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Hello, my name is Alex Ball. I got into fishing 30 months ago and have been through just about everything below the $150 range on rods and reels. I mean everything. I have no social life(lol) and no other real hobbies outside my band, so I decided to try it all, so to speak. This post and follow ups will be my experience with rods at a certain price range. I'll do another about reels. Today, I'd like to share a top 5 rod list of my favorite rods in 5 ranges: $30 or less(Budget), $30-60(Entry), $60-100(Mid), 100-150(boater), and 150+(Pro). I'll also include my top 5 pound for pound list. Can't wait to see the replies. Note- I'm listing the bigger names for the most part below $100. I know there are boutique options at lower prices, but I wanted to include rods everyone can find easily. Top 5 Budget- Berkley Cherrywood Not graphite only, but fairly sensitive. An array of options, including a ML casting rod for the BFS guys . A solid rod to learn on. Entry- Tie- Abu Vengeance Pro 1/KK Perigee 2 The V Pro is probably my favorite Walmart rod ever. For $55, it's very good. There are several different versions. 24T graphite. A good rod to upgrade from the bottom. The P2 1 piece rods are the exact same as the 13 defy black. Exact. For $20 less usually. The 2 piece is pretty special. The twin tip rods are meh, but only because of the way they connect, a wide gap. The regular 2 pieces are excellent for around $40 on Amazon. Very sensitive and durable. I have 5. Love em. Mid- Abu Vendetta w locking reel seat This rod and the Veritas both feel like they cost more. The Vendetta is just a great series. Just about everything you can throw will go on these rods. Around $89 retail, but TW has/had them on clearance for $50 or so. You can nitpick here and beyond, but this series is excellent for the price. Boater- Daiwa Tatula SVF A "Fancy" rod for $150. This series is just nuts. So many options. From cranking to crappie, you can find a rod you'll love. My 7'1" HF Jig Rod is my number one purpose built rod. Its pretty much perfect for anything with a jig head or a Texas/C Rig. I know there are several different rod series you can pick here, and in each range, I'll eventually do a list, but I just love these rods. You can find them on sale pretty easy online. A boutique feel at a good price. Pro- Virtus Red Diamond Definitely not a major mame yet, but I'd bet the farm this is the next Loomis. To call these rods light would be insulting. They weigh nothing. I'm not joking. It actually alarms you the first time you pick one up. Almost like an optical illusion, you can feel it in your hand, but you feel no weight at all. Not a massive lineup, but they have everything you need for tournament fishing with baits under 4oz. Made in the same factory as Falcon used to be, these rods are rolled and assembled in Arkansas. The components are tip top of the line. Everything about them screams "$500 rods here!!!". They cost $300. I know I'll get pushback here, but I've never, ever experienced a better rod. I've owned over 100 personally at some point and close to 500 sold. This is a different animal. Try one. Pound For Pound in No order. No review. Casting Duckett Ghost Abu Veritas Daiwa Tatula SVF Ugly Stik Berkley Lightning Rod Spinning Shakespeare Micro Lew's KVD Berkley Lightning Rod Shimano Sellus Dobyns in general That's my book for the evening. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Edit- These are strictly my opinions. I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means. Just wanted to say that. Always do the research before you buy a rod or reel over $50. Always. Never base a decision on YT guys or the Googan types(Especially the Googans). Buy the equipment you decide is best FOR YOU. Don't buy it to impress, or because you saw a cool ad. Buy it because it's what fits your needs. Needed to say that too.

I bought a brand new 7’ Lews Mach Smash spinning combo recently. From everything I’ve read & been told, it’s one of the better bass spinning rod combos out there around the $100 mark. I bought it because I broke the rod on my Abu Garcia Jordan Lee 7’ spin combo. I was expecting the smash to be somewhat as effective as my abu, or even better. Yet, I can’t get that lews to make a decent cast. I got wal mart Shakespeares to cast the same lure even further. So I put the Jordan Lee reel on my lews rod and it casts like a charm. I’ve re-spooled my lews reel multiple times with good line, lighter line, … compared casts with different lure sizes, tried everything. Why does this $100 combo reel cast worse than a $20 wal mart combo? Obviously the reel is the problem. I don’t see any obvious issues with the reel itself so I’m really curious to find out what’s going on with this Mach smash reel. Is it just a bad reel? Am I missing something? Very frustrating! Anyone else own this combo? If so, How is it working out for you? Also, I am new to this forum. How do I edit a post? I spelled “Lew’s” wrong in my subject title. Smh, how can i change it?

I have a Lew's LFS SSG1SHL that has a drag issue currently. I left the drag tightened down unintentionally and the washer has become fused to the main gear. I discovered this when I broke it down this weekend for a detailed cleaning. I've been looking online for carbon fiber drag replacements for this reel and the newer LFSs that I have. Does anyone have any experience in this area? I've contacted Lew's about obtaining a replacement rulon drag but haven't heard back from them.

Hey guys, I'm looking for a solid and versatile reel for my punching set up, any suggestions? Specifically, I'm ONLY interested in a baitcasting reel that has a "flipping switch". These seem to be impossible to find, but an example of a reel with a flipping switch is the Lew's Super Duty G. Also, I heard that Abu Garcia's black max and silver max have them in specific models. Please help me and list some suggestions, I've scoured the internet and can't find many options. Finding a reel with a flipping switch is my main concern. What do you guys know (P.S. This is unimportant but im throwing it on a 7'3 Okuma Scott Martin Signature TCS Casting Rod Heavy, Fast action because I like the way Scott martin fishes and I'm using it in a kayak so i can't really work a legit 7'11 Ex Heavy flippin stick.) What are the best baitcasters with a flipping switch option? Idc if it's $20 or $400 Thanks!!!!!!

I have a story to tell, which all began a couple years ago. I was out fishing one day with a Keitech minnow on a Vtec jighead. All of a sudden I started catching crappie, each one bigger than my foot (I wear a size 13). I caught about six of these slabs and then they stopped. It was enough to get me hooked on pan fishing again, which I haven't done a lot of since I was a kid. Anyway, so I started chatting about this with some fishing buddies and they told me I should use something called a road runner. They said it was the cadillac of crappie baits. I searched high and low for these road runners and couldn't find anyone locally who carried them. I didn't even have any success looking online. So now let's fast forward to a couple days ago. I was at the tackle shop looking for an ultra light setup, because I was getting that urge again to fight some fish on a smaller setup. The tackle guy suggested this combo, which he said he used himself. The rod was really nice, but it had one of those cheap crappy reels on it. I found a Lew's Speed Spool 1000, which of course was more than the combo, but I knew it would go great on the rod that had that crappy reel on it. The guy took the combo down and was saying how great that reel was, then I handed him the Lew's and said 'try that.' He did and his eyes kind of lit up. He said 'wow'. Yeah, wow. So I bought the combo in order to get the rod. The next day I had to work so I'm driving around with the windows open. It was a windy day and as I was driving to another store (I'm a vendor) I rolled up the back windows and heard this crunch. I looked back and saw the end of the rod had been sticking out the window and was now just hanging there. I was devastated especially since now I couldn't take the rod back because the night before I had sold that crappy little reel to someone. Now I had to find another ultra light rod. Since I drive around the area a lot for my job I started looking for places I could find fishing rods. Meijer sucks for fishing stuff, so I tried Walmart, which is only a little better than Meijer. Unfortunately I don't live in an area that has great tackle shops like Cabela's or Bass Pro, so finally I saw a Dunhams Sport shop and pulled in there. I was shocked at the huge selection of fishing rods they had there. I searched through all of them and the only one that grabbed my eye was this ultra light Berkley Cherrywood. Now I'm not a big fan of two piece fishing rods, especially two piece ultra light fishing rods, but then this one was only twenty bucks so I thought what the heck. I was checking the guides to make sure they were all lined up and not bent or anything when I saw them.....road runners! There was one entire section of road runners on the opposite wall. I almost dropped the rod I was so shocked to see them. I'd looked high and low all over the place and here they were. It was almost like everything that happened that morning was leading me to them. Ha ha! I didn't go overboard, although I wanted to buy them all, so I just bought one to try it out and see if it was as great as everyone told me they were. That evening I picked up my buddy and we took the new setup out to the park. I told him the whole story and he said 'well, it sounds like fate'. I don't know about that, because I had no great confidence in the rod, or even the line (I was using 6lb Sufix Elite low vis green). I relayed all these misgivings to my buddy as I made the first cast and was reeling and giving the road runner little twitches then BAM! It was a four pound largemouth. He fought and pulled and jumped a couple times and then I lipped him out of the water and while we were both oogling his beautiful greeness I was honestly amazed how well the gear had performed. Next cast BAM! this time it was a 3 1/2 pound smallie. After fighting and a couple acrobatics I lipped him and now I was truly amazed. After that a huge slabsize sunfish and then a decent size rock bass. I was like, what the heck is going on, I'm catching one of each species - and large ones, too (large by ultra light standards anyway). After all this I reminisced about the day and how I had ended up here. Obviously the hype about the road runner was certainly true, but I was more amazed by how the rod and line had performed. Of course there's more fishing to come and only time will tell if these things hold up, but for right now I'm content and willing to give quarter to seemingly cheap two piece rods and line. Now if I can just remember to bring the dang GoPro next time....

I have a Lews Mach series rod 6'10 medium heavy moderate action rod Abu Garcia vengence 6'9 medium heavy rod Lews American hero speed spool (LH) with 7:1:1 gear ratio I am trying to seel PM in interested.

Dumb question but I'm upgrading to a medium heavy fast action rod from a medium fast action rod and it seems alot more beefy, just wondering if it'll have any effect over feeling a fish biting.. Thanks

Daiwa or Shimano both old companies Daiwa started in 1958 and Shimano started in 1921, both changed the fishing industry and build off one another. My question is which makes better reels? or are there companies that are making better reels? Are Lew's and Abu reels comparable to Shimano and Daiwa? What are yalls opinions?

Hey guys, I want to start by saying I have done many of my own reels already with excellent results and right now this reel has me stumped. I bet all my Northern brethren are getting ready to do what I am doing or have already done it, but that is a deep reel cleaning. So far I have done my Shimano Citica, Daiwa Fuego and Lews TPG. I am in the process of putting my two Speed Spool LFS reels back together and have come across both reels being rough/geary. Yes I have greased the gears and No I have not over greased it, for some reason no matter what I do these two reels feel rough and all my others feel smooth as butter, same with the Lews TPG. Now I have had these reels for a little over a year now and use them quite frequently (2 or 3 times a week) when I can. Would it be possible that the gear teeth have already worn out?! After lubing one of the reels in question it feels buttery smooth for about 2 outings before the geary/rough feeling comes back. Now I know you shouldn't have to re-lube your gears every other time you go fishing. That would just get annoying and my 3 other reels do not have this problem and can go months without re-lubrication. So I am hoping you guys have some suggestions or better yet fixes that will help me out. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

so recently the Abu Garcia revo premier gen 4 came on sale for 50% off normally 300usd now 150usd at bass pro. i was about to order the lews tournament pro speed spool lfs but the reel caught my attention. anyone have thoughts on either of thee reels?

I was looking at places that I can get the lews tournament pro speed spool lfs and saw that amazon has it on for about $50 less then bass pro. does anyone have experience purchasing reels of of amazon and if so how good of shape were they in I've heard of people ordering new reels and getting old beat up ones. your input would be very much appreciated.

in my last post I asked about carbon vs aluminum instead of carbon I meant to ask about graphite. so do any of y'all have an opinion on graphite bait casters I was thinking about getting the Lews XP it has a one piece graphite frame. but lately I've heard that graphite bends and warps so I'm starting to reconsider. if anyone could give me their opinion on the matter it would be appreciated.

Looking for a nice set of reels - believe in having a matched set - need recommendations. For years, I was using Quantum PT reels - I lost a few at the lake and also broke one and then the search begain about 3 years ago to find replacement set. Of course, I tried Quantum Smoke - they are great, just a bit disappointed in the feel of the thumb trigger - feels cheap with a line in the plastic casting. The spinning reels just didn't have same quality of the older PTs. So, I tried Diawa last year - and frankly the spinning reels Feugo - lots of line twist and tangles - not sure - maybe its me. But, not a fan of handles. End of this year I bought just two Lews reels - one Custom Speed Spin Spinning reel S200 and a Custom Speed Spool Casting reel CG1H. I love the feel of the baitcaster, but the spinning reel is very heavy feeling. So, help me choose....tell me why you use the brand you do now and what has good product in the 200 dollar price range for the reel. I don't really want to spend more - with 14 rigs usually in my setup it gets expensive quick. Rods - I am on a similar search - but narrowing that down to St. Croix Premier. But, I have to say the Lews Speed Stick LITE is impressive for the price point. My goal ultimately is to have a set of rods and reels with a similar feel and function - I am a firm believer when I was at the top of my game - I had a matched set and it matters! The last 3 years have been tough fishing for me and although I know its me more than the equipment; I want to rule that out. Going from being a State Qualifier to one of the worst locally is humbling. I know time on the water will make more difference than rods/reels - but want to get back to that confidence I had with Quantum Reels and Falcom rods (sure wish they still sold the old style Cara rods!). Any suggestions and let me know what you use woudl help - I don't want a Ford Chevy thing - but honest feedback on my current choice Lews and something other to consider.

i’m getting my first baitcaster... which combo would be better? i want a overall workhorse reel... i will be mostly fishing t rigs and occasionally jerkbaits/cranks/chatterbait/spinner bait since both would be around the same price range with the slx rod and reel or the lews mach crush combo which is better for durability and performance? also is the lews mach 2 better than both of these for its slightly cheaper price point?

I just bought a lews IM7 and am having a hard time handling backlash. Ive got the cap on where it needs to be but cant get the brake right. Any answers? PS: im using monofilament 10# line

What is yall choise on a casting rod length and action bass fishing for 5 pound plus bass out of a kayak?

Hi guys! Time has come for a new reel! My Lew's Custom Pro Speed Spool SLP is already 4 years old.. I'm fishing 20lb fluoro so spool capacity is important. I will use it with chatterbaits, small swimbaits, jerkbaits, flipping small craws.. I'm looking for something that can cast really far (I fish from the shore in really deep waters) and that it's buttery smooth on the retrieve. I'm looking for a Shimano or Lew's, price range max 350$. I was thinking about the Shimano Bantam mgl but I'm concerned about the casting distance (line guide issue). Anyone is using the Lew's Pro-Ti SLP? The custom pro felt geary since day one, now I want a reel that is silky smooth. Unfortunately my local fishing shops doesn't have them in stock. Every suggestion is appreciated. Thank you for your time!

Looking for help on rod selections. I am looking to get a medium/heavy casting rod around 6'8-7 feet. I have narrowed it down to Daiwa Aird-X, Ark Lancer, Shimmano Sellus, Abu Garcia Vengeance or Lews Laser SG1. Which would you suggest?

Hey guys, new to the group. I joined specifically to get input on a reel decision. I recently purchased a 6'8" MH Favorite Summit for a fantastic price and want to pair it with a decent reel. I've narrowed it down to a Lew's Pro Ti, Shimano 18 Aldebaran 30 MGL and a 13 Fishing Concept C. I will be using it mostly for small-med jigs, small swimbaits, T-rigs, ned rigs, etc around medium-medium heavy cover in small natural lakes. My current arsenal consists of: - 6'6" MH Shimano Convergence w/ Shimano Curado 201 Bantam Reel (6.2:1) - 7' MH Lews speed stick TP1 w/ BPS JM CarbonLite 2.0 (8.3:1) - 6'10" MH Daiwa Tatula Bass rod w/ Shimano Curado DC (7.4:1) - 7'3" MH Favorite Emperor w/ Daiwa Tatula SV TWS (8.1:1) Anyone with experience with 2 or more of the reels especially, please give me your input! Thank you - Zack

I'm trying to decide between these two rods for deep cranking. (6xd 8xd 10xd) I was ready to buy the Fred's crank launcher https://www.tgsoutdoors.com/genesis-ii-irg7113cc-freds-crank-launcher/ Then I came across the lews rod. https://www.dowdlesports.com/Lews-Fishing-LDFP711MHDF-Prfct-Crankbait-Spd-Stk-HM42_p_74633.html The main thing I don't like about the lews rod is the handle. I prefer the non-cork handles that have the split grips or whatever those are called. But the lews rod is less than half the price. Not sure if more than double the money is enough to justify getting a handle I like. Does anyone have any or both of these rods? What are you're thoughts if you do?

Hey all, I'm having trouble choosing between the Lew's Tournament MB, and the Lew's Mach Crush SLP for a new caster-combo. I'm set on the speed demon pro 7'3 Medium jig/worm, but if anyone has an opinion on these 2 reels or a completely different smooth LOW PROFILE baitcaster for this setup I'd appreciate any advice.

Hi guys just purchased a curado 200k 7.4 hg for jig fishing. I’m looking to pair it up with a alx rod probably the Zolo Dragger but I’m told they had a semi micro guide system on them and I prefer to run braid to a flouro leader will this be an issue with these guides? I can’t stand it when my leader knot catches. Also my current highest end rod I own is a lews Mach 2 speed stick (im8 version) and dropping 200+ on a rod is kind of a big deal for me. I feel that the lews is pretty sensitive will I see a huge difference between these two rods? (Iknow it is quite subjective) or should I save my money and go with an ikos or another lews stick? Thanks!!

I am about to purchase a new reel for topwater frogs but im torn on which gear ratio. I know you want a high gear ratio but im not sure if 7.5:1 or 8.3:1. I wanted to get some opinions if 8.3:1 may be too fast or if it has worked good for anyone. Thanks

I am searching for a new reel and I have got it down to the reel I think is best and I wanted some opinion from people who may have used this reel or have suggestions for an even better reel. The reel im looking at is the Lews Custom Pro SLP. This seems to be on overall great reel and I am a fan of my other Lews reels that I have. My next choich would be the Lews HyperMag SLP if anyone would suggest this over the custom? Thanks for everyones input.

I handled some lews reels today and really like the feel of them. See, i freshwater and saltwater fish and i cannot find if lews is salt water safe. This is making me lean towards Daiwa because know their reels are built for salt and fresh (and by the way, when i go saltwater fishing, afterwards i always wash off all my reels.)