In this video Westin fishing backed Thom Hunt describes the differences in length, weight rating, reel style and action so you can select the right lure rod for the right situation or technique.
Excellent video. Wish I'd watched it two weeks ago, before I went around in circles looking for a pike rod. I've got a Westin Finesse T&C for perch and chub, but now I know the length, weight and action to look for in a pike rod... it'll be a Westin.
As always, great video with a clear explanation, even for a non native speaker. And you're right about the most versatile rod. Started lure fishing few months ago, dug in my wallet to buy the W6 finesse shad (220cm 7-28g) with a daiwa caldia lt 2500 reel. It's not cheap, but if I have to use one setup for the rest of my life, I'd choose this one.
Great video Thom, thank you. I always learn something off your videos. I have 11 w3’s from the streetstick up to the powercast. You’ve just convinced me to get a 12th! 😆 I’ve been using the t&c for cranks, so will get the w3 crankbait rod for it’s through action.
Gotta give a go for through action rods, i've had that happen what you said on 18:05 few times and it's so frustrating. All you get is disappointment and tooth marks on your shad lol
👍👍another great video cheers Thom. I love BFS, its really fun and more enjoyable than fixed spool (in my opinion)but don't think it will be the one for competitions just because of its limitations and the drags I don't think are as smooth. Having said that I don't use the £300-£400 bfs baitcasters that could be smoother and have less limitations. Never fished lure matches but used to fish alot in the commercial matches and enjoyment was last on my list of priorities but having said that I think you will have alot of fun with it.
BFS is an oxymoron. Yes, you can do all the controlled short-distance 10m under-hand flippidy-dippidy casting, which is a thing itself. BUT 2g in my book goes into micro/nano range (0.5-5g) and that is spinning reel territory. I you want to have fun casting, buy the 100 size baitcaster on a 5-20g bass rod and go mad. Baicasters generally suck at thin braid anyway.
Nice video as always great tips, i use to fish with only spinning reels from age 10, but now i have only one and rest is baitcasters, you just cant beat baitcaster reel, theres a reason why americans use them for liturally everythink, from cranks to big rubber lures, the only issue i find is that its difficult to get rods in uk as its not as popular, also i allready converded few friends to baitcasters and they are wondering why they didnt do it befofe.
Haha me to, i only use fixed spool for perch and zander finesse fishing. And seabass fishing. But for crankbaits or pike fishing i use baitcasters exclusively
Very informative video Thom thank you, I recently bought the w3 dropshot rod 8' can I use it for ned rig aswell? Or should invest in a 2nd rod. Thanks anyway
Sorry for the delay…. Yes you could use it for Ned but it won’t be perfect. It would be better on places like reservoirs or bigger rivers fishing the Ned, where longer casts might be useful, but the best Ned rod would be a bit shorter like the 7’3” Westin W3 Finesse Ned rod
Thanks Thom - what an informative video. Just wish I had found your channel a while ago - but never too old to learn! Currently am using a Fox Prism Lite (6'11" 2-8g) paired with Shimano Sahara 1000 for light stuff in a couple of lakes and small streams/rivers. Shimano Beast master SDR (7' 10-30g) paired with Okuma Inspira 20 for bigger perch and occasional jacks. Finally, a Drennan E-Sox (9' 85g /2lb test curve) paired with Daiwa Ninja 3012 for my pike fishing on medium lake and river - mainly 5-15lb fish. Now I will have to sort out which of these have a fast action and which have a through action - that have never even crossed my mind! As far as my rod/reels go am I on the right tracks or am I making obvious errors? Thank you and am now about to see what other videos you have!
Thanks for the kind words Graham! Yep those set ups look ideal to me, nicely balanced, and the real test is ‘do they “feel” right to you?’ Are you getting good bit indication? Are you landing a good percentage of fish? Remember as much theory and thought goes in to it it also has to suit your style/budget/species etc 👍🏻
@@Thomhuntfishing Thanks for the reply Thom. They "feel" right - however I need to get better at bite indication (think I miss a few!). Am doing more and more lure fishing though and less "sitting" on the bank. Particularly like the river and the possibility of different species, not just the perch and pike. Just love being out walking the river and appreciating everything round me. Take the Shimano with me then, although slightly heavier than some more "modern" rods I think, plus I definitely prefer the action of the lighter Fox. May treat myself to a new one in the future - now I appreciate more the importance of the weight of the rod and also the action. Am thinking of something like a 15-40g around 7' (rivers I use have quite few snags and weed at times, plus the occasional 15lbish plus pikes), with a faster action than my Shimano and weighing slightly less. Definitely my favourite angling discipline now. Thanks again.
Very big ones lol, very big swim baits, works on the right day on my local Reservoirs, had my PB of 22lb on it and what a fight it was, I use it for cats too but yet to catch one maybe next summer
Great video! Thank you Thom. I have a question about twitching cranks for zanders, medium river, canal. What length and action of a rod would you recommend for this type of fishing, possibly out of either W3 or W4 series. Cheers!
Sorry for delay in answering. Check out the W3 Finesse Crank or the W3 or W4 Finesse T&C. These are both 7’ and a little bit, and great action for cranks
Thom! Hows it going.. have you got any tips on how to load braid onto a spinning reel? Would you use backing mono with it? I ended up going for the 4000 shimano sustain in the end to pair with the Westin Powercast W3 20-80g. Ive got 28lb spiderwire braid - would be great if you could give me any advice on knots youd use to stop it slipping. Thanks very much👍🏼👍🏼
Hi Thom, I came across your channel recently, great videos and very useful, watching them made me purchase a few Westin crankbaits :) I now want to buy one of the W3 baitcasting rods and was hoping you could help me to decide between the crank-t and T&C-t. I mostly fish on my local canal for pike and perch and I want this rod for 6-10cm crankbaits, occasional topwater, some jigs and maybe t&c added in the mix, I prefer braid but can change the line to suit the rod. In one of the comments below I see you say that you use/d the T&C rod for your medium cranks, is it because this rod is more versatile than the crank rod or better suite for perch? I look forward to hearing from you, thanks.
Hi Thomas yes the finesse T&C would be the one I’d go with the crank that rod is much softer and quite a specific rod where is the T&Cs much more versatile
A good all round braid will be about 0.10mm- 0.12mm thick and 12-18lb strength depending on the brand. I really like 8-strand braids they are more expensive than 4-strand but very smooth and strong. Ones like Sufix 832, Daiwa J-braid etc are good
Hi Ben, 1 rod for Perch would be Westin Finesse T&C 5-15g 1 rod for Zander would be Finesse Shad 12-38g One rod for Pike would be Powercast 7’9” 150g 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
@@Thomhuntfishing nice reel not expensive to start with, added ceramic bearings to mine and made it cast so much smoother and further . how you getting on with it ? what rod you got it on ?
What’s the best sized line for resseviour pike fishing, caught a 7lb pike twice but nothing bigger since, I’ve taken ur advice now on type of rod and reel, plus weight and lure sizes but didn’t hear mention of any type/size of line :)
Hi Jamie, for pike fishing on reservoirs I go with about 30lb as it’s a good balance between being strong but also thin enough that it casts a long way. This is for pike lures up to about 6” or about 100g in weight. For heavier/bigger lures or for pike fishing on rivers I step up to 65lb or 75lb braid, as rivers have loads more snags so it gives me a chance to get my lures back!
Hi Tim, what casting weight are you after? Westin do a W4 spin 9’ (and 10’) 7-30g (4 piece, comes in a hard case, 85cm transport length) or the W3 version is a bit cheaper and comes in 8’6” 3-15g, 9’ 7-30g & 10’ 10-30g all 4 piece still 👍🏻
So i'm still a little bit stuck on what rod to buy, i been looking at the w6 t&c and because i throw a lot of 3 to 5 gram jigheads and the occasional 4 to 7 gram crankbait i thought to pick the 5-15 gram. But then i'm like, well what if i throw a 7 gram jighead with 10cm shadteez (for example) wouldnt it be better to get the 7-21 gram? But then can i still throw my 3 gram jigheads effectively?
@@Thomhuntfishing thank you man, finally the answer i was looking for 😁 and thanks for all the great tips i seen on your channel so far. I can't wait for pike season to be upon us
Hi Nathaniel. Yes we absolutely sell spare tips - depending on how old the rod is - even some discontinued rods we have spares for still. Just contact where you bought it, or your nearest Westin dealer (or even an online dealer that sells westin) 👍🏻
I have got westin2 t finness crank rod 5/20gm In baitcaster rod.can I use it for diff ways of lure fishing likes of shad and flicker baits jarkbaits. Not sure new to club
Hi Darren, yes absolutely. It’s a great all round casting weight for many types of lure. The Finesse crank is designed with a softer tip to allow maximum action of crankbaits, but would equally be ok at fishing soft plastic shads, spinners, chatterbaits etc. Give it a go with a Jerkbait, typically a Jerkbait would require a slightly stiffer tip to jerk the bait crisply…. But give it a go and see how you get on 👍🏻
I will do thanks for reply Tom and I let you know how I get on..cheers and keep going on your channel I have leard alot about the do and don't on fishing your parch fishing one had me lock on screen...keep safe on and of water. Darren
Was thinking of pairing a Penn Fathom low profile with my Westin Powercast rod - any thoughts on that? I was after the Komodo but cant find it anywhere - I think the Penn one is a saltwater reel, would this be okay for fishing freshwater pike with big lures? Thanks
Hi Ben, yes any salt water reels will be ideal it just means the seals and gearing are usually better quality so will last a long long time with freshwater use. Penn Fathom looks ideal for the Powercast 👍🏻
@@Thomhuntfishing Great mate - Guess Ill be buying a Fathom then! Cost a few quid but felt really good quality. The rods 40-130g, go for about 60-80lb braid on it would you say? Cheers!
300 should be fine, if it was a Monsterstick >260g I might consider a 400 but your Powercast will pair nicely with a 300. I’ve got a 300 Shimano Curado on mine 👍🏻
Yep sorry, in a spinning version we do the Powercast in 30-80g and 40-130g but my personal favourite is the W4 Powerlure in 30-100g. It’s just right 👍🏻
Excellent video. Wish I'd watched it two weeks ago, before I went around in circles looking for a pike rod. I've got a Westin Finesse T&C for perch and chub, but now I know the length, weight and action to look for in a pike rod... it'll be a Westin.
Thanks for the comment and glad you enjoyed the video! Check out the Westin Powercast rods. Come in both fixed spool and baitcaster reel varieties. 👍🏻
Never get tired of these always so useful
Thanks man. I make them as often as I can but would love to make more!
Brilliantly explained thom that’s helped me out massively cheers.
No probs, glad it helped 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
As always, great video with a clear explanation, even for a non native speaker. And you're right about the most versatile rod. Started lure fishing few months ago, dug in my wallet to buy the W6 finesse shad (220cm 7-28g) with a daiwa caldia lt 2500 reel. It's not cheap, but if I have to use one setup for the rest of my life, I'd choose this one.
Yep excellent set up that is 👌👌👌
Good video mate I’m moving from saltwater lure fishing to fresh water you definitely helped me out a bit !
Glad it helped out! That’s what I’m here for!
Great video Thom, thank you. I always learn something off your videos. I have 11 w3’s from the streetstick up to the powercast. You’ve just convinced me to get a 12th! 😆 I’ve been using the t&c for cranks, so will get the w3 crankbait rod for it’s through action.
Excellent information Thom, great videos 👍
Good, thoughtful info Thom. Thanks for uploading this stuff
Hi Peter, no probs I enjoy making them to be honest
Gotta give a go for through action rods, i've had that happen what you said on 18:05 few times and it's so frustrating. All you get is disappointment and tooth marks on your shad lol
BFS is the best thing to happen in fishing for a long time . Catching micro fish for me is way more enjoyable than catching large carp
Another awesome super helpful video 👊 I was wondering why I'm missing so many pike bites 🤣
Thanks for the comment! It’s great to hear when people have found a video useful!
👍👍another great video cheers Thom. I love BFS, its really fun and more enjoyable than fixed spool (in my opinion)but don't think it will be the one for competitions just because of its limitations and the drags I don't think are as smooth. Having said that I don't use the £300-£400 bfs baitcasters that could be smoother and have less limitations.
Never fished lure matches but used to fish alot in the commercial matches and enjoyment was last on my list of priorities but having said that I think you will have alot of fun with it.
Yep the tournament scene is getting quite big now! You should enter one just for the experience I think you’d like it
Very interesting video, explains a lot.
BFS is an oxymoron. Yes, you can do all the controlled short-distance 10m under-hand flippidy-dippidy casting, which is a thing itself. BUT 2g in my book goes into micro/nano range (0.5-5g) and that is spinning reel territory. I you want to have fun casting, buy the 100 size baitcaster on a 5-20g bass rod and go mad. Baicasters generally suck at thin braid anyway.
Thanks for that. I don’t BFS fish but many mates do, so I’ll let them know 👍
Very good video!
Nice video as always great tips, i use to fish with only spinning reels from age 10, but now i have only one and rest is baitcasters, you just cant beat baitcaster reel, theres a reason why americans use them for liturally everythink, from cranks to big rubber lures, the only issue i find is that its difficult to get rods in uk as its not as popular, also i allready converded few friends to baitcasters and they are wondering why they didnt do it befofe.
Haha me to, i only use fixed spool for perch and zander finesse fishing. And seabass fishing. But for crankbaits or pike fishing i use baitcasters exclusively
Short rods (6-8ft) is for ultra lightweight. Anything above that deserves 8-11ft. Notion one can't twitch with anything past 6ft is Horse.
Very informative video Thom thank you, I recently bought the w3 dropshot rod 8' can I use it for ned rig aswell? Or should invest in a 2nd rod. Thanks anyway
Sorry for the delay…. Yes you could use it for Ned but it won’t be perfect. It would be better on places like reservoirs or bigger rivers fishing the Ned, where longer casts might be useful, but the best Ned rod would be a bit shorter like the 7’3” Westin W3 Finesse Ned rod
I love BFS fishing, think you'll love it to🎣
What's the rod and reel you showed?
Good luck and tight lines 🎣🎣🎣
The reel is a Tsurinoya Dark Wolf I think and not settled on a rod yet but thinking the new W3 2-10g Finesse T&C
Are we saying there is gonna be a casting version in 2-10g Thom? I'll hold off on getting a new setup if that is the case
Good advice. What rod did you has the BFS reel on. I would love a street stick 2 to 10 gram with a trigger handle and multiplier suitable line guides.
Thanks Thom - what an informative video. Just wish I had found your channel a while ago - but never too old to learn! Currently am using a Fox Prism Lite (6'11" 2-8g) paired with Shimano Sahara 1000 for light stuff in a couple of lakes and small streams/rivers. Shimano Beast master SDR (7' 10-30g) paired with Okuma Inspira 20 for bigger perch and occasional jacks. Finally, a Drennan E-Sox (9' 85g /2lb test curve) paired with Daiwa Ninja 3012 for my pike fishing on medium lake and river - mainly 5-15lb fish. Now I will have to sort out which of these have a fast action and which have a through action - that have never even crossed my mind! As far as my rod/reels go am I on the right tracks or am I making obvious errors? Thank you and am now about to see what other videos you have!
Thanks for the kind words Graham! Yep those set ups look ideal to me, nicely balanced, and the real test is ‘do they “feel” right to you?’ Are you getting good bit indication? Are you landing a good percentage of fish? Remember as much theory and thought goes in to it it also has to suit your style/budget/species etc 👍🏻
@@Thomhuntfishing Thanks for the reply Thom. They "feel" right - however I need to get better at bite indication (think I miss a few!). Am doing more and more lure fishing though and less "sitting" on the bank. Particularly like the river and the possibility of different species, not just the perch and pike. Just love being out walking the river and appreciating everything round me. Take the Shimano with me then, although slightly heavier than some more "modern" rods I think, plus I definitely prefer the action of the lighter Fox. May treat myself to a new one in the future - now I appreciate more the importance of the weight of the rod and also the action. Am thinking of something like a 15-40g around 7' (rivers I use have quite few snags and weed at times, plus the occasional 15lbish plus pikes), with a faster action than my Shimano and weighing slightly less. Definitely my favourite angling discipline now. Thanks again.
I use a westin monster stick 150-290g on my reservoirs with a tranx 401 baitcaster, I personally prefer baitcasters to fixed Spool
That’s a big rod!!! What are your favourite baits to throw on that set up? Big I assume?
Very big ones lol, very big swim baits, works on the right day on my local Reservoirs, had my PB of 22lb on it and what a fight it was, I use it for cats too but yet to catch one maybe next summer
Great video! Thank you Thom. I have a question about twitching cranks for zanders, medium river, canal. What length and action of a rod would you recommend for this type of fishing, possibly out of either W3 or W4 series. Cheers!
Sorry for delay in answering. Check out the W3 Finesse Crank or the W3 or W4 Finesse T&C. These are both 7’ and a little bit, and great action for cranks
@@Thomhuntfishing Thank you.
proper goood video thom thanks
One rod for canal fishing drop shot to ned rigging and small creature baits?
6’4” - 6’10” 1-10g fast action for canals. I have a custom made rod
Very informative video! I really like the way you explain things. What rod do you usally use for perch fishing with medium/Deep diving crankbaits?
My medium cranks are on a Westin W3 Finesse T&C 7-21g and I have a custom built rod for my deep cranking it’s 7’10” 15-40g
@@Thomhuntfishing Thanks for the answer!
Thom! Hows it going.. have you got any tips on how to load braid onto a spinning reel? Would you use backing mono with it? I ended up going for the 4000 shimano sustain in the end to pair with the Westin Powercast W3 20-80g. Ive got 28lb spiderwire braid - would be great if you could give me any advice on knots youd use to stop it slipping. Thanks very much👍🏼👍🏼
Sorry for the delay, hope you found a good way for the braid. 👍
Hi Thom, I came across your channel recently, great videos and very useful, watching them made me purchase a few Westin crankbaits :) I now want to buy one of the W3 baitcasting rods and was hoping you could help me to decide between the crank-t and T&C-t. I mostly fish on my local canal for pike and perch and I want this rod for 6-10cm crankbaits, occasional topwater, some jigs and maybe t&c added in the mix, I prefer braid but can change the line to suit the rod. In one of the comments below I see you say that you use/d the T&C rod for your medium cranks, is it because this rod is more versatile than the crank rod or better suite for perch?
I look forward to hearing from you, thanks.
Hi Thomas yes the finesse T&C would be the one I’d go with the crank that rod is much softer and quite a specific rod where is the T&Cs much more versatile
@@Thomhuntfishing thanks for getting back to me, what type of line would you use on the reel for this rod?
A good all round braid will be about 0.10mm- 0.12mm thick and 12-18lb strength depending on the brand. I really like 8-strand braids they are more expensive than 4-strand but very smooth and strong. Ones like Sufix 832, Daiwa J-braid etc are good
If you had one rod for each species what would it be ? For example one rod for perch, one rod for pike
Hi Ben, 1 rod for Perch would be Westin Finesse T&C 5-15g
1 rod for Zander would be Finesse Shad 12-38g
One rod for Pike would be Powercast 7’9” 150g 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
is that a tsu dark wolf bfs real youve got on the bfs rod ? nice reel ive got one myself
Yep got it second hand as well so not breaking the bank to try BFS!
@@Thomhuntfishing nice reel not expensive to start with, added ceramic bearings to mine and made it cast so much smoother and further . how you getting on with it ? what rod you got it on ?
What’s the best sized line for resseviour pike fishing, caught a 7lb pike twice but nothing bigger since, I’ve taken ur advice now on type of rod and reel, plus weight and lure sizes but didn’t hear mention of any type/size of line :)
Hi Jamie, for pike fishing on reservoirs I go with about 30lb as it’s a good balance between being strong but also thin enough that it casts a long way. This is for pike lures up to about 6” or about 100g in weight. For heavier/bigger lures or for pike fishing on rivers I step up to 65lb or 75lb braid, as rivers have loads more snags so it gives me a chance to get my lures back!
Hi Thom, great vid, i need a 9ft travel rod for coastal sea trout fishing sweden, can you recommend any ??
Hi Tim, what casting weight are you after? Westin do a W4 spin 9’ (and 10’) 7-30g (4 piece, comes in a hard case, 85cm transport length) or the W3 version is a bit cheaper and comes in 8’6” 3-15g, 9’ 7-30g & 10’ 10-30g all 4 piece still 👍🏻
So i'm still a little bit stuck on what rod to buy, i been looking at the w6 t&c and because i throw a lot of 3 to 5 gram jigheads and the occasional 4 to 7 gram crankbait i thought to pick the 5-15 gram. But then i'm like, well what if i throw a 7 gram jighead with 10cm shadteez (for example) wouldnt it be better to get the 7-21 gram? But then can i still throw my 3 gram jigheads effectively?
If you throw a lot of 3-5g then the 5-15g rod is for you. Will easily handle a 7-10g jig head plus a 10cm Shadteez no problem 👍👍👍
@@Thomhuntfishing thank you man, finally the answer i was looking for 😁 and thanks for all the great tips i seen on your channel so far. I can't wait for pike season to be upon us
No problem any time 👍
Hi Thom I was wondering do westin sell replacement rod tips ? If so how yolwould I go about it?
Hi Nathaniel. Yes we absolutely sell spare tips - depending on how old the rod is - even some discontinued rods we have spares for still. Just contact where you bought it, or your nearest Westin dealer (or even an online dealer that sells westin) 👍🏻
Lovely thanks very much Thom
I have got westin2 t finness crank rod 5/20gm In baitcaster rod.can I use it for diff ways of lure fishing likes of shad and flicker baits jarkbaits. Not sure new to club
Hi Darren, yes absolutely. It’s a great all round casting weight for many types of lure. The Finesse crank is designed with a softer tip to allow maximum action of crankbaits, but would equally be ok at fishing soft plastic shads, spinners, chatterbaits etc. Give it a go with a Jerkbait, typically a Jerkbait would require a slightly stiffer tip to jerk the bait crisply…. But give it a go and see how you get on 👍🏻
I will do thanks for reply Tom and I let you know how I get on..cheers and keep going on your channel I have leard alot about the do and don't on fishing your parch fishing one had me lock on screen...keep safe on and of water. Darren
Was thinking of pairing a Penn Fathom low profile with my Westin Powercast rod - any thoughts on that? I was after the Komodo but cant find it anywhere - I think the Penn one is a saltwater reel, would this be okay for fishing freshwater pike with big lures? Thanks
Hi Ben, yes any salt water reels will be ideal it just means the seals and gearing are usually better quality so will last a long long time with freshwater use. Penn Fathom looks ideal for the Powercast 👍🏻
@@Thomhuntfishing
Great mate - Guess Ill be buying a Fathom then! Cost a few quid but felt really good quality. The rods 40-130g, go for about 60-80lb braid on it would you say? Cheers!
Yep 60-80lb should be ideal for throwing bigger lures. 99 times out of 100 you’ll get your lures back from snags too!
@@Thomhuntfishing Christ Im faced with another dilemma now - 300 or 400😩😅😂
300 should be fine, if it was a Monsterstick >260g I might consider a 400 but your Powercast will pair nicely with a 300. I’ve got a 300 Shimano Curado on mine 👍🏻
Thanks for useful information 😄
🙏🙏🙏
Hi Thom , can you recommend a 100g casting weight through action westin rod please?
Hi Stephen, yep sure…. Are you looking for a spinning reel version or baitcaster?
@@Thomhuntfishing a spinning reel version Thom , I'd be prepared to go up to 130 gram if that helps 👍
@@Thomhuntfishing hi Thom, any suggestions on the through action rod please 🙏
Yep sorry, in a spinning version we do the Powercast in 30-80g and 40-130g but my personal favourite is the W4 Powerlure in 30-100g. It’s just right 👍🏻
I want to buy my pike rod casting
I want westin w3 powershad up to 180gr
Can u make a review 😅
Hi, yes I have the Powershad, the Monsterstick and the Powercast rods for heavy pike I can put it on my list of videos to make a review of them 👍🏻
@@Thomhuntfishing thanks sir