Which rod(s) for me

[k813zra]

To make a long story short, I have been out of country for a number of years and as such have not fished in some time. Also, I do not have gear any longer as I gave it away when I moved. I realize this is a bass forum but I will likely fish multi species. Typically trout and panfish (specifically white bass). I also ran into stripped bass and small mouth from time to time. Walleye and catfish were a favorite when I was growing up. So as you can see I am more of the opportunistic type.

 

I will fish most weekends spring through fall in a local spot. River and stream fishing but the area landscape makes things quite tight. Lot's of trees to cast around and cover overhead with the exception of two clearings along the river. I do remember that longer rods were tougher in this case. If I remember correctly my rods were 5'6" and 6'6'' one was an ultra lite with a small abu garcia reel and the other a medium with a stock reel for cats and whatever else. Both rods were ugly sticks bought by my grandfather and I had them for a number of years.

 

Bait that I used and likely will again will be live (minnow and earth worms), small jigs and rooster tails. Or something similar.

 

Background out of the way: I realize there is a lot of different things listed for the use of one rod so I figure I should likely get two rods that are suited to general purpose. One lighter and one heavier but I am not sure. I have been poking around wlamart looking at combos and don't know what route to take. I have seen some Berkley, Shimano and Ugly stik rods. I like the feel of the Shimano rods best and their reels feel smooth. The value is good for a combo too at around $50. But I really don't know what I need. Sure I could just pick two at random but I figured that I would asked those more experienced for advice. 

 

I was a little worried about the graphite rods as a few fishermen had told me in the store that they will fracture easily. Is this an exaggeration? I mean, they made it sound like if I sneeze that these things will explode. 

 

I am on a rather tight budget at about $100(ish) for both combos, which I know isn't much but things could change in a year or two. I am just looking to get started. 

 

Other random notes: I have only used spinning reels and rods. I only have a car for travel so a two piece is a must. 

 

As a note, I have been reading around on the forum and there is just too much information to process.

 

Thank you in advance for any advice you have to offer. 

 

[Preytorien]

Firstly welcome to the forums.

 

It would be difficult to give a definitive answer to your specific needs, especially since they appear to be pretty broad in bait, lure, species, and technique factors. Each of those techniques, fish, and even lures has a rod that will enable it to be used better than others. 

 

Please don't view this as a put off, but take the time to read some of the pinned threads in the Rods, Reels, and Line forum about Rod Selection, that's the first place I would start. Additionally on the main site there's plenty of articles that address rod details that might narrow it down some for you.

 

This site is a treasure of knowledge, the answer is bound to be found. Sometimes with such broad inquiries you might get 40 replies with 40 different suggestions, it can get overwhelming in a hurry. We tend to concentrate on largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, but some concepts carry over from species to species.

 

Let us know what you decide on! 

[k813zra]

I've been reading and that is where the confusion comes in. Growing up my parents and grandparents were weekend fishermen and used one medium weight rod for everything. I got curious and ran a search and it seems there are so many rods for everything under the sun. 

 

Stripped bass, white bass (I know it is a panfish) are what are common in my area, at least where I fish. You hear reports of large ones but from memory 20-25 inches is more common on stripped bass and white are much smaller than that. 

 

Would maybe there be a good route to take that is setup for bass and would work for smaller spices such as panfish on the side? 

 

 

[dmainor]

For a good starter based on Pan fishing and the territory you may have to fish in, the  Ugly StikGX2 6' 2-piece medium action spinning rod  is a nice rod for the price.  Nothing an gear enthusiast would use to be sure, but still a nice little rod with some decent sensitivity and a good backbone.   Buy it in a combo and it will get you fishing for about 50 bucks.    or add 6 inches and buy the 6'6" combo for under $40.   This is the Combo I have purchased for my kids and grandkids and it's a great general use setup.   I have even put down my several hundreds of dollars rod/reel rigs to use it and it's just fine for what you want to do.  If you want to go with a lighter setup the same combo is available in a 5'0" ($47) Light or a 4'8" ($39) ultralight combo.   (these are all Wally world priced).  

 

Better  yet, find a mom&pop bait store and ask them to guide you, that way you build a relationship and help keep them in business.  

 

Hope this helps. 

Dug

[fishnkamp]

Lets start with the mainstay of all fishing arsenals. That would be a good medium action spinning rod. 

My only problem with some of the Ugly Stick combos is the reel. I have read some reviews that were not too flattering about durability.  I do not like recommending "beginner gear" that will have to be replaced.  Instead, I would rather suggest more moderate priced equipment that will last.

 

For a reel consider purchasing a Pflueger President 6935.  A size 40 is not unreasonable either. This is a reel my wife and I torture test regularly by catching big bass, stripers and catfish here on the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers.  There are plenty of perch, bluegill and other smaller fish here as well, but when you hook a 20 pound blue cat it feels like you hooked a locomotive train.

 

That reel will run you $60 normally but right now here is your best deal. Go to Dicks Sporting Goods. If you want to order it online you can and they are offering a deal on shipping. Select standard shipping and you can save the $15 or just stop in at a Dicks store. Make sure to download the free coupon to fill out for a $10 rebate from Pflueger. So you could order the reel or pick it up at the store, go on Dicks website, look up thas reel and print the rebate form and mail it in for a $10 rebate. That means the reel will cost $50  roughly. 

 

Dicks offers a few good options for a matching rod. Try an Ugly Stick GX2 6'6 medium action rod. It is a 2 piece medium action rod for $39.00. That makes a decent combo with a two piece rod.  This will not be your big striper or cat rod though.  If you want that then match that same reel up with an Abu Garcia Vendetta rod. That rod goes for $79 ( may be found cheaper online) and is available in a 2 piece mh 1/4 to 3/4. That rod should do most anything you want. Also at Dicks you will find a Field and Stream Inferno series 7 foot medium 2 piece rod for $29.00  I would check all those options out.

[k813zra]

Thank you everyone one. When it comes to not recommending gear that one will need to replace, I can understand that. My main hobby is Japanese knives and I feel the same way when making those recommendations. However, there are tools that are low cost good quality backups or community knives for the family. My wife might go fishing with me a few times a year or my brother so one can become a loaner or backup. 

 

As for the blue cat, that is a big fish. I have never run into anything like that. 1-2 pound channel cats is about it. We used to catch loads of them early to mid summer when I as younger. Enough to fill the freezer.

 

From the suggestions it looks like I am better spending my money on one rod and reel and figuring out what I like/dislike about it and going from there. I can do that. Looking like I will want to drive over to ohio and check out some of the larger bait shops, and there is a gander mountain over there. No other big stores for quite a drive around here. 

 

I am looking at the suggestions online now. The abu garcia site seems to list tons of nice looking rods! I really need to take a long drive up to Eire or something and check some of these out in person.

 

Thank you for all the suggestions. I will do some window shopping for now and get a better idea and let you know what I find.

 

Edit to add: I was looking at some of the tackle that I still had left it is mostly 1/16-1/8 jig heads etc. I would guess that matching one rod to that tackle would be ideal as it is what I will likely use most. Does that sound right? 

 

Also, I saw that there are a lot of ugly stik classes. The elite looks nice but walmart seems to have one called the lite pro, no one else sells this. It looks like the elite with some cheaper options. Wlamart does seem to get a lot of "exclusive" items that are more budget friendly. It says that the rod will be stiffer and more sensitive than the GX2. Would that be an option to consider?

Edited March 23, 2017 by k813zra
To add

[Preytorien]

8 hours ago, k813zra said:

I've been reading and that is where the confusion comes in. Growing up my parents and grandparents were weekend fishermen and used one medium weight rod for everything. I got curious and ran a search and it seems there are so many rods for everything under the sun. 

 

Stripped bass, white bass (I know it is a panfish) are what are common in my area, at least where I fish. You hear reports of large ones but from memory 20-25 inches is more common on stripped bass and white are much smaller than that. 

 

Would maybe there be a good route to take that is setup for bass and would work for smaller spices such as panfish on the side? 

 

 

 

I fish some of my "light" bass rigs for panfish all the time. I think it would work very well for you. To give you an idea, I use a 1000 size spinning reel with either 10lb braid or 4lb flouro, and a medium rod, 6'6" and I use it for ultra finesse bassing as well as when I'm crappie fishing. Something also those lines might do great for you but keep in mind the majority of bass fishing might call for something a tad beefier. You might find yourself wanting a second rig sooner than you expect. 

[k813zra]

37 minutes ago, Preytorien said:

 

I fish some of my "light" bass rigs for panfish all the time. I think it would work very well for you. To give you an idea, I use a 1000 size spinning reel with either 10lb braid or 4lb flouro, and a medium rod, 6'6" and I use it for ultra finesse bassing as well as when I'm crappie fishing. Something also those lines might do great for you but keep in mind the majority of bass fishing might call for something a tad beefier. You might find yourself wanting a second rig sooner than you expect. 

Thank you and I will keep that in mind. That should not be an issue. If I need to go up a step, my wife keeps asking me what I want for my birthday. 

[new2BC4bass]

Can't help with the rods much other than to say I wouldn't go over 6' given the type of cover you describe.  Spinning rods need less room to cast then a baitcast rod, but still need some and the longer the rod the more room you need. 

 

Most time the Berkley Lightning and Lightning Shocks are the least expensive rods mentioned here....about $40 unless on sale.  I would take a look at the Berkley Cherrywood considering your budget.  They offer a 6' Medium rated 1/8-3/4 oz. and 6-14 pound test line.  This would be a much more versatile rod than the 5'6" Light they offer....which would work well for the panfish and trout in your area.

 

If you decide to go for one outfit at $100 then a couple more spinning reels to look at are the Pflueger Trion and Daiwa RG....and possibly the Okuma Ceymar or one of the lower cost Shimanos.  A Shimano Sedona FE on sale would be nice.  I bought an RG for my brother-in-law's birthday.  So far he is loving it.  He picked up a Lew's Hank Parker Speed Stick from Walmart for about $40 to go with it. Told me sensitivity isn't too bad.

[k813zra]

 

I just stopped at a semi-local bait/tackle shop and they had loads of rods and reels. Seriously, the selection dwarfed walmart's. Anyway, the fellow that works there spent some time with me going over the pro's and con's of material type, power, length etc. He suggested some similar setups and he fishes this area. 

 

Of course they had a lot of ugly stik's but he was showing me around some Shimano and Berkley rods and the Pflueger reels. I think they were regular lightning rods not the shock and were only one piece but he said he has more in the back. I am going to go back in a few days after some more reading.

 

Thank's everyone, this is a lot of help.

[k813zra]

I just thought I would update and let everyone know what I went with. I took the advice here and went to a local bait shop that has been in the next town over for many years. They had just got in a new shipment and I was checking out rods and reals when the manager came over and picked up a combo and handed it to me. That ended up being a Shimano Sojourn 6' medium light (fast) paired with a Sienna 2500FE. More than anything else that felt right so I brought it home. Not bad priced, $50.

 

The manager and I got to talking and he said it was a good setup to use as general purpose for now and see which way I want to go if I decide I need a more specific setup or two. 

 

I can tell you that it is a much lighter feeling setup than my old ugly stik from high school.

 

[new2BC4bass]

15 hours ago, k813zra said:

I just thought I would update and let everyone know what I went with. I took the advice here and went to a local bait shop that has been in the next town over for many years. They had just got in a new shipment and I was checking out rods and reals when the manager came over and picked up a combo and handed it to me. That ended up being a Shimano Sojourn 6' medium light (fast) paired with a Sienna 2500FE. More than anything else that felt right so I brought it home. Not bad priced, $50.

 

The manager and I got to talking and he said it was a good setup to use as general purpose for now and see which way I want to go if I decide I need a more specific setup or two. 

 

I can tell you that it is a much lighter feeling setup than my old ugly stik from high school.

 

 

Thanks for the update.  Yeah, it can be a surprise how much lighter gear is today than yesteryears...depending on how long you have been out of fishing.  For me it was a 23 year hiatus.  Went from spinnning reels to baitcast reels.  At least two of my rods weigh less than 4 oz.  Total weight with reel and line....about 10 oz.  My old reels weighed that much or more.

 

Enjoy that puppy.  

[k813zra]

3 hours ago, new2BC4bass said:

 

Thanks for the update.  Yeah, it can be a surprise how much lighter gear is today than yesteryears...depending on how long you have been out of fishing.  For me it was a 23 year hiatus.  Went from spinnning reels to baitcast reels.  At least two of my rods weigh less than 4 oz.  Total weight with reel and line....about 10 oz.  My old reels weighed that much or more.

 

Enjoy that puppy.  

 

I've been out for five or six years but that is a long time for me and this is the first time I have bought my own gear. Quite exciting for me. 

 

Yeah, it is much lighter than I remember. I have been searching some threads and picked up some general tackle too. I got my licence and all of my stamps as well, so I am good to go. I will get to try out the rig soon, which will be nice! I hope to put some fish in the freezer for my wife, who is from Spain, and is used to getting fresh fish from the market. Nothing like that around here.

 

 

Thank you and everyone else for the advice. I hope to learn through some trial and error as soon as I can get out. I have to sort out where I can and can not fish as there are special regulations due to trout stocking at the moment.