Halibut Conventional Rod and Reel Setup?

Hi all.

I need some reccomendatoins on a conventional setup setup for drifting live or dead bait for Halibut. I will be trolling plugs as well. I am in Santa Cruz. Thinking about an Ambasseduer 7000 series. How are these reels holding up to the abuses of kayak fishing. How much weight are you using to get down usually 2-4oz?  Using braid 15-30lb test or mono?  I have only fished for Halibut from the shore using bucktails on light spinning gear. Want to get a sense of the size rod and action you prefer.  I am imagining one spinnning setup for throwing plastics, plugs, and bucktails and a conventional for bait.
Thanks
Lee

I have two trolling set ups. I also use them for rock fishing (jigging) as well. One is a Trevala rod with a Penn 9M the other is the Biadarka with an Ambasseduer 5000B. I use these reels b/c they have no ball bearings (nothing to rust and freeze up if they take a bath, yes I do rinse them off after each use). Neither are the best reels but they can take a beating! Both are spooled with mono backing and 30lb braid. I like 7 to 7'6" rods so I can stash them in the rod pod. I also like med/light action rods. I will risk loosing a fish or two for better fights on the vast majority of my hook ups. I am fishing for sport with an occasional meal so to me its worth the risk. Although I pulled in a 50"+ sturgeon with the Biadarka set up this winter so I don't foresee to many lost fish.

Hope that helps.

I think the 7000 abu would be too heavy get a 6000 and a good all around rod would be a Trevala TVC70ML, 30lb Braid

Lee, I LOVE my Abu 7000i. It would work great for ocean halibut fishing, as well as rockfishing. The 6000 series will work fine. Just not as much cranking power when dealing w/big lings down deep....if you plan to use the reel for rockfishing too. Mine is spooled w/300yds of 50lb Spiderwire Stealth.
I'm definitely not a halibut expert, but I know you want a long (7-8ft) and somewhat limber rod w/a nice soft action.
On the ocean, 2oz is the absolute minimum amt of weight you'll get to use. It will probably be more like 4oz.

quality advice from the experienced crew there.

I agree that for halibut a 7000i is a bit of overkill so I usually use a 6501 C3 when I go for halibut. But, if you are looking for one reel that will also work for ling, sturgeon, and other heavier types of fishing in addition to halibut then the 7000i is probably a good balance.

I've got a "like new" 7000i C3 that has only been fished a couple times that I would like to sell. It's loaded with 300+ yards of brand new 65lb power pro. I would be willing to sell it for $100 if you're interested. I'm trying to slim down some of my backup gear so I can build up some new rod/reel combos for a planned trip to Mexico in 2010. PM me if you're interested.

-Jay