Help with first casting rod

[findingem]

I agree that Pro Qualifier is a nice reel for the price. Keep a look out during BPS Fishing Classic Sale in the Spring, you can get them for a better price. The reel does everything I need out of one. As for a rod, I’m a firm believer in the Shamano Compre and Crucial rods. These rods offer a stiff backbone and a fast tip. Do your research first, but I’ve been told these are built on G Loomis technology. Mine came with the lifetime warranty. Not bad for a $99 to $150 rod. Good luck in your search.

[nitro929]

I agree that Pro Qualifier is a nice reel for the price. Keep a look out during BPS Fishing Classic Sale in the Spring, you can get them for a better price. The reel does everything I need out of one. As for a rod, I’m a firm believer in the Shamano Compre and Crucial rods. These rods offer a stiff backbone and a fast tip. Do your research first, but I’ve been told these are built on G Loomis technology. Mine came with the lifetime warranty. Not bad for a $99 to $150 rod. Good luck in your search.

Shimano no longer honors the lifetime warranty.

[Drew1233]

I agree 100% with what you said kevinb about the Abu Garcia rods. I have a 7ft medium heavy vendetta and it's very stiff. It's perfect for something like a vibrating jig and I even have used it for flippin as well if I need more than one on the deck at once. I would definitely not go with that rod for an all around rod. I do not own a veritas but have heard good things about them other than they break a lot. I personally use almost all Denali Rods as a I affiliated with them and absolutely love their products. Their J2 series rod would be perfect for you, as its $100 and I'd put it up against some $200 rods I've used in the past. You can order their rods online or go to A2O marine in Clarksville Indiana no more than 5 minutes from bass pro. The guys in there are awesome and will set you up with what you need. I'm not trying to force you into their products but I think you'd be really happy with them, and if you're going to Bass Pro there's no reason to not stop in A2O and give Denali a try. But I'd definitely go with a 7ft medium heavy! Hope I could help!

[GreenGhostMan]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I ordered a 6'6" Veritas in Med-Fast a few days ago and it delivered last night. Feels light and awesome. Ready to give it a go this weekend. Like you guys mentioned, I also read on other sites that Abu rods run heavier than their rating, so that's why I went with the medium. I found it online for $77 and free shipping at Amazon. Hopefully I don't regret it... didn't know they had breaking problems.

I also swapped out the pro qualifier for a carbonlite since BPS had the carbonlite on sale for father's day. Hope I don't regret that either. Couldn't find as much feedback online as the pro qualifier, but I was told it is basically the same design as PQ but lighter. Should be delivering today.

Do I need to lube it up before using it, or does it already come greased up?
And thru all my research, I read that braid can cut grooves into the eyes of your rod. Is this true? Started using braid on a couple of my spinning rods this year, so I don't have long term experience with it. I plan on using 30lb braid on the veritas.

Thanks guys!

[kevinb2035]

I'd put a few drops of oil on some of the gears but that's about it. As for line choice, I'd go with flourocarbon instead of braid. Especially if you want to throw crankbaits on the rod.

[Drew1233]

I would also go with fluocarbon on the casting reel but I also use braid on my spinning reels with about a 3-4ft fluro leader. I've put the setup through it all and have no grooves in my rods eyes. I do believe that eyes made out of a certain material can groove but most do not. Most guys today that I know use braid on their spinning rods, as it eliminates line twist and is very sensitive.

[GreenGhostMan]

Thanks guys.
I was apprehensive about putting fluoro on my new baitcaster to start... I thought it would make backlashing worse since it seems a little more rigid to me (I've been using fluoro leaders on my spinning reels that have braid). Right now its spooled up with cheap Academy brand 12lb mono. I've been casting around in my yard the last couple nights and I must say, it's not as difficult as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I'm not dropping jigs in a solo cup 10 yds out or anything, but I was able to make some fairly long casts without backlash. I thought I would be picking out backlashes every few casts.

So is it not true that fluorocarbon is more difficult to cast with? It was the main reason I planned on using braid once I was comfortable using the cheap mono.

[Drew1233]

I would definitely say mono is easier to cast than fluro. Unless you're using the casting reel in really clear water or for crankbaits you can use braid with a little longer mono or copolymer leader. P-line cxx makes a good copoly leader I believe.