Son Joined Hs Fishing Team, Looking To Get A New Reel

[smpen]

My son and I have always enjoyed fishing but dont get the opportunity as much as we like. When we do fish it is usually at the pond on the farm because we dont have a boat. He joined the High School Fishing Team this year and fished in his first tournament this fall. He really enjoyed it and I thought I would get him a new rod and reel or two for christmas since the ones we have is old or not very good. Any sugestions on what to get him without breaking the bank? He can use spinning and baitcasting reels. He mainly will be bass fishing using soft plastics, spinners, cranks, and stuff.

The reels he uses now is my old Pflueger Criterion baitcaster, CTN440, 6.3:1 gear ratio, with a Plueger Criterion 6' Med Action rod with 12lb Trilene XT Extra tough Line.

Abu Garcia MX120R spinner, 5.2:1 gear ratio on a Zebco 6' med action rod. I prob bought this when I was a teenager it is so old.

This combo was given to him thru FLW for some reason and I think it is a cheap combo. Mitchell 310X spinner, 4.9:1 gear ratio on a Mitchell 5'6" Light Action rod.

I have looked at webpages of rods and reels until my eyes hurt and I am no better off now then I was when I started. I was thinking maybe getting something so he could have different choices when he fishes and he could just switch reels. I am just a recreational pond fisherman and dont have alot of knowledge when it comes to different set ups.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[NCLifetimer]

I would recommend a 2 rod set up. One for moving baits(crank baits, spinners, lipless cranks, topwater, etc). A medium to medium heavy action rod would be good. The next would would a medium heavy to heavy action rod for jigs, plastics, etc.

Get the rod length that your son is comfortable casting, Im 6' and for me that is between 6' 6" and 7' 6", with the preference on the higher end.

He can definitely still use the rods that you already have, but they are on the light/smaller end of the spectrum. I would definitely get him a longer/heavy action rod for plastics/jigs.

The more rods that you have, the better in my opinion. I personally would rather own a mid priced 6 rod set up then have 2 or 3 really nice rods and reels, the ability to have different lures rigged at the same time is important. I just went from 2 rods to 4 and its a huge advantage.

Spinnering or baitcasting, that is up to him. Either work.

St. Croix makes a good rod for relatively cheap, the Triumphs sell for about 80 I believe. As for reels, I have a lower level Abu Garcia (silver max) that has been flawless for the past 3 years, they can be picked up for about 60 dollars. Its not a 250 dollar Shimano or Revo, but it gets the job done. Lews also makes a relatively lower priced reel (100 or so) that has good reviews. Just like anything else, you get what you pay for. The higher end rod/reels are nice, but not necessary by any means.

Not sure exactly what your price range is, but that information will help others on this site make specific recommendations.

Good luck to you and your son, he has just entered an addicting and expensive hobby I just joined my college's bass fishing team and can confirm both of those claims

[walleyejgr]

Take a look at the Pflueger Supreme Xt in a 30 series and look at the Fenwick Eagle GT rods . Would be a good all around set-up for him . Congrats to the young man , and to you sir !!! Tight-lines !

[Packard]

I'm not sure what price range you were looking for but here are some combos that might work for him in different price ranges. I am a Shimano guy myself so my combos may be a bit biased.

Under $100 Baitcast: Abu Garcia Black Max Reel $49.99 and an Abu Garcia Vengeance 6'6" Mh Fast $49.99

Under $100 Spinning: Pflueger Trion Gx-7 Spinning Reel $39.99 and a Shimano Sellus 6'8" M $49.99

$100-$150 Baitcast: Shimano Caius Reel $69.99 and a Shimano Clarus 6'8" Mh Fast $79.99

$100-$150 Spinning: Shimano Sahara Reel $79.99 and a Shimano Clarus 6'8" M Fast $79.99 (Actually $160 Total)

$150-$200 Baitcast: Lew's Speed Spool 6.4:1 $89.99 and a Shimano Compre, Powell Max, or St. Croix Premier

$150-$200 Spinning: Pflueger Sumpreme MGX Reel $99.99 and a Compre, Powell Max, or Premier

Hope this helped you. Shimano is always a good way to go, never had a problem with their products. If you were looking to spend more than this, then I suggest you get the specifics on what he wants. 

Good Luck!

[roadwarrior]

Moderately priced "all-around" rod & reel:

St. Croix Avid AVC68MXF/ Shimano Citica

[Ima Bass Ninja]

You can't go wrong with a BPS pro Qualifier for 79.99....pair that with a abu garcia vendetta for 79.99 and you have a great combo that will last. Also looks pretty sweet together.. ALWAYS check the flea market forum on this website you will find some GREAT deals from some wonderful people.

[smpen]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I will look at what everybody suggested and pick up a couple more poles. I will post on here what I decided to get. We live probably 5 minutes from the Kentucky Lake Dam and I have been hinting to the other half about maybe getting a bassboat so he can practice, hehe. We will see how that goes, lol.

NCLifetimer, somebody mentioned to him that a couple Colleges close by have fishing scholarships and that has put a spark in his eye, lol.

Thanks

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Here is some sage advice from Roadwarrior that I fully subscribe to;

[North Ga Hillbilly]

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lews-Laser-Tournament-LFS8482-Speed-Spin-Combo/1192884.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=/catalog/search.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dlews%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=lews&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

Should be a pretty good spinning setup. reel alone is that much

[zip pow]

You can't go wrong with a BPS pro Qualifier for 79.99....pair that with a abu garcia vendetta for 79.99 and you have a great combo that will last. Also looks pretty sweet together.. ALWAYS check the flea market forum on this website you will find some GREAT deals from some wonderful people.

Amen to that there great reels

[smpen]

I looked at everyones replies and then looked at the reviews and am going to get the shimano citica and the bps pro qualifier for the reels. The silver max goes on sale for $39 so I think I am going to pick one of those up on the side. I am still looking at which rods to get with them. I dont ever rush into buying things unless they are on a big sale, lol.

[MN Bassin' nOOb]

I looked at everyones replies and then looked at the reviews and am going to get the shimano citica and the bps pro qualifier for the reels.

So you're going w/2 baitcasters? I thought you wanted one spinning and one baitcaster?

Don't get me wrong, I have both the Citica 200E and BPS PQ (and really like them both).

I have the Citica paired w/a 7' M/F Vendetta ($80), and the PQ paired with a 7' MH/F BPS XPS Extreme ($100 now, but I got it on sale for $60).

[JIGFISHERMAN.]

7'med spinning rod.

All depends on your budget.

IMO $100 is the best bang for your buck price point. Maybe up to $120. After that your gain/$ spent starts to taper off.

For budget reasons, and the fact they are rock solid reliable, regardless of their cost, I'd go with a Pflueger President spinning reel on that rod.

After that I would go with a 7'MH baitcasting rod. And Revo S, BPS Pro Qualifier, or Citica.

Keep the classifieds section in mind. You will be able to score MUCH nicer equipment by carefully buying used vs buying new.

I've saved $100 on rods that cost $250 new. That is a BIG chunk of savings.

EDIT: I see most of that is already covored. I really think that the two rods above are the most universal rods you can find.

[psuangler91]

I'd say go with a cabelas rod. I have three, a 7' XMLti, a 6'6" Prodigy and a fish eagle 2. They are all really good rods and a great value. I've found that with cabelas your definitely going to get more bang for your buck and they'll take anything back so if you don't like it or it snaps you can just get replace it with something else. The XMLti is their top of the line rod and it's normally $200 but has been on sale for $119 forever. It performs just as well as the big name rods like abu, st. croix, etc. at the same price point. the prodigy is really good too I use that for my finesse applications, and the fish eagle I use for small cranks and jigs. The only problem with it is the handle is a little short for my liking, but that's personal preference. I just joined The college fishing circuit for Penn State this year and fished the Big Ten classic for my first tournament. It completely changed my life, all I want to do is fish competitively now. I spend all my money on gear and spend all my time reading articles and watching fishing videos. Your son will love it. I'd never been on a real bass boat before and whenever we threw the pedal down at blast off it was just that a "BLAST OFF." going 70 mph I thought my face was going to peel off but it was the most exhilarating feeling, And hooking up with a fish in a tournament is like getting into a ten pounder every time. My heart started beating out of my chest even if it was a dink.

[ChiCityBasser]

I'd say go with a cabelas rod. I have three, a 7' XMLti, a 6'6" Prodigy and a fish eagle 2. They are all really good rods and a great value. I've found that with cabelas your definitely going to get more bang for your buck and they'll take anything back so if you don't like it or it snaps you can just get replace it with something else. The XMLti is their top of the line rod and it's normally $200 but has been on sale for $119 forever. It performs just as well as the big name rods like abu, st. croix, etc. at the same price point. the prodigy is really good too I use that for my finesse applications, and the fish eagle I use for small cranks and jigs. The only problem with it is the handle is a little short for my liking, but that's personal preference. I just joined The college fishing circuit for Penn State this year and fished the Big Ten classic for my first tournament. It completely changed my life, all I want to do is fish competitively now. I spend all my money on gear and spend all my time reading articles and watching fishing videos. Your son will love it. I'd never been on a real bass boat before and whenever we threw the pedal down at blast off it was just that a "BLAST OFF." going 70 mph I thought my face was going to peel off but it was the most exhilarating feeling, And hooking up with a fish in a tournament is like getting into a ten pounder every time. My heart started beating out of my chest even if it was a dink.

I have one of the newer XMLTi rods that I use 6'9" M/F that I use as a plastics rod and got it on sale for $109 after $10 off and I don't know about some of the other rods but this is the best bang for the buck. It's super light and sensitive and I've been using it for plastics, mainly fat ika's and senko's. My brothers fish the Veritas and Verdict and its no comparison after they've used the xmlti rod. They are still on sale for $119 as of today as well.

[zell_pop1]

Tackle Warehouse has Daiwa Smallmouth rods for $60 on clearance. 6'9 MH for wormin/jiggin and 6'9 M for spinnerbaits/buzzbaits/soft plastics.

[northern basser]

Okuma Cayenne. It is a nice reel at regular price and a must have at $69. The reel is small, solid (aluiminum sideplate on handle side), comes stock w/ abec 5 spool bearings and has 10lbs of smooth drag. I have 2 of them and if they came in more gear ratios I'd have more. I tried to add the link, but this site won't allow it. Anyway it is:

monster fishing tackle (outdoor proshop) then go to the bottom of the page and click on Okuma.

As for a rod, I would definitely look into the cabelas XML and XMLti rods. They are sensitive, very durable and they are on sale often also. IMO they are better than any rod in their price range.

I sold my Dobyns champion because I thought the XML I got on sale for $79 was more sensitive and performed just as good.

[northern basser]

Whats up. You can't add links or manually type a web site on this forum cause it will automatically sensor it.

[R520dvx]

I sent you a message. I am VERY close to you and can help with your selection. Greg

[new2BC4bass]

I picked up the XMLTi at $120 and the previous model of that rod for $90 (plus 10% off) a few weeks ago at Cabela's. Both are 6'6" MH rods. I have a Patriarch XT on the newer model. It makes for a very light outfit, and casts a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait a long ways. Only got to fish if for a short time one day (the older model not at all) so I haven't been able to determine how sensitive these rods are. Very nice looking rods, tho, and at a great price.

I need a few more rods myself, but funds are short (replaced hot water heater yesterday ). I'd like to get a couple of the Clark Wendlandt rods at $100, but even that is a bit much. So I've been looking at the Daiwa V.I.P rods at $60. This is about half their original price (as is the price of the Wendlandt rods).

New is nice. Especially for Christmas. Closeouts are the best way to go for new. As an example, I picked up some Falcon Elites for less than $120 shipped...$289 rods, and a Daiwa Cielo for $75 shipped...a $300 rod. From what I've read, the old model Shimano Compre would make great additions to your son's lineup.

However, (as others have already said) if you don't mind used, you can get some very good deals on rods that would normally be out of your budget range.

There are other rods that fly under a fishing forum's radar for the most part because they aren't expensive or used by the pros. Here is a thread that mentions a few brands of rods that apparently fish above their price point. I'm thinking of trying a couple myself.

I'm especially interested in the Tsunami Airwaves. Check the thread out. Good luck and don't forget to let us know what you get. A review of them later would also be great.

[LgMouthGambler]

Bass Pro Shops PRO QUALIFIER, best bang for the buck!!!!!! Berkley Lightning Rod, and some 65lb Spiderwire. Never fails!

[DogmanRich]

Pflueger president 6935 60bux spinning, revo s 130, theres too many rods out there... St croix look to be a great brand.

[Jrob78]

Pflueger president 6935 60bux spinning, revo s 130, theres too many rods out there... St croix look to be a great brand.

I think you're a couple of years late, the kid is in college now 

[DogmanRich]

Yep just saw that he can get the revo s 3, wonder how it popped up as new