Beginner Setup Question for Bluegill / Crappie

[ajandrs]

Hey all, first post here as a newcomer to thefishing world. This past year myself and my kindergartener got involved in theboy scouts and one of the events was a fishing night and I’m not sure whoenjoyed it more, myself or my boy. Needless to say after that night I went overto my dad’s house and dusted off my old spin cast rod (about 18 years old) and another one of mydad’s that’s probably older than me. My old rod is a MH action and probably6' if I had to guess and after using it for bluegills for a couple weeks withnot great results I tried to get some bass on it, and I’ve gottena few so far which has just hooked me in further … pun intended.


So it’s time to take the plunge into bettergear, after all better / proper gear should help offer somewhat better results and in turn,more fun for me and my boys. After talking with a couple friends they told meto jump straight into a baitcaster for a bass setup so after a lot of researchI settled on the Lews TP-1 rod at 7’ with a MH / Fast action. For the reel Igot the Kastking Assassin and so far they seem like an awesome pair … thoughI’ve only been casting in the back yard to practice but it seems prettystraightforward and I’ve only had one bad birds nest so next chance I get I’mtaking it to the water.


So all that to finally get to my question –what would be a good setup for pan fishing. Like I said when I take my boys outwe’re only trying to get bluegill at a local pond, but crappie is high on mylist as well and will be heading over to the IL river this coming weekend witha friend to go after them. In my excitement last night I hastily ordered a rodand reel for a spinning setup and now I’m second guessing my choices … well forthe rod at least.


I liked the Lews casting rod so much I ordered another Lews TP-1 rod, this time a spinning rod at 6’7” with aML / fast action. After doing more research it sounds like a Light action, ifnot even an Ultra Light rod is preferred by many for panfish. For the reel I ordered theKastking Summer 2000 and Kastkings 4# mono green line. Will this setup workwell for bluegill and crappie or would I be better off going with a lighteraction rod. For bluegill I’m always fishing with a bobber and earth / wax worm,for crappie I’ll probably be using live minnows and maybe some small jigs hereand there.


Part of me thinks I’m being a little stupid considering this rod / reelcombo was about $125 for a newbie when any old spinning combo at walmart for$25 would probably be just as good. Am I putting too much thought and money into thisfor a beginner?

[scrat]

Welcome from east central Mississippi. Sounds like a pretty good fishing rig you have put together. It has a lots to do with if you are able to make good casts with our setup. Before you go just take it out in the back yard and see if it casts good and if you are able to hit pretty close to where you are aiming. Then check the drag to set it to where a big fish will not break the line set it to where it is pretty close to breaking the line then back off just a little more because it's pretty frustrating to get a real good fish right up to the boat and he takes that final plunge and breaks the line. A good dip net is worth its weight in gold sometimes also. Check out old posts of questions on the beginners forum as they are a ton of good information there. http://www.crappie.com/crappie/begin...ntoring-forum/

[Noodle rod]

Great to see you two get involved. I would say to go slowly on gear, but I do understand that having the right action adds to the enjoyment. Just glad to hear that you rediscovered fishing, and that another youngster gets to enjoy it from a young age, best wishes.

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

[scrat]

"Part of me thinks I’m being a little stupid considering this rod / reel combo was about $125 for a newbie when any old spinning combo at walmart for $25 would probably be just as good. Am I putting too much thought and money into this for a beginner?"

Most of the time you get what you pay for. A more expensive rod will be better balanced and made with better blanks and materials than the less expensive brands. I am also fond of Lew's rods as I have some from the 1980's that are still as good today as they were when I bought them. I can't say that about the cheaper rods that I have bought here and there since then.

[Hanr3]

Welcome to fishing and Scouting. I was ScoutMaster for a long time and both my sons are Eagle Scouts. They started in kinder-garden and went through high school. Now that I have grandchildren, the cycle will repeat. In fact I am taking my 3 year old grandson and his dad camping/fishing this weekend at Clinton Lake.

As for rods/reels. I don't know a thing about the rod/reels you mentioned. However it sounds like you are happy with them. My grandchildren will start out using good old fashioned Zebco 33 mounted to Ugly sticks. As they progress in age and skill we will upgrade them to better rods/reels.

Illinois River has some great spots to find Crappie. However you have two great lakes next to you, Evergreen and Bloomington. I prefer Evergreen because of Comlara Park and camping. Let us know how it goes!

[Hanr3]

Duplicate

[ajandrs]

Most of the time you get what you pay for. A more expensive rod will be better balanced and made with better blanks and materials than the less expensive brands. I am also fond of Lew's rods as I have some from the 1980's that are still as good today as they were when I bought them. I can't say that about the cheaper rods that I have bought here and there since then.

That's pretty much always been my philosophy with everything, "buy once, cry once." If you buy junk today you're going to be replacing it tomorrow so you might as well buy quality the first time. Hopefully I did just that!

[ajandrs]

Welcome to fishing and Scouting. I was ScoutMaster for a long time and both my sons are Eagle Scouts. They started in kinder-garden and went through high school. Now that I have grandchildren, the cycle will repeat. In fact I am taking my 3 year old grandson and his dad camping/fishing this weekend at Clinton Lake.

As for rods/reels. I don't know a thing about the rod/reels you mentioned. However it sounds like you are happy with them. My grandchildren will start out using good old fashioned Zebco 33 mounted to Ugly sticks. As they progress in age and skill we will upgrade them to better rods/reels.

Illinois River has some great spots to find Crappie. However you have two great lakes next to you, Evergreen and Bloomington. I prefer Evergreen because of Comlara Park and camping. Let us know how it goes!

Thanks for the reply, nice to hear from someone pretty local! I don't have a boat so I'm fairly limited with what i can do, but I have fished Evergreen a little in the past and I plan to do so again soon. I'm actually a lot closer to Dawson lake than Bloomington / Evergreen, and I'm told Dawson has some good fishing. I've camped Comlara and Clinton back in my high school / college days and my boys (4 and 6) have been asking to go so if the weather is nice we'll probably take them out this weekend. But for now, a buddy of mine has a boat so I go where he goes and he likes the IL river so we'll be over there all morning on Saturday, hoping to bring home some nice slabs!!

[Yonder]

Welcome, you'll love both the Site and fried specks!
Spend time with your boy, they grow up too fast.....

[shipahoy41]

Welcome from Alabama. Buy what you can afford and what you like. Consider the technique you will use the most...slip float, trolling, vertical jigging etc. , and buy accordingly. You cannot go wrong with Proven winners like BnM, Shakespeare, Stren etc. Ask your local bait store what others have been buying and most of all trust yourself to make wise choices. Have yourself a ball as you and your family make memories.