Send Droomvanger, Aquadementia and The Owner a pm as they practice artlure way more than me....but I will try and give you a few points to think about and share my rigs
1)Spinning reel vs Baitcaster - I use spinning reels , Shimano Stradics . If I had to go the baitcaster route it would be a Shimano Calcutta without a doubt .
2) Rods , I personally use the following setups for artlure both for yellows and cats when fishing from the bank,rocks and rapids etc
- Light rig , Ugly Stik 5ft6 ultra lite MODEL # SP11562L , 4-8lb line. 2500 stradic with 8lb fireline and 12lb mono leader . Just about everything you hook on this rig gives you a massive rev lol
- Med rig , ugly stik 7ft med model SP11702M , again with stradic 8lb fireline but 15lb mono leader , probably my fav rig . My dad caught the attached 12.5 Lb tiger on this rig in Zambia last year
- Heavy rigs , ugly stik 8ft6 and 9ft , models SPS11862H and SPS11902XH , stradic 4000 and 5000 , 20lb and 30lb suffix 832 .This is for when I go to war and spinning off the beach/rocks when at the coast .
I have just recently got myself a Shimano Crucial med heavy model code CR72MHA for the boat . Its a top class rod with decent components and has a bit more finesse and sensitivity than the Ugly Stiks but needs more TLC . Will probably put a 2500 stradic on it with 20 LB POWER PRO SLICK 8. I will comment on this combo once Ive caught something decent.
Other Shimano rods that Ive used and are a bit more budget friendly are the Schimano Schmitar , Nexave and Vengance -all very nice but not nearly as tough as the ugly stik .
Another route that you can go is a custom from someone like Enigma , Im considering getting something like a Graphcast 3 , 1-4 oz , 11 ft which will double as my heavy barbel rod and surf spinning rod .
That's my rigs in a nut shell
