New Rod! Ready for bridge fishing? I think so!

SFL BassHunter · June 26, 2018, 08:11:35 AM

I was using a Shimano Soujourn before and a Shimano Sienna reel for my saltwater fishing. I know the Soujourn is a muskie rod...didn't know it when I bought it though. Either way, it has severed me well, and it's a good rod for bank fishing saltwater. But fishing from a bridge is a bit different. Last time I went out I caught a decent size fish and felt I should hand line it up instead of risking snapping the rod.

So I went ahead and decided to get a dedicated bridge rod. Went over to the local Walmart and was torn between a 7' Ugly Stick Big Water Spinning rod, or a 7' Ugly Stick Big Water Casting Rod.
Both were MH, but the Spinning rod showed line rating up to 40lb, and the Casting up to 50. The lure rating max was 4oz for the spinning and 6 for the casting. Then I thought, heck why not go with the casting it seems a bit more heavy duty, AND I have a Daiwa Millionaire Classic UTD Round Reel that I had bought for big swimbaits for freshwater that I rarely use.

I ended up taking home the casting rod. I'll be headed over to Channel 5 in the Florida Keys on Saturday, so I hope I can put the rod to work with some quality fish. Hoping for snapper as usual. I know the rod is overkill for snapper of the size I've caught there, but you never know when you'll hook into something bigger.
Each time I have been there I've managed to catch a hog fish or two, but have always fallen an inch short of the size limit. Hope I can find one or two to bite again and they are the right size.

I'd love to hear your guys thoughts on the gear I've decided to use. It's certainly the most heavy duty rod I have ever owned.
I will still be taking the spinning outfit I have.

I'll make sure to post a report for Saturday's trip!

Lipripper · June 26, 2018, 10:21:41 AM

Rick I will be looking for your report and hope that rod works out fore you. I know I have some stout rods I use for catfishing but not sure what make they are.

Pferox · June 26, 2018, 10:37:44 AM

Sounds like a good choice. I have a few pier / bridge rods and most are in the 40 to 50 lb range.

I still end up using my pier net for most of my larger catches because I trust it more than any rod.

I'm looking forward to a full report on your bridge excursion.

j102 · June 26, 2018, 10:50:53 AM

Quote from: Pferox on June 26, 2018, 10:37:44 AM
Sounds like a good choice. I have a few pier / bridge rods and most are in the 40 to 50 lb range.

I still end up using my pier net for most of my larger catches because I trust it more than any rod.

I'm looking forward to a full report on your bridge excursion.

100% agree. I think a pier net is as important as a good rod for pier fishing. It's a must have.

j102 · June 26, 2018, 10:56:00 AM

Rick,
Let us know how it goes please.

SFL BassHunter · June 26, 2018, 11:46:46 AM

I'll look at pier nets. Sounds like a good idea. Bridge is pretty high lol.

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Pferox · June 26, 2018, 12:40:46 PM

Best investment I ever made was a good mid cost pier net. Use lots of rope and tie knots.

SteelHorseCowboy · June 26, 2018, 12:51:29 PM

I use the Sojourn for cat fishing. It SUCKS for bass, but I figured with muskie being pretty big it'd work for cats. Yeah, it's alright I guess, but I can't see how it'd do all that great for hauling in big muskies, I wouldn't be looking forward to fighting a trophy cat with it. Definitely not something I'd choose for bridge or pier fishing.

I'm looking forward to your review on the new gear, that's actually similar to one of the rods I've been considering for cats, just bigger I believe. This gorgeous vintage rod I picked up for my Penn ain't quite what I was hoping for, but it works, and let's be honest, I mostly bought it for it's looks anyway.

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Pferox · June 26, 2018, 01:18:01 PM

My big Penn rod is actually a medium with 80lb line rating. Great casting rod with the right reel. I usually have a 309 that has been played with on it with 20lb line. It has brought in a lot of stuff on the Old Sunshine Skyway. Haven't used it much here in Texas.

Pferox · June 26, 2018, 01:27:59 PM

I'm at the hospital on my phone so sorry about the multiple posts.
When getting a pier net, heavier is better, it bucks current and wind better. A two ring style is the best it helps keep the net deployed and distributes the weight along the length of the net.

I also have a float tied on the rope, just In case. I also have a good loop on the ends so I can add more rope when needed, some bridges can need a lot of rope.

Smallie_Stalker · June 26, 2018, 01:44:40 PM

Quote from: SFL BassHunter on June 26, 2018, 08:11:35 AM
I'd love to hear your guys thoughts on the gear I've decided to use. It's certainly the most heavy duty rod I have ever owned.

I'll make sure to post a report for Saturday's trip!

I am going to flip this on you for a minute. I want to hear your thoughts on the rod in particular. I have an 8' Ugly Stick Big Water spinning rod. Since I don't have my vehicle on the road right now freshwater fishing is next to impossible. But I can walk to several different saltwater areas in under 10 minutes max, so I may be doing some of that in the coming weeks. One of the places I have access to is a decently high bridge but like you I'm not sure I would trust trying to haul a decent size fish up that high with just the rod. The rod works great for shore fishing the salt though.

I'll be looking forward to hearing how things go for you Saturday.

SFL BassHunter · June 29, 2018, 12:37:59 PM

Quote from: SteelHorseCowboy on June 26, 2018, 12:51:29 PM
I use the Sojourn for cat fishing. It SUCKS for bass, but I figured with muskie being pretty big it'd work for cats. Yeah, it's alright I guess, but I can't see how it'd do all that great for hauling in big muskies, I wouldn't be looking forward to fighting a trophy cat with it. Definitely not something I'd choose for bridge or pier fishing.

I'm looking forward to your review on the new gear, that's actually similar to one of the rods I've been considering for cats, just bigger I believe. This gorgeous vintage rod I picked up for my Penn ain't quite what I was hoping for, but it works, and let's be honest, I mostly bought it for it's looks anyway.

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The soujorn is not good for bass at all lol.
Hence why I started using it for saltwater. I mostly use it for snapper, it hauls them in without issue. But you can't really control what you catch out there.

The Ugly Stick Big Water seems like a stout enough rod to haul in some decent fish. Let's see how it works out for me.

SteelHorseCowboy · July 02, 2018, 12:47:56 PM

Oh I know, I tried it for bass! I'd rather use a cane pole.

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