Rod selection for a NOVICE Bass fisherman

[Lunker777]

Hey everyone....

 

I'm starting to get a nice selection of tackle together and i think that i might need to update my rods/reels.... I plan to do this over a period of time.

 

I plan on getting 4 new rods and reels. I'm looking at the Bass Pro shops XPS series rods.... but not sure what reels..... bait casters are mainly what I'm looking for but i also want 1 or 2 spinning reels

 

I had a look at the Shimano sahara SH3000FD and i like the $$ and the feel.

I don't know what to look at as far as a good affordable bait caster ?

 

I think for each set up i want to spend approx $150-175 maybe $200 making my money go as far as possible ! haha

 

What I'm looking for is the right variety of lengths and action for the different techniques of fishing.... any help would be great !

 

Thanks !!!!!

[tbayboy]

I can't speak much for the rods but as for the sahara's I'll give a ringing endorsement - great reel for the money (I've got 2 and a stradic and I'd trade the stradic for 2 more saharas if I needed 4 reels. That said its a new version coming out (nearly impossible to find last years now as they all went on sale early in the summer) so I can't say how the new ones are from experience but I wouldn't expect them to screw it up.

 

If you're looking for about the same price in a baitcaster I've really fallen in love with my Cabelas Prodigy (which is a daiwa advantage rebranded). They're listed at $100US now (Cabelas Prodigy Casting Reels) but they are on sale pretty often (think I payed like $60 for mine).

 

Anyhow, good luck in re-equipping I'm sure you're gonna get a whole lot of opinions from the gang here.

[danbo]

Daiwa Exceler Spinning reel on a Fenwick HMG rod is sweetness!

Daiwa HSTA baitcaster reel can't be beat.

 

Edited September 24, 2008 by danbo

[forrest]

My opinion:

 

Start with the standard 6' 6" rod.....2-14lb rating. med to fast action. Spend $30-$60 max.

Spend money on a good spinning reel. Balance the rod reel combo (you can tape quarters on the back end of the rod).

 

Maybe also pick up a cheap ultra-light setup from BPS (get on a 1/2 price sale).

 

Use these setups to do your fishing using the techniques you want. You will miss fish and run into other limits of the rod. Base your next more expensive (or not) rod purchase based on your experience. Keep your reel for 20 years, a $100 reel generally will last.

 

forrest

[MCTFisher9120]

This baitcast reel is one i am getting shortly after christmas. Read the reviews on the reel and im sure this would be a great choice for you if you do heavy cover fishing for bass, even use it for buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. Find a nice heavy action rod you like and you will be all set.

 

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...artNumber=97963

 

And It's On SALE!

Edited September 24, 2008 by Mike The Bass Fisher

[JohnF]

You didn't say what kind of fishing you were doing. Most of mine is wading in the creek for bass & pike. Being on the downhill side of 60 I find a 6'6" rod and larger reel get heavy after a few hours out in the water. I am much more comfortable with my 5'6" ultralite with a lite spinning reel. It's surprising how aware you become of the slight weight difference after 2 or 3 hours of holding and casting with no place to set it down. Sux to get old, huh?

 

If I was fishing from a boat all the time I'd probably go with the longer 6'6" - 7' rods though for the casting distance.

 

As for reels, now that I've been introduced to baitcasters I like 'em, but I still feel better using a spinning reel for smaller fish and lures. Mebbe as I get more adept with the baitcaster I'll use it more but for now the lighter spinning rig makes me more accurate and more comfortable.

 

Ideally I would want to have two spinning rigs and two baitcasters so that I would have quick bait options when out in a boat and a good set of equipment options for the different shore and wading situations I encounter. One of the spinning rigs would be an ultralite and the other a 7 footer with a bigger capacity reel. The baitcasters would both be 6 1/2 to 7', one medium and one MH. Spend a little extra to get decent backbone and action. I've got enough cheap rods by now to appeciate the benefits of a quality blank.

 

Take these for what they're worth. I'm a relative newby compared to most of these guys but because I'm new I probably don't take anything for granted yet.

 

JF

Edited September 24, 2008 by JohnF

[Lunker777]

thanks for all the great help !!!

 

I guess to add a little more info, it will be about 70% boat and 30% shore line/wader fishing.... pretty well for bass, and small pike... hahah we dont pull in the monster notherns.... only about 2.5-3 ft in length....

 

as for rods... im thinking :

-one 6 foot ( not sure the action, maybe medium ) with shimano sahara 2500FD?

-two 6'6 baitcast .... medium/heavy action ? not sure on the reels yet... HELP !

-one 7' spinning.... heavy action.... for flippin ? again with a shimano sahara 3000FD ( I might use this one for musky aswell ? )

 

At the momeny i have a shimano 6'6 M with a Abu Garcia " black max " bait caster .... I also have a 6'6 heavy action rhino rod with a Abu Garcia 6600 reel... i dont like this combo together because of the weight, heavy reel, heavy rod.... not a good combo.... so i think i need a new rod for this reel, ORR i might make it the musky combo !

[kemper]

You will find that you probably dont need two baitcast set ups (that said, I have 4) unless you have one for bass and one for musky/pike. Actually, as I am writing this I am counting up everything I have in my head and well, dont listen to that. I DO like having more than one caster, and I guess I have too many spinning set ups too... oh boy

 

Im living in rez at university fishing the river for bass and pike and I have 4 rods and three reels in my room. CRAP im addicted.

 

As for baitcast reels I have three shimanos which are all BULLETPROOF and one Okuma which is useful only to smash on rocks when in need of stress relief.

 

thanks for all the great help !!!

 

I guess to add a little more info, it will be about 70% boat and 30% shore line/wader fishing.... pretty well for bass, and small pike... hahah we dont pull in the monster notherns.... only about 2.5-3 ft in length....

 

as for rods... im thinking :

-one 6 foot ( not sure the action, maybe medium ) with shimano sahara 2500FD?

-two 6'6 baitcast .... medium/heavy action ? not sure on the reels yet... HELP !

-one 7' spinning.... heavy action.... for flippin ? again with a shimano sahara 3000FD ( I might use this one for musky aswell ? )

 

At the momeny i have a shimano 6'6 M with a Abu Garcia " black max " bait caster .... I also have a 6'6 heavy action rhino rod with a Abu Garcia 6600 reel... i dont like this combo together because of the weight, heavy reel, heavy rod.... not a good combo.... so i think i need a new rod for this reel, ORR i might make it the musky combo !

[uglyfish]

6'6" med action rod and baitcast reel will be good for spinnerbaits, buxxbaits, top waters, and smaller cranks and lipless cranks.

 

7'med/hvy with a baitcast reel for bigger cranks, and larger spinners, plus smaller jigs and texas rigged works and other plastics.

 

6' light action spinning rod with a small spinning reel for finesse tactics and smaller targetted fish.

 

7' med-med/hvy spinning rod and comparible reel for all other applications, like drop shotting, draggin tubes, smaller jigs and jiggin spoons

 

i personally prefer the quantum rods and reels, they;re reels are very smooth and lightweight, especially the 2009 models. tour edition PT rods are great too. but its all about personl preference. go to a shop, hold a few rods, hold a few reels, see what feels good to u. we can all swear that OUR brand is best, be it quantum, shimano, daiwa, abu garcia... but only u will decide what u like best based on feel and price.

[Rich]

Shimano Curado. Great, smooth, easy casting baitcaster and will last you about 10 years if you abuse it. Longer if you take care of it.

[Lunker777]

will last you about 10 years if you abuse it. Longer if you take care of it.

 

hahahah i like that one !

[ctdd2006]

I haven't read much love for the BPS baitcasters in the past, but the prices right now look really good especially since I have a good buddy on his way shortly from the USA with a BPS in his backyard. I'm in the market for a couple casters....any more feedback?

[forrest]

I haven't read much love for the BPS baitcasters in the past, but the prices right now look really good especially since I have a good buddy on his way shortly from the USA with a BPS in his backyard. I'm in the market for a couple casters....any more feedback?

 

BPS continually puts their baitcasters on sale for 1/2 price.

My first was a 2 piecer from there for $20....I like it and will keep it as a trolling rod and med-big fish rod. It will get replaced by a longer, lighter rod with about the same backbone.

 

It was top heavy and BPS (CAnada) did not have any of the rod balancing kits so I had to balance it with electrical tape and quarters on the butt end. I like a balanced rod and found it gave me more control in avoiding birds nests while casting.

 

forrest

[uglyfish]

if u wanna save money... save it on the rods. DO NOT cheap out on the baitcast reels or you'll be sorry. fishing in prolly the one sport when it comes to equipment, that the old saying... "you get what u pay for" holds very true. when using casting equipment, its not really for finesse tactics, so having to "feel" everything isn;t always as important. don;t get me wrong though, the more sensitive it is the better, then when reeling in say, a crankbait... u'll know by the feel if u have weeds stuck on it, if its running true, if he ticking weeds, or rocks, or wood, all can make a difference. spend as much as u can on the set up. but as said, if u wanna save do it on the rod, not reel. i would rather spend 150 on the reel and 50 on the rod. you'll save urself a lot of headaches and make learning a lot easier with good reels. take a look at the new curado reels, now, i hate shimano, and owyn NOTHING by them, lol, just preference. but i took a look at the 09 curado... and even i have to say its a sweet reel and under 200 bucks. a lot of 08 reels will be on sale now and in the coming weeks as all major companies will be releasing new products for october. the quantum energy PT reel is one of the best i have ever used. the abu garcia REVO series reels are great too, and the range from about 120-250 in price so theres one there for everyone. daiwa is another company that makes very good reels and 1 wide price range.