Gear recommendation

[ChrisL]

I'm looking to put together an affordable rod / reel for boat fishing, for the few times a year I get on a boat.  Mainly for fluke. 
Would a rod for fluke be good for tog and other bottom fishing as well?
I might be refurbing an old Penn levelwind reel of my father's for this project.

So what should I be looking for in a rod?
If the refurb doesn't work out, what should I be looking for in a reel?

I know I can count on you guys to help me spend my money.   

[CapBob]

You will get a lot of opinions on this one.

I have two rods used for Fluking one for early season when fishing skinny water, Ugly Stik Medium action 7' in length.

The other for deep water Fluking and Bottom fishing is an Ugly Stik 6'6" in length Med/Heavy Action plenty of back bone for deep water and pulling Black Fish out of Structure.

My Skinny water reel is and Okuma 200L or 202L (conventional Level wind) spooled with Fluro-Carbon line 15# test.

My deep water reel is an Okuma 300L or 302L (conventional Level wind) spooled with 40-50 lb test braid with a Floro Carbon leader spliced on.

I prefer the Ugly Stiks for the feel you have and strength.

Many may debate me on the Okuma Reels, I use them on the boat for all my customers, they hold up, perform well and are reasonable in pricing.

Yes I have had reels fail, but only 3 have failed me out of around the 25 or so I own(ed). And you have to remember my reels take a beating with the differant people using them.

Hope it helps

[Hotrod]

Fenwick HMX 66MHC  We use them for fluke/ wreck fishing and tog

[ChrisL]

Thanks Capt Bob and Rod.
I like the price on the Ugly Stick
Anyone else have 2 cents to through in?

[IrishAyes]

I am partial to Fenwick. Great stick at half the price of Lami with the same feel. I use the same stick for fluke (I do all ocean fluking), stripers and bottom fishing. 

[Bucktail]

Mostly St. Croix for me!

[ChrisL]

So regardless of brand, I should be looking for a 6 1/2 ft rod MH action?  And that'll be good for flukin and bottom fishing (like the Nov. 22 trip)from charter and party boats for the most part?
I'm going with mono, since a lot of boats frown on braid.  What lb should I go with?

[Bucktail]

I would say 6'6" or 7' MH to H.  That MH or H designation can be vague though and differs from one company to another.

For an "all around" you will need to lean towards the heavier side. Something rated for 12-25 lb.  or possibly 17-30 lb. test and  3/4-2 oz. or 1-3oz. lures would probably work well in a lot of situations for you.

[Fishin Dude]

Being budget wise(AKA CHEAP BASTARD) as my wife would say, good thing she does not know how much I actually spend on fishing gear, bait, the boat, beer , lunch ,$luts's, etc.  I love the Ugly Stik Inter Coastal series for this application. It is available in both spinning & conventional , and for a price of around $40, you don't worry about the rod as much as the $200 rods,and it leaves alot of cash left for a reel. <'((((><

[Stray Cat]

Go see Capt Rich over at -------- on rt.88 in Brick or ask him a question hear on the site, he'll  hooked you up.

[ped579]

Chris if you will be out on Thursday I will bring the new Ugly Stick I bought and let you see it.  As I needed one for the November trip it has not been broken in yet.

[ChrisL]

Thanks for the input guys.  i think I'm on the right track now.

And yeah I'll be out there tomorrow Paul.  That would be great if you don't mind. 

[gottog]

From a head/party boat I'd go with 7' atleast.  Personally for tog and fluke, all my rods are all 7' to 7'9".

I fish light for fluke and when I have to drag 8ozs and bait for them I do use a custom graphite conventional rod that sees alot of duty fishing for porgies and seabass. 8ozs of weight is the max I'll hang on it though.

For tog'n I generally use 8-12ozs of lead and use other rods. Semsitive with a fast tip(though a few have a slight softer tip) that has plenty of backbone.

For fluke and tog, I can't think of one headboat that would stop you from using braid
Heck, that's all I use for basically everything.

Ugly Sticks are ok and a pretty good bang for your buck. I started out using them but have gone to rods more designed for specific applications.  Don't really feel one rod will be good for lots of things. Some excel at one and can be used for others, but tough to find one rod that'll be ok for everything out there.

A nice rod is the Lamiglas Bl7020 or 7025. The 7030 would be better for more tog'n specific but should be able to pull in some with the 7020/7025