What is your Marsh fishing rod and reel combo ?

Shimano Sustain 2500 Castaway Invicta 7' ML rod 12 lb power pro or Maz Quattro

Shimano Stradic Hg same rod and lines

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Shimano stradic fk on a G Loomis e6x, 20lb sufix 832
Shimano stradic ci4+ on a St Croix avid x, 10lb sufix 832
Daiwa fuego lt on a Dobyns fury, 15lb sufix 832
Daiwa Tatula sv on a G Loomis e6x, 20lb sufix 832
Daiwa coastal sv on a McCain kayak rod, 20lb sufix 832

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Man after my own heart.

Shimano ci4+ on a St Croix Tidemaster. It's a Medium/moderate
Daiwa Luvais LT on a St Croix ML Avid
Daiwa Coastal SV on a St Croix Avid X

The more I've targeted slot reds and specs the lighter I've gone with my rods. If I throw around a dock I try to use the Daiwa baitcaster; it's sitting on a bass rod right now and it'll get them off the pilings. I think I'm going to switch it to one of their Yak rods, though.

I got the Luvais from digitaka when it was a Japan-only reel but they sell them here now. I absolutely love it. If it holds up like a Shimano I'll be buying another.

It depends.
Trout - lews speed lite lfs/7 ft medium-fast erols custom with st croix blank. 30lb j-braid with 25lb Fluro leader
Redfish/all purpose - curdo k/7ft medium-fast 13 concepts black.
Trout/windy/hard baits - Stradic ci4 2500/7ft st croix avid medium/fast
Sight casting - sustain 2500/6ft medium-fast all star
Jigging soft plastic - lews speed lite lfs/6’6 medium fast st croix avid
If I could only pick one I would probably put a lews reel on the 13 concept black rod. 7ft Medium/fast can do pretty much anything in the marsh

Depends on what I'm doing.

Daiwa T-Wing 7:1 on a 6'6" Angler Medium-Heavy rod for weedless and site fishing. Reason for this is medium heavy helps set the hook and because I'm site fishing, 7:1 allows me to reel in fast and rethrow.

Abu Garcia 6.4:1 on a 6'6" Falcon Medium for Spinners/Swims.

Loews 6.5:1 on a Daiwa Medium Action 6'6" for Jerks/Chatters/Spoons.

Then I've got a couple Ataka 3000 Reels on Angler Medium-Heavy for popping cork/shrimp on the bottom fishing.

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I used to love the Shimano Stradic but have moved on to the Daiwa Saltist spinning reels and haven't looked back.

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I had nothing but Shimano spinning reels until I read this review on the Daiwa BG. I needed a loaner rod and the local tackle shop had a 2500 combo for $130 so I picked it up. It's not lightweight like a ci4+ but it's hands down the best $100 spinning reel I've ever fished. It was good enough I got the Luvais instead of another Stradic after doing some research.

Have 6 Shimano Stradic Ci4 4000 on 7’3 M Dobyns Champions
Bantam MGL on 7’3MH Dobyns Champion Extreme
And 3 Shimano Chronarchs on Dobyns Champions

They’re all collecting dust. Pretty much have them for when I’m taking people out for trout and don’t do that much anymore

Noticed a lot of guys use Stratics and St Croix rods . How much better is a stratic compared to sahara and a st croix compared to a falcon ?
Might have to upgrade and get one high end rod and reel combo to find out ....

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Noticed a lot of guys use Stratics and St Croix rods . How much better is a stratic compared to sahara and a st croix compared to a falcon ?
Might have to upgrade and get one high end rod and reel combo to find out ....

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A St Croix was my first "better than an ugly stik" rod; it was a gift from my dad. At this point I buy them for 2 reasons.
1) They still make models in the US, and their non-US models are made in Mexico, not China. I don't mind paying a premium for a US made rod, but I'm not 30 with a young family and I have a little more income for toys.
2) At this point I know what to expect from a 7' MH Fast or a M Moderate, so it's just easier to know what to order. One company's Med might be another's MH or vice versa. If I know what I want the rod for I know what St Croix specs to look for, and they have great customer service.



There's nothing wrong with a Sahara; it was one of my first spinning reels. More money (spent wisely of course) just gets you more bearings, more refinement and less weight. There's probably a $600 spinning reel that'll make my $240 spinning reel feel a little rough or heavy by comparison, but that's above the money I'm willing to put into a reel. Everybody has a price point that they're willing to put into a hobby. Just buy good gear at that price point and catch fish.

It goes nearshore for cobia and offshore for mahi as well. If you’ve got a good tool, put it to use

Should also clarify that I don’t fish the LA Marsh. I fish mostly inshore in the panhandle. If I’m fishing a big bait near docks or rocks, it’s nice having the horsepower to pull that 40” red off structure

I've yet to catch a large cobia on it, but I'm sure it would do fine. I switch it to a 7' heavy spinning rod when I'm going out of the pass. There are videos online of guys catching 50 pound tuna with the 5000 series stella. Along with the Daiwa Saltiga it's up there near best in class when it comes to drag performance.

I bought cheaper reels for years. Fact is I don't baby stuff, so i've transitioned my mindset a few years ago to buying gear that will last and work as well in year 5 as it did the day I bought it. Obviously there's an upfront cost there, but over time I feel like I haven't really lost out on any more than I would have buying cheaper and replacing, plus I get to use a great reel. No different than buying a toyota instead of a kia really when you think about it

If I were getting something specific for the surf though I would probably go with a van staal or something sealed from daiwa or shimano that's a little lower end. Maybe a saragosa. The stella is sealed, but it's still too expensive for me to want to subject it the surf. It get's splashed enough in the kayak