Baitcaster + Rod recommendations?

[fishin-fool]

Hey all,

I'm not a great fisherman but I enjoy it. However I'm trying to learn more to increase my success rate. I have a small collection of various spinning reel setups. I've tended to spend a little more money on the reels (I have 2x Pflueger Presidents and a Shimano Sedona) instead of more money on the rod. Maybe that's backwards but I figured the reel was slightly more important. For my 3 main spinning rods I'm using Shakespeare Ugly Stiks. Not sure what you all think about them here. But they seem indestructible and are cheap. However, I'm looking to get a decent baitcaster setup. Now I've never used a baitcaster. But I want to learn. My budget is about $150 for a rod + reel. What would you guys recommend?

I've been doing a lot of research on Bass Pro's website reading reviews and tomorrow I will be going to Sportsman's Warehouse here in Lexington to have a look at what they have. I'm leaning towards the Shimano Caenan reel. But as for a rod, I'm not sure...

Thanks in advance for any help!

[King31]

I would say the caenan is a good choice for your price range. shimano makes great baitcasters. as for the rod it kind of depends on how much you want to spend. for a bass pro rod you could go with the more expensive bionic blade or get the cheap tourney special. i really like the carbonlite rods which are the next up from bionic blades. ive heard good things about the lightning shock rod which is definitely in your budget. either way the best thing to do is just wait for the sales in the spring and get one on sale!

[Moveon]

What type of baits are you going to be casting? That's the first thing I would think about.

If your fishing crankbaits you want a good crankbait rod

Jig fishing may need a different type of rod

Same with spinnerbaits or topwater.

Do you like to fish ultralight baits or are you throwing big Muskee type baits.

Are you trolling crank baits or just casting them.

Or are you fishing worms and need a good rod that helps you detect light bits and vibrations.

But then if you are trying to pull big bass out of a flooded forest or brush piles you may want a rod with a fast tip and a lot of backbone. A short stiff rod for fishing at night in brush filled strip pits so you can horse the hogs out of cover at night.

What type of material do you need. Fiberglass is resllent but can't transmit vibrations as well as graphite rods. But a graphite rod will break much easier than a fiberglass rod.

I can tell you right now that the Shakespear Fiberglass rods are bruts but not very sensitive at all. I bought two uglysticks for trolling cranks behind the boat. They are tough and I don't need them to flex or transfer vibrations.

When when it comes to fishing a worm I want a good sensitive and yet strong graphite rod so that I can feel the worm crawling along the bottom and know if a fist just bit the worm or the worm just ran into a rock.

Also the length of the rod is important. A good 6' 6" rod or a 7 ft rod will help you cast the crank baits farther. Where a short light weight ultra light spinning rod made out of graphite is what I would want to use when casting 1/16" oz lead head jigs for crappie fishing.

Hey all,

I'm not a great fisherman but I enjoy it. However I'm trying to learn more to increase my success rate. I have a small collection of various spinning reel setups. I've tended to spend a little more money on the reels (I have 2x Pflueger Presidents and a Shimano Sedona) instead of more money on the rod. Maybe that's backwards but I figured the reel was slightly more important. For my 3 main spinning rods I'm using Shakespeare Ugly Stiks. Not sure what you all think about them here. But they seem indestructible and are cheap. However, I'm looking to get a decent baitcaster setup. Now I've never used a baitcaster. But I want to learn. My budget is about $150 for a rod + reel. What would you guys recommend?

I've been doing a lot of research on Bass Pro's website reading reviews and tomorrow I will be going to Sportsman's Warehouse here in Lexington to have a look at what they have. I'm leaning towards the Shimano Caenan reel. But as for a rod, I'm not sure...

Thanks in advance for any help!

[spinnerbaitguy]

Moveon had some good suggestions. You kinda have to gauge it by the kinds of fishing you do and the places you fish. I used to think I'd like a bunch of heavy action equipment figuring it would give me some kind of advantage. As I fished and learned some things, my preferences moved toward more toward medium-medium heavy. If you haven't, you might like reading the Abu vs. Shimano posting.

Another thought, if $$$ is a big consideration, look on craigslist and ebay as well as the place on New Circle, since you're near Lexington. They have some nice, used stuff. I found a reel on craigslist last fall in Frankfort for cheap but it didnt have a scratch on it. If you're not sure or settled on a reel, don't get in a hurry. The right reel deal will find you.

This is not meant to be an endorsement of any entity, just trying to help someone think outside the box.

[publican57]

Another thought, if $$$ is a big consideration, look on craigslist and ebay as well as the place on New Circle, since you're near Lexington. They have some nice, used stuff. I found a reel on craigslist last fall in Frankfort for cheap but it didnt have a scratch on it. If you're not sure or settled on a reel, don't get in a hurry. The right reel deal will find you.

This is not meant to be an endorsement of any entity, just trying to help someone think outside the box.

I would probably look at this site for used rods; I might avoid a used reel; unless you are going high end and you know the reel was maintained.

Another suggestion is watch sales at Bass Pro for combos. I have not read the Shimano V Abu Garcia comments yet. I have luck with Shimano and for $150; you might get a combo on a Citica Reel and and extreme rod combo. The Bass Pro Extreme Rods are okay.

I love the Ebay idea; especially for reels. You can check the reels out at the store and on line. Rods are difficult because I think you want to feel the rod and also shipping them presents some problems and adds to the cost.

[bob46]

Myself I buy my rods in feb. when bps has a great sale, I use the ugly stick lite rod, not to bad but heavy compared to other rods. I going to be buying the bionic blade when it goes on sale to replace a broken rod. I use the Johnny Morris elite on my bait casting rods, I have two and love them. I would rather have a cheap reel and a good rod. Far is a bait casting reel my experience is the more you spend the more you get. Just my two cents.

[fishin-fool]

Thanks for all the help!

@Moveon: At this point I mainly fish for bass with in-line spinners, texas rigged worms and some crankbaits. I guess most of my tackle would be considered light to ultra-light. I do have an ultra-light spinning setup for crappie, etc. so I don't really need another ultra-light. I forgot to point out that I don't have a boat. So most of my fishing is done from the shore.

[King31]

Thanks for all the help!

@Moveon: At this point I mainly fish for bass with in-line spinners, texas rigged worms and some crankbaits. I guess most of my tackle would be considered light to ultra-light. I do have an ultra-light spinning setup for crappie, etc. so I don't really need another ultra-light. I forgot to point out that I don't have a boat. So most of my fishing is done from the shore.

another suggestion would be the bill dance combo. i started out, along with a few other friends, on this combo and then worked my way into a more expensive setup. It is very affordable and still works 3 years after i bought it.

[thejerk]

You might try something like a shimano caius reel with either a compre or clarus rod. Hard to beat any shimano combo IMO and both of those should be around your budget. Plus there'd be many options for action of rod.

[NedFlanders]

For the Rod .......Go with one of the 2012 clarus models they are Lifetime Warranty and very good....But make sure you get the 2012 they are redesigned

-Custom Shaped Grade EVA Handles
-Laser Etched Butt Cap
-Multipurpose Hook Keeper
-Limited Lifetime Over-the-Counter Replacement Warranty

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Shima...page-SCLR.html

[fishin-fool]

Thanks for all the help guys. I went ahead and bought some lures and a nice new big Plano soft tackle box at Sportsman's Warehouse instead of getting a baitcaster setup. However, I'm still planning on getting a baitcaster eventually (maybe when I get my tax refund here soon).

I like that Shimano Clarus, Ned. Looks like a really nice rod for the price. I may couple the 6'8" Medium with a Shimano Caenan.

I do have another question. What is the best type of line to use on a baitcaster? I've seen braid mentioned (however I've never used it before since I was told by a friend that you don't use braid on spinning reels). I tried fluorocarbon once but I wasn't impressed with it so I just stick with plain old mono.

[CreekChub]

Others might disagree, but as far as the braided line on spinning reels goes, there are very few things you could do to increase your catch rate more than switching over to braid w/ a flouro leader. There are so many advantages: smaller line diameter, no stretch, more sensativity, and w/ the flouro leader you can bust 'em in the really clear water as well. I like braid on a baitcasting setup as well, unless you're fishing a really specific pattern that is better with flouro or mono. Something like deep cranking for example. Just my two cents.