Baitcast setup for inshore

[NOFOX]

Father's day is coming up and my wife wants to get me a new rod/reel. Fished open face all of my life, but thinking about a baitcast setup. I also want to better cast lighter (1/4oz) jigheads since the 13 Fishing I use is closer to a MH than M. I fish inshore Lake Borgne, Lake P, Delacroix, Shell Beach. Never fish freshwater.

Current setup - 7'2" 13 Fishing M Green Omen with a Shimano Stradic FJ 3000
Budget: Reel - Max $250; Rod - Max $150
Reel - considering Lew's BB2 Inshore Speed Spool.

TIA for any advice on what reel/rod for second setup?

[marty f]

Hey Fox, I too just swapped over to baitcast and love it I starte a similar thread explaining why and what, have a look

http://www.saltycajun.com/forum/show...ight=bait+cast

[NOFOX]

Thanks for the link. Helps with my decision of a baitcast setup over another spinning.

I am interested in the Lew's inshore BB2 that was mentioned in your thread. I cannot figure out if there are extra corrosion protection properties other than the three holes for washout compared to the Lew's regular speed spool. I am not religious about maintenance. Hopefully someone informed will chime in about whether the added cost of the inshore version is worth it over the regular Lew's or if something like the tourney pro would work fine in salt?

[marty f]

my next will be LEWS for sure. I hear great things about them. went with the BP for the return policy, next will be Lews!!

[jpeff31787]

shimano chronarch, I rarely spray them off after use. Been using mine in saltwater for years, and its still smooth. It does have a little squeak when reeling, but it doesn't affect the smoothness. I hit it with some reel magic and it goes away. I'd recommend a falcon bucoo for the rod. Fair price of 120ish. I like a medium action.

[lil bubba]

I have the BB1 inshore...The BB2 is a wider spool...Best reel I ever owned and I don't rinse after use...They have internal , magnetic and mechanical brake control..Once you get it set for you you don't throw it you toss it...I don't see any need for a wider spool for fishing specks and reds....For me anyway lighter is better....

[NOFOX]

bubba

What rod did you pair it with?
It appears the weight difference between bb2 and bb1 is only 0.3 oz. I might have to get both in hand to feel the difference.

[lil bubba]

I have a 7 ft. allstar shrimptail special and a 7 ft. castaway light action popping...The BB1 seems to fit in my hands better being smaller...I like to have a baitcaster in my palm mostly...

[NOFOX]

Thanks Bubba. Tackle Warehouse has a 15% off sale through today. I am going to go with the BB2 because I want a lefthand model.

Still thinking about the rod pairing. Do you have any problem with 1/4oz jigs?

[marty f]

Originally Posted by NOFOX

Thanks Bubba. Tackle Warehouse has a 15% off sale through today. I am going to go with the BB2 because I want a lefthand model.

Still thinking about the rod pairing. Do you have any problem with 1/4oz jigs?

Im a lefty too...... gotta link on that 15% off unit?

[Juciy]

I went from Calcutta's to BB1 inshore on all rods. All my rods are Falcon inshore 7'6" Med Gulf Caster or Poppers. Love it for the price, but going to all custom rods this year. Nothing wrong with the Falcons, they are a very fun rod for trout all the way up to big reds. Normally pull out a 6'6" Falcon lowrider for topwater.

I got the BB1s from Amazon for $175 each shipped to the house.

[jpd0144]

Originally Posted by marty f

Im a lefty too...... gotta link on that 15% off unit?

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Lews_...page-LEWC.html

Sale ends today at 5 P.M. Pacific Time ...

Don't beat up your wallet too bad LoL

BTW ... Excellent customer service and good pricing on shipping. Especially on expedited services.

[RichWentFishing504]

I have a shimano crucial 7 foot medium and a falcon buccoo micro 7 foot medium. If your ever near the bonnabel boat launch let me know and you can try them out.

[NOFOX]

Originally Posted by RichWentFishing504

I have a shimano crucial 7 foot medium and a falcon buccoo micro 7 foot medium. If your ever near the bonnabel boat launch let me know and you can try them out.

I live close by and may take you up on that.

[NOFOX]

Originally Posted by Juciy

I went from Calcutta's to BB1 inshore on all rods. All my rods are Falcon inshore 7'6" Med Gulf Caster or Poppers. Love it for the price, but going to all custom rods this year. Nothing wrong with the Falcons, they are a very fun rod for trout all the way up to big reds. Normally pull out a 6'6" Falcon lowrider for topwater.

I got the BB1s from Amazon for $175 each shipped to the house.

I just ordered the BB2 inshore LH for $178 shipped from Tackle Warehouse. Thinking about pairing it with the Falcon Lowrider Salt 7'6" M Gulf Caster on the recommendation of a friend.

I am novice to baitcasting and really just getting into techniques for artificials. Would this be a good all purpose kind of rod or would the 7' M Popper be better for a beginner?

[RichWentFishing504]

Cool. I live really close by. Pm me and I'll let you try my gear and show you the basics of using a bait casting reel. I can use a medium heavy rod and still throw a weightless zoom finesse worm against light wind with almost any decent reel.

[lil bubba]

1/4 oz. is no problem....I usually fish shallow marsh and use 1/8 oz. jig with weighted cigar float which is only about 1/8oz...I use 14# original stren and on my redfish pole I use 30# sufix 832....No problem with either but the braid tends to twist around the end but lots of oysters so I deal with it...I tought my grandson when he was 8 and my nephew when he was 7 to throw a baitcaster and just put the cast control a lil snugger than it should be to cut back on the backlashes...

[Juciy]

Like everyone said 1/8 oz or weightless is no problem once you get the hang of it, 1/4- 1/2 oz is perfect. Just don't cast into the wind for a while so you do not end up with a mess. Learn how to set the reel so it performs well. One big thing that can help is take your reel(s) to a tackle store and get someone to spool the reel tight (especially if you use braid).

[NOFOX]

Thank you everyone for all of the help. The Lew's BB2 inshore LH shipped this morning and will arrive in a couple of days. I did not order a rod and will go around to a couple of local shops once the reel is in to get a better feel for balance. I would still like some advice on what I should be looking for in terms length, action, and power. As stated before I am a novice to artificials and have started by throwing a lot of 1/4oz jigheads with matrix shad, but intend to get more experience with a broader range of lures and techniques.

I want to get a rod that will be the most versatile and pair well with my other setup. My 7'2" 13 Fishing Med Fast spinning rod with the 3000 stradic FJ seems to be a good for throwing live bait, popping corks and anything in the 1/2oz range. If you had this as your setup what would you want for the second rod to go with the baitcast for primarily inshore fishing? Short rod for accuracy, longer rod for distance...etc? I appreciate any help, my head is spinning trying to figure out the rod.

[meaux fishing]

Originally Posted by NOFOX

Thank you everyone for all of the help. The Lew's BB2 inshore LH shipped this morning and will arrive in a couple of days. I did not order a rod and will go around to a couple of local shops once the reel is in to get a better feel for balance. I would still like some advice on what I should be looking for in terms length, action, and power. As stated before I am a novice to artificials and have started by throwing a lot of 1/4oz jigheads with matrix shad, but intend to get more experience with a broader range of lures and techniques.

I want to get a rod that will be the most versatile and pair well with my other setup. My 7'2" 13 Fishing Med Fast spinning rod with the 3000 stradic FJ seems to be a good for throwing live bait, popping corks and anything in the 1/2oz range. If you had this as your setup what would you want for the second rod to go with the baitcast for primarily inshore fishing? Short rod for accuracy, longer rod for distance...etc? I appreciate any help, my head is spinning trying to figure out the rod.

If I had to bring only one of my rods in that price range I would bring my St Croix PC70MM