Rod combos

[JohnMickish]

I'm curious, who purchases rod and reel combinations verses buying them separately and putting them together? In years past I would always put them together myself, and part of the reason was I felt that the reels that came on the combo were not worthy. I have to say that some of the combos on the market today are pretty darn good. You can spend a pile of money if you want to but a person no longer has to spend a huge pile of money to have a quality rod and reel.

[Dylan8351]

I do both. I have specialty rods that I can't find and stock rods that give me exactly what I want off the shelf. There are some great combos out there but also some bad ones. I will stick with my theory that you get what you pay for. Jason Mitchell rod and reels are probably my favorite. The 24" panfish would be my go to. Great action and smooth drag.

[Esox_Magnum]

I buy all mine seperate but if I did buy a combo it would be one of the 13 combo's

[B-man715]

I prefer to build my own.

In my opinion Shimano is hard to beat for a reel, and not really seen on combos. My go-to rod has a Symetre, several others sport Siennas which are a fantastic reel for the money.

Also run a couple Pfluegers (work great) and three Ticas.

The Ticas are my least favorite (the drag on them totally sucks)

[Savage Brewer]

I picked up a 13 "Wicked" combo, basically I wanted a specific rod, and they were out of them alone, but had them in stock as a combo.

I'll give the reel a shot, and if I dont like it, I am not out much because the combo only cost me like $10 more than the rod by itself.

[MN BassFisher]

I usually build my own (mainly St. Croix rods and Shimano reels), in my experience most of the reels on combo's are dump. If I were to buy a combo the only reels that I would trust are Frabill's or Jason Mitchell's. I haven't tried the 13 products...

[dirtymike]

I always build my own. My two babies are the TB perch and walleye sweethearts with sienna's, two JM rods with siennas, and four st. croix rods with sienna's. I won a scheels combo last winter at a tournament. The rod is nice but the reel is suitable as a paper weight. I also got a genz spooler last year but don't fish shallow enough to justify using it.

[RebelSS]

Always build my own. I always thought the combo's were rods/reels that just didn't sell well or quite cut it, so bundle them together to get rid of both.

[amateurfishing]

after starting out with used old stuff I have started building my own arsenal with custom made rods & inline reels bought separately and totally addicted to this type of set-up, had a couple bad experiences with over the counter rods and love the action the custom ones provide me & doubt I will ever go back to spinning reels for on the ice, I love the straight line action. I have been buying separately for last 2 years and really enjoy the setups I have made & success they have given me.

[Scott O.]

I usually bought combos when I first got started on my own 5 years ago. Got a couple of Frabill Bro series rods and a Clam Genz True Blue series rod. Both of those have good quality reels on them. I would stay away from combos that are in the $20-$30 range as the reel is usually junk. Now, I buy mostly custom or specialty rods and put a chosen reel on them, usually a Genz True Blue, Cabela's 500 UL, or Jason Mitchell elite series ones. Both reels are high quality without the high price tag. As nice as some reels say they are, such as the new 13 Fishing Teardrop, I ain't paying $100 for a reel when the rod is the most important part.

[BartmanMN]

I have a few Cabelas XML combos. They come with great reels and if you catch them on sale for 29.99 for the combo, you essentially get the rod free since the reel is that price alone.

[Northlander]

I always build my own. I cant find the rods and reels that I like together in a combo and I find most combos arent balanced well.

[JohnMickish]

I agree Scott. Years ago, when basically all you could get where either a brook stick with pegs to wind the line on, or a little plastic reel on a real wimpy fiberglass rod you didn't have much of a choice. Then came the flood of really cheap and bad combos, but you could buy good rods and good reels. That is when I started to put all of my own combos together. A Shimano Sahara on a Thorne Bros rod is a great combo, and I own more than a few of them, but lately I've been buying factory combos in that $50 range. I have to admit that they are pretty darn good. They are not the quality of the $100 plus combos, nobody is going to argue that, but they still give a great bang for the buck.

Rod combos like the Jason Mitchell and Dave Genz Legacy series will surprise you, plus they have such a wide variety of lengths and actions to fit any need. Don't be afraid to check out a factory combo if your in the market for a new rod this year.

[Chad Peterson]

John's right on the Jason Mitchell and Dave Genz Legacy Series rods. Light weight and the soft tips.Once you pick one up you will see what John is talking about. Don't get me wrong here, Ive used alot of rods, but seeing and holding them they caught my eye because of the soft tips. I'll be getting a few this winter.

[palisade1kid]

I agree Scott. Years ago, when basically all you could get where either a brook stick with pegs to wind the line on, or a little plastic reel on a real wimpy fiberglass rod you didn't have much of a choice. Then came the flood of really cheap and bad combos, but you could buy good rods and good reels. That is when I started to put all of my own combos together. A Shimano Sahara on a Thorne Bros rod is a great combo, and I own more than a few of them, but lately I've been buying factory combos in that $50 range. I have to admit that they are pretty darn good. They are not the quality of the $100 plus combos, nobody is going to argue that, but they still give a great bang for the buck.

Rod combos like the Jason Mitchell and Dave Genz Legacy series will surprise you, plus they have such a wide variety of lengths and actions to fit any need. Don't be afraid to check out a factory combo if your in the market for a new rod this year.

I have to agree...I have been buying custom rods for a decade but these new factory rods have my attention...Meat Sticks...they even have a 4' panfish model and the Legacy Series are the real deal.

[Tom Batiuk]

John's right on the Jason Mitchell and Dave Genz Legacy Series rods. Light weight and the soft tips.Once you pick one up you will see what John is talking about. Don't get me wrong here, Ive used alot of rods, but seeing and holding them they caught my eye because of the soft tips. I'll be getting a few this

+1

I've always put my combos together and after holding a legacy series combo recently they've really got the reels figured out now. Nice wide body spool to prevent line coiling and a well thought out folding handle. The rod blanks were nice too. I only own commercial stuff no customs. This was the nicest production rod i've held. Once my local dealer gets them theres a couple models i want to get for this season.