Advice for newbie please - which rod (again!)?

Hi all. I'm new in the forum and fishing too... Don't ask me why but I have become very intrigued by all this fishing stuff!! And I have to give it a try! I got my hands on an 8ft quite light and flexible also probably crappy rod. I'm interested in fishing from the shore mainly for the time being. I was hoping to do a bit of float fishing, spinning and the like from piers, rocks... I've heard gear is cheap in Spain and I'm going next week for a few days. I was thinking of getting a longer rod + reel to complement the one I've got. So the question really is what kind of rod? I've had a look at http://www.decathlon.co.uk. It's the same stuff as the Spanish decathlon.es but at slightly lower prices. For example:
http://decathlon.co.uk/EN/Product_arbor ... index.html
The recommended price for this one is £34.95 in the UK. In Spain €30.00!!!

They have quite a lot of cheap rods to choose from. So many in fact, I really don't know where to start! I don't mind poorer quality at the moment. I'm only trying to learn without spending too much...

Any important differences (apart from the obvious) between 2,3,4 part and telescopic ones? Beachcasters, spinning rods,...? Which lengthwould you recommend: 10, 11, 12 ft? Remember I've already got an 8ft one...

Thanks a lot for the advice!!

Hi inigo,

if your interested in beachcasting and you are going to spain, check out the Grauvell rods. Their HQ is Barcelona and from what I can see the prices are much cheaper there than in UK. THese rods aren't widley availible in these parts so UK mail order is the typical place to purchase.

check out veals.co.uk catalog and read up on the grauvell rods they have.

You'll most likey pick up last years models in Spain for a song..

If all you want to spend is 30 quid then you will get muck. Prepare to spend a few quid more and know that you will have a bit of quality. believe me you will appreciate a quality rod when you used poor ones long enough.


as always, the type of fishing you want to do will dictate the rod you purchase. For beachcasting 12+ feet is a must.

check the grauvell website and look through the ranges of rods they have there. the lower end are HM and RC but still good price/quality. if you spot something you like take the details and search the net for spanish online retailers so you can gauge a price. At least then you will be prepared.


I've recently purchased some used grauvell rods through a spanish fishing forum similar to this and got good deals for excellent rods. and the guys were really friendly too.

If you look long and hard enough you can find almost anything for the price you want on the net.


hope I've helped.

Jon

Thanks for the reply Jon!! Thing is I'll only be there for 3 days, so very little time for shopping! The problem is that I don't have a clue what to buy (type of rod, size and so), nevermind makes, models and prices...

Hi Inigo

The next step up from where you are at would be a bass rod, around 10-12 foot, relatively light, but not a full blown beachcaster. You can match this to a medium sized spinning reel, say capable of holding 200 yards of 12-15 lb mono line. You can switch to braid at a later stage and thsi will increase the spool capacity hugely. I would go 10-11 foot myself as this would let you spin as well as float fish and equally do some light bait fishing on the sea bed on cleaner marks like beaches.

There is an english language forum attached to http://www.caranx.net which is a spanish site, and the people should be able to help you find a suitable Grauvell rod and reel, cheap.

HTH

for rock/pier I'd go for a 12 foot rod. stay away from telescopic rod unless its a real quality one. At least with a 12 foot rod you could use it on the beach. something in the 3-6 ounce range would be light enough for float but also give you some power to throw a bate out if you wanted.

FWIW

Jon

dont forget if you buy in spain you might have real trouble getting a six foot longht of rod back on the plane. they wont let you take it on with you and without a proper rod holder you may get is smashed in the hold. is it worth the effort over what you pay here? or to get it delivered

First of all thank you all for the advice!! Really appreciate it!

Adam, you're quite right about the plane. I thought of that. That's why I was asking if telescopic is worse than parts. My 8ft telescopic rod fits nicely in my suitcase. The example I posted earlier is 3.50m (approx. 11ft) but being telescopic it folds to 0.70m (2.2ft?). A several part 12ft rod? I don't think so. Even if I had a proper case it's €30 to check it in with Aerlingus... Probably not worth it then!!