Kevin Wilder

So you were relaxing? You were sitting down with your rod over the edge in a a rod holder, reading a book and dozing off at the same time and a monster took your rod down? haha... you don't have to answer that.

I don't care for my bass fishing to be relaxing. I wish it to be fun... Relaxing is not fun it's relaxing... Once you put relaxing in the same category as fun, relaxing becomes boring!

This is filled with nothing but oldness!! lol I'm sorry I don't mean any disrepect it's just I go round and round with my dad who is 67 himself on this stuff... Look I understand you could tie a string on the end of a stick and catch a fish. Hell I've caught a fish without a stick and just some line in my hand and a hook with a worm on the other end... Bass fishing is a whole other world of fishing. Yes someone could go out on a lake with one rod balanced or not, an assortment of lures and be successful, however when it comes to competition believe me every edge you can have to your advantage helps hugely. If you enter a bass tournament and go with one rod you're going to loose. You could get lucky but most likely not as the odds are stacked against you... while you're switching lures using a snap or not you will spend considerably amount of time out of the water than someone who has multiple rods... Not to mention that even if you were using a snap it could affect the action of your lure. So right there you can see already the things that start to go against you. Balancing your rods is just part of the artistry and is a bonus to getting the advantage against others and so it is with multiple rods.

I'm trying to find out about balancing and so far all i've read is people suggesting to add weight to the butt end of a rod. If you have a tip heavy rod wouldn't adding a real counter?

nvm i found out... 6.9 ounces right? 7+1 bearings? 10lbs max drag. does it feel pretty balanced or in a perfect world could your reel be lighter or heavier?

how much does your 50e weigh?

yeah I guess killer is a little exaggerate. Just excited is all.

on paper the new quantum smoke looks better than the curado and the revo... its significantly light than both.... more bearings than the curado one less than the revo but how many bearings do you need really? The question is bearing quality between these reels which I don't know and hope to find out from someone... At the moment I'm considering the smoke over these other reels and you can get one on ebay just over $150

I just bought two St. Croix Avid casting rods for $140 each. was this a killer deal and are these rods as good as they say they are?

Has anyone tried the quantum smoke reels? I'd like to get a couple of them based off research of its class. Others I compare were shimano calais, Daiwa Steez and abu revo line. The revo and smoke were pretty closed matched but for one bearing less the smoke is a couple of ounces lighter same thing with shimano. steez seemed a bit better but it also costs double. I found the quantum smoke on ebay for $157

anyone agree a fiberglass rod should be used for topwater? I heard this from a pro on on-demand tv that was giving bass fishing lessons... I don't remember why he said to use fiberglass. I think it was something like it has less sensitivity which helps from setting the hook too early because people tend to do that when topwater fishing.

wow... I really appreciate the time you took in writing all that... looks like it took quite a while.

ok... are you going to back that up at all? I just heard this all from the bass pro from a local shop here.

Actually my rant does because earlier in the thread people were suggesting that I get a St. Croix premier rod and I was informing all those who suggested it that the same rod can be purchased cheaper. My complaint has no polictical agenda, purely economics so ease up there buddy!

Did anyone know the two rods from st. croix (triumph and premier) are the exact same rod just different name. The difference is one is made in U.S. and the other is made in mexico thats it. they are the exact same blank and hardware. Not suprising the one from the U.S. is more expensive by like $50. Man when is this country gonna stop... You know what I mean!!!

ok i think you guys answered my rod questions now a little about reels... how do you match a reel to a rod? obviously I know the difference between a casting rod and a spinning rod and reels that go on them but say i have a casting rod, and I do, that is 7'0 medium/fast 10-17lb test recommended what kind of baitcasting reel should be matched to it... are there specs for reels that are supposed to go hand in hand with your rod?

It's funny you mention dobyn's... the guy works just about a mile from my house!!

ok sounds good. I notice in all these responses that people suggest dominately on getting a rod that has a fast action... is that just a bass thing for making sure every bite can be detected... is there a use for slower action rods in bass fishing that are non-dependent on preference? meaning is there some technique that is mandatory in having something other than a fast action rod?

Ok it sounds like it's tough to make a decision pryor to getting out and doing some actual fishing. I just don't want to buy a bunch of stuff and then find out through short experience that something else would have been better weather it be a lighter action or lighter power rod or the other way around. Is that kind of the reality though? I would say I don't want to spend more than $220 for a reel and rod combo... I'm partial to st. croix... I dont know why lol and I don't know there standing among bass fishermen. It will have to take some research on my end... I'll probably try to find the lightest, cheapest yet well known rod for whatever style I choose to use it for. What do you suggest? Is $220 a good average price for equipment that for a beginner will give the best opportunity to get the feel of things and learn or is there stuff that is way cheaper that will offer the same experience? oh and I'm a novice user of baitcasters already. I regularly use baitcasters for stripers and always used baitcasters just because i felt they were an ease of use compared to spinning reels but if there is definitely a use for spinning reels that requires skill and you just can't do the same with a baitcaster I would like to pick one up again and become familiar with the potential use of one.

Hey all I'm new to the forum as well as bass fishing. I'm trying to get some equipment to begin bass fishing and I'm totally confused on what to look for. Firstly, I know as a beginner it's not a smart thing to go out and buy everything a pro has in their boat, however, I would like to get some rods and reels for I've decided three different techniques... I'm interested in top water fishing jigging/worming and spinner-baits. Now would I be able to get some rod's and reels that would virtually work for all these lures regardless of size and weight. I guess what I'm asking is, is there a middle of the road (Performance wise) rod that works for all spinner baits and so on with the other techniques I've mentioned and what reels would matches with them? I've tried to do some homework, but what ends up happening is what one person tells you another will slightly vary. I've been told spinning rod and reels are the finesse set-ups but then I see KVD using Baitcasters reels and rods for finesse fishing?? Also what specs should the rod be for finesse, topwater, and spinner baits? thanks.