New Fisher, Looking For A New Setup :)

[cooledwhip]

Hey guys! New to the forum. A month or so ago I bought myself an Ugly Stik V2 or something because I wanted to start fishing with my friend this summer. We started to go fishing recently and I love it. ( I have gone fishing before but never had my own pole really) So far I have caught 2 bass, I could guess each being about 3/4 pounds. We caught lots of 1 pound catfish, and some small baby stripped bass. He is really into fishing and has a tricked out pole, Abu Garcia everything which from what he says is good, and when I've casted his pole it feels amazing..

 

I am basically looking to buy myself a new setup but have nowhere to begin really. I know I could always ask him but he is sponsored by Abu Garcia (apparently) and recommends their products. I will only be fishing freshwater lakes, I live in chicago suburbs so possibly lake michigan. I really am only interested in bass, pike, crappy, catfish, I may go fishing for some salmon, trout, the usual.

 

The ugly stik has treated me well but it's time for something new to catch bigger monsters. My ugly stik whenever I catch big fish bends to a 90+ degree angle, it feels like it's about to snap. 

 

I am 15 going on 16 (yes I know I will need a fishing license soon) and my budget was originally $100, but my friend told me I might as well make it $150. I just don't want to go overboard, I want something nice and worth every cent. Thanks everyone

[new2BC4bass]

Spinning or Baitcast?

 

EDIT:  Also welcome to the forum.  Always nice to see you young folk getting interested in fishing.

EDIT2:  Any specific techniques you are interested in?  I assume you are looking for an all-around rod.

[cooledwhip]

Thanks for the welcome!! 

 

I believe spinning... I'll just explain what I do.

 

I just hook a worm on my hook, lift up the silver half circle thing and cast out.

 

then when I land in the water I push the hook thing down and real in until the line is a little stiff then wait.

 

Yeah mainly an all around rod, I don't do any different fishing things just simple off a dock or off a boat casting.

[masterbass]

Are you using plastic worms?  Do you only want a new rod?  Which spinning reel do you own?

[cooledwhip]

I'm using canadian crawlers from walmart. nothing special. I told you I have a shakesphere ugly stik. I am looking for new everything, new rod, reel, line, (for line I was looking at Kastking 10 lb braided)

[deep]

Well, if a (real) worm is all you ever intend on throwing, I think your ugly stick will be fine.

 

And I don't think it's going to snap anytime in near future unless you run it over with a truck (literally) or something like that.

[cooledwhip]

for casting the abu garcia goes lightyears farther than mine. I really think I need a new real for sure though, I can upgrade the rod later but the reel is lose when I real it in and the drag is so bad on this. Should I just buy a new reel then I can always have the option to upgrade the rod? Thanks deep

[Fun4Me]

Pflueger president and use your ugly stick. If you have an academy sports around you, and want to get a new rod, go check out their clearance rods and look for an H2O extreme ethos. I bought both of mine for right at $20 a piece.

[cooledwhip]

I just plan on getting abu garcia stuff. best brand out there from what I've read.

[new2BC4bass]

Well, if you plan on fishing live nightwalkers, then you will need a rod with a soft tip.  Otherwise you can easily tear the worms off on a cast.  Plus worms are pretty light so unless you plan on using a lead weight all the time, you need a less powerful rod so it will load up.  I have a 50 year old, or so, 9' Fenwick Nightwalker Secret by Vanguard Rod that was made for fishing....................wait for it.....................yup...............you guessed it....................live nightwalkers.  It is a fiberglass rod.  Not surprising as I'm not sure if graphite rods were around in those days, and if they were they would have been financially out of my reach.  Actually a hard cast with this rod with a small BettleSpin on it will snap 4# mono easily.  The thing is.....the extra length along with the softer action doesn't require a hard cast to get a nightwalker on a bare hook a reasonable fishing distance.  I've landed a 10# carp using 4# XL with this rod.  When I did use a lead weight on the rod, I used a bell sinker so the line could flow through the eye without causing any extra drag which might have had the fish dropping the worm.

 

Most Abu rods are under-rated...power wise.

[ABW]

I also agree with the others. If you are just using live bait, stick with your current rod, and upgrade your reel. If you really do want to buy an Abu reel, I have used the older Revo SX spinning reels without any problems. Pflueger President is also a very good one.

 

 

& your rod shouldn't be bending at a 90 degree angle.... do you know how to use the drag on a reel?

[new2BC4bass]

I just plan on getting abu garcia stuff. best brand out there from what I've read.

 

Abu rods often get recommended for those looking for a low cost quality rod.  I wouldn't go so far as to call them the best brand out there.  You are going to tick off a lot of Loomis, Dobyns, Powell, St. Croix, etc., etc. users.  I like my Powell 723 Endurance a lot.  Same can be said for my Fenwick HMG, Techna AV, Smallmouth and Aetos rods.  My Zillion 7'6" HF is a pleasure to use.  I've even got a couple older Quatum rods I like a lot.  Was out with my Smoke rod today.  A pleasure to use with an Alphas reel.  You might want to consider looking at a Redbone Hurricane or the cheaper Calico Jack.  My 7' ML (a saltwater rod rated for 3/8-3/4 oz.) casts a 3/8 oz. popper the proverbial county mile.

[black94gt50]

I just plan on getting abu garcia stuff. best brand out there from what I've read.

Don't limit yourself to Abu Garcia, they make good stuff and junk, like most other companies.

For the price a plueger president is hard to beat.

[smalljaw67]

Here is your problem, you are what me and my fishing friends call "lawn chair superstars" , it is just in fun but basically what we mean by that is you are in a weird place and I'll explain. Most anglers on these forums are bass anglers that use higher cost equipment and fish mostly artificial lures but we are the minority and I know that as people who don't fish think anything over $40 is expensive for a fishing rod or reel. Anyway, most live bait anglers use what you can find on the rack at Wally world for 30 bucks or so and in that world, the ugly stick reigns supreme, but then there are the "lawn chair superstars", these are anglers that are fishing live bait but using better graphite rods and better reels, they have outfits that cost between $90 - $200 and you are looking at the same thing. Here is the problem, most anglers know the more expensive rods are better but when it comes to fishing live bait, patience is more important and so is casing ability, the strikes are visual mostly unless you hold your rod in your hands and most guys I know that do that hold the line so sensitivity isn't a big concern either. If I were you I'd take a serious look at a rod like the Berkley Cherrywood HD, get one around 7' with a Pfluger purist or president reel and you'll have a really good worm set up that will cast just fine as the problem is probably your reel from what it sounds like. Abu Garcia rods are going to be too fast in action to cast night crawlers with consistently so go with the cherry wood and you'll be fine, and there is nothing wrong with fishing that way, it is less expensive and is the way most people fish because you don't need the lightest rods and reels that will let you make a thousand casts a day or hold up to that kind of use, most bass angler make as many casts in 1 day as most people who fish with live bait do in 6 months.  With your type of fishing the best way to do it is to kip it simple and don't over spend, a good rod in the $30 to $50 range is fine, same with the reel.

[cooledwhip]

For the most part I agree with what you guys are saying. I will buy a new reel now and keep my rod, the rod is nice but I really just want a new reel. The reel on my ugly stik is crap. I am going to go with abu garcia, im a noob and tbh I just want something good and cheap. I was looking at the Abu Garcia Orra S spinning reel, but that was a little big much money. I think I will get the Abu Garcia Cardinal S spinning reel. Very cheap and it looks okay. Can someone verify my decision with the cardinal or is the orra s worth the money? Thanks everyone!!