Good baitcast combo?

[Al Agnew]

I just picked up a Nanoace 6'9" medium power worm and jig rod (Japanese market rod) from Tackle Warehouse.  99 bucks.  I think it's going to handle 1/8th-3-16th ounce jigs pretty well.  The Nanoace rods are a little lighter than American rods of the same designation, so hook-setting power is still up in the air, as I haven't fished it enough yet.  The medium power Temple Fork rod I've been using did okay, but wasn't perfect for casting light hair jigs.

[joeD]

Daniel- You need to tell us more. There are so many good values out there, almost as many as opinions on what you should buy. Where do you fish? What do you like to throw? How experienced are you? What is your budget?  See where I'm going?  I'm surprised no one asked for more details from the get go.

[Smalliebigs]

My favorite current bait caster combo is a Falcon Cara T7 6'10" MH Finesse Jig rod http://falconrods.com/cara-t7.html  paired with a Lew's Tournament Pro G Speed Spool http://www.lews.com/casting-tournamentpro.php     This combo will flat out get it done if you like to fish a jig like I do.......trust me

[bkbying89]

A few years back (more than I would say if I could remember) I bought a pair of Shimano Ultralite bait casters and matching rods they are the Black Max ULS reels and the rods were for one-eighth to five-eighth oz. lures. These have been my favorite combos for my Smallmouth fishing since I acquired them. I spool them with 10 lbs. line. If you could find a reel like the Ambassadors in the 4600 series and a medium light rod I believe you would be set.

[shrapnel]

Another plug for the Tatulas ( I use the Type R)...not sure there's a better quality reel for the money on the market.  I fished with a friend yesterday and I was skipping senkos and flukes way under docks and branches and he had never seen that and didn't even think it was possible with a baitcaster.

[Al Agnew]

Joe is right, a lot depends upon what you are going to use it for.  If worm and jig fishing, a sensitive rod is as much or more important than a terrific reel, unless you're fishing really light jigs like I mentioned in my other post.  But if fishing hard baits and making lots of casts like I do most often, a good smooth reel that is light in weight, and a rod that is either really light, or short, or very well balanced, is the most important thing, because you don't need much sensitivity with that kind of use but you need something you can throw all day long without getting tired.  That's why I've never been a fan of the glass or glass composite crankbait rods...no matter what, glass is heavier than good graphite.