Semi High End Rods and Reels?

In God We Trust

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I’ve been fishing since I was a little kid. Never spent more than $30 on a rod and reel combo and have always been happy with an ugly stick or whatever.

I’m recently retired and fishing is my only real hobby that involves leaving the house, so I’m considering putting a little cash into a fancy set up. My price range is maybe $300ish and will be mainly a Bass rod. I fish trout also, but mainly scummy Bass ponds.

any suggestions on a brand of rods and reels in that neighborhood? I can go up a little bit since I have nothing better to spend my cash on except booze.
 
I never bought an expensive freshwater reel till last year. I bought a Shimano Stratic. Don't get me wrong It's a nice reel. Probably the smoothest casting real I've ever tried. But one afternoon with my son he scratched the shit out of it. I couldn't get mad, he's only six. But I don't think I'll ever buy another expensive real again.
They have upgraded to the vanford this year. So you can probably find some pretty good deals on the stratic. You won't be disappointed.
 
I loved my St Croix rod, I had it paired up with an old Zebco I had picked up in the 70's and used it for small mouth a d trout, unfortunately the end was snapped off in a car door. I may get another st croix now that the kids are grown and gone and pair it up with a nice penn spinning reel. I tend to run light weight in the 6lb test but if going for large mouth in weedy waters you may want to to go heavier
 
j/k-sort of. :)
Go back in time and buy Penn. Picked up this thing at a gun show in Anchorage a few years ago. Still haven't used it, but I grew up with similar going for Blues and Stripers.

View attachment 457996
Solid reel and parts are still available if. Needed to repair, bought mine as a kid 30 years ago. Just bought a Diaiwa rod and reel set up and just like guns technology is improving able to cast probably twice as far with the new setup and spiderwire
I’ve been fishing since I was a little kid. Never spent more than $30 on a rod and reel combo and have always been happy with an ugly stick or whatever.

I’m recently retired and fishing is my only real hobby that involves leaving the house, so I’m considering putting a little cash into a fancy set up. My price range is maybe $300ish and will be mainly a Bass rod. I fish trout also, but mainly scummy Bass ponds.

any suggestions on a brand of rods and reels in that neighborhood? I can go up a little bit since I have nothing better to spend my cash on except booze.
If stripper fishing, I would look at the Diawia Saltist line up of reels probably 5000 or 6000 size can't remember which size I bought last year but casts great with spiderwire. Grew up with Penns and still have my originals from 30 years ago. But just lkme with guns tech is advanced and there new reels cast way better and wind smoother than the more clunky but dependable Penns.
 
Even a $60 Pflueger spinning reel is a nice performance bump from a budget reel. Another $100 on a nice Shimano is also a noticeable improvement, but not by a whole lot when freshwater fishing.

I like St Croix rods. But you have to know what you want out of it, as there's a very wide selection to choose from.
 
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Old reliable USA made Zebco reals,I get them at yard sales and flea markets.NEVER spend more than ten buck.
 

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I'm a Penn fanboy, own a good 30 or more. Though I also fish basically salt only.

I would look at a Battle 1000 or 2000, see what size ballpark you like and pickup a combo from them with a rod. Penn rods are decent, not a Fenwick or St Croix but pretty nice and a fraction of the $$ when you buy a combo.
 
Solid reel and parts are still available if. Needed to repair, bought mine as a kid 30 years ago. Just bought a Diaiwa rod and reel set up and just like guns technology is improving able to cast probably twice as far with the new setup and spiderwire

If stripper fishing, I would look at the Diawia Saltist line up of reels probably 5000 or 6000 size can't remember which size I bought last year but casts great with spiderwire. Grew up with Penns and still have my originals from 30 years ago. But just lkme with guns tech is advanced and there new reels cast way better and wind smoother than the more clunky but dependable Penns.

You are comparing the old Penn's to new Diawa's - look at the newer Penn stuff. Ie Conflict, Torque, Battle, Slammer, current Spinfisher line etc. And all of those are easy to get parts for like any Penn.

Shimano makes good stuff too, equivalent stuff as they are head to head competitors, but the parts are not so easy.

Everyone else is either 2nd tier like Diawa or are less popular Gucci stuff (which can be good just isn't my thing, hard and costly to maintain the Gucci stuff in my experience).

Add: should mention too spectra isn't really the modern line either, it's another tool in the kit but has some big drawbacks. A lot of very experienced fisherman don't use it on say a spinning rod, just doesn't shine in that application or might but only for certain things. I commercially fish for stripers with 15 to 20 lb mono, nothing more.
 
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I’m a huge loomis fan boy for just about everything from tuna,striper, bass and fly. But I’ve recently bought a few TFO rods and have come to love them. Great warranty too.
 
I’m a huge loomis fan boy for just about everything from tuna,striper, bass and fly. But I’ve recently bought a few TFO rods and have come to love them. Great warranty too.

I have 2 TFO rods.. 10'6 and 11'...both nice rods! Warranty: you break it...cut off a piece with model number on it..and send ~$100 (or some $$$ amount)...and they send you a replacement.
 
I never bought an expensive freshwater reel till last year. I bought a Shimano Stratic. Don't get me wrong It's a nice reel. Probably the smoothest casting real I've ever tried. But one afternoon with my son he scratched the shit out of it. I couldn't get mad, he's only six. But I don't think I'll ever buy another expensive real again.
They have upgraded to the vanford this year. So you can probably find some pretty good deals on the stratic. You won't be disappointed.

Stratic is a GOOD reel for reasonable money. You can find them on Ebay usually for cheap. It's the last-rendition of hte Stratic usually.

I'm partial to bASS Pro Carbonlite rods. I've never had issues with them at all. Run about $100-120 normally. You can turn in a crappy old rod early in the season most years and get 10-20% off, too. (Although I didn't see that this year.)

I also got my SIL a collapsing KastKing this Winter. We haven't tried it out. $55.
Amazon product ASIN B07N454L81View: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N454L81/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


The nice thing is you CAN just collapse it down and fit it in a trunk or back seat relatively easily. Has a bit of a learning curve to it. But the rod FEELS like it would perform well on the water. (We got a KastKing reel too - just to test out. $150 for a Stratic is a lot.)


I'll say this: Go as cheap as you can with spinning reels. The really good ones are marginally better than a $50 reel. But bait casting??? THAT'S where an extra $50 or $100 will take you many places. A $50 bass bait caster is a waste of $. $100 is base for something that will actually work. $150 brings you a lot. $200 will really change the game on you. At $250 (I had a gift card - I think $250 for a bass reel is CRAZY) is almost like it casts itself.
 
Some of my smaller reels in use lately, obviously a Penn fanatic :)..

I still really like the 560L's, really solid smooth and sleek design with a live line feature, outstanding drags, have a bunch of different vintages and you seriously can't kill them. Aren't sold in the US anymore but I have had a couple shipped in from Australia where they are part of the current lineup still. For non live liners I like the Battle lately..


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I have some higher end Penn and Shimano salt water reels in the 3000-4000 class. Last year I picked up a Diawa BG 3000 for less then half the cost of my other reels about $90. I really like it for the money. I also like Star rods, good value in the $100-$200 range.
Don’t skimp on line, I stick to Power Pro.
I really try to buy all my tackle at local bait and tackle shops. I would find one near where you live or fish and start there.
 
I'll say this. If you buy a good rod and reel you'll notice the difference.
I use to buy an Ugly stick rod and reel combo and I was plenty happy with it. A few years ago I decided to get a good rod. I ended up with a St Croix and I'll say the feel of this rod is so far above an Ugly stick it can't even compare. I now have 3 or 4 St Croix rods and a Fenwick. They are awesome. I also bought better reels and I can cast like a mofo now. I use a St Croix Ultra light with a Shimano Stradic 1000 with 4 lb line on it and I can cast that thing around 25 yards with no effort. I probably use this setup 70% of the time I'm fishing. I have pulled 2 lb largemouths out of the weeds with it. I have also lost smaller in weeds so there's that.

My Fenwick has a Penn Clash. I use it in heavy lily pads. I've pulled a 5 lber in along with about the same pounds of weeds attached to it.

I also have Lew's reels and a couple more Shimano Stradic's in bigger sizes. I personally like spinning reels better than baitcasters, but I use both.

A decent rod will cost $100 and up and a decent reel is going to be above $150, but thats going to all be in your price range. Do some research and get a rod that is good all around. I'd suggest a 7' medium heavy rod and a reel around the 3000 area to be good with bass and not entirely too much if you are trying to catch trout, although the rod might be a little heavy for that.


This is my Fenwick and Penn combo with a 3lb 10oz bass.

ctZwa3b.jpeg
 
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Old reliable USA made Zebco reals,I get them at yard sales and flea markets.NEVER spend more than ten buck.
I’ve always gone cheap on the ugly sticks or similar my whole life. That are fine, but I’m looking to splurge now that I’m retired. Gotta waste money on something and guns are insane right now.
 
I run quantum spin cast reels on 7’ medium action rods. Reels run $80 -$100 bucks and come with two spools. Rods about same price, but you can often get rods on clearance mid summer. They made a great improvement

The biggest improvement in catching fish came with line choice. I run braid line in the 10-15 lb range with a 10 lb fluorocarbon leader. Leader about 6 ft long tied to braid with uni-uni knot and hook tied to leader with Palomar knot. As the braid doesn’t stretch it really telegraphs the most subtle of pick ups, and setting the hook is much easier. Both knots are easily to learn.
I also catch a lot more pike (8-10 lb range) as the fluorocarbon doesn’t cut as easily on pike teeth. I often land pike with leader having two or three gashes in it.

Try it once and you will be a convert
 
If you get into tuna fishing, a friend has some brand new gear for sale. Four rods and reels, all the same.
 
I run quantum spin cast reels on 7’ medium action rods. Reels run $80 -$100 bucks and come with two spools. Rods about same price, but you can often get rods on clearance mid summer. They made a great improvement

The biggest improvement in catching fish came with line choice. I run braid line in the 10-15 lb range with a 10 lb fluorocarbon leader. Leader about 6 ft long tied to braid with uni-uni knot and hook tied to leader with Palomar knot. As the braid doesn’t stretch it really telegraphs the most subtle of pick ups, and setting the hook is much easier. Both knots are easily to learn.
I also catch a lot more pike (8-10 lb range) as the fluorocarbon doesn’t cut as easily on pike teeth. I often land pike with leader having two or three gashes in it.

Try it once and you will be a convert

Flouro I agree - have caught gut hooked 700 lb tuna on 130 lb flouro leader, yes you can get chaffed off on anything that's not wire but its an advantage over regular mono. No less important is flouro assimilates to water in light transmission, so its sneaky - all fish are leader shy to some degree, a less noticeable leader never hurts your odds of a bite.

But spectra, ie "braid" - good for fishing 100+ feet deep so you can feel what's going on but you will lose more fish. Lack of stretch sucks for keeping the line tight and keeping the fish from exerting shock on your gear. Hooks pull, things break, and braid is terrible for abrasion resistance - seems strong until you pull it tight and nick it. Mono wins still.

Flouro mainline is worth a try - a little less stretchy, outstanding abrasion resistance, and sneaky as hell. In about 50 lb down they make actual flouro mainline designed for spooling up with. Over that and a few brands make bulk leader spools that can similarly be used but aren't so memory free.
 
I don’t disagree with you but my comments were for pond fishing bass Per the OP.

Trolling in Ontario for salmon I never used braid but have used flouro

Getting back to OP in stained water I have fished braid without a leader and it worked. But in anything approaching clear water ( even two ft visibility) it didn’t work
 
Standing from the shoreline. Fresh water only.
Some 8lb Power Pro connected to a fluorocarbon leader, using a Uni-Uni knot (or an FG Knot if you want to get fancy) or Spro micro swivel (Palomar knot for terminal connections using braid), on a nice spinning reel, should be able to handle most situations and get some good distance. I'd put that on a 7' light-medium action rod with braid-friendly guides. And always flip the bail manually when using braid, to prevent loops of line on the spool. If you want to fish dense vegetation, up that line to 30lb Power Pro on a baitcaster with a medium action rod.
 
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Go back in time and buy Penn.
came to this thread late as usual, but....yeah, i'm an older penn person myself. not a fan of the newer plastic, graphite and carbon fiber penns. no, nothing wrong with them, a tad lighter...a good thing, but i like the look and feel of the action of the older nuts and bolts penns. am i making sense here? i own several but only use 3 currently. i bought them all new quite a while ago, 2 ultralights and a "medium light" and i don't have them in front of me to give model numbers. i do fresh water only and favor ultra light gear. the ul penns were great fun in the streams in the rocky mountain foothills when i lived out there.

i also use shimano. have a great cheapie i got 30 years ago and i believe it's still made, an ultra light axul-s. really small and quick and still going strong and a shimano sedona 1000FD, not expensive either. that's a bit larger. haven't got much time on it, health issues doesn't permit me much any more to fish. haven't been at all the last couple years.

back to vintage penns after my mindless dribble, yeah, i prowl yard sales once in a while. surprisingly have seen older penns in the box with instructions, etc for pennies on the dollar. a lot of deep sea stuff also if you like that pretty reasonable.
 
My fishing experience:

Picked up a Penn combo from Bass Pro, think I have a 4500 or a 5500 reel with matching rod.
Reel's been good to me, I use it exclusively in salt water, rinse it every trip. If I had any complaints about the reel though is it seems to get banged up quite easily- I'm very careful but I feel like it scratches looking at it. The rod broke on year 2 fighting a flounder, this was shortly after replacing some of the guide rings because of wear, I replaced the rod with a Daiwa Harrier that I quite like.

Picked up a similar reel for the GF as a present as she fishes with me and had crap equipment she borrowed from her brothers. Got her the 4500 live liner- it was broken out of the box and the clutch didn't work correctly, she was too proud to admit there was a problem that needed fixing, and finally she (my girlfriend) just snapped. Went out that afternoon, talked to the local bait shop and got a Shimano reel, she no longer looks at me the same way. I disassembled the Penn LL, cleaned it up, re-greased it, and put it back together- it works properly now but it's destined to sit in a box until one of the nephews gets a bit older or we need a backup.
 
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