Abu Garcia

[dougie511]

Starting off my second post sense no one around my area has commented on my first post i will make this one a little more general! I am still pretty new to bass fishing and still constantly learning and wanting to learn more! And in this post i wanna talk about some rod and reel setups, Right now i just have a cheapy spinning real from bass pro i think i paid 40 dollars for it just to have a spinning real and its funny because i actually caught my 4 pounder on it and some other really good size bass and never had a problem lol but i also have a kvd quantom baitcaster with the accurist rod which i like i dont really have any complaints i bought it used off a buddy because he bought the wrong side reel, and i also have abu garcia which is a orra baitcaster and orra med heavy rod. Ive been researching a lot into good rods though and been debating a long time on what rod to get and what reel. Ive always been told do not go cheap with a rod because just like antything else you get what you pay for! So as of right for my budget im considering getting the abu garcia veritas rod and i was gonna get a revo s reel but after reading some mixed reviews on tackle wearhouse and the revo sx only being 30 dollars more and having a lot better reviews i was thinking that reel would be a good setup. i was also thinking about getting the rod in a medium fast action with micro guides to use for carolina rig type fishing! Please any input will be awesome on which way to head im a big fan of abu garcia and esp the veritas rod everyone i have talked to and everything i have read sais the rod is so good it should be a 2-300 dollar rod! Thanks for your input!

[5fishlimit]

I have a veritas and revo s, and while it's a good combo I would spend my money differently if I had to go back and do it again.

For the same price range you can put together a St. Croix major bass/lew's tournament speed spool, and have a nicer setup in my opinion.

My 7' MH/F veritas is now my frogging rod because of how stiff it feels.

I'm not at all saying the veritas sucks, but again for the same amount of money I really think you have better options.

Good luck in your search.

[dodgeguy]

Abu Garcia service is second to none.i have a mgx that has gotten a little rough that I bought in February.called them today and they said send it to us and we will take care of it.i've researched and they almost always replace the reel.veritas rod breakage issues I take with a grain of salt.a really great rod for the money is the falcon bucoo microguide.you will not get a lighter more responsive rod in that price range.

[DirtyDeuceGoose]

I absolutely love my 7'6" MH/F. I also have mine paired with a RVO3 S. IMO it's a great combo. Extremely versatile. I've thrown c-rigs, frogs, jigs, you name it with it. Really sweet.

[tomustang]

Veritas is a nice rod, just stick with the rod raitings for what you'll be using them for and you'll be alright.

I had no input on the revos since I never used them

[AK-Jax86]

Punctuation? Lol

I have two baitcasters the Orra and revo s I have not take the time to practice wit them so I stick to my spinning set ups. I have a lot of money in baitcasters just sitting in their box, actually the revo s is on a rod with a nice eagles nest, bird is too small lol.

[Arv]

Here's my 2 cents, for what its worth. IMO, the Veritas is not a 2-300 dollar rod. I think its one of the better rods at the 100 dollar mark, but I think that price is accurate for the performance, parts and craftsmanship that go into the rod. If you want a 2-300 dollar rod, you're probably going to have to buy a 2-300 dollar rod. I had 2 Veritas' for maybe 6 months and wound up selling them once I got higher end rods. If you can wait for sales and save for something better, I would. If you want to go ahead and buy a rod now at the 100 dollar mark, I don't think the Veritas is a bad option, but after all the reviews on the ***, I would strongly recommend looking there as something else to consider. If you want to use the rod for Carolina rigging, I would go at least a MH/F-XF rating and something over 7'. If this will be specifically for C rigs I would look around 7'6.

 

As far as the Revo S, I can't say much about the 3rd generation, but I have had the 1st and 2nd. I really liked the reels and could launch lures a mile with them. The 3rd generation seems to be on par with the previous generations with a smaller size/weight and, if you ask me, better looks. Other reels I would recommend looking into in that 100-150 dollar range would be the Shimano Citica and Curado, and Lews Tournament Speed Spool, all of which I have had personal experience with and liked very much. If you want to stay closer to 100, the Lews Speed Spool or BPS Pro Qualifier would also be good options.

 

My last recommendation, if you are on a budget, I would check out the BPS Pro Qualifier/Carbonlite combo. It can be had for around $160, which is a great deal on some solid gear in the range you are looking at. Good luck!

[dougie511]

Thank you guys so much for all the info def gonna keep looking around and shopping might bump my price range up a little bit if i feel its really worth it!! Ive heard a lot about the lews tourney speed spool and will also have to check it out!!

[Mike2841]

I think that the veritas is a good rod and if got one I think you would be happy with it. I will agree it does not feel like a 200$ rod. I have a 7 ft medium (spinning) that I use to throw every lure under the sun.

I have not used the revo s, but I do have a lews tournament mg which is around the same price. So far I'm pretty pleased with this reel.

[5dollarsplash]

I have not used the revo s, but I do have a lews tournament mg which is around the same price. So far I'm pretty pleased with this reel.

 

I have both the revo s (prior generation) and the tournament mg.  Although I like both, and at the risk of stirring the pot of controversy, I'll just say they excell in different areas for me.  The revo imo handles lighter baits a bit better.  The MG does great retrieving over and over, I love it for spinner baits and it has never let me down.

[dougie511]

I have both the revo s (prior generation) and the tournament mg.  Although I like both, and at the risk of stirring the pot of controversy, I'll just say they excell in different areas for me.  The revo imo handles lighter baits a bit better.  The MG does great retrieving over and over, I love it for spinner baits and it has never let me down.

i really like the abu reels and thats why i was thinking about getting one i just havent been doing this long enough to have a ton of knowledge about all the rod and reel options out there! But i really like the reels and everything ive heard about the veritas is a ton of good reviews and one guy that had a fishing and hunting shop on a big lake by us recommended the veritas and said its a super good rod for the price so im gonna do some research on everything and look into stuff a little bit more! By mg do you mean the mgx and all the higher price reels?

[dougie511]

also what im wondering is will my gear ratio matter for the reel? like do i want a 7.1 or a 6.4 or will it matter? i know thats a simple question but ive always wondered what gear ration you want for your setup because like i said i planned on doing the 7'0 med fast veritas and a 6.4 gear ration revo SX unless something else will work better for me

[Arv]

IMO a lot of gear ration selection is personal preference. I will agree that there are definitely scenarios where certain ratios excel. Personally, all my bc reels are 6:1 except for one 7:1. For bottom contact presentations, typically, you will want a higher speed reel to pick up line and set the hook quicker.  Either a 6:1 or 7:1 should be fine. Only reason I would get a 5:1 is for deep cranking or swimbaiting, but I don't do either of those yet.

[dougie511]

IMO a lot of gear ration selection is personal preference. I will agree that there are definitely scenarios where certain ratios excel. Personally, all my bc reels are 6:1 except for one 7:1. For bottom contact presentations, typically, you will want a higher speed reel to pick up line and set the hook quicker.  Either a 6:1 or 7:1 should be fine. Only reason I would get a 5:1 is for deep cranking or swimbaiting, but I don't do either of those yet.

thanks a lot man!!

[OkobojiEagle]

Abu Garcia service is second to none.i have a mgx that has gotten a little rough that I bought in February.called them today and they said send it to us and we will take care of it.i've researched and they almost always replace the reel.veritas rod breakage issues I take with a grain of salt.a really great rod for the money is the falcon bucoo microguide.you will not get a lighter more responsive rod in that price range.

 

 

Dodge...

 

How 'bout fixing your font issues.  I find it bothersome trying to read your posts written in crayon.

 

oe

[Jack Fate]

i really like the abu reels and thats why i was thinking about getting one i just havent been doing this long enough to have a ton of knowledge about all the rod and reel options out there! But i really like the reels and everything ive heard about the veritas is a ton of good reviews and one guy that had a fishing and hunting shop on a big lake by us recommended the veritas and said its a super good rod for the price so im gonna do some research on everything and look into stuff a little bit more! By mg do you mean the mgx and all the higher price reels?

 

I started using Lew's reels at the first of the year. They are fantastic. I only plan to buy Lew's from now on. 

[camovan]

I have a revo s 6.4:1 on a 7' mh veritas rod and it is a great combo. I used to have a lews speed spool on the rod and i hated the reel, the mg is probably a better comparison to the revo s but my experience with lews made me jump ship pretty quickly. I have a revo toro winch in 4.6:1 on my okuma guide 7'11" h as a swimbait setup and I am also very happy with that. It will take some serious convincing for me to buy another non revo reel in the future although rods are another story. At the 100 mark there are a ton of good options and veritas is as good as any plus there are rebates on a combo from abu (thats the only reason I went veritas vs ***).

[Hattrick7]

That's the setup I have and I think you'll really enjoy it. Like yourself I came from a spinning reel and it did take me some time in learning how to use a BC in general. After about four months of constant use in saltwater also my 7' mh Veritas and SX reel is a workhorse. A couple months there I was fishing saltwater for calicos and there were times when I hooked into 20+ calicos plus the occasional barracuda.

The rod is extremely sensitive. The exposed reel seat is the way to go. I don't think you can go wrong with the setup. I'd check eBay they're got great prices, no sales tax and free shipping.

[fishguy613]

I have a revo SX , decent reel for $150 i use it alot.

I also own a veritas rod 7' mh/f and am personally not a fan of it really, very stiff and brittle. the epoxy on the eyes is absolutely awful too imo

[bassguytom]

I havea Revo and a Lews speed spool. My Revo is much smoother then the Lews and cast much further. I like the Lews but the Revo is better in my opinion. I wonder if the Lews Tournement Speed Spool is that much better?

[dodgeguy]

Dodge...

 

How 'bout fixing your font issues.  I find it bothersome trying to read your posts written in crayon.

 

oe

is this better ? I wanted to get away from the boring regular letters.that's why the option is available.

[ww2farmer]

I have a veritas and revo s, and while it's a good combo I would spend my money differently if I had to go back and do it again.

For the same price range you can put together a St. Croix major bass/lew's tournament speed spool, and have a nicer setup in my opinion.

My 7' MH/F veritas is now my frogging rod because of how stiff it feels.

I'm not at all saying the veritas sucks, but again for the same amount of money I really think you have better options.

Good luck in your search.

As some one who has, and uses both Veritas's, and Mojo's. The Mojo's are in no way better. They both have the pros and cons. The Veritas is lighter, and better balanced. The Mojo is made better, and has a longer (5yrs on the Mojo vs. 3yrs on the Abu) warranty. Both fish fine, sensitivity is very subjective, both are plenty sensitive.

[redboat]

I have five Veritas rods and one St Croix.  The St Croix is ok - my wife likes it, she fishes it exclusively, and it is an OK rod, if you can deal with St Croix's non-warranty "warranty".  She's on her third one in five years so I suppose that's not too bad.  Last one self destructed last spring while she had a five pound LBM on.

 

She lost the bass.   I tried to talk her into replacing it with a Veritas, but she insisted on another St Croix.

 

I like the Veritas rods due to the light weight.  They are good rods for $100, but I've only broken two rods in my life fishing (compared to umpdeen dozen I accidentally closed in rod lockers or stepped on and broke) and both were Veritas rods broken within 45 minutes of each other.  Both were replaced no questions asked although I had to pay shipping so that "warranty" is not a real warranty either, IMO.

 

I would personally never pay $200-$300 for a fishing rod.  Take the same $300 and buy three $100 rods.  You will be much happier and unless you're a professional angler you probably won't be able to tell the difference anyway.  Plus, when you break a foot off the end because your rod locker slammed on one you will get over it a  lot faster.

 

As for reels: I use US Reel 230's for spinning.  They are light weight and the larger spool makes them the equivalent in strength with most baitcasters.  I bought four Bass Pro baitcasters for around $75 each on sale.  There is an excellent article on "supertuning" a baitcaster on this site.  It took several hours of work per reel and about $60 each reel for bearings but they now cast as well as any reel I've ever used and better than most in the $300 price range.

[Bass Junkie]

I would personally never pay $200-$300 for a fishing rod.  Take the same $300 and buy three $100 rods.  You will be much happier and unless you're a professional angler you probably won't be able to tell the difference anyway.  

Ever thrown a $200-$300 rod? If you have, and have not noticed a difference, then you need to consult neurologist. I believe you may have severe nerve damage in your hands 

[EvanT123]

I have never had a bad experience with an abu garcia product. I've only held the rods in store and from that experience and the reviews of others they do seem to feel a power or so up. That's normal since there is no specific guide to rod powers and actions. The question you should ask does this rod feel good in "my" hand? Your going to be the one fishing it 99% of the time right? If it does go for it; if not look for something else. In my opinion sensitivity is subjective. Of course some rods are going to be more sensitive then others but there is no substitute for experience which continuing time on the water will give you. An example I've been dragging/hoping tubes on rock flats all summer. I don't have a 300 dollar rod but with the rod I've been using I've gotten a good feel for things. Last night I was doing the same thing and felt the slightest tap; it felt ever so slightly off set the hook bam fish on. My point is no rod is going to give you "it" unless you know what it is.

As for reels. I have the old orra s baitcaster and its a great reel basically a revo a minus a few doodads. If you were interested I might let it go at a bargin price.