Good beginners bass rod and reel

[Casey_C89]

Can you guys recommend me a good baitcasting rod and reel? I been fishing for years but never bass fished, and I'm about to start bass fishing and looking for some recommendations for starting out. A lot of my fishing will be done on Indian Creek which is about a 2000+ acre lake.

[bigfruits]

what kind of fishing do you do? do you like artificial baits? are you not sure you'll be into it?

i dont think there is such a thing as a beginner rod. if you know its going to be a lifetime hobby, spend what you can afford.

depending on budget:

reels: citica, curado, core

rods: falcon, fenwick, st. croix avid, loomis imx, loomis glx

[Hammer 4]

Contrary to popular opinions, you can Bass fish with spinning gear..

I would consider the Shimano Citica reel, and the Shimano Crucial rods, depending on your budget.

[Rebbasser]

Take a look at the Bass Pro Shops Extreme combos.  Great rods/reels for the $$$.  Been using them for years and been real happy with them.

[Gone_Phishin]

What's your budget?

[barroncooper]

Contrary to popular opinions, you can Bass fish with spinning gear..

I would consider the Shimano Citica reel, and the Shimano Crucial rods, depending on your budget.

that's a killer small budget combo.

[Crestliner2008]

What's your budget?

X2 - impossible to give you specific recommendations without knowing what you want/can afford to spend!

[barroncooper]

or even the compre or clarus

[Vinny Chase]

Fenwick Eagle GT

Has far as the reel i wouldn't skim on price. If your really serious about fishing you need to invest a little bit more money to get a Shimano Curado. This will help out a lot with back lashing which is a problem with a lot of beginning anglers. 

[Casey_C89]

price I don't want to spend anymore than $200

[MSPbass]

People are going to tell you to get what they like; and around here they like Shimanoa lot. While Shimano certainly does make good stuff, you said you're not a new angler so if you're happy with the rods & reels you currently use, I'd start there. For the reel, look for a solid aluminum frame, no graphite. A 6'6 Medium Heavy graphite rod is a great all around rod and it's where most folks start. Some may argue that 7' is better and some yet will say 7' Medium power; but I suggest a 6'6 MH.

Myself, I'm a fan of Fenwick rods and Pflueger reels. A Trion baitcaster on a Fenwick HMG is a dependable rig that you'll probably use for the rest of your bass fishing career. $99 each.

I'd also check out the combo deals at Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas. The Cabela's Prodigy reel is a Daiwa TD Advantage and you can get the combo for $160. The Bass Pro Extreme combo, like Rebbasser mentioned, is also $160; but folks seem to really like the BPS Pro Qualifier reel. It's got the dual breaks, like the upper-end Pfluegers, and the compact President/Revo body. That combo is $190 right now.

[crappiekid24]

I would get a good 6'6" or 7' MH F rod as this is the most versatile rod you can get. There are alot of good rod choices out there now in the $100 range and a good reel can be had for around $100 as well. I would also recommend going to a store to check out and handle some of the rods and reels.

Rods:

Shimano Compre

Shimano Clarus

Fenwick HMG

St. Croix Premier

Reels:

Shimano Citica

Abu Garcia Revo S

Quantum Accurist PT

I would also check for sales, ebay and the for sale section on this site for some good deals on equipment.

[burleytog]

Shimano Citica

Shimano Compre

[Nine Miler]

Shimano Citica

Shimano Compre

Agreed. 

[BassThumb]

I'd say a new Citica or Curado matched with a used $90-120 Shimano Crucial or St. Croix Avid. 

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewshimanocitica200e.html

[basskatcher()]

Can't go wrong with Shimano.  I'd go w/ a Citica and a Crucial.