i agree with POGE. assuming an initial trolling spread of 6 rods, i would get 2 50Ws and 4 30Ws, loaded with braid or spectra over mono. most of the fish youre going to catch around here these days you can easily handle with a 30W, but when dragging an extra heavy bar the drag higher drag setting on a 50W can be nice to have. also, i would say straight butt rods, bent butts are mostly unneccesary and a royal pain in the ass to use with most harnesses. try to find rods with metal or slick butts, because ones with foam all the way down to the gimbal are very difficult to get out of the holder under strain, plus theres really no need for the padding there anyway. two must haves for tuna trolling: 1) a GOOD harness, im a big fan of the Braid products, they make really good stuff. most important is to make sure you know how to adjust and use it. 2) outriggers. they will make your life much easier initially, by keeping lines spread out and thereby reducing tangles, and then when you get used to trolling you can bump your spread up to 8 or 9 rods with relative ease. right now, i run an 8 rod spread simply because i cant afford any more combos! :lol: as for the reels themselves, im partial to the Shimano Tiagra series, but its different for everyone, depending on budget and preference. if youre not looking to spend tons, both Penn and Shimano make some GREAT graphite reels (TLD, Graph-Lite) that get the job done just fine on a budget. tackle, youre on your own as for what you like, i would say, spreader bars and lots of em! but thats a whole 'nother story :wink: good luck, have fun at the candy store... i mean, tackle shop :lol:
