Best All Around Casting Rod And Real Combo $150-200

[riverrat13]

I know that it is preferred to have a set up for each different fishing technique. But I do not have the money to buy a rod and reel for every application of bass fishing. Therefor I am looking for the best do it all Casting Rod and Reel combo. I fish relatively shallow lakes so I do not do much deep cranking. I fish through lilies and other heavy cover quite often. Thanks for the input.

[EmersonFish]

As far as specific rods/reels go, you'll get a million different answers, based on preference. As far as the characteristics of the rod (or reel for that matter), that's not set in stone either. I won't get too detailed, but "do-it-all", although you would think it is self-explanatory, means different things to different people. A "do-it-all" rod in Florida is a lot different than a "do-it-all" rod here in the deep, clear, lakes I primarily fish in Missouri. You should let people know what kind of water you fish most of the time. Will this "do-it-all" be expected to throw crankbaits? Some people don't put those under the "do-it-all" rod umbrella. That's asking a lot of a rod. But if you can only afford one rod, I guess you do what you can.

My early advice if you are going to spend between $150-200 on a combo is:

- Just settle on closer to $200.

- Try to find a rod that meets the specifications you like on clearance. If you are not going to buy an entire set of a certain model, you will be able to find amazing deals on rods that they are restyling or closing out somewhere online.

- Look at the many threads regarding reels in the $100 range. There are a ton of them. I think a Lew's LFS at the at price range is hard to beat, but I'm not going to pretend like I've owned every reel. I'm sure some people will give some input here as well.

[riverrat13]

Thanks for the reply Emerson. I am from NW TN I primarily fish Reelfoot lake which is shallow cypress lake. The average depth is about 5-6 feet deep. I do on occasion fish KY lake which would be the only time i would ever fish a deep running crank bait. I fish through cover about 90% of the time with jigs, soft plastics, or topwater during the right conditions. The other ten percent I would be use using a spinner or shallow running crank bait. 

[DocNsanE]

I am definitely not the best person to offer this advice since I am only now buying my first baitcasting combo. However, I have been asking a lot of questions and have been doing some research lately. I would think a top water would be a little different than a rod for jigs and soft plastics unless you are maybe thinking frogs.

 

For jigs and soft plastics in heavy cover, I'd recommend a reel with a faster gear ratio (7.1:1, 7.3:1, 8.1:1), although something in the 6.4:1 would be more all around though.  For a rod I would imagine medium heavy or heavy depending on how heavy that cover is and how heavy the lures you want to throw are. An XFast tip is nice imo for jigs and plastics but a Fast would be a little more forgiving for other applications.  I would get something between 6'9" and 7'6" depending on what you are comfortable with, but 7'-7'2" is a pretty good range imo.

 

For specific recommendations, rod-wise:

- *** *** Black is a rod that has a lot of good feedback, however you should get your hand on one first because the handle and trigger are uncomfortable for many.

- Abu Garcia Veritas also gets a lot of love and the 2.0 seems to have overcome most of the quality issues of its predecessor.

- Tatula can be found around $100 if you look online and for what it's worth, it's the one I've personally settled on.

 

For reels:

- Lews Tournament LFS seems like a sweet reel and it was my personal runner-up

- I picked up a Tatula which can be found online again around the $100 mark.

- A lot of people enjoy their BPS Pro Qualifier reels which can be had under $100 on sale and could free up some of your budget.

 

Note that your all-around combo will definitely be better suited for some applications over others. First of all, rods are built to throw lures in a specific weight range so be sure to find a rod that matches what you will be throwing most of the time. Secondly, a fast/xfast tip is often good for bottom contact baits as (I believe) they are typically a little more sensitive and they transfer into the backbone quickly. Where as you would want something more like a moderate for crankbaits since the softer tip will keep better pressure on the fish when you are fighting it with only a little trebble hook in the corner of its mouth. I think moderate action also allows the lure to work a little better in the water. Moderate-fast seems like a good action for moving single-hooked baits like a spinnerbait or a bladed/swim jig. The line you select for your combo will also be better suited for certain applications. If you get a fast/xfast tip, consider using a copoly or fluoro which has some stretch as opposed to say braid which does not.

 

I'll end this like I started it: take my comments with a grain of salt, I'm not nearly as experienced as most of the anglers on this forum so if someone points out that I've made a mistake in my recommendation, that person is probably right and I am probably wrong

 

 

 

Having said that, I only have two rods at the moment, one is fast and the other is xfast, and I have caught fish on a crankbait with that and was able to bring them in.

[lmbfisherman]

Good post. 

[riverrat13]

Doc thank you for sharing all that info with me. I have two roughly $200 spinning set ups. Both set up's have shimano reels one has a MH 7' St. Croix Triump rod that i really like. The other is a 6' 3'' but I cannot remember the name right of hand. I bought both of these roughly two years ago. But I am just know getting into the market for a casting rod an reel so all info is appreciated because I am pretty much clueless.

[ibobpeb]

Lots of good options for the $100 price point. $100 rod and $100 reel will get you a nice setup. 

 

Rods:

*** Black/Green

Powell Inferno

Carrot Stix Orange/Green/Black

Dobyns Fury

St Croix Triumph/Premier

 

(mind you some of these rods are $120-ish but you can always find them on sale for as low as $90 brand new too)

 

Reels:

Lew's BB-1/SS-1/LFS/Tournament

Shimano Curado I

 

 

(Some of these reels are $150-ish but I've been able to get them for $100 and less on auction sites, fishing conventions, etc. You just gotta look. Got my Curado I for $100.)

[Cody21w]

H2o Xpress mettle on a *** black 7foot 1 or 3 mh. 160. Or you can get anything Lews for the reel. Lews is the best brand of reels imo.

[cottny27]

Lews LFS on a Duckett Ghost or Veritas rod would be my pic.  

[Master Bait'r]

I'd say LFS + 7'1" *** Black. Lots of rod and reel for well under $200 if you shop around for the reel.

It would cover most of your basics with ease and look good doing it. Buy it all from TW and get free shipping too.

[stkbassn]

Powell Diesel 723 and a Shimano Citica 200E or G6...Great combo that fishes very well. I had one last year and caught loads of bass and stripers on it...never failed. Sold it like an idiot and have now replaced it and very happy   Just a suggestion of course. There are other good one's I've read here.

[Big C]

A 7' medium light to medium heavy Carrot Stix Wild Wild only $99.99 on Tackle Warehouse.  I have the medium light.  I can use it for everything; jigs, small/medium swimbaits, frogs, spinnerbaits, bladed jigs, topwaters. You name it.  Pair it with a 7.1:1 reel (preferably a Lew's) and some 30-50lb. Power Pro.  Great combo.