Saltwater Spinning Setup

[LastTurn]

I am looking to purchase a new saltwater spinning rod and reel.

I will be using it for jigging on my boat, casting toward shore and hopefully some casting from shore in the future.

My "research" so far has me leaning toward a Trophy Titan XL 8' Power 2 rod. (used two Trophy Titan XL 10'6" mooching rods for 4 years and love them)

The reel is my question... the Shimano Saragosa line, looks interesting...a lot of models is a bit confusing...however, I am sure there are other reels out there I have over looked.

Any recommendations or comments on rods or reels appreciated.

 

[tubber]

I've had a Penn Battle 6000 loaded with 40 lb braid on a Trevala spinner for about 5 years. It's been good. The Battle 2 is better than mine, and cheaper than the Saragosa by over $100 I think. The longer rod would probably be better for manouvering around kelp if on shore and maybe cast farther.
A smaller 5000 (or 4000) would work too. My wife prefers the spinner for jigging, since all my other reels are top mount and the rod twists.
The reviews would say the Shimano is better, likely, and explain their numbering/sizing.

 

[ericl]

I would look here for reel reviews:

Main - AlanHawk.com

Welcome to the official home of Alan Hawk, fishing and reel enthusiast.

www.alanhawk.com

My local shop owner highly recommends Penn's but I like Shimano reels.

Alan is a die-hard Tuna fisher, so much of his focus is on drag performance for fish that run 3-4 hundred yards; not so important with our fish
FYI the higher-end reels DO NOT have an automatic bail trip.

I am 70 y/o & need a shorter rod for jigging for long periods; I now use a 7'; used to use a 9'.

IMO line is very important; you need braid & tend I to use 20# as line resistance thru water is important as the jig needs to be near vertical to work properly for Salmon - Dogfish not so picky. I short piece of mono (top shot) is required (3 feet or so). The best mono-to-braid connection for going thru the rod guides smoothly is using hollow core braid with a "served connection". Solid braid connected to mono via the "FG" knot is second best.
You can buy a reel from www.charkbait.com & they will spool it as specified & make a "served connection" for you (they don't sell Shimano). www.tackledirect.com will do the same. The problem is that if you need to re-do a "served connection" you need special tools & doing it in the field would be difficult; if you go this route I'd use the FG knot as a backup.

Here is a video of making a "served connection":

You can make your own jig for clamping the line & wind the line by hand but you need buy the threading needles.

 

[ReelSlim]

I bought Penn Battle 2's for the kids last year and put them on 7' rods. I bought the 2500 series and they caught everything from fish at the dock to 15lb Lings and a lot of offshore Coho when sitting on the anchor. I put on 12lbs mono and never an issue getting fish to the boat. The newer 2500 series upped the drag and are probably closer to 4000 series rig in a lot of brands. If you are fishing deeper than go with a larger reel but for stopping 15lbs and under fish it's a great reel.