new2BC4bass

Some people like to stick with one brand so that they know what to expect when they pick up another rod or reel. They want the feel to be the same. Personally I like trying different gear. Switching between different rods and reels doesn't bother me. Sure it may take a cast of two to get in sync. Going from a long handle to a short one takes a grab or two before it becomes automatic. I don't fish for money so it's no problem if I lose 2 seconds adjusting my grip on the end of the handle for a couple casts. New reels get tested and set up. After that it is a simple matter of tightening the drag and start casting. You may find another rod or reel that you like better than your current favorites. Or ones that work equally as well but at a better price. I don't really know what to say about past experiences. I usually buy sight unseen...other than posted pictures. I have bought before without those. Only been disappointed with two rods. Didn't like one upon taking it out of the tube. Fishing it didn't change my mind. The other fishes okay, but looks like it survived the Civil War. On the other hand I bought a Redbone at the suggestion of a forum member, and was very pleased with it. Purchased some Fenwicks at the suggestion of another member, and have been extremely pleased with them. I like buying used...especially reels...because I save a lot. I'd read good things about the older gold colored Carbonlites, so when a pair came up for sale as a package deal, I bought them. Very good reels that handle lures such as a #5 Shad Rap really well. Had wanted to try some small round reels, and had the opportunity to buy a package deal of 3 Black Max 1600s. Got to be one of my best buys. People seldom give a second thought to Pinnacle, but my Primmus quickly became one of my favorite reels. I wouldn't have discovered any of this if I had stuck with one brand of rods and one brand of reels.

My first spinning reel (at age 6) was a Mitchell 300 that I used into my early 20s. No saltwater though. Wish I still had it. I'm sure it isn't necessary to mention how corrosive saltwater can be, so a thorough rinse in fresh water after every outing is probably necessary. I don't fish saltwater, so there are tons of guys on here that can offer better advice. I've been told that the Ugly Stick is the number one selling saltwater rod in Florida. I'd much rather have something else. I picked up a 7' ML Hurricane Redbone while there a couple years ago. These are saltwater rods. I use it strictly for Largemouth bass. There are 7'6" models in both Medium and MH. Around $100 (maybe more for this long), but I got mine for $75 at a mom and pop store. Tom suggested the Calico Jack. I have no experience with them, but hopefully SirSnookalot will see this thread and make a suggestion. He fishes salt and fresh water about 365 days a year. I bought the Redbone at his suggestion. Very nice rod for the money. He also uses (or has used) Calico Jack rods, and had praise for them.

I don't think the brand of reel has too much affect on casting distance. No doubt the right one could help get those last few feet, but generally speaking I think most brands/models will give you nearly the same casting distance on average.. I've got Daiwas in many models, a few Shimanos, Abus, Pfluegers, BPS, and a Lews TP and Pinnacle Primmus. Far as I can see the rod will have a greater affect on distance. I use to think that a Moderate-Fast action would probably give the most distance. Not so sure about that after getting my 7'2" MH-XF Powell Endurance. Are you casting with 2 hands? As previously stated several times a MHF should cast 3/8 oz. just fine. However, that will not be true for all MHF rods. I've got a 7'6" MHF that can barely cast a 1/2 oz. lure a decent fishing distance. Forget 3/8 oz. even tho that weight is its lower rating. On the other hand, I have a 7' ML Hurricane Redbone (suppose to be a saltwater rod, I believe) rated 3/8-3/4 oz. that will zing a 3/8 oz. popper the proverbial country mile.

Congratulations. I like mine. Haven't used it as much as my other reels because a grandson thinks it is his whenever we go fishing. Great price. Bought mine in like new condition several year ago for a few $$ less. Figured I got a super deal. I'm sure you will love it. Personally I would set mag brakes to at least 5 for the first few casts, and back off gradually. But then I'm not the caster rippin-lips is.

That short aren't favorites of mine either, but I like the rods a lot otherwise. Not hard to make minor adjustments on how you hold a rod.

Ever fish an Elite Tech Smallmouth rod? How about a Quantum Smoke? I believe the Smoke is shorter than the Smallmouth. EDIT: Nice looking rod OP. Congratulations. I've got a TD-Z 105H with upgraded spool and no rod. Will have to give Vokley a look.

Silver Thread AN40. It is a copolymer suggested to me by a highly respected forum member. TW carries the Lo Vis Green. I bought 12# and 8# 3000 yd. spools of the Clear elsewhere. I buy Siege Neon Tangerine from my local Cabela's. If a 35 to 40 minute drive can be called local. Love its visibility.

I like Siege myself. Use the Neon Tangerine on a few reels. The first spool of Siege I bought was in 12# Clear. Still using it. As you might guess, I don't fish as often as many. Plus I try to rotate all my gear so it sees some use. However, the reel the Clear is on is a favorite so it sees a little more use than some. Have you tried AN40? Looks gray on the filler spool, but clear when in the water. Handles well.

You and me both, brother. I just stated in another thread that I have something like 3 rods that cost me $150 or slightly more. You won't find a Stella, Core, Zonda, Pixy, etc. in my arsenal. I make $600 a month less than I did 7-8 years ago, but still make more than $150 a week.

OP. I agree 100% with getting a good reel now and fishing the rod you have until funds for a better one can be saved. When it comes to rods I would suggest not buying "good for the money" rods in the less than $100 category. It is easy to wind up with quite a few of these $40-$80 rods. What do you do with them once you start buying decent quality rods? Can't sell them...except locally...as it would cost more to ship them than what the rod is worth. Also once you start getting decent rods from the $100 low end such as Fenwick HMG and *** Blacks and up, you will discover that the other rods don't see much use. Rods for crankbaits needn't be too expensive, but even then I like to be able to feel what my lure is doing. Besides....quality gear brings its own rewards. Doesn't catch more fish for me, but I enjoy using it more than my lower cost gear. Read on this website long enough and you will find plenty of comments from posters wishing they had bought better rods from the get-go because in the long run they would have spent less money.

I'm not DVT. Mike has more fishing experience than I will ever have. However, I think I know the answer to this question. With "feel" type baits you want the most sensitive rod you can afford. Why? For "feel", naturally. You want to know exactly what is happening with the bait. The reel takes up slack and fights the fish. "Feel" type baits are usually fished slow and moved with the rod. With moving baits you are going to be constantly casting....and cranking. Thus it is better to spend a little more for a quality reel. Obviously we on bassresource prefer both to cost a week's pay.

Welcome to the forum. As you can see, your question is too general. Ask about the best rod/reel for a certain technique and you will get plenty of options.....which may be the best the poster has used, but may not be the best for you or me. Also how can a person say Rod A is the best without having fished every possible example? Limiting yourself to 2 rods means they need to be versatile. It also means you have to decide what type of rods will cover the majority of the fishing you do. Will you need 1 spinning and 1 baitcast combo? Or 2 of one type? Most reels will be satisfactory no matter how you fish. It is the rod that will be more limited. I am severely limited in rods that cost $150 or more. Some guys on here fish with rods starting at about $450 and going up from there. My best and their best are going to be worlds apart. I am going to assume you are rather new to fishing. In that case you want 2 versatile rods to get started. Fish everything on these 2 rods. Later on you can decide what types of techniques are going to be your favorites. Then buy a rod (or rods) that will be better for those techniques. Just remember that a rod that is fantastic at say...fishing jigs...can also handle several other techniques quite well. The general consensus is that a 6' 6" to 7' Medium Fast or Medium Heavy Fast will make a good all-around rod. Consider starting another thread. Let readers know what techniques you like to fish and the type of cover you fish in. Do you fish in deep clear water or shallow stained water? Lakes or rivers? Do you want spinning or baitcast? What is your budget? Give this information as a minimum. You will get so many options it will be necessary to start another thread just to narrow the selection.....which often winds up giving you more options than when you started

Nice write up. I've got a couple custom rods built on Batson blanks. However, they were purchased used so if a favorite, it is by accident. As it turns out the first one I bought is definitely one of my favorites even tho the second is built on a more expensive blank. Unfortunately I don't ever seem to think about having a custom rod built when looking for another to add to my stable. Probably because I don't spend the time on the water most do, and therefore don't notice the little things much.

12# is my line of choice for the vast majority of my MH rods. Dang stuff is really hard to break when you get snagged. Can't imagine trying to break 20# although I do have 17# on a couple HF rods. Luckily I haven't snagged either yet. Heck, even the 8# I use on my Medium rods isn't a walk in the park to break. At least with my bare hands.

Should work ok. My brother-in-law in Florida fishes spinning rods only, and spooled with 40# PP only. He doesn't seem to lose very many. A worm and #11 Floating Rapala are nearly the only baits he uses. EDIT: Can't say for sure, but I don't think he has a MH rod.

Opened your thread to give you an opinion.............on something. Then I saw you were asking about the Powell Max 3-D rods. Zero experience with them. However, turns out I can offer an opinion anyway. Normally Extra Fast actions are not considered a good bet for crankbaits. You may want to consider another rod. I've often used Medium power Fast action rods for crankbaits. I did try a M-XF for topwaters. Unfortunately I didn't catch any fish with it so don't know how well a fish would have stayed buttoned up on it.

The Alphas SV is getting great reviews as an excellent casting reel. No experience with the new Shimanos, but the older Chronarch 100A, 100B and Curado 200E7 are also great reels to learn on. Never touched a Shimano DC reel, but I read they are also very forgiving. Way too expensive for me. The most forgiving reel I have ever used is a Daiwa with the MagForce 3D braking. Set at MaxBrake and 10 or more on the dial, and turn her loose.

Could be your father was thinking along the lines of having enough room to use a baitcaster on rivers and streams. Don't know about others, but I need more casting room with a baitcast if I want any distance at all. Casting space can be at a premium at times.

Cast fine as long as one side hasn't built up to the point the line rubs. Thanks. I'll try to remember to look for that next time I'm out with it.

Well...slap me upside the head. Duh. Maybe I should pay better attention to what I am reading...you think? Purchased used. Quite certain is is a factory spool. Seller did upgrade a bushing to a bearing....handle side I think, but I've never messed with a reel other than to swap spools.

8.1:1

X2. Took one with me to Florida last year. Wasn't long before I was trying to engage the spool on my other reels with my thumb. Mine are two 1016s and an MX. Prefer the looks of the MX, but it is stacking the line up on one side. Same line it came with. Maybe putting new line on would help?

Three 1016s....all on MH rods. Have other reels for the light stuff. I've said it before...and no doubt will say it again....the MagForce 3D braking is the best. Very hard to backlash. Only reel I can cast with brakes set at zero. I don't limit their use to any specific lure or technique. Excellent all-around reels.

Wise if you have children that can't be trusted to keep their hands off the rods. Riding can get very boring for them. Then little hands start exploring. I've keep a fistful of rod tubes from purchases. The TW tube is more than big enough to carry several rods. Make sure the rods can't slide back and forth in the tube. Otherwise you stand a good chance of opening up that super strong PVC tube to find a rod tip or two broke off. Opened up a tube to find that very thing had happened. Shipper had only put a little newspaper in the ends. Tube didn't have a mark on it, but the rod had several inches to slide back and forth inside the tube.

Bass success or fish in general? I use to fish small Beetlespins all the time. Caught plenty of fish, but not many bass and fewer big ones. Nowadays I fish baitcasters almost exclusively. I throw fairly light spinnerbaits on ML rods, slightly heavier on Medium, heavier yet on MH and 3/4 oz. on a Heavy. Picked up a PXL68 when TW closed them out, and will be tossing some small Beetlespins with it on a Light. Currently using 6# on the MLs, mostly 8# on Mediums, mostly 12# on MHs and a mix on the Heavies from 17# mono to 55# braid. OP. As you can probably guess I'll throw a spinnerbait on almost any rod I own. Haven't tried one on my crankbait rod, and probably won't. Not that I couldn't, but because it only gets hauled out for crankbaits. My Cumara Senko/Fat Ika rod often has a spinnerbait on it. Sad, I know.