€150-200 to spend!

Hi People,

Basically im looking to get a new bit of fishing gear for this year. Im not looking for anything expensive or that,no k2 extremes or sl30's or that, but just some basic gear. Heres what im thinking of getting (From Henrys):

Rod:Want something 11.5 to 12 ft.
Daiwa LongBeam Beachcaster,(€70),
Daiwa Megaforce Beachcaster,(€59),
Masterline Catcher Beachcaster,(€55),
Ron Thomson Dialex Beach Rod(€45),

Reel:
I may be tempted but i have a Daiwa 6000t Emblem Fixed Spool, so Ill probably stick with that.

Line:
Sakuma Nite Crystal 4oz (€13),
Berkley Trilene 4oz (€12),
Rhino Protector line (€10).

What breaking strain? Mainly rock/pier fishing, im thinking of a general 25lb for both uses. I have a second real, i can load that with lighter stuff for spinning, and theres approx.38lb on the Emblem 6000t which is my main reel.

Accesories:
Lures:
Duel Aile Magnet Slider or Yozuri mag Popper (€15)
Creek Chub Knuckle Head (€15)
Storm Saltwater Chug Bug (€8.50)
Kilty Catcher Old Silver/holo scale 3Pack (€12)

Will be getting the Kilty Catcher and undecided between the other lures, probably pick two out of the rest.
Tackle Box:Ron Thompson Field Gear Box Carrier Sea (€46)

And then probably a few traces, weights etc for now.

Im open to suggestions and criticism on this lads. But want to try to keep to a budget, i dont get out fishing too often, maybe once or twice a month, depending on the time of the year,etc. And no im not just a macky basher.

Well id like to thank you all in turn for reading through this and offering your opinions etc.

id stay away from the long beams , judgin only by what happened in morriscastle...check out the report forum... id recommend a greys rod for thier life time guarantee...cant go wrong with that, but for ur price range mayb not... ebay may b the place 2 look for cheaper rods

try something from the Ron Thompson range, i started with a g-force rod and though it was good for the cash

Id go for the diawa longbeam and the daiwa fixed spool out of your choice the longbeam is alot better than the megaforce

I'd go for the diawa longbeam and the daiwa fixed spool out of your choice the longbeam is alot better than the megaforce

Alan, have you got or ever had a Longbeam? Did you not read what happened to the longbeams at Morriscastle? Do not touch a Daiwa Longbeam with a barge pole. The older models had a habit of breaking at the tip and the new models as proved last week are very weak at the bottom spigot. Complete rubbish....avoid. A search of WSF will confirm this also.

There are much better rods than snap happy longbeams available within your budget. Especially as you already have a decent enough reel. You could pick up a Daiwa Sandstorm for that kind of cash (€150ish) easily if you shopped around, even cheaper on e-bay. They are a quality rod. You could always try a post in the For sale and Wanted section on the site here too.

didn't know this happend with the 12 ft longbeam rod its the 15/16ftrs that were snapping im just saying that out of the two 12ft budget daiwa versions the longbeam is best

It happens.... Got one myself in a similar state. For that kind of money the Sandstorm would be a better bet.

For a buget rod I'd go for a ron x-symmetry which is the successor to the g-force. These are also being replaced so mention that to get the price down. You could at least progress to an off the ground casting with this rod and it would still be effective with a over head thump. Paying 50 euros is a false economy in my opinion as you'll only get a toy pretending to be a rod.

Donagh

Dead right Donagh, repeat avoid old and new longbeams....they are tat! Had both, broke both. 3 members on here, Barry, Alby and myself had em and broke em , I've done 2...nuff said methinks.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Daiwa-Sandstorm-S ... dZViewItem

He also has a FS version too. They wont go much higher than that. They are available brand spankers for 80 stg or so.

I started with the mega force and after 5 -6 trips found saying you pay for what you get very true.

As for others in price go for Ron Thompson x-symmetry or Penn powerstix

I have powerstix and it very good rod and price coming down on them fast.

If i was you i would drop something small of the list the stuff you can pick up week to week from tackle shop or ebay stuff like line and so on.

And spend the money on a Grey's rod the new grx is only £99 and has a guarantee.

http://www.bosfish.co.uk/PRODUCTS/RODS/gy296beach.htm

What about the PENN powerstick range. Seem to be good rods and for the money you also get a reel. Now that can't be bad

Steve

Hiya.

If it's one thing I have learned, it's that it is important to spend money on a decent rod. Cheap and cheerful only last so long, rings start to rust and break, and the action goes very quickly. If you spend money on a good rod it's well worth the investment as it will last you for many many years.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about reels, fixed spools especially need to be replaced every couple of years anyway and decent ones are quite cheap anyway. And besides you have a perfectly good reel in the Daiwa anyway.

From experience, I'd suggest that you try to gradually build up tackle, rather than trying to buy it all in one go. I've bought millions of bargains over the years and most of them have turned out to be crap, or have never really been used! So spend your hard earned cash on a decent rod, and try to build up the rest of the gear in the weeks and months ahead. Daiwa make good gear (longbeam aside!!!) but go for the upper end of the price bracket, the sandstorm is a good choice, but the supercast is even better, a great rod. If you shop around long enough you'd be surprised at the sale prices you can pick up on rods.

You could pick a penn ppt sidewinder for around 150 online if you shop around, pay anymore for it and your not getting a good bargain.

Thats 150 sterling not euro but if you could get your hands on one of the penn inxs 12.5 rods your onto a winner they were great rods in their day I got a cast of 195 yds on the field with one of those they have a great action have a look online for one im sure they are still around.

Thanks to everyone for their replies, and although I wont be fishing regularly, after reading about the Longbeam it wont be one of them!! Im thinking of upping my budget a bit. Maybe to spend €120-130 on a rod alone.
I am only about 5 ft 8 so want to sytay in control with the rod, also im a relative novice, so dont want a 15 or 16 ft rod as I wouldnt be in control with it, hence something around 12 ft or 12 ft 6 if possible.
I was looking at
Daiwa Sandstorm 12ft Beach Rod.(bosfish)
Greys GRX-S 13ft Beachcasting Rod.(bosfish)
All above rods £99.
Mustad Viking Power 126MTP 12 ft 6 (73.99 gbp) (spotty dog tackle)
Ron Thompson Accelarator 13'6 4-8 oz (spotty dog tackle)
Shimano Nexave AX Surf 13 ft 4-8 oz (69.99 gbp)(spotty dog tackle)
Also noticed the Abu Esprit Beach 13ft (F/S) 4-8oz (£74.99 gbp) (spotty dog tackle)
Is there any rods with a smaller budget than these. Or which would ye go for from the two?These were the onle two for less than £100 sterling that i came across at a quick look.
Also is there a significant difference between 2-3 piece?I imagine some of the flexibility is gone for a three piece,and that it would be more stiff,would this be true??Is it true the Greys has a lifetime guarantee? I was originally hoping to buy from an irish online tackle shop
to avoid crazy P & P prices to South Ireland. Thanks in advance for the help.

Any opinions anyone??
Noticed the Penn firetip g7 combo too from Veals.

Sandstorms are a nice enough rod for that kind of money, however, go for the 13 foot rod rather than the 12.

I own numerous 3 piece rods, Penn, Greys, Grauvell, Zziplex and have to say I have no issues with them at all.

Greys rods do have a lifetime guarantee also. I cant comment on any of the rods listed other than the Sandstorm as I dont/havent owned them but the Daiwa is a really nice rod and will cover most things for you withinyour budget.

try something from the Ron Thompson range, i started with a g-force rod and though it was good for the cash

brilliant rod considering the price, well capable of hitting 140 yards in the right hands.. .

Just to let you know that Harris Sportsmail have the following in their sea clearout deals;

[url=http://www.harrissportsmail.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15687]Greys GRX-S - £75[/url]

[url=http://www.harrissportsmail.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13771]Daiwa Sandstorm - £85[/url]

Which is better - any opinions? Tempted to buy another shore rod (mostly fish rocks & beaches - occasional rough ground).

I was in contact with Harris and the postage of either rod to Ireland (South) is £17.50. Even with the postage this is still a great deal.
Has anyone bought off of Harris before? Are they reliable?