SQUALL® II LEVEL WIND CONVENTIONAL ROD & REEL COMBO
SKU: 1545912
Model Number: SQLII30LW2050C66

Is this a reasonable "general use" saltwater rod and reel combo? Will it run a 6oz~8oz bait/weight load fine?

At 6'6", load rated as Medium Heavy, and Fast action, it looks like a reasonable option. It seems a bit short to be a good surf combo but with some wading, it should be able to reach a reasonable distance to hit the 3rd or 4th trough/gut in most situations. For bay or pier fishing, the rod seems to be a good option even if I snag something a bit large.

The 30-size reel should give me plenty of fishing line and looks to be geared reasonably for a bigger fish.

Or should I consider the "lighter" 7' rod and 20-sized reel for bay and pier fishing and look somewhere else for a better surf combo?

If there are better combos out there in this same general price range, I would be interested. If it won't deliver to Academy or BassPro/Gander Mountain, it probably needs to be available locally around Houston.

TIA,
Sid

You may be trying to cover too much with this combo. I use an Abu 6500 on a 6.6 ugly stick for all of my bay fishing. I use the same combo in freshwater most of the time, so you may already have something for the bay. At the jetty I may bump it up to an Abu 7000i on a 6’8” (15-40 pound) GS series Muskie rod. I use the same rods in the surf unless I am after sharks. At the pier or on a head boat the Penn senator (113) is a work horse and I see them commonly fished on the east and west coasts. But they are not level wind reels. I have not used a Squall reel so hopefully you will get some comments from anglers that have used it. It should be a good jetty rod and an ok surf combo if you are bait fishing. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Thanks!

What type of fishing do you plan to do? That is not a rod you want to "actively" fish with all day. That is the type of rod you take out to the jetty, or pier, or surf and sink some bait with. Get yourself a rod holder and a cooler of beer sort of fishing. Although I will say if on the surf a 9' or 10' rod would sure help.

If you intend on fishing with artificial lures or wade fishing where you are holding the rod and working the lure (or bait) then you'd be better off with a lighter setup. Think of the type of gear you'd use for bass fishing, then look for that size equipment in a saltwater combo. Something like this one from Academy.

Bingo! We have a winner. 🥳

Primarily for Surf fishing with some light wading as needed. Secondarily, off a nice Pier. Not a Jetty guy at this point. I want to throw a big chunk of lead and bait into the trough/guts and see what I can snag!



For Bay-side fishing, I'm definitely thinking lighter gear. Initially, I'll use my Abu Garcia bigger "round" reels with a reasonable Ugly Stik. Whether I get a dedicated rod/reel setup for the bay is an open question. I definitely do not want a Spincast setup! Conventional (closed?) is where I am at today!

I should note I tried both recently and did fine with a 10' rod and spincast reel but, the bayside conventional on the Ugly Stik was a sweet setup for this novice!