bait casting reels and rods

[Dbumb]

im looking at buying a new bait caster for spring bass and had a question what rod would go for a casting setup and a bait casting reel but for left arm retrieve

[TurnUpTheFishing]

7' medium heavy is good all around bassin rod. As for the reel, just try out some different ones 'til you find one you like. Personally Id recommend shimano citica 201E would make a great starter reel and you could probably find one at a great price right now.

[Larson15]

+1

[Brad B]

im looking at buying a new bait caster for spring bass and had a question what rod would go for a casting setup and a bait casting reel but for left arm retrieve

I can't recommend any certain rod since I custom build all my own rods now. now as for left hand retrieve bait cast reels I prefer the Abu Garcia line of reels. I run a low profile black max(left hand retrieve) on my bass rod and 6601C3's on my light duty channel cat rods and 7001I' for my flathead and musky rods.

[fish_eat_sleep]

Don't short yourself with an inexpensive combo. tried that a few years ago and it literally fell a part on me in less than one summer. try any of the popular brands for reels. I like abu garcia and shimano personally but any $90 plus reel should last a while with normal use and cast good enough and for rods i like the st croix mojo bass or abu garcia varitas. again though any medium or medium heavy rod 6'6" or 7' rod in the $90 plus range should last awhile. i say this because in my own experience the inexpensive stuff just isn't built the same.. doesn't matter which brand.

[Brad B]

Don't short yourself with an inexpensive combo. tried that a few years ago and it literally fell a part on me in less than one summer. try any of the popular brands for reels. I like abu garcia and shimano personally but any $90 plus reel should last a while with normal use and cast good enough and for rods i like the st croix mojo bass or abu garcia varitas. again though any medium or medium heavy rod 6'6" or 7' rod in the $90 plus range should last awhile. i say this because in my own experience the inexpensive stuff just isn't built the same.. doesn't matter which brand.

even some of the mid to high priced rods are not built right. if you check them the guides will be off the spine by as much as 90 degrees. I checked some of my mass produced rods I have and found them to be off. this is why I decided to learn to build my own and now that I have I will never have a store bought rod again even a high end rod. I may buy the same blank if it is offered to rod builders but atleast I know it will be built right plus it gives me the chance to choose which guides and reel seat and grip length I want to use when I build it.

[Dbumb]

would the E21 Carrot Stix Wild Casting Rod work, i dont know that rod but it looks like its good. Or does anyone know other rods like it for like 100 bucks.

[Superduty]

Never used the E21 rods. In the $100 price range, I would buy an Abu Garcia Vendetta or Veritas. Keep in mind, when you buy most of the $150 and higher priced rods, you are getting a lifetime warranty. So you are actually getting a better rod AND a lifetime warranty for the extra money. Put the best Shimano baitcaster you can afford on it. The Citica E mentioned above is a great reel for the money and can be had for about $90 if you know where to look.

[Nick Kuhn]

The e21 rods have a reputation for breaking. There's any number of good rods out there though. I suggest picking them all up in store (or at a show) and getting a feel for them.

[Dbumb]

would a Daiwa Ballistic be good or any Daiwa rod

[CAMAN]

even some of the mid to high priced rods are not built right. if you check them the guides will be off the spine by as much as 90 degrees. I checked some of my mass produced rods I have and found them to be off. this is why I decided to learn to build my own and now that I have I will never have a store bought rod again even a high end rod. I may buy the same blank if it is offered to rod builders but atleast I know it will be built right plus it gives me the chance to choose which guides and reel seat and grip length I want to use when I build it.

Eh, the spine is over-rated. Some still build to it, but others now build to the straightest axis of the blank. It isn't going to change much if you don't have a rod that's built to the spine. Even if you wanted to check, it's pretty hard to unless you remove the tip-top guide. I build mine to the straightest axis and never had an issue. My very first rod I built was built to the spine because that is how I was shown, but it bugged the heck out of me having a rod pointed to the left. After some research I found out many big-time custom builders now build to the straightest axis because of this.