looking to get my first "real" pole for christmas

[big c is very cool]

I have been fishing seriously for about 6 months now and the walmart poles arent cuttin it anymore. I lost many fish Including what looked to be my first nothern pike. Now I was lloking for a new one for under 100 bucks.

The reel I was looking at would be a penn silverado spinning reel. It hold up to fifteen pound line, which should take care of the losing the fish part. It has six ball bearing, and weighs 16 oz.

The pole is a cabelas toruney trail spinning rod. It is 6'6" tall and comes in two pieces.

I was just wondering if that is a good starter rod.

I have one last question about fishing line. Can 10 lb line only hold 10  pounds? I was just looking for an all purpose line that could catch muskie, walleye, northerns, and bass? I dont like to switch it everytime I go fishing and I am sick of losing fish.

Thanks for any help,

Corey

[Hawgin]

Big C,

 I would recommend a few things to you when you look to buy a higher quality rod.  

1.) I would look at a more "name" brand rod than a Cabela's brand.  For around a $100, you could pick up a nice St. Croix Premier, a Fenwick HMX, or even an All Star rod which are going to be much nicer rods than the Cabela's.  

2.) Unless you can only transport a two piece rod, I would suggest you look at one piece rods.  There is some debate over if/how much sensitivity you lose by using a two piece rod, but it has been my experience that a one piece rod will give you a much better feel for what you are doing.

3.) For your question about fishing line, I would recommend some type of braided line if you want to avoid breaking, and you would like to use it for multiple fish species.  You can get 50# line like power pro, that only has the diameter of 12# mono.  You won't have to worry about as many line break offs, and I think this would work okay for multiple species, but I am no expert on much fishing outside of bass and crappie.

[Bassassasin12]

Here are my recommendations, again just my opinions.

1. That reel is huge and sounds like a light saltwater reel. Get another reel. You can find some for pretty cheap that have around 10-11 bearings and dont weight nearly as much and will still hold a good amount of line. I would recommend the diawa regal Xi. This reel is only 39.99

2. I would again go with a name brand rod. St Croix Premier is a very reliable and quality rod. The Team all star rods are top of the line and I know people that swear by them.

3. I don't know how you would fish for pike,walleye, muskie and bass all at the same time on the same rig. So I think that is a little unreasonable. Unless you are using live bait all of those species require different presentations. I would say make this one primarily a bass and or walleye rig. Your gonna need something bigger for the bigger species.

[Matt Jungblut]

heres my options

shimano diawa pinnacle abu garcia mitchell reels can get some pretty decent for around 40-100$

rods st.criox shimano diawa all star all can be found under 100$

for line i would go with power pro braid 40lb. it has a diam of i think 10 lb test which should work great on most any spinin reel unles u buy a real small 1

the braid will help with u losing fish its super strong

[Craw]

I think you would love the St Croix Premier rod and you can get one for just under $100.

Bassassasin12 recommended the Daiwa Regal Xi and if you're interested, Bass Pro has them on sale now for $34.95. Here's the link http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=67752&hvarDept=100&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=1&hvarSubCode=2&hvarTarget=browse

A 2500 is a good all around size reel and if you use a small diameter braid you should be ready for almost anything.

[RiskKid.]

Much good advice already given. My suggestion would be a St Croix Premier MHF. I would normally say a MF as I think it a better choice for just bass and walleye but you will need the MHF for big pike and muskie and it can be used for the bass and walleye. Depending on your budget for a reel I would get a Shimano Sedona, Sahara, Semetre or Stradic in the 2500 size. I recommend a braid line in 30 lb (this has the diameter of 8 lb mono, my reasoning here is the same for chosing the MHF rod.

This will always be an excellent setup for pike and muskie and good for all around bass and walleye fishing. As you get more funds to buy more gear you will probably want to add a MF rod with a different line (different options on line) as it will give you more versatility for bass and walleye situations.

[Grey Wolf]

The rod and reel you refer to in your original post would not be a good starter outfit because the reel is too heavy and the rod is a two piece. If you are really serious about fishing , get a quality set-up

The st. croix premier rod is an excellant rod to start out with at a cost of 90.00 . 6'6"----6-12 lb. line--- 1/4 to 5/8 ounce lures.

A shimano saraha 2500 spinning reel at a cost of 59.95 . 9.7 ounces----140 yards of eight lb. line.

Super braid line with a rating of 30 lbs.(8lb. diameter ). Power pro , fire line are some good braids.

Now I know you said under 100.00 but if you can save up the money for this set up (170.00) , you will have a quality out-fit. It's up tp you.

[big c is very cool]

thanks for all your help guys. I ended up buying my uncles abu garcia cardinal reel unused for 10.00(He bought it for like 70 so i aint complainin :. Then I bought that St Croix rod for 80.00 in 7 ft. Then I got 40 lb spider wire. It is my christmas present though so I haven't used it yet. Bummer.

Once again thanks for all your help,

Corey

[BucketmouthAngler13]

Fenwick has a great model for $100. Also a St Croix Premier and Browning Six Rivers retail at $100, bolth good rods.