All preference, but it is hard to beat a Pflueger President reel. My preferred rod is an 8’ BnM BGJP.
I have been looking into different combos and I am having a hard time deciding. Right now all I have is a little river pole that I use, so I need to upgrade. I was wondering, what are your favorite combos while fishing in a kayak? What would be your single best go-to choice for crappie if you just take 1 pole out with you?
All preference, but it is hard to beat a Pflueger President reel. My preferred rod is an 8’ BnM BGJP.
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Custom MHX S842-2 blank. I've built four of these for different people and have recommended them to several other rod builders. In my opinion, it is the ATV of crappie fishing. It will cast jigs 1/32 up to whatever you want, verticle jig, and cast slip floats without issue. Obviously it is a custom rod blank. 7 foot two piece rod. I've crappie fished with one for the past 5 years and will not fish without it. Custom cork handle, custom guide eyes, and it is lighter than most production rods on the market.
For me, there are several reels that I utilize depending on the rod, the price I want to spend, and what I want to get out of it. In the expensive market, I utilize a shimano stradic Ci4 1000.
In the medium market, the Quantum Accurist. The accurist is actually a lot smoother reel than the stradic for certain functions but weights quite a bit more than the stradic. I purchase the older accurist models.
For cheap spinning reels, I go with the Quantum reels again. I have several (maybe 10) Quantum's under 30 bucks. All of them function great and all the spools are interchangable. Obviously you can tell the different between a good quality higher dollar reel and a cheaper one but, the cheaper ones function great, are lightweight, and I'm not worried about throwing them down in the boat and breaking them up. All of my reels that I use for spinning from Salmon and steelhead bottom bouncing, to tournament jigging walleyes, crappie and panfish, are ALL 1000 series size reels. I use 6lb test for everything! Yes, that includes salmon and steelhead. The rod is the most important thing to avoid break offs. A quality rod with 6lb test will out fish and out muscle a mediocre rod with heavy line anyday of the week.
I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
I have a couple of different Mitchell Avocet rod and reel combo's for casting I really like them both. 1 is a 1000 series RZ with a 7' light action rod and the other is a 6'6" medium light 2000 series gold (older model) and they both work great and both were priced very reasonable. I keep the 1000 series spooled with 4 lb test and the 2000 series spooled with 6 lb test.
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I'm a big fan of dock shooting, so that is my primary weapon of choice. Any UL from 4.5 to 6 ft will work. Since you're low to the water, I'd favor something towards the shorter end of that spectrum. I'm a rod builder as well, so Im using one built on a 5'4" UL Rainshadow blank. For reels, pflueger president or trion in 20 or 25 size, Shimano 500 or 1000, Daiwa 500 to 1500. They'd all be up to the task for kayak crappie, no matter which method of fishing you choose. My favorite crappie reel is the old school Daiwa SS700.
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I like a shorter ultralight in the kayak. I've got an abu Garcia 5'6" light action and a cheaper 5 ft ul with a Garcia Mitchell 908. In my experience the longer rods are a lil harder to cast specifically for me in the yak..ymmv
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To add: If I could only take 1 It'd be my 5 ft UL with the Garcia Mitchell reel. Love that combo
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Mine would have to be a 6 ft ugly stic and a Star 6.6 or 7 ft with Diawa whiskers reels I have some that I put in clients hands that are over 25 years old and still work.
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I am an avid fly angler, so my first choice will always be my 6.5' Eagle Claw 5 wt. 8 and 9 foot rods are difficult for me from the kayak, because if I get a snarl at the rod tip, it is impossible for me to clear it without dipping my reel into the water (my arms aren't that long). My Eagle Claw, with a Scientific Anglers reel, roll casts like a dream, and is easy to manage from a kayak.
For ultralight, my favorite is my 40+ year-old Eagle Claw ultralight, with a very old Mitchell 300 reel. They just don't make 'em like this anymore....
For Stripers, I use a 10 wt Scientific Anglers fly rod with a Shooting Taper line, and a double-action Scientific Anglers reel. The rod has a Fighting Butt on it, which really helps when stripers make those 100-yard plus runs.
For catfish, carp, and other really big bruisers, I use a 7-foot Ugly Stick Med-Heavy Baitcasting rod with an Ambassaduer baitcasting reel.
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