baitcasting rod/reel combo

[walleyeking19]

I want to get a bait casting rod and reel but i don't know what brand to get or how much to spend. any help would be appreciated.

[polarsusd81]

I recommended the same to my best friend as I will to you. Go to Gander and pick up a $100 baitcaster combo. He ended up with a round style reel, with a 6'-6" rod medium-heavy with a fast action tip in IM6 graphite. Had it spooled up with 20 fireline braid. The combo is really nice and if he is not using it out in the boat I pick it up and start casting it. Very good quality/value. Also, he was a first time baitcaster and within about 2 hours of use, he had it nailed with that combo. Now he is looking at picking up more.

Tom

[uwecsteeple]

If you go and search these forums, you will see alot of recommendations for the Bass Pro Shops extreme combos as a great started baitcasting setup, I second these recommendations. They are about $100 and you can't beat them for just starting out!

p.s. these combos are on sale at bass pro shops online now

[Deitz Dittrich]

a lot of the companies out there make a great reel.. I am partial to Shimano. I fee the best "Value" is the Citica, at $120 I feel its the best on the market for the dollar.. Quantum also makes a great reel, as well as pflueger and diawa...

What you need to decide first is... What do you want to do with the rod?.. What will its job be, we can then talk about length/action ect...

[Andrew Erickson]

i agree with Deitz, the citica is a great reel.Probably my favorite out there right now

[EBass]

I picked a Citica up when Gander closed out the Tonka store. The guy at Gander said it has the same old guts the Curado did. The new Curado is a bit more. It's hard to drop over 100 bones on a reel though, but it's worth it when your buddy has backlash after backlash and you're casting away nice and smooth. Go Shimano! I have 2 Quantum Energy 600 PT's to (got a used one and new one)and they are nice as well, but cost more.

It's so nice to have good equipment, but it depends on how much you fish to and what you're willing to spend. Oh and what you plan on using it for like Dietz said

[Deitz Dittrich]

note to E-Bass.. the gander dude semi-lied to you... The Citica and the old curado on paper look very much alike. I believe they had the same grear ratio and number of bearings.. but beyond that.. it pretty much ends.. the New Citica is closer to the old Curado Super Free(which retailed for like $150) yet, even then, the new Citica has the HEG gears, and the old Super Free did not.

No matter what, I do agree that its a great reel for the moolah!

[SledNeck]

I have a curado and love it!

My 9 year old just got a Curado with a 100$ guide series rod and he loves that more than anything he owns including his Video games!

[Craigums]

When would one want a baitcaster over a spinning reel? Ive always had trouble casting the baitcasters (I owned an abu garcia at one point) without getting the spool to knot up...And now I primarily use Just a spinning reel which seems to be fine for differant types of fishing, is there something I should know?

[SledNeck]

you have to adjust the brake according to lure weight. Its simple.

I use spinning and baitcasting. I will have to say that casting a baitcaster all day is far easier on the body than a spinning. Also reeling in fish with a baitcaster is far more comfortable.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

baitcasters handle heavy lines much better than spinning reels. I wouldnt use less than 8lb diameter line on a baitcaster and dont like using more than 10-12 on spinning reels. For bassing I use a spinning reel for a few methods only, skipping plastics around docks, dropshot, and jigworming.

As far as baitcasters its hard to go wrong with the higher end Shimano reels starting at the Citica but I would also look at the new Revo line of reels by Abu Garcia.

[Guest]

Daiwa

[polarsusd81]

Web -

Did you get a new camera recently. You sure have been posting lots of pics lately.

In all seriousness though, those Diawa reels you have look like they would fit nicely in your hand. This is one of the biggest issues for me, make sure whatever reel you buy, you test it on the rod first to be sure it is comfortable in your hand. To me it seems that a low profile reel would be better suited for lighter baits, and anything up over 5/8 oz would be best off on a round style reel. I burnt up a citica one day casting some lures that were about 3/4 oz. That hurt.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

What type of bait were you using what were you catching? I would have the reel looked at. No reel should burn out after one day of casting.

Low profile reels can handle lures well over an ounce just fine but you need to make sure the rod you have is matched for the lure weight you intend to use. Medium Heavy rods are a great choice if you intend to fish bass. For bass fishing I would highly recomend a lowprofile over a round baitcaster. You can get more than enough line needed for bass fishing and they are more comfortable to fish with. If you do have a chance, like polarsusd said, put it on a rod and see how it feels in your hand.

[Andrew Erickson]

i love the trion to thats another great reel

[Guest]

Quote:

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Web -

Did you get a new camera recently. You sure have been posting lots of pics lately.

In all seriousness though, those Diawa reels you have look like they would fit nicely in your hand. This is one of the biggest issues for me, make sure whatever reel you buy, you test it on the rod first to be sure it is comfortable in your hand. To me it seems that a low profile reel would be better suited for lighter baits, and anything up over 5/8 oz would be best off on a round style reel. I burnt up a citica one day casting some lures that were about 3/4 oz. That hurt.

---

no.. I've always had camera's, its just that I've been away from FM for awhile

I use the Steez setup for senko's, plastics, worms while I use the TDZ for cranks and spinners

Yeah, the TDZ and Steez are low profile so they fit my hands perfect. The Steez setup is the most comfortable for me. After playing with the Steez, the St.Croix felt kind of bulky due to the cork handle. Its still a good rod though!

[Kyle Sandberg]

Being a friend, he'd use the reel primarily for bass and occasional spinner rig. Coppying you webwarroir. Hey, it works.

[MNBassGuy]

Yeah, I have to back Deitz up here...you really need to define what the rod/reel will be used for. I'm a big fan of Quantum reels and also like their rods as well for an entry level high-end rod (if that makes sense).

You have to be aware when getting into a bait caster that you get what you pay for like no other piece of fishing equipment. I wouldn't spend less than $100 retail when starting out. Sure, there are decent $70-$80 reels, but you better know what your doing since they have inferior braking systems, etc that will ead to backlashing nightmares like you have never seen.

I use my reels for different things. My main rigs set up sort of like this:

Cranking: Quantum Tour PT, it's got a nice gear ratio and casts super smooth, which is great when throwing cranks in the wind.

Pitching: Quantum PT, Great feel, light weight, optinal flipping setting for fast hook sets on the fall (when using a jig). Very comfortable thumbing the line while flipping.

Heavy Pitching/Slop: Plueger Trion, heavier reel, handles big line well, nice torque to get fish out of slop and thick weeds.

Spinner bait: Quantum CX, cheaper reel, but I don't need much for spinnerbaits. Does well for this application, but I probably wouldn't throw much else with it.

For finese fishing I always use spinning reels...

Anywho, hope that helps. It's tough to get the hang of using a baitcaster, and you'll swear within an hour (after making three casts and spending the other 59:43 taking out backlashes) that you'll never use one again, but hang in there. Once you get it you'll never go back. Once you get a big fish and get the chance to fight it you will be hooked.

Have to laugh at Webwarrior's post...nothing like telling a beginner to go drop $550 on a Diawa Steez! (Nice reel though )

Let me know if you have more questions...