Do you have a "Beater Rod"?

[new2BC4bass]

11 hours ago, nameiztaken said:

Do you guys use beater rods and reels for bank fishing? I used to use a shakespear outcast (like $11 new) and shakespear agility ($40 new) as a bank fishing/beater rod, that thing put up a good fight, lasted 2 seasons before I gave it to goodwill! 

I love having a rod I can just throw around. How about you guys? If you have a beater setup, what is it?

 

No.  Even when a young boy fishing a K-Mart special, I knew better than to mistreat my gear.   I'd have to go without for awhile if I broke it.  My first year fishing was with a cane pole with a few yards of line tied on.  That's as cheap an outfit as I have ever fished.  Cheapest I use since getting back into fishing is a 6' MH Lightning and Daiwa Procaster 100HN...$47 total plus $1.02 tax on the rod.

[snake95]

I keep some rods on the less expensive side in the trunk.  As mentioned in a current post, that's where I keep an ugly stik and a vengeance, 2-pc'ers.  Because I have them with me, they are what I use the most.  I am almost always a bank fisherman and so as others have stated I don't have a division between regular-duty and beater.  I wanted to know what I felt like to fish a St. Croix Mojo Bass, my idea of a high-end rod, and so I use that rod from shore whenever I can.

 

I also have a Daiwa Coastal reel with a blue finish that made it look like it belonged in a hot rod museum, but I've actually used it for its intended purpose - casting for stripers off a rocky jetty - and it now looks like a reel that has been beat among the rocks and surf, saw some action, and caught some stripers.  

[roadwarrior]

No

 

[Fishes in trees]

I have some rods that I don't mind lending out to people - decent graphite spinning rods that I came across on sale here and there.  I fish a charity event at Truman Lake every fall and I bring enough extra gear that the soldier I'm taking fishing can fish any bait that I'm fishing and have a reasonable chance at success - that time of year mostly cranks and spinner baits, but I bring a pitching rod also.

 

However, I don't lend out my first string jig rods, or my first string spinner bait/square bill/ chatter bait rods, or any rigs that it would bug me to have to replace if it got broke and I wasn't the one who broke it.

[.ghoti.]

I used to. Sold them, or gave them away. Somebody is getting some good use out of some stuff I had just hangin out in the garage.

 

If somebody needs to borrow a rod and reel from me, they get a pretty good one.

[Deleted account]

Nope, tackle is for using. I'm not going to purposely mistreat or abuse (actually I go full McEnroe every so often, but its rare) rods and reels, but when something breaks, it breaks. If I wanted something to cherish, ogle and treat daintily, I'd buy art and hang it on the wall.

[Darren.]

22 hours ago, RoLo said:

 

My most frugal outfit was a cane pole without any reel 

 

 

 

I have a number of long poles (fiberglass and one graphite)

that go from 10' to 20' in length. Some of the best (most fun)

fishing I've ever had.

 

As far as frugal, though, I spent some $$ on my graphite pole

and it has paid off in spades.  

[david in va]

Well I guess all my stuff is right good , or I would not be fishing with it  And if I lone you a rig, it will be as good as I am fishing with. If it is too good to lone a buddy it is to good for me to use , thus I would not own it anyway. Man this is fishing, If I am fishing with you I want to catch more and better fish  than you, but not because I have better equipment, because I am a better fisherman

  And that new open face I got in the mail , well that might be one of them beaters . I wouldn't put that POS off on anyone.

I give it a try today. ended up with a bird nest the 4th or 5th cast

[Airman4754]

18 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I've caught some monsters fishing from shore, I'm not risking losing them by fishing with gear I wouldn't use otherwise. 

 

Same. The bruiser I caught today was from shore. 

 

Fishing is fishing.

[rippin-lips]

I buy what I buy because I get enjoyment from using it. So weather I'm on a boat,in a kayak, or on the bank... I'm going to enjoy it. How many 2yr olds you know fishing with a Megabass combo. It can be replaced but memories can't be. 

[jdz197]

Berkely Cherrywood HD spinner with an old Abu Garcia cardinal spinner.

Berkely Cherrywood HD casting rod with an Abu Garcia Silvermax.

 

It's hard to beat that rod for $20, though the spinner version is a 2 piece and calling it 'medium heavy' is a joke, it's more medium-medium light.

[the reel ess]

I don't have a rod that gets thrashed. But I have an older ML (feels light by today's standards to me) 6' Eagle Claw rod that my dad bought me when we were headed to the lake when I was about 17.  It was less than $10 and claims to be composite. I have it paired with an UL spinning reel that is Academy's cheapest house brand model. I take it along often times. It's my primary creek/small river/crappie/bluegill combo. When bass just won't bite anything, I'll tie on a Roadrunner or Rooster tail and start targeting the dinks. I catch some nice bluegill and crappie that way. It beats getting skunked and the fight is fun on the light action rod.

 

BTW, Academy has that reel on a combo for $20. That's what I paid for the reel alone.

http://www.academy.com/shop/browse/fishing/rod--reel-combos/spinning-combos?facet=mfName_ntk_cs%3A%22H2O+XPRESS%22

[MNGeorge]

I have a 6'6" medium action Cabela's brand trigger stick rigged with an old BPS Supreme baitcaster I use solely for wading...don't care if it gets dunked or broken.