

LOL

Love the conversations. The best experience is never on the book but from experienced people!

[BabySnapperKiller]

23 hours ago, Obsessed Fisherman said:

Do what I do - just buy what feels fun for you. I like my rod to be flexible but firm - the cheaper rods are either too firm or flimsy. The flexibility makes throwing surface lures easier to work with. If you are exclusively using soft plastic, buy 4lb or 6lb fishing lines are great. If you are using metal jigs, then you will need slightly stronger lines, especially if you are like me where I will hurl my lure as far and fast as possible (just for the possibility that I might spear a fish instead). In this case, 8lb to 12lb lines are fine.

1-3kg rod to me is much more fun. My 2-4kg rod has been sitting at the bottom of my boot for a whole year untouched. I caught my king on the 1-3kg rod and my first jewfish on my squid jig (which I put a 15lb line on and used it for fishing instead of squidding).

I also like to use lures that are double the recommended casting weight, so I am not sure if you should listen to my advice now, come to think of it. 🤣

LOL. 

I can't really tell the difference between 1-3kg and 2-4kg rod cos I don't have any of these yet!

But question is, does rod get broken when catching big ones? Curious on your catching the king with 1-3kg rod!

 

I might just do as you do, I bought plenty of 20g metal jigs and plan to cast them from shore 🤣

[DerekD]

@Mr.Wang seriously consider taking @Obsessed Fisherman up on his generous offer. It will prevent some false starts. He has a tendency to fish lines and lures heavier than I recommend (pretty sure he does it to get a reaction out of me and he has fun doing so) but I'm a little more protective of my gear.

[Rebel]

@Mr.Wang It is simple. Go to a fishing tackle store & have a look at the rods & reels the Raiders have told you to use.

We all did it when we started fishing.Except I started with hand lines. They were the good old days.

Cheers.

Edited November 16, 2022 by Rebel

[Little_Flatty]

1 hour ago, Mr.Wang said:

This is so true. I barely see fish in the water through my eyes but apparently they are all there!

I am also confused about sinking all the way to the bottom using larger sinker, as I thought some fish enjoying staying at the bottom. I used to catch a few baby snapper in the harbour areas putting my pilchards to the bottom.

Can't wait for this weekend to throw some plastics for flatheads!  

You'd be surprised how little weight you need to reach the bottom, even in relatively deep water. I routinely fish water 5m deep with a 1/8-1/4oz jigheads, very rarely anything more. In shallower water I'm often fishing much lighter still, with 1/20oz being average. Learning how to manage and 'read' your line to see if you have reached the bottom is crucial for plastics fishing. Once you get the hang of that, you'll know how heavy/light you can push things.

[BabySnapperKiller]

22 hours ago, Rebel said:

@Mr.Wang It is simple. Go to a fishing tackle store & have a look at the rods & reels the Raiders have told you to use.

We all did it when we started fishing.Except I started with hand lines. They were the good old days.

Cheers.

Going to pay a visit to the Ancon**** shop this weekend. I also bought a $2.75 hand lines from K**** and caught a few yellow tails from the wharf. So much fun. Cheers

[BabySnapperKiller]

22 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

You'd be surprised how little weight you need to reach the bottom, even in relatively deep water. I routinely fish water 5m deep with a 1/8-1/4oz jigheads, very rarely anything more. In shallower water I'm often fishing much lighter still, with 1/20oz being average. Learning how to manage and 'read' your line to see if you have reached the bottom is crucial for plastics fishing. Once you get the hang of that, you'll know how heavy/light you can push things.

Does the bigger sinker just play a role of how fast the line is going to drop here? Or the fish can actually "see" it

Looks like I need to get rid of my size 4,5,6 sinkers  

[BabySnapperKiller]

22 hours ago, Obsessed Fisherman said:

Your line should snap before your rod does. I also keep my drag pretty light as well.

If you like, I can come out with you so you can feel the difference between my 1kg rod and my 2-4kg rod.

Nice! Who doesn't like to fish with others when there are spots!