Brand New at fishing period. Please a little help.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jake Anderson on July 31, 2014 at 6:17pm

Jeff,

You could find some excellent rods/reels in your budget on the classifieds at times. If you are wanting to buy new, a 7ft medium action spinning rod with a good 2500-3000 size reel should be a must have.

You could get a pflueger president reel for about $60 dollars which leaves 70-90 bucks for a very nice rod. I like some fenwick and abu veritas rods at that price. Daiwa makes some decent rods at that price too.

Really your options are limitless, but you gotta have a 7ft med action spinning rod to start with in my opinion.

Look for sales. Sometimes sportsmans warehouse has a table full of reels on sale at times.

Permalink Reply by Jeffery Bays on July 31, 2014 at 7:09pm

I was previouslly directed and also have been using a casting rod and bait casting real. What are the benefits of using a spinning rod and real?

Permalink Reply by Jake Anderson on July 31, 2014 at 8:33pm

For someone completely new to fishing, typically a spinning rod is easiest to learn with and can handle many techniques on just 1 set up.

Bait casting set ups are vastly more expensive and the bait casting reel, in my opinion, is nothing to skimp on there. Likely you won't find a good reel under $100.

A bait caster is an invaluable tool though, so if you decide to go that route instead it will work fine. You really can't go wrong. A bait caster is more effective if you are in a boat. If shore bound, I would get a spinning rod myself, but that's just me.

Permalink Reply by Jeffery Bays on July 31, 2014 at 8:53pm

Currently what I was on the fence on purchasing was the Shimano Compre rod and the Shimano Citica reel. I am gonna go to sportsmans this weekend and look at spinning equipment. My next question has to do with line strength and and hooks and luers to use in the area.

Permalink Reply by Russ Kroeker on August 1, 2014 at 11:18am

Hi.  I myself...I like options.   I'd personally go for 2 cheap outfits from like Cabela's, than 1 all purpose better quality outfit.  I fished with $39 Med and med/light rods for like 10 years with zero problems.  Med/light is perfect for 4-5" Senkos and drop shots, where the Med can throw small Jigs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits.  EVERY bass guy upgrades eventually.  If you're worried about breaking the rods... only use 5-8lb line, and set the drag down.  US Reel Supercaster XL180 reels can be had pretty cheap.  I know some guys swear by Sedona's as best cheap reels.  I know that the Cabela's used to all be Diawa reels at one time.  I'm not trying to steal away from the Great places like Limit Out or Auburns Sport (check with them), but Cabela's does have a full selection of $30 to $50 Rods that they warranty if defective, and some are COMBOS!!!

These are also really good choices for Trout fishing in Rivers (as well as lakes). :)

Permalink Reply by Jordan Doucet on August 1, 2014 at 1:25pm

I agree with Jake, if you are just starting out a 7' medium rod is a must either spinning or baitcasting. In general when starting out a spinning rod is a better option in my opinion for both flexibility on what you can do and the learning curve. For that budget I would certainly go with a Pflueger President and an Abu Garcia Veritas, spool it with 8-10lb fluorocarbon line and you can essentially do anything. 

In general, I disagree with Russ (sorry Russ). In my experience as an angler and from working in a tackle shop for 6 years I have found that first off, you get what you pay for when it comes to rods and reels. A good middle of the road combo will decrease the amount of gear failures and headaches you have on the water. Second, if you do truly enjoy fishing, I will almost guarantee you that within a year or so you would be wanting to go buy a new setup to replace the one you bought initially - the lesson here is buy good stuff now and in the long run you will save money. 

I do agree with Russ however that it is nice to have multiple setups, but my recommendation is figure out what you like to do, how your lakes lay out and what techniques you find yourself doing most often. By the time you have that figured out, the chances are you'll be in the market for another combo to add to the collection.

Best of luck. 

Permalink Reply by Russ Kroeker on August 1, 2014 at 1:42pm

Ha-Ha.  That's ok...no one ever agrees with me on gear.  I'm not hurt.  I've caught a rediculas amount of 5 lb fish in weeds on Med/light cheap gear next to my partners with Med/Heavy gear who bought it after reading Bassmaster.  Guess cheap gear has always done me right in my experiences till I had enough money to upgrade, so I like for people to consider it.

However...not all cheap gear is equal.  My $40 Cabelas rod WAY outlasted my $150 Dobyns rod, so I think it's safe to say that reviews, opinions, and taking chances are all part of the game, yah know?

And my $20 Cabelas/Diawa reel is still sitting out doors by the pond catching fish after 14 years of sitting under the trailer, so don't count the cheap stuff down for the count just yet...

Permalink Reply by Jordan Doucet on August 1, 2014 at 4:28pm

HA! Always a few special cases. But as a mechanic you know as well as anyone they don't make things like they used to! LOL

Permalink Reply by Russ Kroeker on August 1, 2014 at 4:42pm

True Dat Jordan!  My wife calls me Special...every day

Jeff, isn't Lamiglass Rods in that Woodland area?  I could have sworn there used to be a Lamiglass factory outlet store down there that had killer deals on top notch rods...I think my friend Ron got his drop shot there...

Permalink Reply by Jeffery Bays on August 2, 2014 at 12:54pm

Yes Lamiglas is here in town. Im gonna go check out the factory store tomorrow. lol some of my friends even work there. So i will see what I can get there first before I buy anywhere else.

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on August 3, 2014 at 11:16pm

That's funny, just because a cheap rod outlasts a more expensive rod has no bearing on which is better, that's like saying my ugly stick I bought when I was 8 outlasted my GLX Loomis.... it doesn't mean the ugly stick is better or am I the crazy one?


Russ Kroeker said:

Ha-Ha.  That's ok...no one ever agrees with me on gear.  I'm not hurt.  I've caught a rediculas amount of 5 lb fish in weeds on Med/light cheap gear next to my partners with Med/Heavy gear who bought it after reading Bassmaster.  Guess cheap gear has always done me right in my experiences till I had enough money to upgrade, so I like for people to consider it.

However...not all cheap gear is equal.  My $40 Cabelas rod WAY outlasted my $150 Dobyns rod, so I think it's safe to say that reviews, opinions, and taking chances are all part of the game, yah know?

And my $20 Cabelas/Diawa reel is still sitting out doors by the pond catching fish after 14 years of sitting under the trailer, so don't count the cheap stuff down for the count just yet...

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on August 3, 2014 at 11:27pm

I would buy a 7 ft medium, fast action spinning rod. From shore you are limited and when I fish from shore with my kids we are usually using weightless plastics, light Texas rigs, and small topwaters. A spinning rod makes more sense because they cast lighter lures further more accurate and less backlashes. Typically I would match with a 2500 size reel with 8 pound mono line.
For spinning reels I think shimano has every advantage in the price point you are looking for.

For rods it's kind of a toss up that price point all the rods seem really close and honestly most of the blanks are probably coming from the same factories overseas. But I know I really think BPS Extreme series are awesome and can be had for around $80 on sale.

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