minimum $ for a quality combo?

[lookincalifornia]

so i have just wiped the tears away after reading the '$ rod/reel' thread and i was wondering where the line between junk and quality really is. i should have a few buck to spend soon and am saddly in need of some updated and upgrades.

i am thinking $150 ish for reel and another $150 for rod. can i get away with saving a few $ and get 2 combos for that price?

[grab the net]

I have no doubt you can, looking on HSOList you can find some very good deals on reels from people looking to upgrade. Rods, well you can find a lot of very good quality rods for that $75.00 range. The new St. Croix MOJO series look very nice at an affordable price.

[prov1900]

For round baitcasters, I think the Shimano Cardiff is pretty unbeatable...for the price. You should be able to pick them up for 75-100, depending where you look. For rods, I would look into the St Croix line, or better yet, check out that one site that starts with "E" and look into the Kistlers they have on there. I bought a number of these and turned them into nice combos for close to $150 bucks total.

[Deitz Dittrich]

It really depends on what your idea of quality is.. Being a Shimano guy, I will mention their products.. The new Shimano Citica is anawesome reel for $120.. paired with a Shimano Compre rod($109), I think you would be happy.. A step up to the Crucial is a good one as well if you can afford it. Nice thing... Lifetime warranty.

[Cecil]

I think as far as a combo goes, you need to spend $200-$220 to get good quality. Granted you can get a used one somewhere, but if you are talking new, I would go about 50/50 maybe spend a little more on the reel. $120/$80

[TonkaBass]

I believe that it is more important to spend the extra $ on a high quality rod. Unless you're talking crankbait rods, them you can get a good rod for cheap.

[Bassman55]

If you look around you can get one pretty cheap. Last week I got what I think is a "quality combo" for about $120. I ordered a BPS Bionic blade for $50, originally $80, and the more expensive Quantum Accurist for Cabelas on closeout for $60, originally $130. I have a few of the bionic blades and love them. Last year they quit making those reels so they are just kinda leftover so that was why that was so cheap. They only had the 7:1 ratio ones left, but that is what I wanted anyway. Just look around and you are able to find deals, and this is a pretty good time of year to do it.

[lookincalifornia]

thanks guys, that is about what i figured. i am looking at the bps pro qualifier combos. then upgrade the reels in a year or two. (revo sx) i have had pretty good luck with the bps rods in the past and the pro quailfier seems like a quality rod.

i am also toying with the notion of just going one rod, one reel at a time. if i take that route, revo sx's on kistler mg's.

[Hula_Grub]

You might check out the Shimano Clarus or St. Croix Triumph rods-about $70 for either a spinning or casting rod. Then I'd spend around $40-50 on a spinning reel and the rest on a casting reel.

I have 4 combos- 2 spinning and 2 casting. 3 of them cost $100, one of them cost $300. Each of them handles a specific range of lures. I like the feel of my most exspensive one the best, but I put it down in favor of any of the others when I need to change gears.

[Bigguyone]

What do you mainly fish for and what technique? Depending on what you fish for mainly I would think you can get a good combo for about 150-175 used...a good use reel can be found for about 80-85 that was 150-170 new and a good rod can be found for 65-90 that was 140-175 new. I would really look at the crucials and powells, St croix avid for the money on rods and then find a reel you like with the proper gear ratio...the used curados have gotten cheaper or a scorpion with the new E series coming out...the old (07) citica is a great reel for the money IMO and can be had for about 55-65 used. If you want a great place to find a used one drop me an email and I can direct you to a few links [email protected]

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I just looked at the new some new St. Croix Mojos in person they are sweet for what they are asking (all right near $100). Pair that with a reel like the new citica or curado and that would be a nice, reasonably priced setup.

You mentioned the kistlers. Im a kistler owner and while I like them I think I would go the mojo route before the MGs. The mojos are cheaper to begin with and while they dont have the lifetime warranty with the kistler warranty program you have to drop $50 for a new rod whether its an MG or LTX which doesnt make sense to me when you consider the price difference...

[SStracker]

I just purchases a few new rods and reel. I ended up with 2 New Mojos with quantum energy pt baitcaster and a tour edition. Im planning on probably picking up another 1 or 2 setups before the years done too. anyways 2 rods were 90$ and 100$ and then the reels i got a good deal on since i bought them off of a buddy who won them and wasnt going to use them. ended up being about 250$ per set up.