Replacing Old Gear

[Dr. Big Dog]

I haven’t fished much the last few years. My rods and reels are really old and worn out. I can’t replace it all at once. Would you start with one rod and reel of the highest quality you could afford? Or, drop to a little lesser quality and get a couple of rigs? 

[ratherbfishin1]

I would recomend starting with nicer combos. I built up a collection of not as nice stuff and had a ton of combos. Well I then realized it was better to just have a few that were nicer. Now I only own 5 combos for bass but they are all nicer combos.  By the way when I say nicer I am a high schooler and can’t afford much so they are in around the $300 price range (I didn’t pay that much)

[Glaucus]

Get a ML/F or M/F spinning setup.

Get a M/F casting setup.

Get a MH/F casting setup. 

 

You've now essentially covered a majority of your bases. You can do almost anything. I would go moderate in price to be able to have nice gear AND options.

[Angry John]

What are we talking about nice.  If your talking mb white python, that rod will do everything, but most have sticker shock. A zillion original will be a forever reel if you are not a weight worrier.  A new sv-13 is I feel the best money can buy for mid range.  So if volume is not preferred you could get one casting and one spinning setup and be done.

[The Bassman]

Are we talking spinning or casting? I can't help but sense that the OP isn't quite into specifics such as lengths and actions. A reasonable quality spinning outfit can be had for under 100.00. If budget allows a medium light and a medium action rod would cover a lot of applications. If baitcasting is preferred one should get as good quality as they can afford.  Cheap casting tackle isn't as forgiving as budget spinning.

[LCG]

6 hours ago, Glaucus said:

Get a ML/F or M/F spinning setup.

Get a M/F casting setup.

Get a MH/F casting setup. 

 

You've now essentially covered a majority of your bases. You can do almost anything. I would go moderate in price to be able to have nice gear AND options.

X2. I will add that I personally spend more money on a quality sensitive rod than a reel. Example I have a st Croix avid x casting rod paired with a Daiwa Fuego ct. $200 rod, $80 reel. Works great. Lots of rods in the $100 range that are fantastic as well. 

[new2BC4bass]

What kind of budget are we talking about?  Spinning, casting or both?  It is much easier to get a quality spinning combo on a tight budget. 

[WRB]

7 hours ago, Dr. Big Dog said:

I haven’t fished much the last few years. My rods and reels are really old and worn out. I can’t replace it all at once. Would you start with one rod and reel of the highest quality you could afford? Or, drop to a little lesser quality and get a couple of rigs? 

What do you currently have that you want to replace?

Tom

[TOXIC]

Without knowing how serious you are about your fishing, it would be a guess as to what gear to recommend.  If you have aspirations about getting serious, I would recommend looking on the swap and sell forums for some higher quality used gear.  If you are a weekend warrior or want to work your way up to better gear, I would recommend some middle of the road gear that won't break the bank and will perform well.  

[LionHeart]

I'd recommend somewhere in the middle.  Get the nicest rod you can afford for lures that you will be dragging on the bottom, like Texas rigs and jigs.  For baits that you plan to cast and reel back, still get quality gear but don't feel like you need to go super high end.

 

 

[OnthePotomac]

Bass Pro has their spring classic sale in March and the sales deals are great.  In addition, you can take in an old working rod or reel and get a cash credit toward either a new reel, or rod and the amount you get depends on how much the new item cost.  I assume that since BPS now owns Cabelas  the same would apply.  for instance, I received a $50 credit for a ProQualifier reel towards a Chronarch MGL 

[junyer357]

When i began upgrading my gear, i started with the techniques i used the most, since those were the ones i would be using the most.

I went with rods first, and based my budget on bottom contact rods (worm, jig, etc..) had a higher budget than moving baits like cranks.

Another reason i went rods first is i also planned to go to dedicated use rods as well. No more multiple use rods like thowing a spinnerbait on a mh-f rod i used for jigs too. I now have a jig rod and a seperate spinnerbait rod. Actually, when i upgraded my jig,that became my dedicated spinnerbait rod for a while, but it has since been upgraded as well. 

I was able to do a good cleaning and lube on my reels, and they were servicable til i could upgrade them, and they were prioritized by favorite uses as well. 

 

I didnt go all rods, then all reels either. After i got some better rods for my favorite techniques, i changed those reels, and repurposed the older ones, or stored them in one of 2 boxes, either back up spares, or parts use only. 

[newyorktoiowa57]

I think you should start with solid mid range gear for the techniques that you use the most.  I am still expanding my arsenal and my first two specialty rods were frog and spinner bait, because I always have those baits tied on.  IMO for reels, think Curado K or Tat SV.  For rods, SC Mojo, Okuma TCS, Dobyns Fury/sierra, etc.  There is no need to buy half a dozen combos at once only to realize you don't need them or fish the techniques they are designed for.  You can often find deals on the items you want for substantially less than retail price.    

[islandbass]

On 12/2/2018 at 1:26 PM, Glaucus said:

Get a ML/F or M/F spinning setup.

Get a M/F casting setup.

Get a MH/F casting setup. 

 

You've now essentially covered a majority of your bases. You can do almost anything. I would go moderate in price to be able to have nice gear AND options.

Solid recommendation that I could not have said better.