Buying a fishing rod and reel

I originally posted this last year in August. Of all my posts this one has gotten the most positive reviews and seems to help people the most.  Since it is the Holiday Season, I thought I'd move it to make it easier to find. I hope this helps with gift giving


Every now and then I get asked for advice from friends new to fishing. Usually the first thing asked of me is to tell them what is a " good cheap pole". I always respond by asking how much do they want to spend. Usually the answer is " not much in case I don't like it or use it much."  I then know that I am in for a long talk instead of some quick advice.  For the most part this  post is about freshwater gear. There are some things you need to know before buying a rod reel combo. These things are consistent no matter who the manufacturer is.
1. Almost all manufacturers make gear that ranges from cheap crap to top of the line gear. Just because you heard that a brand has a good name, does not mean your going to get much use out of a $14 reel.

2. You get what you pay for. Again a fourteen dollar reel is not made to last. Many guys will tell you to get the best  you can afford. This is true to a point. Some manufacturers make $300-400 freshwater reels. Are they any better or last longer than a hundred dollar reel? I'm not so sure.

Rods

When buying a rod the cheapest rods are made of fiberglass. They are very bendable. For the most part the rod will bend a lot from a heavy sinker as opposed to just the tip from a graphite rod.

Next is a composite rod. Composite rods are made from a combination of fiberglass and graphite. In theory it has the strength and sensitivity of graphite with the flexibility of fiberglass

Most expensive are graphite rods. Graphite rods are more sensitive than either of the above. They are much lighter and stronger. Because they are lighter they are thinner also cutting down on weight. Not all graphite rods are equal. There are different degrees of graphite. Some are known as IM6, IM7, IM8. IM8 being the most expensive. Other times you will read thing like 35 million modules of graphite. The higher the number the more expensive. I believe that some of the cheaper rods in this category are very close to as good as the expensive rods but at 1/3 the price. More on that later.

Other factors in rod cost are: the handle. More expensive rods are made of cork. It is light and sensitive. The cheapest are made of foam. I personally like the foam feel. Many nice saltwater rods are still made with foam handles.

Another price point are the guides your line goes through. The more guides the more expensive the rod. You want a rod with at least as many guides as the length. This keeps the line flowing on the cast and so the cast will be longer. Also of course there are different quality guides. The more expensive the rod, the better quality guides ( in theory)

Reels
I enjoy buying rods more than reels. I don't know why since a cheap rod will certainly outlast a cheap reel. With reels you really do get what you pay for. Every spring when I was a kid my mom would buy me a Shimano reel from Bennys. It would always be under twenty dollars. The following spring when I would take it out of the shed it would be crap and I would get the lecture about taking care of my gear.

Truth is if you buy a cheap reel expect to only get one season out of it. If you buy a mid priced reel and take care of it, you can have it for years. Without getting to technical reels go up in price depending on how many ball bearings are in it. The more ball bearings the smoother the reel ( as long as these are good quality bearings).  Obviously a good drag is important and I would never buy a reel without a rock solid anti- reverse. Anti reverse means that when you stop reeling you can't reel backwards at all. If your reel will turn backwards, you can miss fish on the hookset, and it is bad for your reel.

Kids Gear

Do not waste your money on push button poles for your kids. Most are made out of very cheap material. The reel is sure to tangle on the inside. Besides, if your kid likes fishing they are going to graduate up to spinning gear anyway. I know you don't want to hear this, but its better to get kids better quality gear from the start. DJ used my combos since day one. Also if you have quality gear it will last longer because it is stronger and can better take the abuse from a kid than cheap Spongebob poles.

Actual Useful Advice

Disclaimer: I am not getting any money for recommending any manufacturers so these opinions are my own.

So it comes back to the question how much should I spend on a combo. My answer is the least I would spend is $60. In my opinion the mid range rods and reels START at thirty dollars each for freshwater gear. For that price you should be able to get a decent rod that will last for years and a reel that should last two to four seasons.

I'd say the best thirty dollar rod is the Berkley lightning rod and the Bass Pro graphite series. They are both 100% graphite and made with decent guides. I own a couple of both. The Bass Pro Rod is one of my carp rods so I know they are strong.

For a reel at this price I would probably also go with a Bass Pro reel also. Get one that matches the rod. If you buy a rod rated for 4-12 pound line, get a reel that made for 4-8 pound line. I would highly recommend you spend a little more and get a Shimano Sedona( $49-54). I have had two for years. They will never let you down if you take care of it.

I have some of this lower but still good quality gear, I have some mid priced gear and have had some really nice equipment For my money here is what I love the most for each fish I catch along with price. You will be surprised that most of my gear is not to expensive

the rod in the picture is a 6 foot medium light
Shimano Clarus with a Sedona 1500 reel. Cost total about $110
Its a great combo that fought this 31 inch striper on
six pound line

Trout/ Panfish and Bass fishing in open water ( not around lily pads and weeds)

Shimano Clarus- 6 foot medium light $ 60/ Reel Shimano Sedona ($49-54) I use this rod ALL the time. The rod and reels are both over five years old. I even used this outfit to catch a 31 inch striper last winter

Largemouth Bass-

Spinning  6 1/2 foot Bass Pro Tourney Special ( on sale at $29 last winter) normally $49, that was a great deal/  Reel Quantum Energy ( $60)( discontinued) with 8 pound line They stopped making this reel but I have had it over 10 years. It looks terrible all beat up from years in the bottom of a canoe, but it is a workhorse.

Baitcasting: If your new to fishing then your not going to use a baitcast combo. However if you want to buy one mine is a 6 1/2 foot Bass Pro Extreme rod ( $69 when on sale) and  aBass Pro Extreme reel ( also $69 when on sale)

Carp
Smaller fish average under 15 pounds

7 foot heavy freshwater spinning rod ( such as Bass Pro Graphite Series ( $24 when on sale) or Shimano Covergence ( about$40)  I don't need to worry about sensitivity with these rods so I use cheaper but still good quality graphite.            Daiwa Regal Plus reels ( $54) love these reels only had them 2 years no complaints so far

Bigger Carp    8 foot saltwater rods/   Shimano Baitrunner reels ( discontinued 100 dollars) These reels are great but they were discontinued by Shimano and upgraded to $180 rees. Out of my price range. When these finally break ( they are 10 years old)  I will buy the bigger size Daiwa Regal.

Saltwater:

I will try to keep this short. Most people when they get into fishing they start with freshwater. They start using worms or shiners under a bobber so I devoted most of the post to them.  Saltwater comes with its own hazard and of course that is SALT. Unless you know you will never get your gear wet do not use freshwater equipment in the surf. Even then wash it off with freshwater when done.

You really need to buy quality saltwater gear from the start. No way will you be able to get away with a $60 combo that will last more than one year.  The cheapest but decent quality surf  rod I know of is the Bass Pro Powerstick at $49. I have had one for two years and it is developing rust spots on the guides. To get one that will last for years you probably need  to spend near 100 for a surf rod.

For schoolie rods you have more selection. Schoolie rods run 7-8 feet. I have a couple of both sizes. You get much better casting range on an 8 footer.  For my seven footer I have Shimano Claus and for eight footer I have the Bass Pro Powerstick both with Shimano Spheros 4000 reels.

For reels I highly recomend Shimano Spheros( $79 on up depending on size). They come in all sizes from small schoolies to big heavy surf rods. I have three.   I have had them for years, no problems. My friend Jeff has a Penn Battle. He bought it this spring so durability is still in question, but so far he loves it. He gives it rave reviews.

My goto rod more and more is a ST Croix 8 foot surf rod ($179) paired with a reel to match the size. I have  a Cabelas Salt Striker Reel on it and 30 pound braid. The reel was only $54. It has a couple rust spots after only two years. I bought it because it is very light. My intention was to get three years out of it. I don't think that will be a problem, but I won't count on it making a decade.

 I use this outfit as my surf rod and anytime I need long casts even if I know I'm only getting big schoolies. It is super sensitive and extremely light. As I get older its a lot harder to throw my 10 foot surf rod with a big reel for five hours. This combo does not have that issue.

As you can see I am a huge fan of Shimano and Bass Pro gear. I do not believe in " brand loyalty". I have nothing against using any other brand. However, I have had such good luck with the Clarus rods, and Spheros and Sedona reels, I see no reason to switch when I need new ones.

So there you have it, a very condensed version on tips of buying a rod/reel combo. Any questions or comments feel free to comment below. I will try to respond quickly.