If you had it to do over again....

[CGray97]

If you knew what you know now and had it to do over again what would have been your first baitcaster setup? Rod and reel, money not being a factor. 

 

I know sifting through different gear is part of the fun and I know alot of guys go through tons of money finding the perfect combos for them (I'm currently experiencing this?) but I've been curious about this question. 

[Mobasser]

I started around 1971 with an ABU 5000. No thumb bar or any magnetic controls. If I had to do it over I wouldn't change anything. A reel like that teaches you to gradually loosen your spool tension, and use your thumb. Learning on a reel like this makes newer reels seem easy.

[jbsoonerfan]

Very subjective and depends on your fishing goals, and realistically speaking, money is always a factor (at least for most people). For me. I could get by with Shimano Zodias rods and Curado reels (200K, 70 MGL, 150 MGL - even though I haven't used one, I would trust it). I prefer Expride's and Met's, but I am not sure they are that much better, especially if I were building an arsenal of 15 combos. If I only carried 3 or 4, then I would use Poison Adrenas with probably a mix of Aldebaran MGL, Bantam, Met and Antares 70. 

[BrianMDTX]

3 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I started around 1971 with an ABU 5000. No thumb bar or any magnetic controls. If I had to do it over I wouldn't change anything. A reel like that teaches you to gradually loosen your spool tension, and use your thumb. Learning on a reel like this makes newer reels seem easy.

I started on a Daiwa Millionaire 3H. No thumb bar. Had a fancy, rainbow-colored spool tension knob. The first time I casted a bait on a modern, low-profile baitcaster with a thumb bar and a magnetic brake I was like “wha-a-a?” 
 

I have 5 now. I still use my thumb. Maybe not as judicious as before, but it still works as advertised. 

[Columbia Craw]

I went high end on my first combo.     Fenwick Lunker Stik 555 with an Ambassadeur  5000C.  Big bucks.

[QED]

Assuming you mean different choices while holding the temporal constraint, I wouldn't have done anything different.  Unlimited budget back then couldn't have bought you anything more interesting or functional vis-à-vis current high end gear.

[Catt]

Is ya talking today or back when I started?

 

Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000 (red)

Heddon Mark Special Purpose #6271 5 1/2' MH Fiberglass with a cast aluminum reel seat & handle.

Total weight about 2# plus!

 

This what I started tournament fishing with, the next year I added another one.

1978 I added a Shimano Bantam 100 (siver with rose wood handle knobs) on a Fenwick.

1981 I added 2 Shimano Bantam 10XSG on Kunnan rods.

 

Then I moved on to Shimano Calcutta & Crucial rods.

 

Don't think I would have changed a thing.

 

[Mbirdsley]

I feel like the abu black max combo was good beginner set up.  I actually liked my lighting rod with a quantum accurist pti (2nd bait caster).   I still have both set ups for back up.  
 

I would have gotten into the round reel game earlier.  I took some bad advice on that about how they arnt cool or advanced  enough.  Like I said bad advice 

[new2BC4bass]

When I got back into fishing in 2009 I decided I wanted to try a baitcast reel.  After much research, the plan was to buy a Curado 201E7......but TW had a closeout on the Fuego.  $144 and change for a $230 reel so that reel wound up being my first low profile.  Previously I had an old 5001C that I never learned to use.  I have 3 of the OG Fuegos and am not sorry it was my first reel.  But money being no object, I wouldn't mind starting with a Steez or an Antares. 

 

However, the rod is another story.  I bought a used 7' MH Airrus Ultra XL.  TT gave the 7' M an Editor's Choice award.  In my hands this rod is a dead stick.  Definitely would chose another first rod if I could do it again.  From what I read I would go with an Expride as it is said to fish like a much more expensive rod....and I don't feel the need for a $500-$1000 rod.  It would be a waste for me.

[DaubsNU1]

Really started bass fishing in 1991...picked up Cabela's rod and paired with Shimano Curado reel. 

 

I'm still fishing this set up today : ) 

[roadwarrior]

Wow!

Thirty one years is a long time.

[Bass Rutten]

Starting out where I'm at right now would be the obvious answer, who wouldn't want to fast track decades of evolution? The problem with that is you'd rob yourself of the experiences and knowledge you gained from the struggles and experimentation it took to evolve from beginner to more advanced. A first year angler with an nrx in hand has no idea what he's holding or how it's different from a $30 ugly stick because he has no perspective or point of reference.

[Bankbeater]

When I got back into fishing in 2002 I was fishing with the same Millionaire 5HS on the same whippy 6' Daiwa rod that I was using when I took the break.  If I could go back and do it over again I would purchase a new fishing combo as soon as I knew I wanted to fish again.

[Log Catcher]

Like several others I started with an Ambassadeur 5000 reel. I don't even remember what rod it was on. At the time this was the premium baitcast reel. My rods were all 2 piece back then to make it easier to put them in the car whenever we went fishing. I wouldn't change a thing. I still have some old 5000 reels and it wouldn't bother me to clean them up and use them again.

[FishTank]

A Shimano Curado 201 and a St. Croix Avid 7' M Fast. It does just about everything. 

[tholmes]

My first baitcasting set-up was a Shakespeare Model 1920 on a 5' steel rod. ***, no free spool but I learned to cast the dang thing anyway. That was about 1960. By the time I bought my first Ambassadeur 5000 (in '71) my thumb was pretty well educated?

 

 

 

Tom

[newapti5]

So this is the "what if" scenario?  I'd tell my old self to find another hobby; this one will cost me too much money