I am a proponent of "good enough" gear. For the consideration of any "budget-minded" individual looking to start out, the lists below are the components of my standard current 5-day (and maybe up to 8-day) line-up. All the reels are DIY-maintained old school star drags with power handles added to compensate for the original factory short and/or small handle arms and/or grips. All drag stacks enhanced with carbon fiber washers; heavier reels have delrin under gear washers and factory 3-stack config modified to 5-stack with thinner metal washers.
Reels:
1. Daiwa SMF170H (3+1 CF stack, 50lb braid main, 25-40lb top shots)
2. Daiwa 300H (3+1 CF stack, 65lb braid main, 40-50lb top shots)
3. Daiwa 400H (3+1 CF stack, 65lb braid main, 50-60lb top shots)
4. Daiwa 400H (5+1 CF stack, 80lb braid main, 60-80lb top shots)
5. Daiwa 600H (5+1 CF stack, 100lb braid main, 80-100 top shots);
6. Daiwa 600H (5+1 CF stack, 100lb braid main 100lb top shots)
Least expensive reel was $30; most expensive reel was $60. All purchased off of eBay or Craigslist.
Rods:
1. Okuma CT-T-601M
2. Okuma CT-T-601MH
3. Okuma CT-C-661MH
4. Okuma CT-T-561H
5. Okuma BG-T-601M-1
6. Daiwa VIP6455XXH
7. Okuma Oceanic OC-C-701MH
Least expensive rod was $39; most expensive rod was $58. The Okuma OC and CT's were Big 5 purchases; the Okuma BG was a Day-at-the-Docks find; the Daiwa VIP was an eBay find for $58.
Here's pic of four of them:
Here's the report for the last trip with the line-up:
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/6-13-6-18-2017-alan-tani-soa-charter-to-guadalupe.659085/
Average price per setup WITH all upgrades, modifications, and braid main spooled: $200. The same $1200 total might have purchased TWO big-named modern 2-speed setups with big-named rods--that's the trade off.
When the day comes to go all 2-speed setups, the star drag setups will still be around as proven backups.
Send me a PM if you are interested in jumping into DIY reel maintenance and modifications.
