Opinions: The Most UNDER / OVER rated Rods & Reels

[PourMyOwn]

On 1/18/2020 at 5:19 AM, kayaking_kev said:

Shimano FX cost about $15 and if you want a good cheap glass rod for cranking, I would recommend it. I even hooked a couple 10 lb+ catfish while panfishing on it and it held up great, lots of parabolic bend to them.

Just bought 2 for 40 dollars shipped.  I'll be using them to throw squarebills and spinnerbaits. The 2 piece will be perfect for the trunk of my car.

Thanks!

[BMOE-RN]

Rods: Diawa airdx.  Light and pretty sensitive.  

[NOC 1]

Most under-rated reel...I'd have to say the Daiwa Laguna. Under $50. Sure it's a Carbon frame and not the Mag-Z brakes, but it actually feels like a good reel and have proven themselves to be tough. I was looking to put together a couple of cheap rigs that I could hand over to my grand kids, nieces, nephews, my brother and other people who are not really fishermen. I just can't see handing over a nice Megabass rod and Steez combo to folks who don't really fish.

I tried 4 different Kastking reels based on the hype and thought they all felt pretty cheap and unpredictable. As a result, they get a nod for being way over-rated.

 

Also the Plfueger reels, both BC and spinning are punching well above their price.

 

As for under-rated rods?...I'll go with the crowd on the Berekly Cherrywood and add the Fenwick Eagle to the mix. Both are very nice rods for the money. (and they go great with those Cheap Laguna reels). I think that the ABU Villain series is overlooked as well.

 

Over-rated rods? Loomis for starters. I know everyone owes Gary Loomis a thanks for the modern fishing rod, but at this point the Loomis rods are way over priced. The same could be said of a lot of the Megabass stuff too, but at least with the Megabass rods you get a very nice looking rod. Both make great rods, but all Loomis and some Megabass are way overpriced.

[NOC 1]

12 hours ago, humbleangler said:

St. Croix is overrated in my opinion...they make great products and remain an industry leader for a reason...very strong, very sensitive rods...however, I just don't find they balance as well as some other brands that get much less attention. I've only ever owned a Premier and I like it, but find myself reaching for other offerings more often. Mojo's seemed very heavy when handling in the store and although the Avids felt nice in hand, I just didn't think they were worth the price tag...maybe I would have felt differently fishing them. 

 

I really like my St. Croix rods...now. At first I bought a couple of LTB rods, 7'1" medium F, and a (I think) 7' MH MF.

I was very disappointed with the way they felt out in the yard. So much so that I avoided even trying them out for real until my sons and I organized a trip where we would all meet at Norfork Lake in Arkansas. I bought them along thinking maybe I would trade them for something. Along the way I decided to at least give them a shot...I was shocked at how much I actually liked them when I actually fished them. They were sensitive and felt alive and handled fish better than any other rods I have.

 

They still feel tip heavy and clumsy when I pull them off the rack at home, but out on the boat where it counts, they are some of my favorites now...

 

Lesson learned, flopping a rod around the living room or at the store really has nothing to show me about how well a rod fishes.

[Finessegenics]

12 hours ago, NittyGrittyBoy said:

I have a Pflueger President,  great reel. Didnt know anybody else knew about it ?

 

I figured since it wasnt a revered Shimano or Diawa it wasnt worth mentioning on this site. ?

I’m surprised to hear you say that. I own a president myself and it’s a great reel but it gets mentioned every single time on any “suggestion for spinning reel” thread. I find that pflueger is quite popular with the members on here

[Mobasser]

5 hours ago, Catt said:

Underrated reel

Abu Garcia Black Max; my has one he got for free, it's about 8 yrs & still performs flawlessly. 

 

Underrated rods

Castaway, All Star, & H2O XPRESS Ethos

Catt, another under rated reel: the H20 Mettle baitcast reel from Academy. My grandson has one. I think I gave 40 bucks for it. Works great

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Underrated reel...Shimano siennas..30$ can be found cheaper though tough little reels i have 5 or 6 ..Underated rod uglystik intercoastals fuji reel seats and guides all for 40$

[swhit140]

Just my personal experience/review.

 

Underrated Reel: Daiwa Fuego CT, now I have 5 of them

 

Overrated Rod: St Croix Bass X, Tip heavy rod/returned it 

 

[Hammer 4]

Rods:...Diawa Tatula XT's..Well built, Light, and sensitive..I have 3 of em.

 

Reels, BC: Diawa Fuego CT..I use mine for froggin, very smooth out of the box, great value.

 

Reels: Spinning, again the Diawa Fuego, great reel, cept for some cases of line lay, super easy fix, these are very smooth out of the box, and at this price point still have the reverse switch.

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, swhit140 said:

Just my personal experience/review.

 

Underrated Reel: Daiwa Fuego CT, now I have 5 of them

 

59 minutes ago, Hammer 4 said:

Reels, BC: Diawa Fuego CT..I use mine for froggin, very smooth out of the box, great value.

I enjoyed using my Fuego CT-XS for pitching/flipping/frogging so much that when I decided to set up a dedicated crankbait rig - I went with the Fuego CT-H.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

14 hours ago, Finessegenics said:

I’m surprised to hear you say that. I own a president myself and it’s a great reel but it gets mentioned every single time on any “suggestion for spinning reel” thread. I find that pflueger is quite popular with the members on here

I dont frequent the spinning reel discussions since I have virtually nil experience using them. So the opinions are best left to the experienced ?

 

I do enjoy fishing them though and trying to keep one in my hand more often. ?

[Bandersnatch]

On 1/18/2020 at 6:01 PM, PhishLI said:

I like my Curado K, but I don't love it. I'm surprised whenever someone on these boards inquires about "which reel as a good all-arounder"  or " first baitcaster" and people recommend the K. It's not a good lighter bait reel, IMO, so how is it a good all around reel? Its unpredictable at about 3/8 ounce and can be tough to dial in there with less than aerodynamic lures, and worse below that weight. The external adjustment dial stinks in every way and I don't like the thumb bar height, especially compared to the Chronarch. That said I enjoy using it when I'm throwing 1/2oz baits. It's a nice reel there and above. Very smooth and long casting. I'm keeping it but I should've just gotten another Chronarch. No complaints at all with that one. It does everything very well. So yeah, I think the K is over rated/hyped.

I agree with the curado K. I too see all the love but when compared to the rest of the mgl reels it just feels clunky, always needing you to adjust. 

[MAN]

On 1/18/2020 at 11:16 PM, humbleangler said:

In all seriousness, on the low end, Berkley Cherrywood rods are very underrated...sure, the components are value driven and super basic, but they are rock solid and the rods are surprisingly well balanced and responsive for $25...seriously, $25...If your budget is tight, there really isn't an equivalent option in my opinion. 

 

I totally agree with this ^^^

[greentrout]

underrated baitcaster ... bps ... pro qualifier ...

 

underrated rod ... bps ... bionic blade ...

 

good fishing ...

[OCdockskipper]

1 hour ago, greentrout said:

underrated baitcaster ... bps ... pro qualifier ...

 

underrated rod ... bps ... bionic blade ...

 

good fishing ...

This makes me smile because one of my setups is a Pro qualifier on a Bionic Blade rod.  I wanted a shorter rod with a pistol grip and a the time, the Bionic Blade was the best rod with that grip.  I have been happy with the performance of both.

[redmeansdistortion]

Under rated rods: Okuma, I love their Celilo and SST rods.

 

Over rated rods: Loomis, they're at least triple the cost of the Okuma SST and Lamiglas X11 but not much lighter or sensitive.

 

Under rated reel: Penn Fierce III.  Same price as the equivalent sized President but with all metal construction, carbon fiber drag, and much easier to self service.

 

Over rated reel: Daiwa Tatula.  I love how it performs, but the T-Wing can be troublesome when passing through a heavier leader.  I like the Fuego CT much more.

[waymont]

Most under rated reel:

Daiwa Tatula 150

 

Most under rated rod and dissed disproportionately on BR:

G Loomis E6x

Over rated rods:

St Croix LTB casting rods.

both I had were very tip heavy. Very well put together and beautiful but I could never fish them comfortably.

[Quarry Man]

Underrated- 

 

Berkley Lightning Rod - great cheap rod, good blank and grip and guides for the price. I dislike the reel seat.

 

Abu Garcia Black Max - Great reel for budget anglers. I went backwards. First casting reel was $300, most recent was the Black Max. Am I disappointed in the money I spent, no, but I am blown away by this reel. Probably won't hold up, but for an almost free combo, not bad.

 

Cabela's Arachnid Casting Reel - discontinued Daiwa made for Cabala's reel, upgraded tattle type r. reason you can't find em is because I buy em all. sucks that they don't make them anymore.

 

Shimano Stradic FA - well respected reel, but I love it more than the new ones, love the look and handle and drag sound.

 

Cousin's rods - no longer in business, good components, made in use, great rods overall

 

Falcon rods - imo most underrated company in the industry. not the most flashy company but man they produce some great rods.

 

13 fishing customer service - warranty is important when buying rods, I have gone through them time and time again. I love their rods, but I rest assured they are safe if they break.

 

 

Overrated

 

Shimano Curado 70 - just didn't perform to my standards. Good reel? yes. but not worth 200$ buy a tattle sv imo. also the handle cap fell off after one day of use.

 

St croix avid x - stiff rod, not very sensitive or light compared to my cheaper rods. very well built and good components more being durable than it is based on performance

 

Carrot Stix customer service - had a broken rod sent to me, I was upset, contacted customer service, 59$ for a new rod. now im sitting on a brand new broken rod, have to pay another 59$ for a new one, which isn't even in stock for anther couple months, what a joke

[Bigassbass]

St Croix overrated, all of them, underrated Japanese make rods any of them.

[Southcoast Bassin]

Falcon New Low Rider series rods   Can be found for $100 on Ebay .. Incredible Rods ! WOW

There is NO rod out there for $100 that is as sensitive  , light and powerful !

 

Diawa Fuego spinning Best spinning reel for the $ guaranteed.  $70.00 … AGAIN  Incredible !

 

8 hours ago, Quarry Man said:

Underrated- 

 

Berkley Lightning Rod - great cheap rod, good blank and grip and guides for the price. I dislike the reel seat.

 

Abu Garcia Black Max - Great reel for budget anglers. I went backwards. First casting reel was $300, most recent was the Black Max. Am I disappointed in the money I spent, no, but I am blown away by this reel. Probably won't hold up, but for an almost free combo, not bad.

 

Cabela's Arachnid Casting Reel - discontinued Daiwa made for Cabala's reel, upgraded tattle type r. reason you can't find em is because I buy em all. sucks that they don't make them anymore.

 

Shimano Stradic FA - well respected reel, but I love it more than the new ones, love the look and handle and drag sound.

 

Cousin's rods - no longer in business, good components, made in use, great rods overall

 

Falcon rods - imo most underrated company in the industry. not the most flashy company but man they produce some great rods.

 

13 fishing customer service - warranty is important when buying rods, I have gone through them time and time again. I love their rods, but I rest assured they are safe if they break.

 

 

Overrated

 

Shimano Curado 70 - just didn't perform to my standards. Good reel? yes. but not worth 200$ buy a tattle sv imo. also the handle cap fell off after one day of use.

 

St croix avid x - stiff rod, not very sensitive or light compared to my cheaper rods. very well built and good components more being durable than it is based on performance

 

Carrot Stix customer service - had a broken rod sent to me, I was upset, contacted customer service, 59$ for a new rod. now im sitting on a brand new broken rod, have to pay another 59$ for a new one, which isn't even in stock for anther couple months, what a joke

Totally agree on Falcon rods … The new Low Rider can be found online for $100

Just a home run ! Super sensitive .. light and Strong !

[Spankey]

Over rated, under rated I guess that’s all in the eyes and hands of the beholder. 
 

I like the St. Croix sticks I use. I fish the Premiere series spinning rods and Premiere Crankbait Rods. My Avid Spinning Rods I fish all plastics on them. Don’t own a St Croix that is a grade higher than them. No need for me to really. They could be over rated. I wish they were a bit cheaper in price. I don’t know. I like my results with them and I like their warranty. Over all the years I’ve used it twice but they took care of me. No $$$$ out of my pocket. Had to pay shipping one way but that was easy. Rod went back, I got a new rod. Register your stuff, save the headache later. 
 

Abu Garcia Rods. Have been fishing a few of them. “Veritas” series. I am way More over pleased as to how that is going. I like them. I like what they put out as a Moderate action rod. 
 

Shimano. I’ll always be a Shimano guy. Have always been able to get a partS if I needed it or just wanted to replace something. I somewhat recently had a issue with a 3000 NASCI. Just did not feel right after short usage. Called them, boxed it and sent it to the person they told me to. Few weeks later a new 3000 NASCI is on my doorstep. 
 

Daiwa I feel just about the same way.  I’m still using a Tournament SS from the 80’s. I rebuilt it. Big deal. At least it was made with the ability to rebuild. Still use it on the river fishing grubs for Smallies. The higher end Daiwa spinning stuff is good. 
 

You couldn’t give me a Quantum reel. I’d give it away or sell it for cents on a dollar. Their Customer Service sucks. Parts source is terrible. Had A simple issues with a reel that I really did like. Their answer was to send it back with what ever the $$$ amount was and they would sent me what was an upgraded reel. I wasn’t going that direction. I machined a part and fixed it myself. I’d just never go the Quantum direction again. 

[PourMyOwn]

On 1/20/2020 at 9:13 PM, greentrout said:

underrated baitcaster ... bps ... pro qualifier ...

 

underrated rod ... bps ... bionic blade ...

 

good fishing ...

I like my Pro Qualifier a lot more than my Shimano SLX, and just a little less than my Fuegos. When they're on sale in the spring, hard to pass them up.

[Nathan.bass.canada]

As far as over rated, I think any big hype, big sale products. Stuff that is "on sale" when its been reduced to a price that is actually what the company wants. Every product from the Favorite brand seems to be made out of pure advertising and hype. Duckett products are all expensive for chinese rebrands. Shimano's high end products are amazing, but ridiculously priced. I have owned many stradics all the way up to a stella and dont notice a difference. Abu garcia reels are a joke, all made by doyo and I destroyed a brand new ambassadeur c4 last year by doing absolutly nothing wrong. Abu's low end tho is amazing for beginners. St-croix rods, depending on the series, get heavy and not so sensitive on their bigger rods. G-loomis rods are way overpriced, but sadly worth it.

 

Under rated, most solid lower end reels from many companies are actually great, okuma ceymars, abu black max, shimano caenan, daiwa revros, pflueger reels etc. As far as rods go, okuma rods are really nice for the price, to bad the reels dont follow... fenwick HMGs and HMXs are not uber expensive and are a real nice rod. I find daiwa tatulas xt are also cheap and reliable good rods nobody talks about. But as a go anywhere cheap rod to me the most under rated rods are the okuma ceymar, abu garcia vengeance, fenwick eagle, shimano slx. 

[Spankey]

On 1/17/2020 at 7:08 PM, moguy1973 said:

I will agree with this.  I have had a couple Berkley Amp spinning rods in the past and they were really sensitive and a nice rod for how cheap they are.  I currently use a couple Berkley Lightning rods that work well for my kind of fishing also.

I'll agree with Abu reels being disappointments also.  I have a Revo S that had bearings go out after about 5 fishing trips.  Abu rods are a different story as one of my favorite rods is a 2nd gen Veritas.

I have to agree with you on the Abu Veritas gen 2 rods. The ones I have are great. No regrets on buying those    
rods. 
 

I’ve been using a REVO “Winch” Reel with the lower gear ratio and been loving that also. 
 

That “Winch” rod and reel set up was one of the best purchases I’ve made. Made for crankbait fishing and that’s all I use it for. Didn’t break the bank either. TW sale days made it too good to pass on. 
 

Hard to believe some of the negative Veritas reviews but what do I know. I’m not having issues now. Who know what tomorrow will bring. 

[MN Fisher]

2 hours ago, alexabrown252 said:

I realized that fishing reels must be expensive. My cheap ones fail quickly.

Inexpensive and cheap aren't equivalent. You just have to get the right inexpensive reels. There are a number of spinners under $100 that have proven themselves over time as well as a number of baitcasters under $150. Ask here about the affordable ones that will last. I know I have a few that would be considered 'budget' reels that have served me well.