First Casting Combo And Pond Story

[Umair Faizuddin]

     Hey guys! As the snow and ice is melting, the ponds near me look great! I only fish in one or two ponds nearby me and I don't have anytime to go to a lake. I've been using a great spinning combo (Pfluger President spinning reel and a Shakespeare Ugly Stik). Over the past 2-3 years I've caught many fish in a private pond that i usually fish in. I've caught lm bass,sm bass, northern pike, and even a 20+ lb. carp! The pond I fish in was usually stocked yearly but i don't know if they have for the past year. The pond is about 3/4 the size of a football field and is around 6-7 ft deep. The water clarity is stained to slightly murky depending on the weather and there are a couple of fountains in the middle of it. Last year, I barely caught 4-5 fish with luck . I had tried every type of lure and technique on this pond and still couldn't catch much. My awesome combo is starting to get rusty but I can still use it. I was thinking of changing it up and finally buying a baitcasting rod and reel for the first time. I have done a lot of research and for my $80 budget for reels, I have set my eyes on the Browning Midas Black Bass Baitcast Reel at Bass Pro Shops for around $80 while it's on sale. I have done a lot of research on baitcast rods too but I don't know what to get! my rod budget is $40 so I was looking at the Berkley Lightning Rod. I don't think I'm new to baitcasting because I use my friend's baitcaster sometimes while we are on the pond. Any suggestions on rods under $40 for this reel while pond fishing would be greatly appreciated! If you guys have any suggestions on what types of lures to use for different times of the year that would be great! Thanks in advance and let's have another great year of fishing!   

[Joedodge]

Berkley lightning rod is a solid choice man

[Arobb2012]

Dicks sporting goods has lews Reels for around your budget and the lighting rod also. The quantum escalade looks like a nice reel also.

[ABW]

I'm unfamiliar with the reel you're talking about, but I looked it up and it does have an aluminum frame, so I assume it would be a decent reel. If you're open to other options, check out the Lew's Speed Spool or Daiwa Tatula. You can find the Speed Spool for around 80 dollars and the Tatula around 100.

[Penguino]

The Pro Qualifier for that price. It is amazing for 79$

[BaitMonkey1984]

Dicks sporting goods has lews Reels for around your budget and the lighting rod also. The quantum escalade looks like a nice reel also.

Awesome looking reel and have many other quantum reels. However, bought the Escalade and the thing just cannot cast without backlashing. I have tried all different lines, size, etc and just cannot get this thing dialed in. It has a flipping switch so I am likely  going to delegate it to flipping and pitching seeing I can't cast it worth a darn.

[fisherrw]

Powell deisel is another thing to consider

[Brandon Moss]

I am with Penguino...... Get the Pro Qualifier while you can, and the Lightning Rod is a solid general purpose rod!

[Umair Faizuddin]

I'm going to BPS tomorrow to see if they have some sale going on. I think that the lightning rod is a good choice but I wanted to know your opinions on the BPS Tourney Special Trigger Rod. It's just around that $50 range like the lightning rod. What specs play a key factor into baitcasting rods? I'm probably going to use it for ponds. I'm still thinking about the reel... I want a good reel that is all rounded because I'm not going to buy a new rod or reel for a couple of years after I buy this.

[DogBone_384]

I am with Penguino...... Get the Pro Qualifier while you can, and the Lightning Rod is a solid general purpose rod!

X2

[lmbfisherman]

I'm going to BPS tomorrow to see if they have some sale going on. I think that the lightning rod is a good choice but I wanted to know your opinions on the BPS Tourney Special Trigger Rod. It's just around that $50 range like the lightning rod. What specs play a key factor into baitcasting rods? I'm probably going to use it for ponds. I'm still thinking about the reel... I want a good reel that is all rounded because I'm not going to buy a new rod or reel for a couple of years after I buy this.

BPS Pro Qualifier if you can get it at 80 definitely.  I have 3 now, bought another this year.  The two previous stand side by side with my Shimano reels.

 

I don't have experience with the lightning rod, but I can comment on the Tourney Special, I didn't like it...but I know others who use and like them.  So it might feel different for you.  Another rod you could take a look at is the Shimano Sellus rod. 

[Umair Faizuddin]

BPS Pro Qualifier if you can get it at 80 definitely. I have 3 now, bought another this year. The two previous stand side by side with my Shimano reels.

I don't have experience with the lightning rod, but I can comment on the Tourney Special, I didn't like it...but I know others who use and like them. So it might feel different for you. Another rod you could take a look at is the Shimano Sellus rod.

I finally bought my first baitcaster! I got the BPS Nitro Tournament Z for $60. It looks amazing and has awesome specs. I had to try it out so I attached it to my ugly stick spinning rod just for fun haha. Even though I was using the wrong rod (and probably looked like an idiot), it casts really smooth and far! I was looking at the tourney special and the sellus at BPS but I couldn't decide. Any other rods to keep in mind?

[frogflogger]

 I bought Browning reels on sale at bps years ago figuring on getting a season out of them guiding - 10 or 15 yrs later the darn things are still going - very smooth - I use the 5:1's for crankbaits - grinding away year after year - clean and oil them yearly - great bargains.