Trickerie Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 Hey all, Few months since I got into fishing seriously, and broke my first rod! I purchased a Daiwa Strikeforce combo, and an extremely hungry bass snapped it like a twig last night. Was a 6'6 MH rod. I plan on looking into warranty options, but am also looking into an upgraded setup. For my lighter tackle, I have a St Croix 7' MLF rod with a Pfleuger President reel. Works great and fit my price range perfectly. I'm looking for a baitcaster to deal with my heavier tackle, but still have the ability to throw some lighter stuff (3/16th oz lightest?) So, to compliment my spinning setup, could you guys suggest to me some baitcasting setups? Thanks!! Mark Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted January 23, 2012 Super User Posted January 23, 2012 I'd definitely go with another MH rod. 3/16 oz is pretty light unless you are an expert with a BC reel or invest in a reel designed for the lighter stuff. At least it is for me. I'm nowheres near an expert yet. Either a 50E or 51E (depending on your reeling hand) would handle the 3/16 and heavier, but doesn't hold a lot of line if that is important to you. Have you done a search yet? There have been several threads lately asking pretty much the same question. EDIT: Also the lightest I recall listed for a MH rod is 1/4 oz. That isn't to say that lighter weights can't be cast, but the rod needs to load for optimum casting distance. My buddy Tom D. used a MH Compre last year for everything...including the light stuff, but he has a hefty swing. Quote
Trickerie Posted January 23, 2012 Author Posted January 23, 2012 What price range are you looking at? Id say maybe $200 max for the both? My spinning setup cost me about $120 Quote
lmoore Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 Good price range, you should have a lot of options for that. Personally, I love my Kistler MH Carbon Steel for all around fishing with the ability to throw lighter baits fairly well. They have them listed here for $110: http://www.another site.com/showcase.cfm?PID=5673 That leaves you some room for a pretty nice reel. If you use Ebay and search for "Okuma Citrix" there is a guy that sells them for $87 shipped for the 5.4:1 ratio or $90 for the 7.3:1. They retail for about $120 and are really nice reels. That would be a pretty high-quality set-up for right at your price range. If you would like to spend a little less, I'd take some off the rod before the reel. A good rod is important, but not nearly as much as a good reel. Hope that helps get you started in the right direction. Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted January 23, 2012 Super User Posted January 23, 2012 If we were talking a $50 reel versus a $150 reel, then I would say the reel is more important than the rod, but if both reels are decent quality, then I would say the rod is more important. Especially for contact baits. Not that you can't get a halfway decent reel for $50 because you can, but have to be more careful of what you buy. I've read the H2O reels are quite good for their price point. You can pick up the occasional quality used reel (such as a Citica or old 'Greenie") at that price, but cosmetics probably won't be a 9/10. From what I've read cheap reels can make your life painful. I don't consider my Cabela's Prodigy a cheap reel even tho I got it on sale for $60. I've read excellent reviews on the Trion. Picked up a couple used ones at the end of the season, but can't comment on them from personal experience as they haven't been used by me yet. I have a couple Falcon Originals. New they are $100, but I bought mine used at a small Mom & Pop store for slightly less than $35 apiece. Usually they are around $50-$70 used. Decent sensitivity. Decent casting range. I like mine. Especially at $35!!! . I would say that your rod had a manufacturing defect or got nicked in transit to have broken like a twig. I've caught some nice size fish on UL gear. Never had a rod break yet. Quote
lmoore Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 ^Agree with this. It also made me think...if you're willing to wait a month or 2, Tackle Warehouse usually has some pretty good sales in February or March. Quote
Trickerie Posted January 23, 2012 Author Posted January 23, 2012 Tackle Warehouse currently has the Curado 51E on sale for $119. Tempting... Also, for whatever reason I can't click on the link to the rod. And right-click->copy doesn't work either o.O Mark 1 Quote
lmoore Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 I'm not sure what I copied there. LOL This link should work. EDIT: Did the same thing. If you google "Kistler Carbon Steel" it's the first result from another site.com Quote
Tmmytomato Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 The 51E is a great little reel - I have three and love them. A Curado 201E or G is a great choice too but would probably better suit you for slightly heavier (1/4 oz and up) baits. I have a half dozen of them and they have never disappointed me. As previously metntionedd Tackle Warehouse uusually has some pretty hot deals in a month or so. You might not hurt yourself by going on line and looking at E-Bay or Craig's list either, especially if you can find someone close to your area that you can check out personally. Some very good fishermen who have sponsorships will rotate their gear out each year and some of it is nealy new in the box. Quote
ChiCityBasser Posted January 24, 2012 Posted January 24, 2012 If you have a Cabelas near you I would check out the sale on the XMLTi casting rod model for $119 in the MH model. I picked up a 6'9" M/F spinning model and also a 7' M/F casting model during the sale. I've used the 6'9" model for senkos, Fat ika and plastics work and the rod is very very sensitive and has plenty of backbone as well. Great rod at $199 but a better bargain at $119. Online they don't have many models listed but in-store they still have a pretty good selection. Quote
Trickerie Posted January 25, 2012 Author Posted January 25, 2012 Took a look at the sales at ***, great website. Free shipping over $50, or $5 2 day express! Picked up a Daiwa VIP SM 6'9 M/F for $49.99. For now, I'll just use my cheap Daiwa reel that came with the strikeforce combo until I can upgrade. I really want a Shimano Chronarch 51e, but I'd settle for a Curado 51e. Would that pair well with the rod I picked up? Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted January 27, 2012 Super User Posted January 27, 2012 Took a look at the sales at ***, great website. Free shipping over $50, or $5 2 day express! Picked up a Daiwa VIP SM 6'9 M/F for $49.99. I got the same rod. Not sure what reel to use on it yet. It's a nice looking rod. Needs a nice looking reel. Maybe I'll keep it in the family and put on one of my Fuegos. Quote
MaineBassFishin Posted January 27, 2012 Posted January 27, 2012 Tackle Warehouse currently has the Curado 51E on sale for $119. Tempting... Also, for whatever reason I can't click on the link to the rod. And right-click->copy doesn't work either o.O Mark YES Curados are awesome reels the 50e will be able to handle pretty much all lightweight plastics/lures and will also be able to handle heavier stuff aswell Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted January 28, 2012 Super User Posted January 28, 2012 Go with a Curado or a Pro Qualifier from Bass Pro Shops. The Curado is the best $150 baitcaster you can buy, and the PQ the best $100 model. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.