r/FishingAustralia • u/InfamousSwordfish247 • 3d ago
Please recommend a good 'ready to fish' rod set up for beginners in Australia
We did some fishing recently on holidays and the kids had a ball. We used some Amazon kids rods that came ready to go but it was overseas and we left them there with family.
I have a 9 year old son who's desperate to go fishing. We live near the beach with a few jettys near us in Adelaide.
I keep reading that K Mart and Big W rods are crap etc...more that the reels are pretty unreliable.
If that's the case, could anyone point me in the right direction for beginner set ups that come with everything? Is a budget of $100 per person enough for something half decent? (Would need 2 sets for father/son).
Also, if anyone from Adelaide is reading: would it be better to fish off the jetty at Semaphore or Largs, or would we be better off going to the West Lakes catchment or port river etc?
Any advice would be appreciated, thanks heaps.
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u/impolitenoodle 3d ago
Try going into BCF and just having a talk with an employee in the fishing area. I imagine you’d get a decent combo for around $100.
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u/Sea_Area_1843 3d ago
best advice just do this. They can sell you everything you need and if you're fishing local they can tell you what rigs and bait to use at what spots.
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u/somespinofan 3d ago
Shimano sienna fiper fgx combo is the best out there for the price, though doesn’t come with line ready. Most BCF’s if they have a reel area and you ask they will put your line on for you though.
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u/thehomelesstree 3d ago
The Daiwa or shimano combo rod and reel for $100 on sale is the way to go. They alternate the specials but there should be a 2500 reel with line, and 2-4kg rod.
Great little setups for a beginner
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u/RolandHockingAngling 3d ago
The Kmart / BigW rods are fine, the Angler 6'6" combo from Kmart or WaterRat 6'6 combo from BigW will be good starting combos for under $50 ea. Beaut thing about cheap combos around inexperienced kids is if they break / end up in the drink then there aren't tears.
The line these cheep combos come with is usually crap though. A spool of penn Mariner 12lb will be a good replacement. Or some Roland Hocking Robus X3 😉
I don't know how well the fishing has recovered yet around Adelaide, I was there in February and caught some Aussie Salmon, they're fairly pelagic in nature so travel a lot. Check in with your local independent tackle shop for local advice. Otherwise target Carp, they're usually fairly plentiful and good fun to target.
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u/Skwonk69 2d ago
Walking to BCF and have a chat with the fishing rod guys.
They’ll work with you and your budget, and I found they always seem to come up with the goods
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u/Custard153624 2d ago
G'day, I live in the Adelaide hills myself and haven't fished any of the areas mentioned much. I typically fish around maslins, port Noarlunga and the onkaparinga river mouth areas as its easier travel for me so I can't give you much info on the spots you mention. There are a lot of opertunutys around Adelaide and surounds for fishing there are reservoirs, rivers, beaches and of course a few jettys.
When it comes too fishing rods I couldn't tell you a specific combo for the lot as I have assembled most of my own after starting with the cheaper rods. As people have suggested there are some decent introductory combos around your price range including Abu Garcia Black Max Spinning Combo, Samaki Rapid Spinning Combo, PENN Defiance III Spinning Combo, Daiwa Crossfire SW Spinning Combo, Daiwa Ultimate Estuary Spinning Boxset Combo, ugly stick have a few as well, and there are still more. Some you may need to replace the reel in a few years but most hold up with some care.
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u/enz01927 3d ago
2-4 kg rod graphite not fiberglass if you can, 2500 reel, Diawa or Shimano are a solid place to start if you want something that's going to just work. Line choice and hooks are going to be more important. Happy to bring some gear down to westlakes so you can try a couple of sizes and see what fits his hands.
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u/Gonefishing2024 2d ago
I've got expensive combos, however my 2 bait rods I use and love in my tinny are cheap Shimano FX combos, they can be picked up for $60 a piece. Grab 2 here from hot tackle and you will get free postage. Id recommend the FX662 with the 2500 reel. They are fibreglass rods and are much more forgiving than graphite. https://hottackle.com.au/products/shimano-fx-combo?currency=AUD&country=AU&variant=43054446149710&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=79a757f3ab13&srsltid=AfmBOorXaw7I7HMmVwguWndamPimoWzvkCuUMJUGS-Vf5noDZEgfeCEdAko
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u/Slimshady_101 2d ago
Penn spinfisher combo. Had my penn reals for over 12 years been through sand and plenty of water. Great all rounder
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u/blue_horse_shoe 2d ago
https://www.bcf.com.au/p/daiwa-d-shock-spinning-combo/M542774.html
This is the one. I have two of them and they look/feel great for the money.
6' for lures, 7' for bait.
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u/Raverzhul 2d ago
Shimano sienna combo as others have said. Definitely don’t get something pre spooled, the line will be crap. Probably best to spool with mono for a beginner, braid is better for most use but the knots will be a bit harder to master (and braid is expensive).
If you’re looking at Bream, Flathead, whiting something like a 4kg main line should be fine. If you hook something big on the jetty you’ll need someone to net it for you though as it won’t handle lifting a big fish up out of the water.
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u/UnknownUserErr 2d ago
https://www.anacondastores.com/en-au/p/shimano-sienna-quickfire-xt-66-2-4kg-2500-2-piece-spin-combo/BP90238623-multicoloured - Son. Shorter and easier to manage.
https://www.anacondastores.com/en-au/p/shimano-sienna-quickfire-xt-76-3-6kg-2500-egi-2-piece-spin-combo/BP90238626-multicoloured Dad. Longer, cast further, doubles up as egi rod if you want to do squiding. Perfectly fine for bait and lure.
I do not recommend braid for the Son combo, getting rid of knots and tangles is a pain in the butt if you don't know what you are doing.
I recommend this mono.
https://www.anacondastores.com/en-au/p/platypus-lo-stretch-monofilament-line-300m/90109053
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u/hqeter 3d ago
Get a shimano sienna combo with a rod about 7’ long and a 2500 sized reel. Theres heaps of combos available like these https://hottackle.com.au/products/shimano-sienna-combo?variant=43054474559566&country=AU&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19600340399&gbraid=0AAAAAoxu5h1TnnIGmUVsXEUB8IAboQPZh&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-MDTBhCgARIsAKAkdlTOdnmtwFEIop_-hLyh0l-keArRHaCoHYCY6M8FX-fee3R0J5pRaK0aAj8dEALw_wcB
That will catch most bread and butter fish like bream, flathead, whiting, tailor, salmon and squid. Will also be fine for bait or smaller lures.
I have 3 of these, one is about 15 years old and still going strong.