Looking for a new rod

[ontariofisherman]

Well I'm looking at getting a new rod & reel, I'm looking for just 1 spinning r&r . What would you buy with a budget around $150- $200. thanks

[PainInTheBass]

I think it would depend heavily on the preferred technique. You can get a lot of rod and reel for $150-200. If it is intended as an all around combo, I would likely look at a 6'6" medium fast rod and a matching reel. I am not going to venture into specific brands as that is preference and you can get quality from just about any manufacturer in that price range.

[BillsTheBassMan]

Hmmm,

 

With $200 here's exactly what I would get:

 

St Croix Triumph 7' Medium Power - $70

Shimano Stradic 2500 (model that's 4 years old) from Ebay - $150 or less.

[MJL]

If I only had 1 rod to own, a 6’6”-7’ medium action rod would be a good all-rounder – I’ve used mine for panfish, bass, walleye, steelhead, salmon and pike. Something rated 6-12 or 6-15lb line and 1/4 to 5/8oz lures (or similar) is probably the bread and butter rod most people have at least 1 of.

 

Something like a Shimano Sedona or Symetre or Saros reel in a 2500 size and a 6’6”-7’ Shimano Clarus or Compre would probably fit into your budget depending on what combo you would choose to go with.

 

You can also go the Daiwa route for reels (like the Tierra in the 2500 size) and a value-end St. Croix rod for similar money.

[uglyfish]

shimano, shimano, shimano... BLAHHHHHHHHHHHH. lol

[MCTFisher9120]

Simple, get a St Croix Premier and a Shimano Sedona 2500 would be a nice setup.

[BillsTheBassMan]

Simple, get a St Croix Premier and a Shimano Sedona 2500 would be a nice setup.

 

That one is kind of like my suggestion, but Mike is putting emphasis on the rod as opposed to the reel.

 

I'd go with the stradic only because it will last you 5-10 years and it will serve you well throughout its existence. You could upgrade the triumph later and still have a TOP quality reel, whereas the premier is just one step up from the triumph.

[danbouck]

Pflueger Supreme and St. Croix Mojo

[Homer Is King]

I agree, a 6'6" medium fast action rod with a medium size reel will work for most fishing conditions. I personally like Pfueger reels for the value for money. St. Croix and Shimano both have rods in that price range that will work great.

[diggyj]

Shimano Crucial rod.

 

Dirk

[BITEME]

Buy an ugly stick or a gorilla rod in the rec. length above(6.6-7.0) and spend a bit more on a decent reel(honest you will catch just as many fis as everyone else) since I dont really like shimano I would have to say Quantum for the reel

[12 Volt Man]

another vote for the St. Croix Premier (same blank as the Triumph but its made in the USA not china so the quality control is probably going to be better). I would go 7 foot fast action med. power.

 

I would go with the shimano Symetre 3000 size.

[fishindude]

Bass Pro Shops Carbonlite Spinning Rod 6'8

Shimano Sahara 2500 series reel

[scugpg]

Pfluger President and St. Croix Premier.

[mbosh1980]

I got a bps extreme reel mounted on my new st croix premier 7' ml fast action. pretty slick setup imo. I use it for topwaters with mono and tube, jigs and soft plastics with braid/floro leader.

[ontariofisherman]

i been thinking today that maybe i should wait till the spring sportsman show and see if there will be any deals then, I did find a bunch of mojo rods for sale but just bait casters. Anyone ever find any good deals at the show.

[GBW]

I too say spend the $ on the reel and less on the rod. the new shimano voltaris rod is a great bass/walleye rod for the price. I swear you can feel a perch fart if you use braided line with that rod. A GOOD reel you will have for a long time, a rod can get broken in a second (like my wife broke one of mine in the door of the van) so I tend to stay away of the high $$ rods for now.

[timmeh]

I don't seem to find many good deals at the shows. Maybe a few tax free deals or a couple bucks off but nothing major if that's what you're waiting for.

[12 Volt Man]

Personally I think you are better off spending more on the rod rather than the reel.

 

a better rod will cast farther, give you better hook sets and be more sensitive to detect bites. it will also be better balanced to help avoid arm/wrist strain.

 

the thing is, all of the spinning reels mentioned in this thread are pretty good.

 

thats the nice thing about todays reels, you don't have to spend $200 to get a great spinning reel anymore.

 

even back in the early 90's you literally had to pay $200 to get one with instant antireverse and a balanced rotor (back then the stradics were one of the few that had these qualities).

 

now, they all do.

Edited August 26, 2010 by 12 Volt Man

[Court R]

shimano, shimano, shimano... BLAHHHHHHHHHHHH. lol

lol

[adempsey]

If it were me, new I would go for a Shimano Symetre and a St.Croix Premiere. Naturally, I would wait until a sale was on if I could. I would consider a Daiwa or Pflueger reel as well if on sale.

 

The new Shimano Caenan baitcasting reel might be worth a look if you're avoiding baitcasting due to the price.

 

Also, the St.Croix rods that are not made in the USA are actually made in Mexico (Triumph, Mojo, Imperial, Rio Santo) not China, according to their website anyway.

[adempsey]

i been thinking today that maybe i should wait till the spring sportsman show and see if there will be any deals then, I did find a bunch of mojo rods for sale but just bait casters. Anyone ever find any good deals at the show.

 

The Mojo bass rods only come in baitcasting models (edit: I am wrong, I just checked and they do have four spinning rod models.). I didn't see much in the terms of deals at the spring shows. I bought a St.Croix rod, but it was the same price as in the store (they have good prices though). I think BPS had some better deals at their spring sale.

Edited August 26, 2010 by FishLogic

[doubleheader]

Cabalas has some combos on sale right now. You can save yourself some cash or buy one grade above what you'd normally spend for the same money. There are many good spinning reels but if you go Shimano go at least Symetre quality; the Plueger President is also a great buy. Rods, there are so many to choose from, hard to go too wrong but if you shore fish a longer rod will help you cast a greater distance then buy an action consistent with the weight of bait you throw.

[BillsTheBassMan]

Seriously, just Ebay a Stradic and forget about buying another reel for 5+ years.