Rigging questions

[Attabuoy]

Hi guys,

I am trying to rig my boat for the first time - bought the boat last year and this year's plan is to get out on the big water. Right now I'm pretty much starting from scratch.

I ran into an add on Craigslist for some gear today, and thought I would run it by the experts to see if it looks like something to pursue:

2 Penn manual downriggers with the long arms

3 wire rods with rollers and Penn reels

6 mono rods with Penn reels

2 loose rods, not sure what

1 tackle box, sounds pretty complete with body baits (maybe 100) and flies/flashers

several downrigger weights

He is looking for $800 for the works. Since I don't know what I want, would you spring for this? It sounds like a good deal given some of the new prices I've been hearing, but I haven't looked at any of it to see what condition it is in. I know stuff comes along all the time, so not sure if I should jump on it if its looks like its not beaten up too bad.

Any opinions are much appreciated...thanks guys.

[Paulywood]

You would need a lot more information to determine if that is a good deal or not. On the downriggers you would need to know model and year. If they are 20 years old you can find riggers like them online very cheap. Same with the roller rods and reels. Are they top of the line rods and reels or low end? If the reels are 209's or something similar then they would be very cheap to buy and readily available. On the tackle box it would again depend on what's in there. A lot of time when you buy used spoons, flies or cranks you are buying someone's leftovers. Things they don't use or need. I bought a bunch of used spoons when I first started and most have never seen the water, let alone caught fish. If it were me I would sit down and establich a budget for what you want to spend on fishing equipment this year. Then you will need to figure out where you want to spend it. Do you want riggers? Manual or electric? Dipsey rods? Wire or braid, or both? Leadcore, copper, rigger rods. Do you have rod holders? Do you want to add more? Then, I would find out what the best baits are for the areas you are fishing. There are guys on here that would be willing to help with that. Buy a few top spoons, flasher/fly combos and plugs. Maybe some cranks. But keep it simple. This will allow you to become confortable with your setup and deploying a spread. I'm not saying to ignore used equipment as there are some good deals out there. I still buy used items myself. But you need to be selective or you can end up with someone else's junk.