Bottom fishing setup - Rods and Reels

Wanting to see what y’all are using out of PC and Depot when bottom fishing. I have been using the same gear I use in the Columbia and Willamette for salmon, but it all seemed a bit long and unruly for bottom fish. I am going to look into a new setup for this season and thought I would gain the collective wisdom of this esteemed group.

Question:
What is your favorite setup.
- Spinning vs Casting reels
- Rod length and action

Thanks

Tiger Elite Jig casting rod, Penn Squall 30LW level wind reel, PowerPro 50 to 80 lbs line. I like to spend as little time possible landing bottom fish. Best bang for the buck, I think.

Check out the Daiwa Harrier Jigging rods.  Super lightweight but I was literally pulling people off their feet with one 10 times a day at the Sportsman Show.  Back it up with a Daiwa Saltist or Lexa reel and you're set to jig all day with minimal fatigue but enough backbone to drag in anything you'd hook.

-Mark-

Just grab yourself a Shimano Trevala and call it good.  Tried and true by kayak anglers from NorCal guys to Alaska.  A great value too and very durable. 

Casting reel for lings ( the tranx 400 series is my personal fav) and perhaps a lighter 2nd spinning ugly stick rig for rockfish.

I just got a 7 foot medium heavy ugly stick that I am excited for. I have always just used salmon rods, but they won't fit in the trunk of our Volvo with my gear.

I forget to mention, the Harrier will be released in March at $99.99...

Mark

Check out the Tica Kayak rod

Check out the Daiwa Harrier Jigging rods.  Super lightweight but I was literally pulling people off their feet with one 10 times a day at the Sportsman Show.  Back it up with a Daiwa Saltist or Lexa reel and you're set to jig all day with minimal fatigue but enough backbone to drag in anything you'd hook.

-Mark-

Agreed.  I was blown away by this thing.  I'm probably going to swap out my Saltiga-G rods for the Harrier rods, which are about half the price!

Check out the Daiwa Harrier Jigging rods.  Super lightweight but I was literally pulling people off their feet with one 10 times a day at the Sportsman Show.  Back it up with a Daiwa Saltist or Lexa reel and you're set to jig all day with minimal fatigue but enough backbone to drag in anything you'd hook.

-Mark-

Agreed.  I was blown away by this thing.  I'm probably going to swap out my Saltiga-G rods for the Harrier rods, which are about half the price!

And I am prepared to receive any Saltiga-G donations. Weird

Check out the Daiwa Harrier Jigging rods.  Super lightweight but I was literally pulling people off their feet with one 10 times a day at the Sportsman Show.  Back it up with a Daiwa Saltist or Lexa reel and you're set to jig all day with minimal fatigue but enough backbone to drag in anything you'd hook.

-Mark-

Agreed.  I was blown away by this thing.  I'm probably going to swap out my Saltiga-G rods for the Harrier rods, which are about half the price!

And I am prepared to receive any Saltiga-G donations. Weird

So weird.

Many ways to skin that cat.  My standard lingcod rod is a 7' Ugly Stik Tiger conventional, medium action, rated for 20-50#, paired with a Penn Squall 20LW.  The big thing with lings is keeping them from diving into the rocks on that first run.  This outfit allows me to put the pressure on them and keep them from snagging me up.  Turn a ling after that first run, and you've basically won the fight.

My rockfish gear is based more on personal preference and the drift/current.  If it's a windless day and I'm in it for the thrill of the fight, I'll use a 6'6" Ugly Stik spinning rod paired with a Shimano 3000 series spinning reel and 20 pound braid.  But if the current or wind is making it tough to stay on the pinnacles, I'll bust out a 7'6" spinning rod capable of fishing 2-3 ounce jigging spoons.

I agree on the unruliness of salmon gear for bottomfish: I've done it many times in a pinch, but the slow action and rod length makes it feel funky.  A medium-action rod under 8' is a better fit for bottomfishing IMO.

The beautiful thing about bottom fish is that they are hungry and mostly stupid. Pretty much any rod/reel combo will get your bottom fish.

Keep it simple and it stays cost effective.  A $9 Shakespeare Barbie rod with some braid thrown on it, can and will catch whatever bottom fish your heart desires.

6-7 foot light to medium Ugly Stik rods and cheap $25 Shimano 1000-3000 reels will do the same.

IMO, anything longer than 7 foot is overkill for bottom fish from a kayak.

 

I'm pretty much going to have to agree with INSAYN here.  I'm not convinced you ever need special gear for bottom fish and if I can catch them with a hunk of fur and feathers, and boat them just as fast and just as easily with a noodly 9-foot fly rod, I haven't yet heard an argument that'll convince me I need to use heavy deep sea gear.

I have no comment on short rods since my fly rods are 9 feet and 10 feet long, and someone I fish with uses an 11-foot rod.  Folks who fly-fish like overkilling it, I reckon.   

Bought a 5 ft used Penn Mariner off here 4 years ago I think (my memory sucks) with a reel and braided line $80 I believe.... still use it with broken guides.

I think the biggest argument for a rod made for jigging is that it's significantly easier on your arms and body than a "noodly" rod. If you're mooching or drifting bait not a huge issue but if you're jigging all day long I can notice a huge difference in how I feel the next day when I've used a purpose built jigging rod over a salmon (or other) rod. Does it mean you catch more fish? Probably not, as Insayn said you can catch them with anything, but if you're able a purpose built rod/reel is going to make your experience that much better.