Rods And Reels

[Fishin' Freak]

RR Vet,

There have been some great posts with some great info. I will throw in my 2 cents and it may not even be worth that. I personlly own a wide range of rods and reels. I will give you my personal favorites.

Casting

Falcon 7'4 Mike McClelland football jig rod. This rod will handle all football jigs and is also great for dragging a c-rig. It has plenty of backbone for setting the hook in deeper water. A great deep water jig rod. I have also used this rod to flip bigger 1/2 oz brush jigs and I like it for that as well.

Falcon 6'10 Eakins jig rod. I use this rod for roundball jigs and football jigs up to 5/8 oz. This is a great all round jig rod.

Any 6'6 or 7'0 medium action rod. I have a couple Browning Citori rods that are 6'6 and 7'0 that work really well for fishing topwater, spoons, stickbaits, and crankbaits.

As for casting reels I have one that I love--Daiwa Zillion 7:1. It is awesome with a capital A! They are not cheap but I believe you get what you pay for and I would strongly recommend one! I have a couple of the blue Daiwa's (Tierra) mentioned and I also like those a lot. I did buy one of the TD Pro reels that Dawia made for Bass Pro and I am not in love with it. It is a smaller profile than the Tierra but not as quality in my opinion. As for choosing a reel I recommend going to Bass Pro in Springfield and spending a coulple hours trying all the reels out in your price range and see which one works for you. We are all different and we all like different things. What works well for one may not for another.

Spinning

I prefer Browning Mediallion and Citori spinning rods. They have great feel and are reasonably priced. I have many in the 6'6 to 6'10 range, some med. aciton, med. light and some med. heavy. If I would recommend one it would be a 6'6 medium action. You can drop shot with this as well as fish the shakey head or swim a grub.

As for spinning reels I only use one kind--the Okuma Aveon 30. I love these spinning reels. I use both 6 and 8 pound florocarbon on them with little or no line twist. Great reels. These reels are durable and very smooth. I have never owned anything but the Aveon but I hear that all there spinning reels are well built. I do not like there baitcast reels but their spinning reels are good!

If I could add one more thing it would be that when you find that combo that fits you perfectly, keep using it. I used to buy all kinds of rods and reels but I have found one or two companies products that I like and I have started sticking with them. It makes a big difference when you start casting 5 different reels in a day trip and they all cast the same or very similar.

I hope this helps.

[walleyeman]

I have not tried the Ardent but from what I read it is a good product. I always like to buy products that are Made in America. The price seems fair and I have always liked to support local buisness. There are so few things made in america that I will buy them when I get a chance.

[Crappie5]

I have fished with some of the best equipment over the years and have found you need to spend the money on technique, line and lures. I have some Falcon rods only because I have fished Falcon rod tournaments and received free ones. I personally don't like them and rarely, rarely use them. Same thing with GLoomis and Bass Pro rods, I don't have anything good at all to sayabout them. The rods I use every day are Berkley Lightning rods. I think they are sensitive, action is good, they are comfortable and cost effictive. Spinning reels I'm pretty much a Mitchell 300 series man. Bait casters I use a couple shimanos and I still use ABU Garcia 5000 & 5000C. I have never tore up any of my ABU Garcia reels and I have had them for 20 plus years now. Clean them, oil them and just take care of them.

Now I'm sure All the guides have different views as they are fishing 300 days a year placing gear to the test with customers each day.

[bassman1308]

Shimano Curados for me mounted on BPS 6"6' bionic blade rods. I have 3 old Garcias I use with heavy line for deep water night fishing. I like having all my rod / reel combos alike. Makes it easier to switch back & forth. I've used every line in the world and don't really have a preference. What I do is buy color to match line size. Example-- all 14 lb is green --10 lbs is clear florocarbon, 6 lb is p-lines pukey green, 20 lb is blue florescent. I don't have to mess with marking each reel. First time I every posted on another fishing site I got reamed out when I asked how a $350 rod will help you catch more fish then a cheaper BPS BB rod.

Never paid more than $39 for a rod. I'm not asking as I've learned my lesson. : - )

[Whack'emGood]

Nothing wrong with the upper end of the BPS Series at all. A couple of years ago, I figured I would give them a shot. I love the Johnny Morris Signature Series (rods and reels both). I also love the BPS Prolite Finesse. Great little reel that is durable and smooth and fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. The JM Sig Series rods and reels, the Rick Clunn Series, and the Prolite are great products for 1/3 to 1/4 of the price of comparable bigger brand name rigs. These BPS products have come a long way in the past 7 years or so. I have fished the heck out of them in the past couple of years with no problems at all. They still work like new.

Also, the Browning Midas line of rods are the most sensitive rod I have ever fished and only run about $150. They are a boron/graphite modulus and are great for fishing styles where you need to feel the light bite.

The bottom line is... I believe that you don't need to spend an arm and a leg to get good gear and be able to catch a ton of fish. A great fisherman can catch fish with a cane pole and a string (so to speak), but a poor fisherman still can't catch fish with a $1,000 outfit.

...my 2 cents.

Whack'em

P.S. I just realized I left something out... All of the rods and reels I talked about above are baitcasting outfits/rigs.

[Roaring River Veteran]

Well I have been looking for a few days now. I have looked mainly at Daiwa, Shimano, and Quantum reels. All make nice reels but right now I am leaning towards the Shimano Curado and the Daiwa advantage 153 HSTA. The HSTA is suppose to be new for 2008. Both seem to be very impressive in the store. I have heard lots of good things about the curado but I haven't heard anything about the HSTA. Does anyone have experience with it? I have looked at several rods. I really like the feel of the Shimano Compre series. I also looked at the Crucial but the Compre feels as good and is $40 less, But I also know that what they feel like in the store is not the same as fishing them. I have heard a couple of y'all say you liked the Crucial but how about the compre? I was also impressed with the loomis and ST. Croix rods but the Shimano had a better feel in the store.

Thanks

Good luck and good fishing

[Champ188]

RR Vet,

I was one who recommended the Crucial. I own both Crucial and Compre models and love them both. Just went out to the garage and happened to have a Crucial and Compre laying on my boat's front deck next to each other. Both are 6-6 med heavy/fast tip models. Actions are identical. Both have 10 guides. Only difference is the Crucial MIGHT be a little more sensitive because of its IM9 construction. Compre is IM8. But to be honest, when fishing I would have to look down at the label to know if I'm using a Crucial or a Compre. Really very little difference except the higher-modulus graphite in the Crucial — and $30-$40 in price. Both have over-the-counter replacement guarantees.

For general consumption by all, I bought a 6-6 medium/extra fast Compre last fall and used it for jerk-baiting this past winter. It's the first rod I've ever felt was perfect for this application. Good soft tip for long casts and to allow the fish to get the bait without ripping it away from him or pulling off after being hooked but plenty of backbone to handle a big fish. Anyone looking for a good jerk bait rod might want to try one.

Hope this helps, RR Vet.

[Brennan]

I have been looking for a good jerkbait rod....I will check out the Compre. Thanks for the tip.

[techo]

I took a friend from work fishing withme today. He bought some Wal-Mart baitcasting fishing combo (cheap). He caught almost as many fish as I did. The brand and price of equipmnt didnt matter much for the day. My stuff is a few years older thanhis and has taken a beating though. I doubt his stuff will last near as long.

[HeavyC]

Good topic!

Ugly Sticks of all sizes for the rough stuff, you can break one and not break your pocket book. Heavy though and after a long day packin one around and wingin it around .... the arm just doesn't go up as easily!

St Croix on the easy boat days. SOOOO light, sooo sensitive and strong as heck! Can cast all day!

Reels now are a completely different story! I am personally dedicated to a couple Abu/Garcia Cardinal C3s. I just swore by the ol' Garcia/Mitchell ones they are a 'retro' copy of and simply love the rear drag systems. These reels are a couple of years old, but you can now find them on clearance. They are also super light and super strong.

I also have a couple of rear drag Shimano's that are fairly nice as well, just not as sturdy and smooth as the AG.

Then like Trav above, I have one or two of every other kind of rod & reel! LOL!