Length of mooching Rod?
- Thread starter Califbill
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scott craven
Well-Known Member
Depends on your needs, buddy of mine swears by his 9' TFO moocher's.
I'm using a 10.5 Trophy Titan which seems to be a pretty good rod for the $$
I'm using a 10.5 Trophy Titan which seems to be a pretty good rod for the $$
Drewski Canuck
Active Member
Think of it as a really big shock absorber. Won't make much difference with a fish out at 50 yards, but at 15 feet and the fish surges, the rod bends quickly until the drag releases. On a stiff rod with a lightly hooked fish or after a long fight and the hook is worked loose, it can make the difference between a landed fish and a pop out.
After a few days of salt, a lot of drags start getting "sticky", especially on a single action. long rods in small boats are no fun, but the softer the rod the better for the simple reason of end game where so many fish are lost.
Drewski
After a few days of salt, a lot of drags start getting "sticky", especially on a single action. long rods in small boats are no fun, but the softer the rod the better for the simple reason of end game where so many fish are lost.
Drewski
spring fever
Well-Known Member
X2 with the above but quite often ability to fish out of certain boats make that length of rod impractical so a 9 or 91/2 might be more practical-depends on the boat.
Fisherman Rob
Well-Known Member
I've never been clear on the best length of rod. I have some old ones (about 8') that are stiffer than most newer ones and they are great for trolling and easy to store in a smaller boat. I think a shorter, stiffer rod will let you "feel" the fish more... maybe? For mooching they don't have a smooth flicking action.
gungadin
Well-Known Member
It sounds like you are actually looking for a decent downrigger rod, rather then a pure mooching rod. If however you plan on doing some mooching you will find that longer rods will allow you to 1) feel the slightest take of a spring salmon and 2) allow the use of a longer leader especially when using live herring.
Time
Well-Known Member
Shorter the boat, shorter the rod.
In a 12-16' boat, you are unable to back away from the gunwale in order to hold the fish within reach for netting, use a shorter rod.
Bigger boat, 8' beam, you can take a step back to bring the fish alongside, longer rod ok.
Fishing alone, I prefer the shorter 9' rod as I can be at the gunwale and net the fish easier than with a longer rod.
Shorter rod, easier to control the fishes head when landing.
9' is, in my opinion, the more versatile rod length and about all I use.
In the old days when we actually mooched live herring, Hardy 10' and 10'10" (fibreglass) were the cadillacs. For mooching, as gungadin said, you wanted a very soft tip. Soft enough that you could see the tip straighten when a fish took the bait and picked up the weight of the sinker - usually we used 2-3 ounces, occassionally up to 4 or 5 if the current was pushing.
With graphite rods you can get a soft tip in a shorter rod if you prefer.
Let us know how you make out with a single action reel, Bill. Took a look on the net and couldn't see a mooching-single action Quantum reel.
In a 12-16' boat, you are unable to back away from the gunwale in order to hold the fish within reach for netting, use a shorter rod.
Bigger boat, 8' beam, you can take a step back to bring the fish alongside, longer rod ok.
Fishing alone, I prefer the shorter 9' rod as I can be at the gunwale and net the fish easier than with a longer rod.
Shorter rod, easier to control the fishes head when landing.
9' is, in my opinion, the more versatile rod length and about all I use.
In the old days when we actually mooched live herring, Hardy 10' and 10'10" (fibreglass) were the cadillacs. For mooching, as gungadin said, you wanted a very soft tip. Soft enough that you could see the tip straighten when a fish took the bait and picked up the weight of the sinker - usually we used 2-3 ounces, occassionally up to 4 or 5 if the current was pushing.
With graphite rods you can get a soft tip in a shorter rod if you prefer.
Let us know how you make out with a single action reel, Bill. Took a look on the net and couldn't see a mooching-single action Quantum reel.
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Was looking at a setup like this.
http://www.berrysbait.com/products/...t-rod-quantum-mr3000-mooching-reel-22132.aspx
And we do mooch in this area. Not as much now they require barbless circle hooks with bait. And is hard to keep bait on.
http://www.berrysbait.com/products/...t-rod-quantum-mr3000-mooching-reel-22132.aspx
And we do mooch in this area. Not as much now they require barbless circle hooks with bait. And is hard to keep bait on.
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scott craven
Well-Known Member
Definitely on the lower end of the scale, but it will get the job done....
fishin solo
Crew Member
Don't get that reel they are junk I had 2 of them would not recommend them to anyone
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Big Green Machine
Well-Known Member
Aside from the rod length and action question, I agree with this post. For a few dollars more you can get a Shimano combo.
Olde School
Well-Known Member
We have a few of those rods, bought the first one as a cheapo spare. WOW, they are nice to use! 9 footer works well for most. Almost as nice as our $300 10.5 footers.
No idea on the reels.
No idea on the reels.
fshnfnatic
Well-Known Member
This^^^^.Agree 100% with you ,Time.Smaller boats require shorter rods,especially if your fishing alone.Another
thing to keep in mind is how long you run your leaders from your flasher,If you run longish leaders of 6-8 ft. when
using bait,you'll have a hell of a time getting the fish in the net with a 10.5 ft rod,especially when your by yourself!
Filletandrelease
Well-Known Member
I use a 10-6 rod for the most part but if I'm alone and the water is rough I will switch to a 9 ft for better control. For overall excitement with a hog, the long rod is my preference.
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