Suggested Rods For A Beginner

[Bavass]

Looking for a few rod combo's that run less than $75 each to start with. Any suggestions? Will be fishing Lakes for Large and Smallmouth mostly but really anything that bites, lol! Was think I need a rod for fishing Plastics Carolina Rigs. A rod for Buzzbaits, Spinners. Maybe one for Toppers, Jerk baits etc.... was trying to keep it around 3 Rods to start off. What Rods do you suggest. I am doing some research but some things might have changed for people since one of the posts I am reading. Thanks a head of time for the help

[Missourifishin]

The first post in this thread explains exactly what you need to look for in rods: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/130634-rod-selection-the-basics/

 

I'll leave the specific suggestions of brands and models of rods and reels to others.

Welcome to BR

[MichiganFishing1997]

My first question would be casting or spinning? You will probably be able to get a better bang for your buck if you are looking for spinning gear. My next question is have you considered get one or two better quality combos instead of three decent combos? Personally I aim for quality over quantity within my budget.  You can do almost everything with fairly good efficiency if you get a good quality 6'6-7' MH F bait caster.  

 

Another idea is to find a happy medium.  One casting rod, one spinning rod.  Spend more on the Casting Combo.  For a casting reel I would get a BPS Pro Qualifier which is $80 right now, with a BPS Carbonlight for $80.  Then for the spinning combo a Pflueger Trion or a Shimano Sienna, which run about $30 and put it on something like another BPS Carbonlight, an Abu Garcia Veritas, or if you want to save a little more money a Berkley Lightning Rod or a BPS Graphite Series.  I know this is a little outside of your total price range, but i feel you would be better off and happier in the long run.  

[new2BC4bass]

Stick with spinning gear at that budget.  Check out the reels at Cabela's, Academy Sports and BPS.  The Pflueger Summit is on sale for $39.99, the Daiwa Regal XiA for $24.88 and the Mitchell 300Xe for $24.99 at Cabela's.  I didn't look elsewhere.

 

Berkley Lightning and Cherrywood rods are in your budget.  Cabela's has the Fish Eagle 50 on sale for $44.99, Tourney Trail full grip at $32.49-$34.38, the same rod in a split grip at $32.49.  Again...look at BPS and Academy Sports as well.

[Bavass]

  On 3/12/2014 at 6:39 PM, MichiganFishing1997 said:

My first question would be casting or spinning? You will probably be able to get a better bang for your buck if you are looking for spinning gear. My next question is have you considered get one or two better quality combos instead of three decent combos? Personally I aim for quality over quantity within my budget.  You can do almost everything with fairly good efficiency if you get a good quality 6'6-7' MH F bait caster.  

 

Another idea is to find a happy medium.  One casting rod, one spinning rod.  Spend more on the Casting Combo.  For a casting reel I would get a BPS Pro Qualifier which is $80 right now, with a BPS Carbonlight for $80.  Then for the spinning combo a Pflueger Trion or a Shimano Sienna, which run about $30 and put it on something like another BPS Carbonlight, an Abu Garcia Veritas, or if you want to save a little more money a Berkley Lightning Rod or a BPS Graphite Series.  I know this is a little outside of your total price range, but i feel you would be better off and happier in the long run.  

 

I agree that quality is better than quantity. I just want to start out with something cheaper and get a feel for what I like then buy a better rodand reel. I will spend money on a good rod and reel and have for Fly Fishing in Orvis and Sage because I know what I like and what fits my fly casting. When it comes to Bass I have no idea, its been so long since I have fished on a lake. I had always used Open Face reels and years ago I bought a Shimano Baitcaister and loved the feel of it, but never could get it dialed in to where it would cast good. Just never seemed to cast far at all. That was probably 20 years ago and the last time I was fishing for Bass. I just hate the thought of spending $100-$500 on a rod and reel and hate it, lol!

[Bavass]

  On 3/12/2014 at 6:43 PM, new2BC4bass said:

Stick with spinning gear at that budget.  Check out the reels at Cabela's, Academy Sports and BPS.  The Pflueger Summit is on sale for $39.99, the Daiwa Regal XiA for $24.88 and the Mitchell 300Xe for $24.99 at Cabela's.  I didn't look elsewhere.

 

Berkley Lightning and Cherrywood rods are in your budget.  Cabela's has the Fish Eagle 50 on sale for $44.99, Tourney Trail full grip at $32.49-$34.38, the same rod in a split grip at $32.49.  Again...look at BPS and Academy Sports as well.

 

Thanks I will take a look at these!

[Mike2841]

I would get a cheap spinning combo for 50-60$, then spend the rest on a mh casting, a bass pro PQ and a st croix triumph should run you around 180

[Bavass]

Should i be looking for a certain lb test when looking at a Spinning and Baitcaster reels?

[new2BC4bass]

  On 3/12/2014 at 6:19 PM, Bavass said:

Looking for a few rod combo's that run less than $75 each to start with. Any suggestions? Will be fishing Lakes for Large and Smallmouth mostly but really anything that bites, lol! Was think I need a rod for fishing Plastics Carolina Rigs. A rod for Buzzbaits, Spinners. Maybe one for Toppers, Jerk baits etc.... was trying to keep it around 3 Rods to start off. What Rods do you suggest. I am doing some research but some things might have changed for people since one of the posts I am reading. Thanks a head of time for the help

 

 

What lures will you be using?  What is the cover like where you will be fishing?  How deep is the water? Are you fishing from shore, a boat or both?  If from shore, is the shoreline clear or have lots of brush and trees?  Did you read the stickie at the top?  Here: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/130634-rod-selection-the-basics/

 

Line weight listings on a rod will give you an idea of the rod's power.  Read post #8 here by SirSnookalot.  http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/133012-exceeding-rod-line-weight-suggestions/

 

Ultimately the line range listed is only a guide.  Nothing says you have to stay within that range.  It should make for a better balanced outfit if you do.

 

Read a lot.  You will learn a lot and become even more confused as to what to buy! 

[Jigs 4 Pigs]

  On 3/13/2014 at 1:21 AM, new2BC4bass said:

 

 

Read a lot.  You will learn a lot and become even more confused as to what to buy! 

^^ Exactly!

[Wbeadlescomb]

I can get my rods and reels at cost from my buddies store but I still fish with the Powell diesels they run about 50 on sale at some of the online stores. May be more than you want to spend on a rod right now but it's hard for me to justify spending money on something I know I won't like. a 20 dollar rod or a 50 dollar baitcaster being a perfect example. If you are dead set on a combo academy sports has there combo riot going on right now and you can save some money that way. Not sure if you have an academy where you are though

[Weekend-warrior17]

I just picked up a few veritas rods for $79.99 not a bad deal. If i  was you i would save a little more cash and buy them over the berkley lighting rods or shocks , IMO. Although you cant beat the price on those berklyey rods, I have my eye on a couple Berkley AMP's that are runnin in the same price range i may just have to pick up. Anybody have good history with the AMP series? Thanks

 

Tight lines and Bent rods!

[Bavass]

I also have a few rods and I think 2 baitcasters at my girls house. I took everything there a few months ago to get ready for spring and take to the camper. I will be there this weekend. I will post the 2 rods and the 2 baitcasters I have see if they are worth anything and if they will work with each other or not. Thanks for all the advice so far.

[Xyndifor]

  On 3/12/2014 at 6:56 PM, Bavass said:

I agree that quality is better than quantity. I just want to start out with something cheaper and get a feel for what I like then buy a better rodand reel. I will spend money on a good rod and reel and have for Fly Fishing in Orvis and Sage because I know what I like and what fits my fly casting. When it comes to Bass I have no idea, its been so long since I have fished on a lake. I had always used Open Face reels and years ago I bought a Shimano Baitcaister and loved the feel of it, but never could get it dialed in to where it would cast good. Just never seemed to cast far at all. That was probably 20 years ago and the last time I was fishing for Bass. I just hate the thought of spending $100-$500 on a rod and reel and hate it, lol!

I would highly recommend the bass pro shops pro qualifier for a beginner if you want to try baitcasting. It's on sale for 80 dollars right now. It just depends if you want to try a baitcasting combo for one of your selections. The reason I say this is because that reel is what got me into baitcasting. If you buy a cheaper reel you may not get as much enjoyment out of it because you may backlash so much you may get frustrated and just give it up. The rod doesn't matter so much to start you could go with the Berkley Cherrywood and be fine. I'd say go with a 6'6 or 7 rod in medium heavy for a baitcaster and for the spinning rod you could go for the same length in a medium power. Again the spinning combo cherrywood would be fine and actually a cheap spinning reel I like is the Abu Garcia Cardinal SX although there are others on sale right now. I have a Cardinal SX on my ugly stick right now for fishing worms and shiners etc.

[Xyndifor]

  On 3/13/2014 at 12:44 AM, Bavass said:

Should i be looking for a certain lb test when looking at a Spinning and Baitcaster reels?

Depends what you want to do but generally you would be fine with lighter stuff on a spinning combo rigged with 10 lb test and a littler heavier stuff such as for example 1/2 oz spinnerbaits or jigs on 12 lb test  on a medium heavy baitcasting combo. If you plan on fishing in heavy weeds or brush you're going to want to go much heavier obviously. Depends how much heavy thick stuff you plan on fishing in.

[Xyndifor]

  On 3/12/2014 at 6:59 PM, Bavass said:

Thanks I will take a look at these!

 

The Cabelas Tourney Trail rods are actually pretty good. I own one which I don't use anymore but it's only because it's a 6'0" baitcasting rod. I would buy another especially at the sale price of 32.49. I like the split grips for mst of my stuff but it's all about how comfortable you are with the rod in your hands.

[Bavass]

I am hoping that 1 or 2 of the rods I have in Lynchburg at my girls house I can use and spend more money on reels and not need to buy rods, but I will see on Sat. I will post on here what I have and see what you think. I know one of the 2 baitcasters that are old, one has never been used simply cause I couldn't get it set up. Unless I had heavy weight on it I couldn't cast to the other side of the street. LOL!  So I never used it.But, I might be able with your help get it set up we will see

[Xyndifor]

  On 3/13/2014 at 1:13 PM, Bavass said:

I am hoping that 1 or 2 of the rods I have in Lynchburg at my girls house I can use and spend more money on reels and not need to buy rods, but I will see on Sat. I will post on here what I have and see what you think. I know one of the 2 baitcasters that are old, one has never been used simply cause I couldn't get it set up. Unless I had heavy weight on it I couldn't cast to the other side of the street. LOL!  So I never used it.But, I might be able with your help get it set up we will see

The main thing with the baitcasting reel is the braking system. If it has a good braking system it will be a good beginner reel (especially centrifugal braking system since beginners will have a tendency to try to throw it too hard and don't know how to properly thumb the spool when casting which leads to backlashes). The reel you had trouble casting for distance may have had all the brakes on or maybe it had something wrong with it.

 

There are other lower end reels even going down to the tourney special which do have a centrifugal braking system but I can't speak for those since I have not used them. The tourney special is 49.99 regular price but may be on sale now. It has fairly good ratings so it must be a pretty good beginner reel also.

[Bavass]

It's an old Shimano Bantam Crestfire CR100 bought it in the early 90's like 91 or 92 I think,lol! but never used it on the water

[roadwarrior]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/130634-rod-selection-the-basics/

[Xyndifor]

  On 3/13/2014 at 1:34 PM, roadwarrior said:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/130634-rod-selection-the-basics/

What he said. The medium heavy baitcasting rod reads MHF fast which means medium heavy power with a fast action. Some rods will give you the action and some will not. The action is the amount of bend on the pole. If it bends closer to the tip it has a fast action if it bends in the middle it is a moderate action.

 

So fast for mh baitcaster, moderate action for the treble hook lures, and fast for the spinning model for light jigs and plastic worms. The most important thing when starting out is to get good at fishing a couple of type of lures at a time.Fish areas with shallow water near drop-offs with some kind of structure. If you're not getting bit after a while move to another area. As you master different techniques you'll be able to add more tools to your toolbox. You can do many different things with any particular bait whether it be adding a twitch or slowing down or speeding up your retrieve or modifying the presentation on your lure maybe by adding a trailer for example to help increase your fishing success. There are so many things you can do so it's easy to see how overwhelming everything can be. Keep it simple and play around with different things and you'll soon find what works best for you. When I started out I used the spinning combo for senkos which are fun and easy to use and the baitcaster in the mh fast for spinnerbaits. You should try to pick baits if you do this to cover different levels of water top middle bottom and should make those decisions based on the water you fish on. Bass will strike baits above them more often than baits that are below.

 

As far as the reels for the mh baitcaster a gear ratio of 6.4:1ish and and up will work fine for most applications. Line capacity not a big factor on this one. A good all around ratio for different baits. For the med moderate baitcaster a ratio of 5.4ish:1 that holds about 150 yards of 12 lb line is good for crankbaits. The spinning reel doesn't matter so much but should look at your different options and go with something middle of the road.