AndrewR

Thank you all for some great advice. That was exactly the comments I was hopping for. I made up my mind and today went to the local BPS, of course they didn't have the exact rods or reel I wanted in-stock so they had to order them. I should have them before next weekend. Definitely excited! I went with two St. Croix Avid rods (AVS68MXF & AVC70MHF) and the Shimano Chronarch reel. That should be a great start.

I’m new to fishing and think I am making this more difficult than it should be? I currently have a Stradic FI 3000/Voltaeus VTC66M2 and want to upgrade the rod, and then add a second rod/reel combo. After doing a lot of reading on the site, I don’t think I can go wrong with a couple of St. Croix Avid rods. Looking at new reels, I’m leaning toward the Chronarch (CH100D7). Where I really feel lost is in rod selection and matching them to the reels. It seems every rod is designed for one specific fishing technique. Since I will only have two rods (at least to start), what would you recommend to give the most versatility? Up to now, most of the fishing I have done is with soft plastics (Texas rig) and spinnerbaits. Of course I would like to branch out from there.

This looks just like the place I've been looking for. It doesn’t take much to get me outdoors, whether that is wildlife photography or camping with my family at our favorite parks. As luck would have it, a good friend of mine has access to some great bass fishing lakes South of Houston. Being very much a beginner fisherman my technique has been pretty much - put a hook on a plastic worm, throw it out in the water, reel it in. Then wonder why I don't catch (m)any fish. This forum looks like a great place to educate myself on the “art” of fishing.