Rod for a curado 300ej

[Mr. NiceGuy]

FWIW, I have a Lamiglas 7' MH "Inshore Classic" (Line 12-25)
and a Lamiglas 9' Ex-Hvy G1344-T "Kenai Series" (Line 15-40)

I consider these my mid-weight bay rods.

I wanted a reel that might work on both interchangeably, and also bought the Curado 300EJ two days ago at Squidco, loaded with 65# PowerPro braid.

I took the 7' out for a test drive this morning from J-St in South San Diego Bay. I was very pleased to see how far and how easy it was to cast. It felt great. (Caught a nice Orange Mouth Corvina for lunch - Buddha said they are relatively rare around here.)

Now I'm curious to try the 9' rod from a favorite shore location to see how far I can cast.

For my kayak, I like 7' rods because they are long enough and I can easily reach the tip without knocking things around.

[t.n.hughes]

I'm looking for my most versatile and value minded rod choice as it is the first saltwater rod I'll be buying. I'm a guy that likes versatility and value. I want the least amount of gear that will do the most stuff for the least amount of money. I know the old adage "buy once, cry once" but I just don't have $100+ to throw at a rod. That's why I was looking at ugly stick.

Sure it isn't the nicest but if I dump it in the drink I'm not as sad as I would be if I lost a more expensive rod.

Thanks guys. I appreciate all the suggestions but I'm on the budwieser budget.

You guys are the best.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Ugly Sticks are not bad at all if you have to buy them new and want value for money. I have a long one I use for surf casting that's probably more than 20 years old. The Ugly Sticks I've used have all been a little too whippy for the kind of baitcaster you are talking about.

Squidco carries a line of custom rods called Varmac that are probably better for your Curado for a lower price than Ugly Sticks. I'm pretty sure you can find a fresh, new Squidco Varmac for your reel in the $50-60 price range. I think Varmac is a long time local company.

Otherwise, I have found so many good things at yard sales for a few dollars it fills all available free space around me, LOL. If you are around Mission Valley/La Mesa, I might have a rod you can have for free. I would have to doublecheck to be sure I have one suitable for the reel you want to match.

I bought my Lamiglas 9' (still with the plastic wrapper on the cork handle) at a yard sale for $25. It's one of their lifetime warranty models. I think I paid around $250 for my 7' Lamiglas from Turner Outdoor.

I love yard sales

---

Rods tend to have more longevity than reels. Reel technology continues to improve, and there's nothing like a new reel out of the box that hasn't been screwed up yet. Saltwater takes it's toll pretty fast, as does personal habits of people who abuse and neglect their equipment. Personally, I'm not very interested in buying used reels. It depends.

It's nice to have nice things, but this stuff gets beat up and used up. It's easy to get overly involved and blow a lot of money fast (understatement).

[t.n.hughes]

Mr. NiceGuy,
It's easy to see why that is your screen name. I live in north SD but am in the college/La Mesa area all the time and would totally take you up on your offer or even just an opportunity to pick your brain and get suggestions and ideas of gear to focus on would be appreciated.

The $79.99 curado was an amazon purchase that I was pointed to by a post on here. Someone was keeping a thread running of great internet deals. Wish it was still going. As I recall a bunch of guys bought them on the board for that price. I'm excited to learn how to use it effectively along with conventional gear as well because most of my experience is with spinning gear and fly fishing gear.

The rods/reels that my pseudo-mother-in-law is offering I think have been used very little. I generally know good brands but are there size of reels I should be looking for for kayak fishing. Meaning, do I want to have 1 rod/reel of this size and 1 of this size, etc.

JoeFish thanks for the response. I'll keep my eyes out for teramar on sale because it's still a little out of my price range.

PQyakyak I was thinking the same for my curado. 30lb braid. When I get my yak we should get together, seeing as we're practically neighbors, I'm 2 exits down from the Penasquitos (assuming that is the PQ your are referring to.)

Thanks again all.

This is why I love this forum and keep coming back.

Todd

[petergmil5_ab]

Great find on the 300ej!

[PQyakyak]

Hi Todd,
yes, you are correct on PQ. Good luck on getting a kayak. Let me know in advance if you'er going out and hopefully I'll be able to go.

Sam