Rod Advice

[BigBlueJake]

Thanks for the input. A couple things. 1. Nate it is looking more and more like I will not have to miss next season. Got some really good news today that helps to pay for grad school AND fishing, so that's a score. Even if I can't fish the league I will still be at a few tournaments next year just to shoot the **** and catch a fish or two. 2. Donnie love your member name. It took me a second to figure it out but not long. 3. I BLEW UP a pro qualifier this summer so I am reluctant to buy another one. 4. Mark can't tell time. 5. Mark has good advice o. the rods and reels and I will consider those.

[kybassin22]

Great news man. Maybe u and donnie can go rod shopping together. I think he has to replace all hie since he snapped everyone he had

[BigBlueJake]

I like those rods and reels you mentioned Mark but it looks like they are going to be a little out of the range I have to spend......remeber I'm a baller on a budget! Lol.

[MarkW]

I hear ya! I looked on Bass Pro and all three of those brands offer reels anywhere from $79.99 to 119.99 and they all seem to be decent.
One more thing to consider----go on e-bay and look at some of the older Curado reels. You can pick up some of the original green ones for about $75 and they are still a great reel. Now that Shimano has come out with another new green one, the most recent green ones may be showing up on ebay this winter and those are the ones I would want.
Just some thoughts.
I bought and sold reels like crazy for about 3 years til I got the collection I have now. It was suprising what people would pay for used Shimano's back in the day the original ones became obsolete.
Good Luck!

[4given]

Hey Jake. Mark W. gave you some good advice, it's hard to beat the old Curado's or the new ones. As far as rods consider this, technique specific. Here's an example of what I mean. When fishing a jig or soft plastics you will want a very sensitive rod, usually a more expensive rod. This tecnique requires and great deal of feel. I recommend Kistler, Loomis, Falcon and H&H in that order. For topwaters sensitivity is not as necessary, I use an old 6ft BPS tourney special for which I paid $29. The old Zell Rowland Allstars are good topwater rods and are good for many purposes, jerkbaits, small spinners, buzzbaits, etc. For spinnerbaits think technique. Are you fishing the river and creeks? Then a short spinnerbait rod to make short accurate roll casts might be called for. But if you are fishing big spinnerbaits on the drops then a 7 to71/2 ft rod with a lot of backbone would be better. For crankbaits I would suggest a composite rod, they are cheaper and forgiving for crankbaits, the Mark Davis cranker by Falcon is a good one for small and big cranks. Then there is the ball and chain, drop shot etc. Another suggestion I might make is for you to visit the swap meets in Jan and Feb. where if you are careful you can find some "reel" deals.

[Fishin is life]

Shimano all the way....The Curados are unbeatable and i'd say finding a rod in your price range in the Shimano lineup would be a good idea....The lifetime warranty on them is HARD to beat....I can speak first hand for their customer service....I broke a Cumara on a hookset and called them to get an addy to send the rod to...Sent it out, and in 5 days I had a brand new replacement rod....That's worth quite a bit IMO

[zimmy]

Go with Shimano. Customer service is GREAT.
Bent a handle on a Curado a couple weeks ago. Sent it in-they repaired and sent back within 2 days of receiving. No charge. I've been fighting with Lowrance for months over issues with a GPS unit.
Good company that really backs their products...just my 2cents.