My wife likes to fish but she has never learned to cast anything but a spin-cast (Zebco 33 and 733) reel.

We just got back from Rockport TX and when we fish the Copano Pier...she usually catches something out of spin-cast league.

Want to get her to switch to a good bait-cast or spinning rig.

Suggestions?

Spinning setup with braid would be my choice..

How does braid cast off of a spinning reel...good??? Better than mono?

medium duty saltwater open face spinning reel( or lighter/heavier depending on what she will be catching).

MUCH More forgiving on casting technique . . . BUT will still take some getting used to.

Spinning reel is almost 100% FORGIVING . . .
AND

a baitcaster is NOT in the least forgiving!

By open-face do you mean a spinning reel?

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
How does braid cast off of a spinning reel...good??? Better than mono?

Braid casts far better than mono of a spinning reel.

All my spinning reels have braid on and my land based lure fishing setups on average gives me 100m plus casting 3-4 oz lures.

Light lures in the 1.5-2oz range gives me a bit less but more than enough to target the species I am after.

The seceret is to have an ballanced outfit.

What rod lenght are you looking to use?

If she can use braid (like Spider-wire)...she just needs 15 lb test diameter. But she needs a reel that can handle a 20lb fish and the appropriate rod. I always use a 6'10" rod myself.

While I can cast almost any rod and reel combo...I am a fairly novice myself. So you can tell me what I need.

Somebody give me an opinion on the Shimano Curado.

Have a look at the Shimano Sustain 5000 spinning reel. Load it with 15lbs power pro braid.

Look at a 7 or 8ft rod like a shimano aerocast.

Use a 30lbs floro leader.

Connect the leader to the braid with an FG knot. Youtube videos will show you how easy it is to tie the FG knot.

Light setup, strong and will last her a long time.

quote:

Originally posted by Gerhard.Delport:
Have a look at the Shimano Sustain 5000 spinning reel. Load it with 15lbs power pro braid.

Look at a 7 or 8ft rod like a shimano aerocast.

Use a 30lbs floro leader.

Connect the leader to the braid with an FG knot. Youtube videos will show you how easy it is to tie the FG knot.

Light setup, strong and will last her a long time.

Thank you sir!

You are welcome.

Shout if I can help.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Somebody give me an opinion on the Shimano Curado.

A good reel. not the best but good never the less.
I use a spinning reel (thread line) which is just easier to use. baitcasters are great for repetitive accurate short casts for fishing big lures to fish like Barramundi.

You can spend more money, you can spend less money, but for the money, it is virtually impossible to beat a Shimano Curado. They just work, feel right and last.

For a new fisher woman go with an open faced spinning real. They are a lot more forgiving to inexperience. The Curado is a great real and I have three of them that I use for bass fishing in Mexico. But it isn't a good choice for a newbie. If you don't know how to feather the spool with your thumb or adjust the magnetic brake for the weight of the lure you are using, you will be spending most of your time trying to clear up back lashes. The suggestion of using braid with a mono or fluorocarbon leader is the way to go. Don't use just fluorocarbon over 12 lbs. on an open faced real as it will try to coil off of the real and create a backlash mess.

465H&H

Mr. Easter, please do not take this as a reference to your wife.
We fish a great deal in saltwater for trout, reds and flounder. Our clan is mostly men, but a lady or two on occasion. All the men use baitcasters like and including curados. When we take the ladies, I always have a b****h stick for them to use. 6 1/2 ft spinning rod w/ 12-15 lb line. A spinning real seems much easier for them to use AND lets us spend more time fishing and less time w/ a backlash tool. It takes much more time and patience to learn to use a baitcaster. Some (men) never learn and just give up due to frustration.

Lane if it were me I'd just get her a quality spin cast reel and let her decide if she wants to move up after that.

Personally, I'd take her to a Bass Pro or Cabelas and let her pick out a new reel, just tell her it can't cost less that $35. The Garcia 1276 is rated for 100 yds of 14lb test.

I like open face reels, could never get the hang of a bait caster so finally broke down and got one of the shimano curados mentioned above. I still look like a 3rd grader casting it, and that is after a bit of practice! So I went back to my spinning reels and am much happier. I know I'd be pissed if my spouse took away my spinning reels and made me live with that thing forever...

Anyway, best of luck in whatever choice you make.

If you haven't purchased anything yet, check out the Cabelas Salt Striker combos. I got one for my wife and she loves it.
Very good quality for the money. Took it to Florida and she did well with it.

I bought her a good spinning rod, put Spider Wire on it and she loves it. We got a boat and have been striped fishing almost every Thursday all summer.

I got myself a couple of Curados...I love them!

I have seven rods on the bass boat, all of them are equipped with Shimano reels, spin cast or bait cast.

Lane:

I won't get into rods n reels. But, braid, the trick is when you're fighting a fish and it's taking out line. STOP reeling! All your doing is twisting that braided line. and when slack, it'll coil up into one hell of a tangled mess.

That's what most guys using braid bitch about and won't use it long.
I bought 100 spools for resale to the locals. After that I lost my ass on the deal. Wasn't my fault either, they just kept cranking on it.

Same goes for any other line, but, the braid responds to the twists this way. No way to get it taken out either, the lines ruined and it's a real shame due to cost of the stuff.

About the only way to get twists out of it is to put a very small lure or plain light sinker on and let nearly all your line out while trolling for a couple miles, most of the twists will work out of it then. Only way to check, is to get a bunch of it loose and drop it on the ground or boat floor and see if it retangles or not.

Good luck,
George

Without doubt spinning. Be sure to manually check drag before handing rod/reel to her.

Shimano usually makes high quality reels in their pricing ranges.

Not an authority on this but I can say last year I gave my fiance a 6' medium-light rod with a Shimano Sienna 2500 reel (good quality for an inexpensive reel), spooled up with Power-Pro braided, and she's been very happy with it for bluegills to pike. Outfishes me most times we are on the water.