rod/reel help

[rippinlips]

Well this is my first post here so here it goes...I am just getting back into fishing after a long absece.( i am 23 and when i was in high school i fished everyday in the summer). I gave it up for baseball and then college got in the way. I really miss it so i decided to pick it up again. I really like wading through large creeks but i also want to lake fish so my question is i have my rod and reel for the creek but what should i get for a lake rod...i prefer spinning reels. any advice would be great.

[Deuceu72]

What kind of set-up do you currently have? What kinds of baits are you thinking of using in the lake? You need to try a be a little more specific as to what you're wanting to do as far as using plastics, sticking to reaction baits, etc.........

[Deuceu72]

Oh, and welcome to the boards!  ;D ;D ;D

[rippinlips]

the current set up i have is a Berkley Lightning IM6 rod with a Shimano syncopate spinning reel which i am going to use in the creeks. but as for the lakes/ponds, i was planning on using worms,crank, and stickbaits. from there i am kinda stuck, can i still stick to a spinning reel and be ok? obviusly i would get a longer rod than the one i currently have, it is only 5'8''. i love smaller poles, espescially for the creeks, i feel like i have more control and feel but i would lose cast distance etc. I hope this helped. any suggestions would be greatly apprecated.

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard!

A 6 1/2 or 7' Medium Power/ Fast Action rod will serve you well. Match this up with a Shimano Stradic 2500FH and you would have something like one of these:

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=59174&hvarDept=100&hvarEvent=&hvarClassCode=3&hvarSubCode=2&hvarTarget=browse

[Hawgin]

You can get away with using spinning gear for those applications as long as you plan on using small crankbaits.  If you want to use deeper/bigger cranks I would recommend considering a baitcast set up.  

I would recommend a rod probably 6'6".  Then it depends on what you want to spend.  If you want to stay in the $50-$75 dollar range I would recommend another Lightning Rod,  a Fenwick Eagle GT, or a Bass Pro Shops branded rod when they are on sale (something like a bionic blade, extreme, or rick clunn).  If you are looking around $100 I would consider a St. Croix Premier, Fenwick HMX, or a Team All Star.  If you spend more than that I would consider going up to a Fenwick Techna AV, or a high end St. Croix (unless you want to get really serious then you can consider a Loomis, but I wouldn't buy anything below an IMX).  

For reels, that's 100% personal preference.  Most people really like Shimano.  However, in my opinion most companies make pretty comparable reels based on their price range.