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more random 'stupid' questions


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a few things I would like answered before I spend my money. what does it mean when a rod is a 'blank'?how do I pick the right reel to suit a rod (or vice versa) without actually holding or seeing it in person? (I ask this as my local did not have anything that I really liked, but gave me product catalogues offered to order things in for me.)what are the differences between 'normal' spinning reels, and baitrunner reels? that would be what they are used for I am guessing?that is all for now, but I think I will have more soon :)

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A rod "blank" is the rod itself, asin the "stick" part without guides, grips etc.It can be hard to pick a reel if you can't put it on your rod. I don't buy one without trying it on the other.A "bait runner" has the ability to almost free spool your reel. It will let a fish run with your bait, then with a wind of the handle, it will go back to using its normal drag the same as a normal spin reel. Btw, general info, other may wish to elaborate. Btw2, I love baitrunners!Cheers

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Yes...If your buying a blank, either you or a custom rod builder would have to build it within your desired specification. Which will make it a custom rod very unique to your fishing style and cosmetic taste.I would advise to buy "off the shelf" rods if you are just getting into fishing.When it comes to sizing up, you basically don't want an unbalanced outfit as its awkward and can be uncomfortable to use. Meaning when your holding the rod in your fishing position, you want it nicely balanced. Eg. dont put a massive heavy reel on a light action rod and vice versa.Any fishing tackle store will point you in the right direction when your out shopping for tackle. It's very personalized and hands on, only you will know what feels good.In saying that, Fishing doesn't need to get too technical especially for beginners. Leave that to the more experience fishos who have developed their preferred fishing style over the years. And in time if you really fall in love with fishing, you'll be like me and go out and buy expensive and specialized tackle. Just to make the experience the best it can be.

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As Nikhum said it's all about balance with your rod and reel combo so it is pretty hard to judge what it's going to be like without actually holding it.As a general rule of thumb, any rods around the 1-5 kilo mark should be paired with a 1000 to 2500 sized reel. 5 - 10 kilo 3000 to 6500 size etc etc. Keep in mind that is a very general statement. It all depends on what you're planning on catching with it. A general all-purpose rod and reel would probably be in the 2-6 kilo range with a 3000 size reel to cover most bread and butter options.If you have the catalogue it's possible that it lists the weight of the reels, rods. If so it's easier to judge what's going to balance well. Obviously a very light weight rod will balance better with a light weight reel.Don't worry about blanks at this early stage. That's like going to buy a computer when you've never owned one and worrying about what motherboard it's got in it. It doesn't matter until your ready to really start customizing what your fishing for/with. Even then most of us still go with 'off the shelf' rods.The difference between baitrunner and regular spin reels is in the drag systems. Baitrunners have a switch which allows the reel to go into 'free spool' so that when a fish picks up your bait they can run with it before you decide to put on the pressure. Really great for fishing for mully's, snapper and they're even okay for Bream. I would suggest just a normal spin reel to start with though. Probably no need for a baitrunner yet.No stupid questions when it comes to fishing. B)

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Keen2 -As everyone else has said, just stick to off the shelf gear, there is plenty on the market available. Highly suggest having a feel of the rod and reel together. It will need to be weighted for your style - you'll know/feel when the combination is good for you. Do your research on the product - even ask around on here, there are some superb tech heads around!

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once again what do you want to catch and where from, salmon from the surf requires a different setup to squid from a boat to sharks from a jetty and so on and so on. also if you are just starting out dont go spending heaps on your rods n reels, get the feel for what you are doing and when you have a much better of what you are doing upgrade then and notice the difference. go to a good tackle store (not big W/kmart etc) but try the directory at the top of the page and then click on bait and tackle and one of the stores there will be able to point you in the right direction give them your budget and target species and fishing method (boat, jetty, rocks, surf, etc) and they will show you a few combos.the only stupid question is the one you dont ask

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ohhh, so the mag says 'blank'then under it says graphite, fiberglass ect. that just means what the rod is made from? sorry, looking in the Shimano mag if anyone has it?and since I am going to order the things in without actually holding them or seeing them in person I guess I will just have to guess since the weight is only in the shimano mag for the reels, but not in others I have.thanks heaps people!!! I now know I dont want a baitrunner :)but I was going to get a few things. want to try off the beach and boat as only been off the jetty so far. but will be greedy and get a new one for jetty as well :)

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ohhh' date=' so the mag says 'blank'then under it says graphite, fiberglass ect. that just means what the rod is made from? sorry, looking in the Shimano mag if anyone has it?and since I am going to order the things in without actually holding them or seeing them in person I guess I will just have to guess since the weight is only in the shimano mag for the reels, but not in others I have.[/quote']Yes, when it says graphite or fiberglass under blank that is what the rod is made of, in general, fiberglass is more forgiving and tougher but heavier and graphite is much more sensitive and lighter but doesn't like to be dropped on rocks. Some rod blanks incorporate both materials as well.As far as ordering things in, mail order is great once you have some good knowledge about tackle and know exactly what you're going to get. However for you being fairly new I would suggest going to a bigger tackle store that has a wide selection of gear so you can get some hands-on with different setups. Ray and Annes and Sportfishing Scene will have just about everything you could want, and I'm sure there are others, but those are the two I'm familiar with.
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Hi K2LSome very good advice here. :clap: As you're just starting out, and has been suggested, it will really pay you in the long term to try and have a good relationship with the "local" tackle store.Buy from them and any decent shop will not only look after you the best they can with advice, srevice etc, but will always be happy to see you return as a satisfied customer.While internet tackle retailers/wholesalers may be appealing pricewise, and they are attractive to people who know their tackle more in depth, you simply wont get the guidance you would from a shop, or from mebers in the know here either ;) Id suggest you only buy rods and reels at the moment that you can see, touch and feel until you get a better understanding of tackle in general :) Good luck with your purchases :fishing:

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While internet tackle retailers/wholesalers may be appealing pricewise' date=' and they are attractive to people who know their tackle more in depth, you simply wont get the guidance you would from a shop, or from mebers in the know here either ;) Id suggest you only buy rods and reels at the moment that you can see, touch and feel until you get a better understanding of tackle in general :) [/quote']That's the best advice so far.To answer your other question though K2L, I have never ordered anything online from an Australian site as they don't seem to be better on prices then some the shops around here and I prefer the personal service. When I do order gear online it is usually from US ebay because either I can't get it here or it is a considerable savings from buying local. That being said, I have been fishing for some time and I am also from the US, so I have a very good idea about what I want and the differences in tackle lines here and there. For you just starting out go into one of the better stores and have a chat about what sort of fishing you're going to do, they'll take care of you. ;)
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Thanks Plankton ;) There's really no truely "stupid" question imo K2L, only people trying to increase their knowledge, and thats a good thing :) It would only be " stupid" to NOT ask a question and remain ignorant your whole life ;) It would also only be stupid for you to pretend you knew what you were on about only to make a complete fool of yourself later :pinch: :whistle: :laugh::laugh::laugh:

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mate i reckon u should go into a tackle shop and get something from there. ur only really gunna start saving money online when u start buying top of the range gear and from the sounds of things ur not looking at that sort of tackle yet. my advice is to just go and get a nice outfit, there are lots of good combos at the tackle shops, and get out and start fishing! once u have done a bit of fishing and sorted out what sorta gear u want then start looking around at the top quality gear. i ahve a 2-4kg ugly stick with a shimano symetre 2500 which i have had for years and it only cost less than 200 bucks. i have caught everything from garfish to snapper on this. u know what i mean? ;)

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Is there a larry and curly tackle as well? :laugh: seriously though i just went and bought a great rig from the fishing wholesaler at lonsdale ,good advice and great blokes and as you know waterboy works there as well why not if it isnt to far away drop down and seee them they have some great specials on now in rods ,went and bought some waders yeaterday they could have sold me the shaikspere ones but they said the snowbee are better and i think that is the line they will stock from now on the ones i got were the classic and they are the same price as ebay, motackle the only difference is you dont pay freightcrispy :)

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great' date=' cheers for that :) but how would I know it is the real brand and not some cheap 'look-a-like' on US ebay? or is there no rip off, just the brands and the cheap stuff?[/quote']Just buy from sellers with excellent feedback and you can be fairly certain you won't get ripped off. I only deal with ones that have 99% positive feedback or better over thousands of transactions.
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