Chris-W Posted July 3, 2014 Posted July 3, 2014 Hey guys! This is my first post here. Already I have come across such great information, so thanks for everyone being so willing to share! I live in Kennesaw, GA and I've been fishing for a couple of years now. 99% of the time, I fish in a neighborhood lake that has 1-5lb+ largemouth bass is in. I fish both from the bank and from a small boat, about equally. My most successful baits/lures have been Senko worms, pop-r's, 5" floating minnows and stickbaits, though I haven't built up any confidence in crankbaits, spinners or jigs yet. There aren't any lily pads, although I've had some strikes at a hollow body frog as well. The water stays pretty stained with a green tint, so green pumpkin and watermelon black flake Senkos have been the best color so far. There are a few good grass spots/lines and a couple of docks on the pond. I only have one spinning rod/reel right now (Pflueger Criterion 6'6" M w/medium action and Shimano R4000 (4.1:1) series reel with 12lb Trilene XT) and I have $90 to spend, so I was wondering if the Abu Garcia Black Max/Vengeance Baitcaster combo for $80 at Dicks (w/$20 mail in rebate) would be a good way to spend my money to expand my gear. My biggest complaint with my current rod/reel is that I'm missing the little bites on Senko's and gut hooking bass WAY more frequently than not. I am also not able to reach the opposite bank when bank fishing, but am pretty sure I could with a baitcaster. I was thinking the Vengeance rod would be much more sensitive than my current rod (less gut hooking), and the Black Max reel would give me longer, more accurate casts from the bank, while allowing me to retrieve spinner baits, crankbaits, buzz baits at a better speed. Let me know your thoughts on this purchase, or if the $90 would be better spent on just a more sensitive rod, different lures (crankbaits, spinners and jigs that I don't have), or something I'm not even thinking about! Thanks in advance. Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted July 3, 2014 Super User Posted July 3, 2014 The black max reel is alright but the vengeance rod is mehhhh... Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted July 3, 2014 Super User Posted July 3, 2014 Going to be tough to get a quality combo for $90. I've never bought a combo so can't be of any help. I could suggest you look at Academy Sports H2O combos. They have one for $69.99 plus $11 shipping. I've no idea how good it is. You might want to consider buying each separately. Given your fishing conditions I would go with a Berkley Lightning rather than the Lightning Shock.....less than $40 for the rod. Then look for a used $50 reel. I just bought a used reel from the flea market here. Right now the H2O Mettle is $60, but will go for quit a bit less when they have their Reel Riot sale. This reel normally gets good reviews. No experience with it myself. Quote
OroBass Posted July 3, 2014 Posted July 3, 2014 Get a black max and pair it with a Berkley lightning Quote
robster80 Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 a $50 powell diesel and maybe one of the cheaper lews reels Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted July 4, 2014 Super User Posted July 4, 2014 The 25$ berkly cherrywood HD rod is another good budget option Quote
ThatZX14Fella Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 I have a Black Max, they're great. I have no experience with the rod you mentioned though. Quote
FlipSide Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 I would get a Powell diesel spinning rod and switch out your current rod. Quote
EvanT123 Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 Not trying to steer you away from baitcasters. Well maybe I am but have you looked at any of the abu garcia orra spinning reel combos? I have a friend that doesn't fish very often and has one. I handled it the other day and was pretty impressed. It seemed light weight and has a real nice handle/reel seat. Throw some 10-20 pound braid on there and you should be able to wing lures out there. I would imagine it would be more sensative then what you are currently using. 1 Quote
TiNuts Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 If you're not getting across the pond with a spinning reel, then you're more than likely not going to with a black max either. And the abu rod probably won't help either as they're generally pretty stiff. Quote
Chris-W Posted July 4, 2014 Author Posted July 4, 2014 Thanks for all of the input so far. I just wanted to add that I'm not married to the idea of getting a baitcasting setup if my money would be better spent on just a better spinning rod, one that's more sensitive, higher quality, etc if it makes more sense for the type of fishing I'm doing (pond vs a big lake). If this changes anything, the deepest point of the lake is around 14'. Thanks guys! Quote
ThatZX14Fella Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 Don't believe people when they say you can't cast as far with a Black Max. I can easily cast farther with mine than I can with the spinning reel. Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted July 4, 2014 Super User Posted July 4, 2014 The rods gonna have more to do with casting distance than the reel IMO anyways Quote
Chris-W Posted July 4, 2014 Author Posted July 4, 2014 After doing more research, I keep seeing a quality 6' 1/2 - 7' MF spinning setup being recommended as the most versatile. The Pflueger President spinning reel keeps coming up ($60) but that would only leave me with $30 for a rod (Berkley Cherrywood has been recommended in this range, anything else worth looking at?). Should I focus more on getting a better (more sensitive) spinning rod now with my $90 and keep the cheap Shimano reel I have, or would the President really be worth the investment now? Decisions, decisions. Thanks again everyone. Quote
ThatZX14Fella Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 I'd get the Berkley Cherrywood/Pflueger President set up if you're decided that you're going to stick with a spinning setup. Quote
TNBassin' Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 The black max reel is alright but the vengeance rod is mehhhh... Gotta disagree here. Its actually a nice rod for the $. It's much better than any of the Lightning rods in the same price range, and it's decently sensitive with fluorocarbon. The Black Max isn't bad, but I'd go with a reel that doesn't have a graphite frame. Quote
Super User Maxximus Redneckus Posted July 4, 2014 Super User Posted July 4, 2014 You can get a trion also for 40 and a cherrrywood for 20 .then add some 6 lb yo zuri hybrid,a zoom trick worms in kudzu. Quote
Flywatersmallie Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 Got a Gander Mtn near by? Go get one of the Vortex (reg $60 and honestly not bad for that price but this week 75% off) and put that President on there. You'll have a nice, serviceable combo for $75 Quote
timsford Posted July 4, 2014 Posted July 4, 2014 With spinning equipment your rod will help you cast further more than the reel. Id look into getting a longer 7 ft + rod and save some to get a better reel later. TW is having a sale right now and you can get a rod already on sale for another 15 percent off that would be longer to aid in casting distance and also more sensitive than what you already have. Thats what i would do but its also just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt lol Quote
Super User Fishes in trees Posted July 4, 2014 Super User Posted July 4, 2014 If yo are going to spend a lot of time bank fishing, I'd suggest that you get different gear rather than another rod & reel. If you are bank bound - a good pair of hip boots is invaluable - maybe a back pack style tackle bag would help you get more mobile. Rods & reels are important, but for most applications spinning gear beats bait casting gear for bank fishing applications. Look at what might get you better access to fishable water. That is my opinion. 2 Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted July 4, 2014 Super User Posted July 4, 2014 Gotta disagree here. Its actually a nice rod for the $. It's much better than any of the Lightning rods in the same price range, and it's decently sensitive with fluorocarbon. The Black Max isn't bad, but I'd go with a reel that doesn't have a graphite frame. Idk the rod just didn't do it for me.... I'd much rather have a lightning rod or cherrywood Quote
Chris-W Posted July 6, 2014 Author Posted July 6, 2014 Thanks for all of the input everyone! For now, I'm going pickup the black max/vengeance combo because it's just too good of a deal to pass up. After rebate I'm effectively only paying $10 for the rod, and everyone seems to agree that the reel is decent/good. It will give me a more sensitive rod than what I have now and the baitcaster setup to start learning. When it's time to upgrade my spinning setup, I'm definitely going to refer to this thread! Quote
Super User FishTank Posted July 6, 2014 Super User Posted July 6, 2014 I played with one of these today at my local Gander Mountain. I was pretty impressed. It is on sale for $99. http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Gander-Mountain-Elite-Series-Baitcasting-Combo-Medium-Heavy&i=762452 1 Quote
gramps50 Posted July 6, 2014 Posted July 6, 2014 You can get a Pflugar Purist for $39.88 at www.shopdunns.com which is a step above the President. I have mine on a mh Odyssey rod I bought for $20, on sale, spooled with #10 braid and a fluro leader. I can feel all but the lightest bites. I think sensitivity is more the rod/line than the reel, but the better reels are smoother an much nicer to fish with. Quote
jtharris3 Posted July 6, 2014 Posted July 6, 2014 I played with one of these today at my local Gander Mountain. I was pretty impressed. It is on sale for $99. http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Gander-Mountain-Elite-Series-Baitcasting-Combo-Medium-Heavy&i=762452 That looks like a nice combo! Quote
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