# Thinking about buying a distance set up.



## EDMboarder (Mar 18, 2005)

Want to get more into field casting, so was thinking about buying a rod and new reel, but want to still be able to fish with the set up.

Was looking into the AFAW 13' beach (but still not sure if i want that or a lighter rater rod), but have no clue what reel to look for.

My ears are open for suggestions.


----------



## roy j (Apr 6, 2008)

daiwa sealine sha30 great reel for the money


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

IMHO the beach is sweet for field work.I get pretty good numbers with 125g, and 150g. You will find that when it comes to field work normal rod ratings dont mean much.. LOL I never would have thought a heaver (AFAW beach) would be good at castng 125g,.. 

As far as reels go people will give you there opinions. My opinion would be to use one of he nice reels you have already. I actually went and got a cheap 5500 c3 and plan to have it converted.. good luck


----------



## ReelinRod (May 29, 2003)

Pair it with a engineered for distance spinning reel and a reasonably efficient casting motion and you will be able to mark casts well over 600 feet on the field and with braid, place baited hooks over 500 feet from the beach. 

No tuning issues, no worries in wind and a drag that a conventional guy can only match with a 50lb class lever drag big game reel . . .

If you are coming to the fling you are welcome to cast mine.


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

I would like to cast yours..


----------



## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

If you decide to go with a "conventional" setup, I would look at a stock reel like a mag 525 or any of the abu's such as the Blue Yonder, Mag Elite, Chrome Rocket, any thing that is non-level wind. You can get sweet distance with these reels and still take them to the suds.

Robert


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Kingfeeder is correct..


----------



## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

EDMboarder said:


> Want to get more into field casting, so was thinking about buying a rod and new reel, but want to still be able to fish with the set up.
> 
> Was looking into the AFAW 13' beach (but still not sure if i want that or a lighter rater rod), but have no clue what reel to look for.
> 
> My ears are open for suggestions.



If your serious about wanting to try your hand at field casting I would suggest coming to the casting tournament in Northern Virginia in late May. You'll get a much better idea about what equipment is used, and be able to get a feel for what field casting is all about. 

You can use a general fishing heaver and fishing reel to start out, but you'll find if you want to get serious about it, you will likely want to get some thing a little heavier than the AFAW beach, tho there is nothing wrong with that rod for starting out and throwing the lighter weights.

The AFAW big beach has considerably more power and can be used for the heavier weights as well, and has advantages for field casting- one being the 14' length, plus you can get a reducer for it. It is closer to being a true tournament casting rod than the beach- albeit at 14' it is a little on the long side for general fishing duty.

There are of course a number of choices Zzippy, century, etc, if you have the bucks, and many of the models can be fished as well.

Kingfeeder is right on the reels, a stock CT mag elite 6500 or 5500 is not a bad choice for starters. 
A penn 525 mag will suffice also, but the larger reels (Daiwa 30 etc, )
are not well suited for throwing with the small diameter line used in field work.


I'll be at the fling also , and you can check out my equipment if you like.

I'll bring a big beach you can throw if you want.


----------



## dmaaero (Jan 27, 2008)

I won"t suggest a new rod or reel at this point. What i will suggest is watching these two video"s take your 12' penn pro guide 4-12oz an your 525 mag back to the field an practice, practice, practice. With the fundementals on those videos you should be able to increse your distance quiet a bit with a lot less effort. Doesn"t matter what kind of cast you decied to throw you will allways use these basic fundementals. otg is a easy cast to learn these, it"s going to feel really really awakard, but dont give up, before you know it, it"ll feel as normal as a hatteras cast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAuMsGfQczw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqiJRry0goM


----------



## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

For a fishing rod that will perform well on the beach and on the field your choices have really opened up in the last few years. 

Here are a few that work well.

Budget - HDX and the AFAW 6nbait 13' will both perform great as fishing rods and hold there own very well on the casting field. I've had casts well over 700' with both using 125-150 gram sinkers.

Midrange - AFAW Big Beach - One of the best OTG rods I have thrown period. This rod can provide numbers rivaling Zziplexes and Century's and do it for les money and less strain on your body.

AFAW Beach. Another rod that performs very well fishing and on the grass. Tip is a little lighter than the BB but it does have a little stiffer butt section which actually works better for some styles. Reducer is available for the Beach as well as the BB.

AFAW Match. Not quite as heavy as the Beach or BB, it is rated at 150-175 grams for fishing. Great fishing rod and VERY capable of throwing 125-150 gram sinkers a loooong way on the field as well.

WRI Inferno/Fusion. These are very nice fishing rods that will also produce big numbers on the field. 

Premium - Zziplex and Century are the top 2 names out there today in field casting. Top quality and very expensive They make great fishing rods as well but mine never see the sand or salt water...lol

Reels - IMHO the best reel out there for double duty is the abu 6500 mag elite. A very good fishing reel that is capable of big numbers right out of the box. 

Hope this helps,

Tommy


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Tommy, you fell the Abu 6500 ME outperforms the 525?


----------



## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

kmw21230 said:


> Tommy, you fell the Abu 6500 ME outperforms the 525?


In a casting contest, absolutely.

In a battle with a big red drum.....

Nope...


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

really.. does the BB out perform the beach?


----------



## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

It really boils down to the individual and the style. Many guys cannot handle a 14' rod and would most likely get better performance from the Beach.

They both perform great, I can throw the BB a little farther.


Tommy


----------



## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

kmw21230 said:


> really.. does the BB out perform the beach?


another foot in length 



eric, just pick up a mag elite, or a 6500ct with a knobby, throw some bearings in it, lil rocket fuel, some 12lb line, and let the blow ups begin 

far as a rod, like what the other guys said, throw what u have, i know u got some custom lami's etc, drum rods work good for on the field, ive hit decent with my inferno.

Jesse


----------



## big brother (May 15, 2002)

jesse's not kidding, get ready to start buying line in bulk.
charlie


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

it's not the size as much as your techinque..


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Tiightline is very cheap..... Good line, and get 10lbtest..


----------



## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

big brother said:


> jesse's not kidding, get ready to start buying line in bulk.
> charlie


ABSOLUTELY!!

Robert


----------



## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

kmw21230 said:


> it's not the size as much as your techinque..


please call my x-girlfriend for me.


on a serious note, if u got ur swing down, and can move up a little length, should be some distance increase. i first started with almost a 14' field rod,and it wasnt working for me at all, so i dropped back down to some of my shorter fishing rods, and was hitting really well for waht i was throwing, and moved up to that longer rod after a while, and it started feeling better each time i was out . i took me almost 3 weeks of casting nearly every day to get use to throwing with low reel, and im still not that comfy with it.



Jesse


----------



## eric (Oct 24, 2007)

ya. casting low reel, the way a rod pulls as you load.. 
its hard to get used to that feeling at first.


----------



## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

Tommy makes some good points- it's important not to go with a rod that is so stiff you can't load it, or one so long you can't time bringing it around.

It's definitely a balancing act. Most of us want a rod that is "optimized " for us today but also something that we can grow into as our technique improves.

Other wise we go through the same prgression many of us are so familiar with- buy an OM, Tica, or Tsunami, then want something a little better, so we step up to an HDX,etc, and then finally aren't happy until we have gone full blown custom.

Anyone recognize this pattern. 

Ideally it's best to get something that dosen't overmatch us, yet gives us room to grow as our technique improves. 

I'm in the business of selling and building rods, sure it would be great if eventually I sold you a half dozen rods, but if I can get you into one that will suit you now and for awhile to come- so much the better for your pocket book.


----------



## FishinMortician (Jun 19, 2007)

Quote-*My ears are open for suggestions.*

My suggestion - Invest in yourself- first. 

All good advice here for you to consider. I especially liked the invite to the tournament. I think you should go. Meet everyone, cast your deal, chat a little, be observant and pay attention.

You will see rods and reels. Ask the owners about them. Let the men offer their tidbits of advice. Eat a sandwhich, and think about things.

If you are serious about casting for big distance- then go to a tournament. It will change your perspective. Give you something to relate back to. 

I went- I saw- I learned. The educational value of witnessing "America's Best" was well worth the trip. Meeting everyone was great. Seeing other people's casts fly through the air, taught me some things. It was all good.

I am better caster today (  ), as a direct result of attending that tournament. Now, I understand that which I could learn no other place. 

Almost every single person there, helped me in some way. KingFish even bought me a couple of burgers.

Good luck.


----------



## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

I started messing with the pendulum cast I reckon it's called. Was getting 25 to 30 yards more distance, BUT, I never knew where in the hell it was going. Would have needed a fifty yard safety zone on each side. That probably comes from trying a new style without somebody being able to watch what you're doing, but more importantly, what you're doing wrong. Have since went back to the overhead. At least I can put it where I want it. On a side note, didn't see a mention of the Avet 5.3:1 SX. anybody got anything against that reel. Once I magged it[2- 1/4" rares] it outthrows the 20 or 30 Diawa by quite a few yards. Also buy cheap line in bulk til you get that reel tamed. Need to go to a casting event one of these days. wdbrand.


----------



## sprtsracer (Apr 27, 2005)

*wdbrand*...do you work for Winn Dixie???


----------



## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

No. wdbrand


----------



## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

wdbrand said:


> On a side note, didn't see a mention of the Avet 5.3:1 SX. anybody got anything against that reel. QUOTE]
> 
> 
> i like mine, hit 100yrds with 8nbait on a field with it on a good day , dont get to much further then that with 8nbait on a field ever, use a drum rig with a chunk of a 8" plastic shad + 8oz 4side pyramid, i think farthest i ever had was like maybe 110yrd with a big tailwind lol.
> ...


----------



## SINKER45 (Mar 7, 2006)

after reading this thread ive been doing a little research on the reels that have been mentioned. Im a 525 guy and havent had much experience with other conventionals. if you had your choice of these wich would you pick for distance

1.ABU 6500CT PREMIUM MAG ELITE.

2. ABU 5500 cs mag elite (level wind off)

3. Blue yonder

4. Abu CT mag elite 6500 (is there a difference from the premium mag elite)

5. just stay with the 525 mag


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

are you referring to fishing reels?


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

the 525mag is hard to beat...


----------

