Suggestions for Canal Rod/Reel

[BrianS]

Im looking to get a nice canal rod/reel for next year... something heavy.. that could handle anything from eels to heavy jigs/plugs

It also has to be 2 piece... Im gonna be stuck with my car for some time.

Not sure where to begin... Any suggestions?

Looking to spend no more than $300 if possible.

[Saltheart]

Eels to big jigs and must be 2 piece....


Arra 1322-2 i would say Allstar 1266-2 except its not good for eels.

2 piece requirement really limits you on canal rods.

Best reel IMO is the ABU BG 7000CL. Lots of guys switching to very expensive spinners , Like $500 to $1000 models but the BG conventional is a great canal reel and only about $150 if you can find one. If no BG available , there are many other 7000 size ABU conventionals

Going to be hard to come in under $300 for rod/reel combo that will stand up to heavy use.

[BrianS]

yeah
i was afraid of that.... and a rack on top of my car isnt really feasible...

maybe i can find something used... winter project

[Diggin Jiggin]

Originally Posted by bjs

yeah
i was afraid of that.... and a rack on top of my car isnt really feasible...

maybe i can find something used... winter project

BJS, I have a soft rack that I put on my car everyday to fish the canal. Its kind of like heavy foam rubber, goes on with straps and is easily taken on off. It was around 75$. A while ago I posted an add for an sw1089 in the classifieds, in one of the pics of the car you can see the rack.

I tried using an allstar 1206 down there and its ok most of the time, but not if you are upcurrent from structure. You can stop a fish, and play it if you have room, but its not ballsy enough to haul a green fish back up against a strong current.

You really need to go up to something like a 1209. There was one for sale in the classifieds last week. BTW, a 1209 will fit inside a honda civic sedan going diagonal with the seats down. Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

The last couple years i have been using a lami triflex 2 piece 10' with a abu 7000 with 50lb PP. ITs a good eel rod for the canal, can handle the current and large fish. Throws eels really well with the soft tip. Can throw 4oz jigs 5 is pushing it a bit and it doesnt have the right feel for jigs. The rod was $180 and the reel was bout a hundred, a little more with modification. Im sure there is a reel for sale somewhere on this sight. If you are primarily throwing slime i would highly recomend it.

[Mike P]

Go see Mike at M&Ds when he starts opening on weekends again. Probably after Thanksgiving, for the holidays. He can get you out the door with a Quarrow rod and Abu reel for right around your $300 target

The Quarrows are about the best of the "budget" or "entry level" rods I've seen to date. Lifetime warranty with a two year straight "over the counter" swap if they break. And they're two piece.

If you want spinning instead of conventional, look at the Daiwa Emblem Pro 5500. It probably wouldn't hold up for my jigging purposes (heck, I jig over 100 nights a season) and mine are already showing signs of gear slop, but for once/twice a week and mixed fishing (plugs/snakes/jigs) they're fine.

[Back Beach]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Lets see here. Go with a one piece rod, and buy a roof rack if possible. You may need to push the budget up to $500 if you want top shelf. If its gotta be $300,I fished for a lot of years with a custom lamiglas BSB 1203M and a newell 229 reel. Should cost you less than $300 for a rod and reel combo like what I used, which leaves $$ for the roof rack. You might look at both the Newell and ABU reels, depending on what you like. Either way, I would go with a conventional setup, and you can fit 300 yards of 65# power pro line on either of the reels, which I would also recommend for jigs and eels. There are some decent 2 piece rods out there, I just can't come up with one off the top of my head, but they do exist.