Which rods?

I see in most of the pictures of you guys out in your kayaks that you all seem to carry several rods. I primarily have freshwater fishing gear and am looking into buying some more gear for fishing in the ocean. I currently have a UglyStick Tiger "meat rod" that I've used halibut, striper and rockfish on party boats. It seems to me that a rod similar to this plus perhaps a bass type rod for smaller rockfish and bait would be nice. What do you guys carry with you? Can you point me in the dircetion of some information for selecting and rigging a selection of rods and reels. Also how do you rig them? Thanks for all the great info. I can't wait to get into this sport. My wife grew up in Ukiah I wish I would have known a little earlier about the Mendo trip.

i find the tiger rods too heavy and the handle is too long for kayak fishing.  i currently use an ugly stik, bws1100, the biggest in their freshwater lineup. i am considering upgraging to one of erik's custom rods soon though.

I agree with Chris.....if you can find a lighter rod with similar action to the tiger rod = get it. I'm a big fan of the Shimano Clarus rods and the Lamiglass off shore models as well. Pricey but the warranty that comes along with these rods help big time. I snapped a lami rod from a snag that I got from Fisherman Wear house last year - and they replaced it for me at no charge. Lucky for me I still had the receipt.

I like the 7 to 8 .ft lenght simply because I can clear the bow of my Prowler if and when a hooked fish runs on either side. I match my rod with a culcutta 401 TE bait caster reel

just my 2 cents....

Thanks guys. How do you rig the several rods you carry at one time. What is the purpose of each of the rods you might have with you on the boat? How do you keep each one rigged normally?

Most have at least one or two rod holders installed in our boat and many of us have several pvc tubes attached to our milk crates that work as rod holders as well.  

If you have a front hatch it's a good idea to stow your rods for surf launchings and landings.  Some can do this on their own, while others get help from a buddy.

As for which rods and rigs.  If I'm fishing for lingcods with large jigs or using any other lures over 6 oz I'll still bring out my "meat stick".  Otherwise, I tend to bring out my casting rods.  Like Mooch, I like my rods around 7 ft and I tend to use fast action medium heavy - heavy rods with a decent bait caster on it.  Spectra line is nice, just make sure you use a line weight appropriate for your rod and reel.  Unlike Mooch, I only bring out one maybe two rods with me at a time.   Sure, I'll spend more time tying knots everytime I want to add a new lure, but I won't have to worry about having $1000 in tackle with me if anything goes wrong.

As for how they're rigged, it depends on what I'm fishing for.  For rockfish, I use 15-20 lb spectra with a 6 ft 25 lb leader of flourocarbon.  The leader is nice because florocarbon is nearly invisble underwater, it is more resistant to rocks than spectra, it's safer to grab when bringing in a fish, and it's much easier to tie good knots with to your lures.   If I bother taking more than one rod out, I'll rig one with a heavy jig (megabait, diamond jig, scampi) for bottom fishing and another with a lighter 3" swimbaits for casting.

Brian

....you can also tie one of these at the end of your line so you can switch lures with ease = thus having less rods on the yak. Got this tip from Jason when fishing for stripers from shore.....

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0011850113060a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=No=20&noImage=0&Ntt=snap+swivels&Ntk=Products&QueryText=snap+swivels&Ntx=matchall&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=4887&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.22&returnPage=search-results1.jsp

...you can also tie one of these at the end of your line so you can switch lures with ease

I also use duolock snaps, but you have to make sure you get the good ones.  The cheap ones don't lock very well and can open up accidentally.

Let me refer you once again to ChuckE's post.........DO NOT USE CHEAP DUOLOCKS!!!!...........
Pat........becoming wiser at the fishing game with each mistake

NEVER use a cheap snap, and beware of tying to a welded split ring.

I went through the same thinking about a year ago.

I think a freshwater bass rod (and reel) works pretty darn well for shallow water rockfishing and halibut fishing too.  You will be slightly underpowered, but I landed a 22" vermillion, a 27" lingcod and a 28" halibut (not on one day) on a $30 6'6" MH 10-20 bass rod (2 pieces). It's like landing a trophy bass on every fish. it is sensitive enough to feel bait on a sabiki too. The key is you are not casting, you are just dropping the offering to the bottom. This allows a lot of options.

The tiger works (my friend is using mine and pulling up fish with it) but is not very sensitive. I have another lighter ugly stick too and it also is not real sensitive. Once the fish is on tho, it's great.

the ideal rod for me would have the sensitivity of the bass rod with a little more backbone and durability. (I'm getting my demands ready for my custom rod,   )

an ultralight spinning rig is good for a sabiki rig.

since it's not real demanding fishing, lots of things will work.

Chris what's up with welded rings I have always preferred them, so I don't have to watch where I tie a knot.  They cost a lot more have you had them  fail?

I like the 10-30lb shakespeare rods from walmart because they're cheap enough that the ocean isn't temped to eat them.  The only rod I've lost was a tigerstick.

Here are my thoughts on rods.... quite general recommendations but I'll throw a few rod/model numbers in the mix as well.

Rockfish:  I prefer 7-foot rods... but would use rods up to 8-feet or so for rockfishing as well.  I use two different rods... one light and one heavy.  Both are considered "Inshore Saltwater Rods"... they don't have quite as soft of a tip as a "Live Bait" rod and they have plenty of power in the butt section.  

Light rod is rated for 15-20# line... Heavy rod is rated for 25 - 30# line.  I prefer graphite composite because it gives you the weight savings of graphite in the butt section with the durability of E-glass in the tip section.  My heavy rod is E-glass and is extremely durable.  S-glass is an excellent material to choose as well... kind of has properties half way between E-glass and Graphite (durable but light and stiff).  I like a Fast to Moderate Fast action rod for rockfishing.  These rods are also great for other heavy game such as Sturgeon, Bat Rays, or salmon trolling, and the lighter rod is great as well for Halibut drifting.

Some commecial rods you might try include:
- Calstar 700XL or 700L  (Graphite / E-glass Composite)
- Seeker BCSW708 or 808  (Blue Graphite / S-glass Composite)
- Seeker G270 or 870  (Graphite / E-glass composite)

For a rod with great versatility for Salmon Mooching, Halibut drifting, or Striper plugging I like the heavier "Hot Shot" type rods... usually 8'6" length and rated for 15-30# line.  These rods are stiff enough to cast a country mile from shore, but have enough flex to them to be a good shock absorber for salmon mooching and enough backbone to pull butts off the bay bottom.  They have a very sensitive tip as well... which makes them great for drifting live bait.  

The G.Loomis HSR1025C is about what I'm talking about... you can find similar rods from Lamiglas, St. Croix and others as well.  Also... the St. Croix AC80HF.

For striper plugging, I like a 7-foot graphite "Mag Bass" type rods or "Inshore Saltwater" type rods rated for 8 to 17 # line or so in either spinning or baitcasting varieties.  The Loomis MBR843 is about what I'm talking about.  Great for chucking Rat'L traps and hairraisers.

If I were going to get two rods, I'd get a 20# 7-foot composite rod for rockfish jiggin, halibut, sturgeon, and salmon trolling... and I'd get a 8'6" Hot Shot rod for salmon mooching, striper plugging, halibut drifting, etc.  

Those are the thoughts of this rod snob / tackle junkie...

Erik

the weld on a split ring can cut your line, i know big game anglers use welded rings that are not split, i do not have experience with those.