Matching Rod & Reel

Alright. I regularly get asked by friends which reel is best? Which rod is best? Value for money mid range products, el-cheapo or no compromise best of the best. Well, my answer is always the same.

"What do you intend to use it for?" is my regular answer. Then comes the blank face & clueless few seconds of expression. For bottom fishing some say. For float fishing some say and then there's the popular answer, "everything lar, I want to use for casting, bottom, float, general fishing. Can arrr?". Off course you can buy a RM 50 rod, RM 50 reel & spool it with RM 15 line which is more or less the bare minimal el-cheapo set up for a Spinning outfit. Don't get me wrong, any rod, reel & line can catch fish. It all boils down to how good are you with your baiting, presentation & rigs. But! Whether you land that fish, (assuming it's a 5kg Patin in a paypond environment), in 5, 10, 30mins or the line snapped or the fish threw the hook is another story.

What do you intend to use the outfit for?

First & foremost, you MUST have a clear idea of what you are going to use the outfit for then do some research on the Internet & forums. Find out from the experienced guys on their setup. In fact, there are specific setups for specific species of fishes too! I will outline here some outfits which I prefer to use.

(Coarse Fishing) Ultralight, Finesse setup

Species: Rohu, Tilapia, Lampam, Patin ( fish below 2kg )

Rod: Graphite, medium action. 7ft, 8 to 12lb rating. Spinning.

Reel: Size 1000 spinning reel.

Line: 8 to 10lb monofilament

Terminal tackles: 15 to 30lb swivels & clips.

This set up is suitable for tackling small fishes of between 0 to 2kg. The rod isn't too stiff & it's slower action won't rip the hook out of a fish's mouth before they have a chance to mouth it. It's got enough backbone to handle bigger ones up to 3kg. A longer & softer rod is easier to cast smaller baits, 5 to 10g out. Couple with a size 1000 spinning reel, it should hold enough line up to about 90m of 8 to 10lb monofilament lines. Fishing with this outfit is not to pump the fish back but to use the rod's mid-section bend to keep pressure on the fish & reel it in gently. Suitable for float & bottom fishing for presentation up to 20m from the banks. The small tiny terminal tackles, thin lines & small clips/swivels is a good for finesse fishing.

(Coarse Fishing/Casting) Light setup

Species: Patin, Pacu, Snakeheads, Rohu, Big Head Carp, Peacock Bass ( fish below 6kg )

Rod: Graphite, medium-fast action. 7ft, 12 to 25lb, spinning.

Reel: Size 2500 spinning reel.

Line: 12lb to 15lb braid

Terminal tackles: 25 to 35lb swivels & clips.

My favorite outfit for general freshwater fishing. The rod has enough length & backbone to cast baits from 10g to 30g out to nearly 25 to 30m. It can still handle whoppers up to 10kg but slowly. The fast action tip can be used for lure casting for Snakeheads. This is also a good strong rod & reel to handle brutish, bad boys like Toman, PBs & Pacu. The reel has enough capacity to store more than 100m of lines in the event you hit a big one in the open lake & starts peeling off line. This is an outfit better suited to handle fishes in the 2kg to 6kg variety so you can pump & exert some pressure on the fish. The spinning reel is very effective for use in wild locations where there are thick grass & tall bushes. The fast action also would minimize the chance a fish throws a hook.

(Casting) Light setup

Species: Pacu, Snakeheads, Peacock Bass ( fish below 6kg )

Rod: Graphite, medium-fast action, 6ft, 15 to 25lb, casting.

Reel: Size 100 Low Profile Baitcaster reel.

Line: 15 to 20lb braid

Terminal tackles: 25 to 35lb swivels & clips.

Good for lake or pond fishing around parks & wild locations where there isn't too much grass & obstacles. Basically it is the same set up as the Spinning Light but in casting configuration. The stiff fast action tip is good for pitching & casting lures from 7g up till 30g. The 6ft length is also suitable for boat fishing. Do take note that, casting setup can also be used for coarse fishing.


Scenario
Let's start cracking down to individual rod, reel & line. Let's say, you have an arsenal of tackles at home & you would like to mix & match for different forms of fishing or fish species. Let's assume a typical fishing trip to a private pond to fish Tilapia in the 500g to 1.5kg sizes. So what do we know about Tilapia?

They are small fish. Less than 2kg. They don't fight so hard but are easily spooked. Will need to do finesse fishing either on umbrella bottom or floating rig baited with dedak or pellets, weighing no more than 20g per rigging. Going to use light, thin mono lines in the 6 to 12lb rating. Distance is not required as the pond is relatively small, less than 50m wide & 50m long. So you've got the details. You have an idea of what to assemble or use for fishing there. So now you go into your 'Armory' & starts assembling your arsenal.

Target fish: Nile Tilapia
Weight: 500g to 1.5kg
Fighting power: Low
Behavior: Shy fish, small but voracious eater. Doesn't take bait whole, prefers to peck on bait.
Physical attributes: No sharp teeth, bottom feeder.

Bait: Going to use soaked pellets.
Rig: For bottom use umbrella or basic bottom rig.
Line: Small fish, easily spooked, suitable mainline would be 6 to 10lb clear mono.

Rod: 7ft soft rod medium action graphite Ultralight setup. Easy to cast light baits.
Reel: Spinning size 1000. Enough to hold 80 to 100m of 10lb mono line.

So! Given the details above, we now have a rod & reel outfit ready to tackle some Nile Tilapia!

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