kingjames_2nd Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 Hello! I fish for everything, everywhere.... I like to go for steelhead on occasion, bass, pannies, trouts, pikes, and suckers too. I lost my last rod on my last trip of the last season - fell out of the canoe and straight to the bottom of the lake - I was sad. Now I need a new one. I am worried that anything I buy wont meet my high standards because I have bored peoples in the past and hated the feel / function of the real. I liked mine because it was very smooth running, easy to use, and generally no hassle. Do you recommend a certain ROD, REEL, or COMPANY? Do you mix and match? Do you grab the cheepest from Canadian Tire? Is it worth buying an expensive rod? Whats your favourite reel? I appriciate any thoughts on the subject! Happy fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC1OZ Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 I'm a big believer in saving money....on the other hand I do believe in paying a bit more for a quailty product. I purchased a Shimano 7' Medium Action rod and it's served me well for all the fish you are refereing to. It was a combo and came with a Shimano AB7 Reel and I have really enjoyed it. Its very smooth and has the two bearing system. Several people have told me its crap because the bearings are plastic but I never take the reel apart so until it breaks I won't know the difference. It had a one year warranty on the reel which is up already; the reel still feels like it did at the store. I found this combo on sale. Reguarly $129 for $69.99. My previous setup was a Ready2Fish combo from Canadian Tire and lets just say I felt like I was fishing with a $20 rod. I caught just as many fish with the 20$ setup so at the end of the day its up to what you feel comfortable fishing with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vance Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) I have both cheap and expensive gear and generally the cost is the least important thing, it is how it feels when you use it and whether it fits to the style of fishing you do.I have small hands and typically look for smaller reels that give me more control.BPS is good because they have reels mounted on handles rather than just in a box and it gives you a better indication if everything readily falls to hand.Everyone has their favorites but generally there isn't alot of difference between brands,if you are Profisherman a $50 reel might not standup but I have one that I have been using for 30 years and it works just like new. vance Edited March 16, 2010 by vance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyboy Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 What did you have before? Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutboy Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) ST CROIX RODS ALL THE WAY! All I use are St Croix rods,and abu garcia cardinal reels.Can't beat a soft fast action rod! Very good quality rods! Edited March 16, 2010 by troutboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptorfan Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) for spinning gear, I am partial to Berkeley rods and always buy Quantum reels to go with them. I find the Quantum reels are very easy to disassemble and lube up every year and they feel fantastic in my hand......I assume most are the same though. Everyone is going to have their favorites for one reason or another, I think I enjoy these combos because that is what I was introduced to as a teenager, and have stuck with them ever since. I actually still have a Berkeley Finesse series and Berkeley Cherrywood that I bought almost 20 years ago, and they still have fantastic feel Edited March 16, 2010 by raptorfan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adempsey Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 Really need a budget to work with. Also if you want a 1 or 2 piece, casting/spinning etc.. Combo or separate purchases. In my opinion, the good names don't necessarily give the best bang for the buck in the lower price bracket, especially in reels. I typically spend $100-$150 on a rod made by St.Croix or Shimano. These are the lower to mid-range of the "upper" spectrum of rods. If you want to spend less than that you have a lot of options. Probably best to see whats on sale and read some online reviews. A lot of sales on now and the Sports show is coming up. You could probably find a decent combo somewhere. Some of the BPS line of rods are ok (Browning), Fenwick, Berkley Lightning Rod, Shakespeare Ugly Stick. The lower end Shimanos (Convergence, Clarus) have a rebate offer on right now as well. Don't forget about the warranty as well, this is probably the most important when buying a less expensive rod or combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimace Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 St Croix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uglyfish Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 quantum reels all the way. excellant quality and cheaper then a lot of other companies. great warranty and service on their stuff! as for one rod to cover ALL those species... thats tougher lol. a 7' medium power with a fast tip would be ur best bet. depending on how much u wanna spend, but a quantum energy PT would be a good choice. cost ya about 100 bucks. but great warrenty and great rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smitter Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 I've said it before and I'll say it again. St. Croix Premier rod and a Shimano reel, preferably a Stradic, if not, the best one you can afford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archie_james_c Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 X1 billion for a St.Croix I have used/own the Triumph series, Mojo Bass and Legend Tournament Walleye and will probably have a Legend Extreme or Elite coming. For the price the Triumph series can't be beat...not quite the stiffest rod's out there, but a 5 year warranty is nice. For reel's you can't go wrong with Daiwa or Shimano. Daiwa Exceler or Regal XiA for the lower end and Advantage-A for the higher end. Shimano Symetre's and Saro's are nice as well for mid range reels. You'd have to pick a power/action and reel size that suits your kind of fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 Hello! I fish for everything, everywhere.... I like to go for steelhead on occasion, bass, pannies, trouts, pikes, and suckers too. I lost my last rod on my last trip of the last season - fell out of the canoe and straight to the bottom of the lake - I was sad. Now I need a new one. I am worried that anything I buy wont meet my high standards because I have bored peoples in the past and hated the feel / function of the real. I liked mine because it was very smooth running, easy to use, and generally no hassle. Do you recommend a certain ROD, REEL, or COMPANY? Do you mix and match? Do you grab the cheepest from Canadian Tire? Is it worth buying an expensive rod? Whats your favourite reel? I appriciate any thoughts on the subject! You say you have high standards then you mention cheap Canadian Tire then you ask if it`s worth it buying expensive,you are all over the place!! If you liked the rod you lost so much just buy another I gather it satisfied your high standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scugpg Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 (edited) I'd recommend a St. Croix Avid or Legend Tournament series rod. If you are really not concerned with price check out the Loomis IMX or GLX series. I want to see what Fenwick's top end rods feel like never seen them before. Couple it with a Shimano Stradic MGFB reel if you can find one on closeout - very light and smooth reel! Jocelyn at Angling Outfitters has some left I believe. Also - Spend the big money on a quality rod and go cheaper on the reel if necessary. Edited March 17, 2010 by scugog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoty Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 ST CROIX RODS ALL THE WAY! Totally agree! (PM sent) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Shirley Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 You can't go wrong with the new Canadian series Rapala rods and reels. They are well priced and very well designed and made. The Avantis combos are nice, and the Volt and RType reels are sweet, as well as the TS2, XLT, RType and Shift rods. I will be at the Sportsman Show on Saturday and Sunday at the Rapala booth, and would be happy to show them to you. I know you will be impressed. Good fishing! Aaron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torco Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 For spinning rods to me if you have a set budget spend more on the reel than the rod. I love my Shimano Stradic Spinning reels I have 2000 and 4000 series reels, they work fantastic and I beat the hell out of them. I should probably take better care of them but man they have been through alot and never seem to let me down. As for rods, I have never spent more than $150 on one so I can't comment on how good a nice St.Croix or G.Loomis is but I have done just fine with Shimano, Berkley, and the like under at $100. Based on what you said it sounds like you were happy with your previous set up, if I were you I would just go get it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 I've been kinda waiting for you to qualify the type of fishing you do. "Everything" in Ontario includes everything from rock bass to sturgeon and muskies. I'd be perfectly happy fishing for rock bass with one of my first $19.95 UL cheapie combos but even a little sturgeon would wet hisself laffing at me. I just started back into fishing a couple of years ago and started with $19.95 Quantum CTC combos. They were fine for small stuff but once you got into a decent smallmouth most of the reels forgot they had drag. Then the willowy fun rods start to snap etc etc. I experimented myself thru the cheapy phase and finally got comfortable with reasonably priced rods with some backbone and a little bit of feel for about $50. I've also found a few more than adequate reels for less than $50 but actually am happier with those at around $100. They're smoother in the cranking and drag department. Then there's the question of whether you fish mostly from a boat, from shore or wading. If you're doing a lot of boatfishing you'll probably wanna go with the trends and get a longer rod (7'+). I love casting from 2R's bassboat so I now have a variety of 7 footers. If you're a wader and have to do some bushbeating to get to the water you might prefer a 5 1/2' rod for the walk to the creek and then for casting while under lowhanging trees. My fave for that is my little 5'3 Quantum with a Quantum Catalyst spinning reel, about $150 all in. I had a nicer rig, a better 5 1/2' Quantum with a small Quantum Energy reel but lost it in the fall. One last thing. If you do much bushbeating and travelling you may want 2 pc instead of one piece rods. Just when you nicely settle on a spinning combo you start reading about all these OFC yahoos using baitcasters and trigger rods, so of course you have to investigate. Next thing you know you have 2 or 3 BC combos on the go. Lotsa questions to address and as a confirmed gearpig I have no idea how any fisherman can be satisfied with only one rod/reel combo. JF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCTFisher9120 Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 You can't go wrong with the new Canadian series Rapala rods and reels. They are well priced and very well designed and made. The Avantis combos are nice, and the Volt and RType reels are sweet, as well as the TS2, XLT, RType and Shift rods. I will be at the Sportsman Show on Saturday and Sunday at the Rapala booth, and would be happy to show them to you. I know you will be impressed. Good fishing! Aaron When do the Shift rods come out onto the market? Send me a PM please. Got to fish a R-Type reel,TS2 rod, and a R-Type rod and I was very very satisfied with them all, had the rtype reel on the TS2 and it was perfect...no backlashes and smooth casts/retrieves. The R-type rod was perfect with my new revo sx...very senesitive and light in the hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayess Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 St Croix Triumph rods are great... i bought a St Croix premier but i still prefer the feel of the Triumph for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggyj Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 Shimano Crucial FTW.... Dirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archie_james_c Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 St Croix Triumph rods are great... i bought a St Croix premier but i still prefer the feel of the Triumph for some reason. They're the exact same rods, except the Premiers are made in America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Shirley Posted March 17, 2010 Report Share Posted March 17, 2010 The Shift rods are available now, although they may be hard to find early, as they will not last long on the shelves, they will be hot ticket items. They should have them showcased at the Sportsman Show. Aaron When do the Shift rods come out onto the market? Send me a PM please. Got to fish a R-Type reel,TS2 rod, and a R-Type rod and I was very very satisfied with them all, had the rtype reel on the TS2 and it was perfect...no backlashes and smooth casts/retrieves. The R-type rod was perfect with my new revo sx...very senesitive and light in the hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CX-9 Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 For Bass and other game fish I would use my GLoomis GL3 6ft 6" rod pair up with either my Shimano Stradic 2500F or Shimano Saros 2500F reel, excellent combination..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdH20guy Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 kistler rods hands down...paired with a shimano or revo..awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pike slayer Posted March 18, 2010 Report Share Posted March 18, 2010 so how much do you want to spend?? whats your price range? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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