Rigger combo's?

[Dagwood]

Going to start looking for 2 new rigger rod combo's. Any suggestions on what to buy? Also, what lb test line and brand should I put on? Does the fleaflicker line really work?

Thanks always for all the advice.

Dave

[ballsdeep184]

I like okuma convectors and pink ande 20# and the triangle handle on the okuma classic rods are nice and only 30 bucks

[Salmon Assassin]

I would get good reels to start, I love Okuma Convectors, $80 each but will easily outlast most other reels. For downriggers I love 7' Ugly Sticks, everything else I like TDR's. I run 25# big game mono, it's all preference, I dont know how much more stealth 17 or 20# would be, but the added strength is worth it's weight in gold.

If you get the convectors you will not be disappointed.

[kingofthewater]

I have 7 foot shimano talora's and love them. one rigger is setup with 12 pound for spoons and the other with 20 pound for flasher flies. I have diawa sealine 47's on them.

[ballsdeep184]

You can get the convectors @ dicks sporting goods for 69.99, u can't beat that with a stick

[Dagwood]

What size convectors and do they have line counters?

[fishsniffer]

get ahold of tony from eyefull custom rods..he is eyefull on this site and a site sponsor..makes a sweet rigger rod:thumb:

[Eyefull]

Custom 7' one piece Forecast glass rigger rods with Convector LC combo at $160. Just a wait list thing right now to deal with though.

[d-fresh]

Is there really a need for linecounter reels on rigger rods?

[Eyefull]

Absolutely not. Just makes for a more versitile setup. Plus the linecounter really only adds a few dollars to the combo. Perefectly acceptable and practical to not have a linecounter on a rigger rod.

[ballsdeep184]

I got the convector 45 with line counter for 69.99 regular price, they have all sizes for that price, well at least upto the 45 the 55 might be 10 more

[BlueCollarOutdoors]

Is there really a need for linecounter reels on rigger rods?

Very good point, recently some friends got that idea and put there old penn reels on the downriggers, and moved some higher speed reels with counters into leadcore duty.

Few things learned:

You can eyeball the lead from the ball of 10, 50, 80 feet etc.

A 2 color swr just gets set out the same everytime, I dont need a counter.

The high speed retrieve is great for leadcore.

Core on the old penns doesnt need a counter either, just let it out.

Cranking in a 7 color on that slow retrieve to change baits gets old quick.

I do like having board and rigges rods be interchangeable, then if i want to stack one day and the high in the colum bite is dead all I need is a stacker release.

I use okuma 30ds and cheap 15 dollar fleet farm downrigger rods, no idea on the name, works fine for me.

[pikeman8]

Talora rods and tekota LC reels here and they are awsome. I really like the drag on the Tekotas better then the Okumas. The convectors are a great reel too, all of my core and copper are on the convectors. I would spend the extra few bucks on the LC. I always find myself using it to keep track of my leads behin the ball to stay consistent. When running 50-100 foot leads it's a guessing game without the counter. Plus they are more versitile if you want to use them for a different setup down the road. Big Game line on the reels. It's a cheap line but it has never let me down yet and you can afford to change it often. I have never had a huge problem with fleas w/big game. Give it a whack on the water and all gone.

[SUPERTRAMP]

Flea flicker really works. I have 6 reels spooled with it and use them when the fleas hit us. It isn't very expensive 2500 yards 39.95 at D&R sports in Kalamazoo. I refuse to let the darn fleas ruin my day

[Reel Instigator]

I was surfing the net awhile back and found this…

Fishincloseouts.com

It’s the place to get your reels, well Okuma’s anyway; they’re the only ones I got from them so far. I got all my new reels from them. I don’t know why they call themselves “closeouts” because the reels are brand new models. Nothing different but the price. Shipping is quick and cheap. They don’t have all the different models but I have found the line counters are less expensive than non-counters in the stores.

If you don’t want a counter…Don’t look at it. Problem solved!

Cv-30D $61.99

Now that can’t be beaten with a stick!

[Dagwood]

Great thanks for the info.

[raynestorm]

I love my Talora with CV 20D w/fireline setup.... Fun, Fun, FUN!!

[ballsdeep184]

U run fireline on ur riggers?

[adrenalin]

I use shimano talora 7 foot rods and shimano charter special reels. 20lb big game. The drags are super smooth and they also have a lever drag. If you fish deep with your riggers these are the best reels for the job. The lever drag allows you to set light tension on the drag as you drop the cannon ball and then once at the depth you want engage the drag fully, no need to crank up all the slack line from your thumb being on the spool.

[Lone Star]

I use the fle flicker and it does work. I tie about a 25 foot flouracarbon leader.

[mrhookup]

I see a lot of guys mentioning that they use 7ft rods for riggers. Why do you guys prefer the shorter rod as opposed to a 8"-8'6" rod?

[jimcr]

I use shimano talora 7 foot rods and shimano charter special reels. 20lb big game. The drags are super smooth and they also have a lever drag. If you fish deep with your riggers these are the best reels for the job. The lever drag allows you to set light tension on the drag as you drop the cannon ball and then once at the depth you want engage the drag fully, no need to crank up all the slack line from your thumb being on the spool.

I gota go with Russ on this , I have used his equipment and its so smooth. You want the smoothest drag you can get at least for your rigger rods. I have Diawa 47LC Accudepths on my riggers , they work ok but not near as smooth as the Shimanos . Put a 18-25lb pissed off fish on the end of the line and see why. As for having a line counter on your rigger rods you can count the passes of the level wind.

[Eyefull]

There are really two good reasons for shorter rigger rods. The first is that they are easier to get other rods over and around. The second and the most important is that you can control a fish better with shorter rod. Most of the time, your riggers are the shortest lines out and the fish often come to the net quick and very green, so being able to put power to the fish and have quick reactions is important.

[mrhookup]

There are really two good reasons for shorter rigger rods. The first is that they are easier to get other rods over and around. The second and the most important is that you can control a fish better with shorter rod. Most of the time, your riggers are the shortest lines out and the fish often come to the net quick and very green, so being able to put power to the fish and have quick reactions is important.

Ok, I see why it's easier to get around shorter rods, but I've always thought it's easier to control fish with longer rods? Maybe this is just from me being mostly a river fisherman over the years. I wanna upgrade my rigger rods this winter and on our smaller boat it was nice to be able to steer the fish around lines at the back of the boat this past Saturday with our 8'6" rods. Do you think I could still do this with 7 footers?

[danthebuilder]

Ok, I see why it's easier to get around shorter rods, but I've always thought it's easier to control fish with longer rods? Maybe this is just from me being mostly a river fisherman over the years. I wanna upgrade my rigger rods this winter and on our smaller boat it was nice to be able to steer the fish around lines at the back of the boat this past Saturday with our 8'6" rods. Do you think I could still do this with 7 footers?

Most people here net fish out the back of their boat. The down riggers are on the back corners. No lines out the back. So the 7 foot rod is closest to the back. The other rods can easily go over it. The 7 foot rod never needs to go over any other rod. That's why the 7 foot makes sense. In your case... Probably not.