Saltwater newbie setup

[Mark84]

Hey All
Just joined and wanted to say hello! I caught the fishing bug last year and my son and I haven't looked back...looking to broaden our scope. So far, we've just been on the freshwater scene, which is great, but since we live on Vancouver Island, it's getting harder to ignore a little saltwater adventuring.

As a result, I was on the hunt for a boat since the Spring and finally found myself a little Whaler 150 Sport, which I will take possession of next week. In the meantime, I'm looking to gear up, which is where I'd love to lean on the expertise of all of you seasoned vets out there. To start, I'd like to be setup for salmon and crab right away. Halibut once I get my feet wet a bit, and will definitely be into prawning next year...baby steps haha!

I just picked up a couple of Scotty downriggers (1106), so I'm good there, but still need to get set up with a couple of trolling rigs. The noob in me is thinking about a couple of Shimano Moocher Plus 4000GT reels on 10'6" MH rods to start out. Any recommendations on specific rods? Also, should I consider a level wind setup as a third? If so, any recommendations on specific reels and rods would be a huge help.

As far as crabbing goes, I've never gone before, so don't even know what to look for in a trap. There's so many options out there, so I haven't pulled the trigger on a trap yet because I don't want to buy junk. Any real difference between the shapes, materials, and their effectiveness?

Thanks in advance...and sorry if the green in me is showing. Happy to be a part of the community!

 

[G-Auto]

Welcome! That rod and reel combination is a great starting point. It depends on how much you think you'll be fishing, but if you feel like you're going to want to upgrade to higher end stuff soon you might as well start with it. I personally use Okuma 10'6 rods with Amundson reels and am very happy with the combination, but I also fish ALOT. I personally never have been a level wind fan unless its for bottom fishing. Once you get everything dialed in you'll find that you rarely want to run more than two rods (one on each downrigger) however again that is preference I fish alone probably 70% of my time out there. Fish with 15lb cannon balls on your 1106's and its personal preference but I really prefer braid over cable on my down riggers.

As far as crabbing goes I have used heavy duty stainless trams and also the cheap fold up box style traps.. All I use is the cheap box style traps now, they work, they are light, easier on your boat when you bring them in, I find with crabbing its easier to not over complicate it. with good bait you will catch crabs if they are down there. I just use all my salmon carcasses.

A side note, I don't know where you are on the island, but I would recommend making a relationship with a local fishing store. Most good ones wont try to sell you more than you need and are more than happy to point you in the right direction, your fishing success is directly tied to their stores success.

Good luck!

 

[Pineapple Express]

This suggestion might offend some people on here, but I think on a 15ft boat you should stick with 9ft rods, especially if you'll be fishing solo sometimes. I use 9ft rods since I fish solo almost all the time...makes handling/netting the fish at the boat easier

 

[Mark84]

Thanks G-Auto, appreciate the advice! I definitely plan on fishing a lot, so I'm eyeing up an Amundson TMX5 for Black Friday/Boxing Day. My thoughts were until then I'll get my fair share of practice on the 4000GT and won't be heartbroken if I break anything.

I'm in Nanaimo, so I imagine that Harbour Chandler will be my best resource...or even Pacific Net and Twine in Parskville.

 

[Mark84]

This suggestion might offend some people on here, but I think on a 15ft boat you should stick with 9ft rods, especially if you'll be fishing solo sometimes. I use 9ft rods since I fish solo almost all the time...makes handling/netting the fish at the boat easier

I was thinking about this also, as I think I might be solo more often than not. Definitely don't want to struggle netting the fish after a good fight. What am I compromising by going with a 9' rod as opposed to the more common 10'6"?

 

[G-Auto]

This suggestion might offend some people on here, but I think on a 15ft boat you should stick with 9ft rods, especially if you'll be fishing solo sometimes. I use 9ft rods since I fish solo almost all the time...makes handling/netting the fish at the boat easier

No offence taken here, I actually think this isn't a half bad idea, I have never fished out of something that small so I didn't even think of this.

 

[G-Auto]

I was thinking about this also, as I think I might be solo more often than not. Definitely don't want to struggle netting the fish after a good fight. What am I compromising by going with a 9' rod as opposed to the more common 10'6"?

9 foot is less forgiving when fighting a fish, if you picture the length of the rod in an arc a 10'6 has further to go for the line to "slack" than a 9 foot does.

 

[Pineapple Express]

9 foot is less forgiving when fighting a fish, if you picture the length of the rod in an arc a 10'6 has further to go for the line to "slack" than a 9 foot does.

Yes, this is true. And for this very reason I think you should follow @G-Auto 's advice and get to know a local tackle shop so they can help you get the gear.

For reference, I started out with a couple of Daiwa downrigger combos (9ft). They've worked great for me. I recently bought a new model Trophy rod (also 9ft) and it is stiffer in the butt and has a very different feel. A good tackle shop will get you sorted out.

 

[Mark84]

Beauty, thanks guys. Will head to Harbour Chandler asap!