Rock fish/Ling Cod rod

So now that I'm intent on catching the occasional bottom fish, I've been wondering about the ideal rod for the task. For salmon I use 9' 2 piece rods rated up to 2-3 oz, 15-50 line, moderate action, I believe.

Would a slightly shorter (7-7.5') 2 piece medium action rod, rated for up to 6 or 8 oz be more appropriate?

What are you salty dogs using on the bottom?

Jay

The Okuma Cedros jigging rod is perfect---see my pix in the product section.

that seems great as long as it will fit inside for the surf. since i'm going to be adding a rod pod to my big game, it probably will. where did you find it?

Jay

I got it at Outdoor Emporium in Seattle, 4th Ave just south of the Kinkdome....er, Quest Firld.

This was a good question and I'm still hoping to see more opinions on other rod/reel combo's. 

At this point all I have right now for salt is a 1973 custom 11' surf pole with an older Penn 209 on it.  The 209 is in great shape.  I've also been using a Shakespeare Tidewater T15L reel on a two piece 8'6" Shakespeare Cateva heavy action rod.   I'm sure the drag on this reel will be my first issue if I get into a heavy ling.  It was a cheap rod/reel combo from BiMart, that I picked up for surf  and jetty fishing way before I got the 11' rod.  I have pulled the reel apart on occasion to watch for corrosion, and all looks good still. 

I highly doubt I'll ever take the 11' rod on a kayak, so I am going to be on the hunt for a decent priced combo that I can take out in the salt as a primary RF jigging stick, and use my Shakespeare combo as a back up.

Get a 7ft medium-heavy action rod and put the 209 on it. Load the 209 with some 20 to 30 power pro, and use 15 to 20 mono leaders, and you will be ready for anything! I used my 7ft diawa sealine rod with my Penn 309 at the derby. You really don't want anymore more than a 7 or 7 1/2 foot rod in the kayak.

Just my newbie kayak fishing opinion!

Dave

im pretty set on my penn 320gti...as far as rods go im not too sure...i have a 7 foot medium heavy penn rod that has worked well for what i have hooked into...im not really that worried about the reel...if it can handle an 8 foot bull shark not to worried about the salmon or rockfish rather

not to mention the combo was only about 115 i think

For those in the Portland area....
Is there a decent place to pick up used equipment? Is it even worth it to try?

Jay

For those in the Portland area....
Is there a decent place to pick up used equipment? Is it even worth it to try?

Jay

Try looking in some Pawn Shops. I always see a decent selection of rods and reels in the one down here.

I use about 3-4 different rods for rockfish/lings depending on how I'm fishing that day.

A lighter rod like a GLoomis HSR1021C (it a hotshot rod) works great for tossing light jigs and can work up to 4 ounce jigs ok.  I like the feel of a rod like this when casting or working light stuff.  I probably use this rod the most, paired with an Abu Garcia 6500.  I use this outfit for salmon as well.

For 4-8 ounce stuff or when jigging irons, I use a heavier rod in the 7 foot range.  Rods like the Shimano Trevala, Okuma Baidarka, or the Lamigas Kayak Series work fine for me.  Avet SX or Pro Gear 255 reels.

Every now and then I'll bust out somethings lightly heavier, mostly when halibut fishing.  Avet SX or Pro Gear 251.  This outfit doubles as a sturgeon rod.

Note that I spool everything up with 20# power pro, not matter what I'm using.  I do have one reel (Shimano TLD15) spooled with 30# power pro and I'll break that out every now and then although less so once I got the Avets.

And then I do have the fly rod handy for those surface busting blacks.

-Allen

A lot of people down here actually use hotshot rods (often the cheaper Shimano/Berekley/Okuma equivolent) for sturgeon fishing.  The rods can handle a keeper sturgeon and make wading through a bunch of shakers a bit more fun.  Also, the sturgeon bite is very soft and the extra sensitive tip is helpful.

Having been here almost a year I'm starting to think that for most kayak fishing (rockfish, lingcod, salmon, sturgeon) a decent salmon rod with a reel like an Abu 6500 is a perfect combination.  The Berkeley Air Backbouncing rod seems like a decent inexpensive choice (Length: 7'9", Lure weight/oz: ˝ - 4, 2 pieces, Action: Heavy)  I have something similar from Fenwick but I don't know the model.

Brian

search "fishing reel" on Craigslist, there's plenty listed  in both  Seattle and PDX .

A lot of people down here actually use hotshot rods (often the cheaper Shimano/Berekley/Okuma equivolent) for sturgeon fishing.  The rods can handle a keeper sturgeon and make wading through a bunch of shakers a bit more fun.  Also, the sturgeon bit is very soft and the extra sensitive tip is helpful.

Having been here almost a year I'm starting to think that for most kayak fishing (rockfish, lingcod, salmon, sturgeon) a decent salmon rod with a reel like an Abu 6500 is a perfect combination.  The Berkeley Air Backbouncing rod seems like a decent inexpensive choice (Length: 7'9", Lure weight/oz: ˝ - 4, 2 pieces, Action: Heavy)  I have something similar from Fenwick but I don't know the model.

Brian

This is exactly the setup I use for salmon. I love the simplicity of the 6500 reels (6501 for me). I guess I'll just look for a slightly shorter, stiff rod to use for rockfish and ling cod. I'll also look for a used Abu reel to load with a spectra line.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone,
Jay

There's an Ambassador 5500 for sale on CL.  Like $50 or less.

Saw this on PDX Craigslist today, some cat in West Linn selling pretty good outfits, if I was closer I;d snap up that Celilo with the 6600!!



4 fishing rods and reels:
Garcia 8' graphite salmon rod with Shimano Bantum Mag Plus BMP 350 reel $65
Oluma 8' Celilo graphite salmon rod with Ambassadeur 6600 reel, both like new, $65
Northern 8' Custom Made Series light sturgeon rod with Daiwa SeaLine 175H reel $65
Penn Power Stick 6' salmon trolling rod with Garcia Ambassaduer Mag II reel $45