If You Have Line, You Must Have Some Rods and Reels (Some X-Mas Gift Ideas) by Alan Clemons of the Fishing Wire

If you have line, you must have some rods and reelsSanta’s elves got a little busier Monday afternoon after our initial column of gift ideas hit the Webwaves, with a few of them complaining of getting fingers stuck with hooks while filling requests for crankbaits and topwaters.

We’ll give the elves a break today … well, break might not be the best word since today’s lineup includes rods and reels. We’ll just say the elves can have a change of pace from the occasional hook point. If your guides are bent or the tip is broken when you wake up Christmas morning, just blame the elves. They’re working overtime this month.

Rods

G.Loomis (www.gloomis.com) scored a hit this summer with its Pro Green spinning rod series, which have nine models in three lengths with three different power ratings. They were designed for aggressive fishing, for saltwater and freshwater species, with braided line in mind. They range in price from $240 to $270.

  I’ve used these rods for almost 20 years and they are as good a rod (at all price points) as any thing made and they don’t pay me to say that!

Kistler Rods (www.kistlerrods.com) has burst out again this autumn with its new Micro Magnesium series of 7-foot fast action rods in medium, medium-heavy and heavy power setups. The “micro guides” will make you look twice and the second time you’re looking hard to find them! But they’re there, teeny as they are, and trust me when I tell you they do not impede casting, rod action or landing in any way, shape or form. I’ve been playing with one of the rods for several weeks trying my best to tangle my line (braid and mono) and put the rod through a workout with different lures. So far, it’s a winner. The Micro Magnesium series sells for about $190.

When 2009 Bassmaster Classic champ Skeet Reese announced he was teaming with Wright & McGill (www.wright-mcgill.com) my first thought was “Eagle Claw” rods are back? Those venerable rods indeed were the bee’s knees years ago with the distinctive yellow-gold blank and dark wraps. Reese has put his spin on a new and affordable series of rods in his “signature series” lineup and they’re quite nice. Lightweight, durable, tough and striking with Reese’s signature yellow-and-black color scheme. The Tesserra line has eight models from drop shots to toads, while the Tri-Gressive S-Glass series is a 7-foot medium-fast crankbait rod. Best of all? They’re just $89 … a quite nice price!

Reels

When the Abu Garcia Revo series hit the market a couple of years ago it drew raves for smoothness, reliability, design, castability and durability. I would easily classify it as the best reel Garcia had turned out in at least 10 years, and during that time there were some duds. This year, the Orra SX landed with budget-minded anglers as the target and a price of about $100. The Orra SX has many of the features of its pricier Revo cousin but at a remarkably affordable price. It may well be the best bargain for the money in the baitcasting lineup and is one that would be a great find Christmas morning.

All my muskie friends think this is as great a reel as anything they have ever used.  GE

Likewise, the Garcia Soron SX spinning reel is the more affordable version of the Soron SXT, with five sizes sporting the X-Craftic alloy body and body cover. It resists corrosion, is good for salt and freshwater, and has six corrosion-resistant bearings. A super pickup as well, for about $100 for the three smaller sizes and $120 for the two larger models.

For lightweight drop shot or finesse fishing, check out Shimano’s new Stradic spinning reels (http://fish.shimano.com) designed with “CI4″ reinforced carbon fiber. Shimano’s techs are looking each year at how to shave ounces, increase strength and provide reliability. The CI4 fibers were designed by Shimano’s bicycle designers to reduce weight in bike components while providing strength. Sound familiar? Suggested price for the Stradic 1000F and 2500F reels is $200.

Line

Look, everyone has a favorite quality for fishing line. Me telling you X-Brand or Y-Brand is “the best” would be like saying my great-grandmother’s fried chicken was better than your great-grandmother’s fried chicken. We’d disagree, argue the merits and leave it at that.

Fishing lines are like worms or crankbaits; there are a lot of options and line isn’t a sky-high financial hit to the wallet. If you don’t like it, throw it away (or give the spool to a friend!) and try something else or go back to your favorite. But here are a couple I like and recommend:

Berkley (http://berkley-fishing.com/) FireLine Tracer Braid is a combo of the tougher-than-nails FireLine with a cool alternating pattern of black and chartreuse. That may sound about as goofy as it gets, but if you’re throwing a topwater frog on slimy slop or flipping heavy cover, it’s nice to be able to definitely see the line and see it jump when a bass slams it. The chartreuse line doesn’t seem to affect anything, as far as flipping, because if you put a Texas-rigged Chigger Craw in a dark hidey hole that bass probably isn’t going to spend time examining the line before taking a bite. I prefer the 40-pound test … it’s not too small or too large and works like a champ.

Berkley’s Trilene TransOptic nylon co-polymer mono is quite cool and different, changing colors from clear to gold when exposed to UV rays. It’s visible above water, again helping you if you’re watching the line for a tick or subtle bite. I’ve heard some negative things about TransOptic from anglers, but I haven’t had a lick of problem with abrasions, breakage or lost fish with the 15-pound test and different lures, from topwaters to jigs and even finesse worms on jigheads.

For regular braid, give me 30-pound test Vicious Braid (www.vicious-fishing.com) and I’ll be fine in the swamp or out on the big lake. I’ve used this from small ponds and creeks to large lakes and even in saltwater for redfish. It’s available in Moss Green in sizes from 10-pound to 200-pound (mono equivalent is 2- to 50-pound). The 30-pound test has the diameter of 8-pound mono, and 40-pound is equivalent to 10-pound mono. Great stuff that holds up and is reliable. Additionally, if you don’t want braid then look at the Vicious All-Purpose line as a good all-around co-polymer. It’s abrasion-resistant, has great shock resistance and gets the job done.

- Alan Clemons