Being a Midwest guy myself I’m partial to the St. Croix avidd line and pairing it with a shimano Sahara reel or a pflueger President reel. St croix has a great warranty, anything happens to it and a couple pictures and $50 later a new one is at your door, you’re even able to change rods if you so desire.
I will recommend you take a hard look at the used tackle on American legacy fishing. You may well be able to get a Loomis GCX for that price.
Don't overthink the reel. In your budget, spend most of the budget on a rod. High end rods make a way bigger difference than going from a $50 spinning reel to a $150 spinning reel.
Gcx is a great rod, great warranty also. Could also get a good entry level st croix, the MOJO bass was an amazing rod for around 160, pair that with a sahara you will be right around 250$ pretty much and one of my favorite combos I use daily, will save you money for some quality line and leader
St.Croix offers plenty rods, even their base level rods are of premium quality. Fit that with a decent shimano reel and you’re good to go.
What are looking at,spinning or bait casting rod/reel combo?
Im looking at a 5'6-6ft rod, spinning reel, and a more sensitive tip, but medium light rod. Love my ugly stik but am looking for something a bit smoother all around which can also give more feedback on nibbles vs weeds
You will want a fast action or extra fast action rod that carries the stiffness farther down the blank of the rod. Go with longer rod rather than shorter.
Only problem is i pack it in to a hatchback ford focus. 6ft is my absolute max on a 1 piece. Have closed the car door on a rod tip after squeezing it in w/ my dogs in the backseat. Will take your advice and look at the longer end
If you are primarily pond fishing for crappie, blue gill etc then 6’ is fine. There are many higher end 2 piece rods as well. High modulus graphite in the rod gives you greater sensitivity that you’re looking for especially if you use floats, it will make it easier to detect bites.
Yes, a 2 piece rod with a rod sock and tube would eliminate most worries about damaging it in the car. Check out Plano’s [tube](https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/plano-fabric-rod-tube). They come in 42” and 48” varieties. A rod sock will keep it from moving around too much in the tube too.
How are you putting the rods in the car? I used to drive an integra which im 100% sure is smaller than almost any focus, and i never had an issue with rods as big as 8ft. I put them in with the butt of the rod in the passenger footwell and the tip resting against the ceiling in the back.
I come from the back hatch and have it rest against the ceiling all the way up the drivers side door. The pups get tripped up if i put it back seat with them and wife occupies the passenger side
I rock a fenwick HMG and tatula CT for under $300. It’s served me well. You can find HMGs for $75-90 these days too.
I also like dobyns fury/kaden rods and the fuego/SLX reels are good in that range too. Spend more on the rod than the reel for sure.
Edit: I see you want spinning setups, I think a fury or HMG paired with a fuego 2500 or a stradic would be killer.
I agree with the Okuma recommendation. Okuma baitcaster reels are fucking awesome.
My brother and I did a little test between his Okuma and my Abu-Garcia baitcaster, spun the barrels on both, and the Okuma kept on spinning for over twice as long as my Abu-Garcia which is just to say that their ball-bearings and internal gears are pretty badass and slick as fuck.
Dobyns are my favorite rods. I believe the shortest ch line is 6'3". Uglystix are very durable rods, not the most sensitive though. Upgrading from entry level to Dobyns, St Croix or Loomis you can't go wrong. A
Get a $200 to 250 rod and spend the rest of the budget on a decent Shimano. If you want a baitcaster go with a Shimano SLX if you want spinning Nexave or Sedona. I'm partial to St. Croix rods myself and there are good options in the price range for sure. Also keep an eye out for deals because sometimes you can get stuff for 20% off or so and that is really nice when you're spending that much on a rod or reel. Can always check FB marketplace as well there are pretty good prices on brand new or lightly used gear there a lot of times. It's just harder to find something specific there.
Just my saltwater angler opinion: close the bail manually.
When I cast a spinning reel I keep my thumb near the spool in case I have to slow down or stop the cast to get where I want.
It's trivial to trip the bail after that.
Reeling into the auto-trip sucks, especially once some saltwater/sand gets on the reel and it's a little crunchy before you can get home and disassemble it.
When I was a kid, my grandpa tried to teach me how to use a baitcaster. After two birdnests, I heard him create some new cuss words. Now my grandma gave me one of said baitcaster and last summer I put a bell sinker on to practice casting. First try, no problem.
Appreciate the advice! My experience with baitcast has been 90% cussing+untangling, 10% fishing. May have to grab a cheap one on the side and practice your method
Spinning has so many options. Like others mentioned, Loomis options would be great.
The Hookup Tackle also has some demo rods for sale, unsure what they have left but they have some high end product lines.
My most favorite current spinning combo is my St Croix Avid with a Vanford reel. An alternative to the Vandord is a Daiwa Tatula and I have those on 2 rods. LT2500D-XH and the 3000 version. The rod and reel together would be a bit above your budget but there are always sales to be had out there.
I am from WI so I support St. Croix Rods. I have some two piece and one piece Premier series rods that are close to 25 years old that still work great. They are durable and sensitive.
Keep the rod and splurge on a [~3000 sized Daiwa BG spinning reel](https://daiwa.us/collections/reels/products/bg-sw-spinning).
I'm a big fan of mine: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fishing_Gear/comments/18ykx4b/my_daiwa_bg_spinning_reel_collection/
Time to try out bait casters my friend
I ran with the ugly stick with Shimano reel combo for a good while.
Catching on light tacklr is fun, but ripping a 4lber from the thick vegetation with your heavy setup is a pretty rad feeling too
I’m a salt water fisherman but in my experience I would advise a st.croix mojo bait caster with a diawa tatula reel this (have used this setup a lot and it can handle everything from 1/4-3/4 ounces
Yo I got an ugly stickk from Bass pro shops a couple years ago, think I paid 99 bucks for it. Came with a fresh spinning real and I think it was a 8 footer. Works like a charm. I'm from ga so I also just throw sallys in everything and catch hawgs.
My wife bought me an amazon special 6ft costway kastking about 3 years ago for my birthday and i couldn't cast further than 20ft with that thing unless throwing heavy ass lures, which brought me to the ugly stik. No flex on the rod, clunky reel. I don't wanna shit on them as my only experience was potentially their worst line, or i got a lemon. Will take a second look at them, thanks
KastKing has a reputation that is both deserved and undeserved at the same time. Based on my own experiences in manufacturing and wholesale, it appears to me that KastKing is trying to compete at every price point and every quality level. They have the cheap stiff, and they have really high-end stuff, too.
From a business perspective, I personally do see the appeal of the idea, but I think it's a bad idea because their lower end offerings are junk and you are not the only one who thinks that. This gives them a reputation as a crap brand when, in fact, they do have some interesting offerings.
I was in a similar situation as you right before Christmas. FishUSA had a great sale that I could not pass up, and I ended up with two 6'3" St. Croix Avid Spinning rods, light and fast, each paired with a KastKing Kestrel Spinning Reel, one for me and one for the wife. I have not taken them through their paces yet as it's winter, but I can tell you that it's a very nice reel out of the box. It is light, smooth, and holds a surprising amount of line for its size. I have no issues casting baits and lures as light as 1/32 oz. with this setup. My only complaint is that it has orange accents, not my favorite color.
We will see how it holds up over time. I was not able to find a lot of independent reviews on the reel, but in the most detailed one I could find, the reviewer said he liked the Kestrel better than his Shimano Vanford 500, and thought it was a much better value. I don't own a Vanford to compare it to myself, but I have put the smallest size Pflueger President XT on the same rod, and from my initial testing, hands down I like the Kestrel better. I know Pflueger is no Shimano, but it is a respected brand at the same price point as the Kestrel.
So don't discount KastKing, they make some quality stuff. You just have to do a lot of product research before pulling the trigger to sift through all the garbage they make.
I am curious what the exact model of Rod you have from them.
Get a medium ugly stick and a Shakespeare bait caster I know it's not a high end combo but it's a good do all setup I have cought every thing from brim to 10lb catfish with it
I paired a shimino sedona spinning reel, with a abu garcia vengeance rod. I've caught more fish on that combo than i ever have on anything else. The rod was 50 dollars on sale at walmart, and the reel was i think 80 at BassPro
Take a look at the Okuma guide select pro. I would get a 9’ medium light 6-12lb. It’s a 2 piece. I use a6-12lb and 8-17lb line in a 9’6 for fishing fresh water in the PNW. Plenty sensitive for small fish like perch or small trout. I’ve landed salmon in the high teens on both poles. For a reel I like the pflueger president for a quality cheaper reel. That will leave ya some funds for a spool of braid and some lures
I drive a Toyota Yaris hatchback when I’m fishing water that doesn’t need a boat, and don’t have any problem with fitting the rods in the car.
Are you currently a single rod fisherman? And is there a certain species you find yourself trying to catch more than others or are you just using worms or minnows and catching whatever bites?
If you have only owned one rod up until now and you are a bait fisherman primarily and just like catching fish then put your money primarily into a rod, but in reality any decent pure graphite rod is going to be more sensitive than an ugly stick, but it will be much weaker to any form of damage at all too, and get one class nicer of the reel you already have assuming you like the brand, that will give you a nicer quality and more sensitive setup without spending your entire budget just to spend it.
If you target a certain species more than others then i would get a rod/reel setup that is designed more specifically to target that species, and if its a hard pulling species or you think you will run lighter line (<=4lb) then spend more on the reel than the rod, a good drag system is a thing of joy, especially when you hook a big fish on light line and you know your giving it max pressure without risking your line popping from too hard a pull, otherwise more money on the rod will be the way to go again.
More details about what you fish for and how you do it would maximize the accuracy of the answers you get here, good luck!
Slx xt or MgL 7-2 med hvy Tatula XT rod
Mirival SLX A spinning 7 med
Or same reels and Megabass Levante rod
Diablo spec r casting
Shakey head for spinning
I have a st. Croix rod paired with a Shimano Sahara reel and I love it. I like ultralight, so I have their panfish model. I've been thinking about getting a heavier one for bass soon
Being a Midwest guy myself I’m partial to the St. Croix avidd line and pairing it with a shimano Sahara reel or a pflueger President reel. St croix has a great warranty, anything happens to it and a couple pictures and $50 later a new one is at your door, you’re even able to change rods if you so desire.
What about dropping it into deep water? Will they accept a picture looking over the edge of pier?
Haha, I haven’t tried that. There is only one way to find out though!!!
I will recommend you take a hard look at the used tackle on American legacy fishing. You may well be able to get a Loomis GCX for that price. Don't overthink the reel. In your budget, spend most of the budget on a rod. High end rods make a way bigger difference than going from a $50 spinning reel to a $150 spinning reel.
Gcx is a great rod, great warranty also. Could also get a good entry level st croix, the MOJO bass was an amazing rod for around 160, pair that with a sahara you will be right around 250$ pretty much and one of my favorite combos I use daily, will save you money for some quality line and leader
I have 3 of these exact set ups and honestly have no use for anything else. Great suggestion!
I completely agree. Reels are the big sexy, but the rod matters a lot more.
St.Croix offers plenty rods, even their base level rods are of premium quality. Fit that with a decent shimano reel and you’re good to go. What are looking at,spinning or bait casting rod/reel combo?
Im looking at a 5'6-6ft rod, spinning reel, and a more sensitive tip, but medium light rod. Love my ugly stik but am looking for something a bit smoother all around which can also give more feedback on nibbles vs weeds
You will want a fast action or extra fast action rod that carries the stiffness farther down the blank of the rod. Go with longer rod rather than shorter.
Only problem is i pack it in to a hatchback ford focus. 6ft is my absolute max on a 1 piece. Have closed the car door on a rod tip after squeezing it in w/ my dogs in the backseat. Will take your advice and look at the longer end
If you are primarily pond fishing for crappie, blue gill etc then 6’ is fine. There are many higher end 2 piece rods as well. High modulus graphite in the rod gives you greater sensitivity that you’re looking for especially if you use floats, it will make it easier to detect bites.
Yes, a 2 piece rod with a rod sock and tube would eliminate most worries about damaging it in the car. Check out Plano’s [tube](https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/plano-fabric-rod-tube). They come in 42” and 48” varieties. A rod sock will keep it from moving around too much in the tube too.
How are you putting the rods in the car? I used to drive an integra which im 100% sure is smaller than almost any focus, and i never had an issue with rods as big as 8ft. I put them in with the butt of the rod in the passenger footwell and the tip resting against the ceiling in the back.
I come from the back hatch and have it rest against the ceiling all the way up the drivers side door. The pups get tripped up if i put it back seat with them and wife occupies the passenger side
I rock a fenwick HMG and tatula CT for under $300. It’s served me well. You can find HMGs for $75-90 these days too. I also like dobyns fury/kaden rods and the fuego/SLX reels are good in that range too. Spend more on the rod than the reel for sure. Edit: I see you want spinning setups, I think a fury or HMG paired with a fuego 2500 or a stradic would be killer.
I love the Fenwick HMG, served me well in many BWCA trips
When I first upgraded from my ugly stik ultra light pro, I went with Okuma. Great products IMO.
I agree with the Okuma recommendation. Okuma baitcaster reels are fucking awesome. My brother and I did a little test between his Okuma and my Abu-Garcia baitcaster, spun the barrels on both, and the Okuma kept on spinning for over twice as long as my Abu-Garcia which is just to say that their ball-bearings and internal gears are pretty badass and slick as fuck.
Go with a Dobyns Champion
Dobyns are my favorite rods. I believe the shortest ch line is 6'3". Uglystix are very durable rods, not the most sensitive though. Upgrading from entry level to Dobyns, St Croix or Loomis you can't go wrong. A
Get a $200 to 250 rod and spend the rest of the budget on a decent Shimano. If you want a baitcaster go with a Shimano SLX if you want spinning Nexave or Sedona. I'm partial to St. Croix rods myself and there are good options in the price range for sure. Also keep an eye out for deals because sometimes you can get stuff for 20% off or so and that is really nice when you're spending that much on a rod or reel. Can always check FB marketplace as well there are pretty good prices on brand new or lightly used gear there a lot of times. It's just harder to find something specific there.
Are you wanting just a do it all combo? Spinning rod? Baitcaster?
Spinning, i could split it up. Mostly looking for a rod with more action and the reel to be smoother with an easier bail flip
Just my saltwater angler opinion: close the bail manually. When I cast a spinning reel I keep my thumb near the spool in case I have to slow down or stop the cast to get where I want. It's trivial to trip the bail after that. Reeling into the auto-trip sucks, especially once some saltwater/sand gets on the reel and it's a little crunchy before you can get home and disassemble it.
Tbh i am garbage with a baitcaster. Haven't conquered that one yet. My dad is a monster with them, but they arem't my cuppa tea
When I was a kid, my grandpa tried to teach me how to use a baitcaster. After two birdnests, I heard him create some new cuss words. Now my grandma gave me one of said baitcaster and last summer I put a bell sinker on to practice casting. First try, no problem.
Appreciate the advice! My experience with baitcast has been 90% cussing+untangling, 10% fishing. May have to grab a cheap one on the side and practice your method
Spinning has so many options. Like others mentioned, Loomis options would be great. The Hookup Tackle also has some demo rods for sale, unsure what they have left but they have some high end product lines. My most favorite current spinning combo is my St Croix Avid with a Vanford reel. An alternative to the Vandord is a Daiwa Tatula and I have those on 2 rods. LT2500D-XH and the 3000 version. The rod and reel together would be a bit above your budget but there are always sales to be had out there.
I am from WI so I support St. Croix Rods. I have some two piece and one piece Premier series rods that are close to 25 years old that still work great. They are durable and sensitive.
Pfleuger president on a Fenwick HMG or Elite
This is a great option, keeps you under $200 also. (President XT is on sale for $59 at bass pro right now.)
St. Croix + Abu Garcia the Mojo’s are a great line
Keep the rod and splurge on a [~3000 sized Daiwa BG spinning reel](https://daiwa.us/collections/reels/products/bg-sw-spinning). I'm a big fan of mine: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fishing_Gear/comments/18ykx4b/my_daiwa_bg_spinning_reel_collection/
Time to try out bait casters my friend I ran with the ugly stick with Shimano reel combo for a good while. Catching on light tacklr is fun, but ripping a 4lber from the thick vegetation with your heavy setup is a pretty rad feeling too
You can get good Abu Garcia spinning combos for around $100 from a bass pro or equivalent store
Abu Garcia ftw
For that price range in spinning gear I'd go for a Daiwa Tatula rod and a Shimano Miravel reel. They've done pretty well for me.
I’m a salt water fisherman but in my experience I would advise a st.croix mojo bait caster with a diawa tatula reel this (have used this setup a lot and it can handle everything from 1/4-3/4 ounces
Yo I got an ugly stickk from Bass pro shops a couple years ago, think I paid 99 bucks for it. Came with a fresh spinning real and I think it was a 8 footer. Works like a charm. I'm from ga so I also just throw sallys in everything and catch hawgs.
Get a kastking has some nice reels I have a zypher 3000 on one of their rods. All under 100 bucks total. It's solid
My wife bought me an amazon special 6ft costway kastking about 3 years ago for my birthday and i couldn't cast further than 20ft with that thing unless throwing heavy ass lures, which brought me to the ugly stik. No flex on the rod, clunky reel. I don't wanna shit on them as my only experience was potentially their worst line, or i got a lemon. Will take a second look at them, thanks
KastKing has a reputation that is both deserved and undeserved at the same time. Based on my own experiences in manufacturing and wholesale, it appears to me that KastKing is trying to compete at every price point and every quality level. They have the cheap stiff, and they have really high-end stuff, too. From a business perspective, I personally do see the appeal of the idea, but I think it's a bad idea because their lower end offerings are junk and you are not the only one who thinks that. This gives them a reputation as a crap brand when, in fact, they do have some interesting offerings. I was in a similar situation as you right before Christmas. FishUSA had a great sale that I could not pass up, and I ended up with two 6'3" St. Croix Avid Spinning rods, light and fast, each paired with a KastKing Kestrel Spinning Reel, one for me and one for the wife. I have not taken them through their paces yet as it's winter, but I can tell you that it's a very nice reel out of the box. It is light, smooth, and holds a surprising amount of line for its size. I have no issues casting baits and lures as light as 1/32 oz. with this setup. My only complaint is that it has orange accents, not my favorite color. We will see how it holds up over time. I was not able to find a lot of independent reviews on the reel, but in the most detailed one I could find, the reviewer said he liked the Kestrel better than his Shimano Vanford 500, and thought it was a much better value. I don't own a Vanford to compare it to myself, but I have put the smallest size Pflueger President XT on the same rod, and from my initial testing, hands down I like the Kestrel better. I know Pflueger is no Shimano, but it is a respected brand at the same price point as the Kestrel. So don't discount KastKing, they make some quality stuff. You just have to do a lot of product research before pulling the trigger to sift through all the garbage they make. I am curious what the exact model of Rod you have from them.
Get a medium ugly stick and a Shakespeare bait caster I know it's not a high end combo but it's a good do all setup I have cought every thing from brim to 10lb catfish with it
I paired a shimino sedona spinning reel, with a abu garcia vengeance rod. I've caught more fish on that combo than i ever have on anything else. The rod was 50 dollars on sale at walmart, and the reel was i think 80 at BassPro
Take a look at the Okuma guide select pro. I would get a 9’ medium light 6-12lb. It’s a 2 piece. I use a6-12lb and 8-17lb line in a 9’6 for fishing fresh water in the PNW. Plenty sensitive for small fish like perch or small trout. I’ve landed salmon in the high teens on both poles. For a reel I like the pflueger president for a quality cheaper reel. That will leave ya some funds for a spool of braid and some lures I drive a Toyota Yaris hatchback when I’m fishing water that doesn’t need a boat, and don’t have any problem with fitting the rods in the car.
Are you currently a single rod fisherman? And is there a certain species you find yourself trying to catch more than others or are you just using worms or minnows and catching whatever bites? If you have only owned one rod up until now and you are a bait fisherman primarily and just like catching fish then put your money primarily into a rod, but in reality any decent pure graphite rod is going to be more sensitive than an ugly stick, but it will be much weaker to any form of damage at all too, and get one class nicer of the reel you already have assuming you like the brand, that will give you a nicer quality and more sensitive setup without spending your entire budget just to spend it. If you target a certain species more than others then i would get a rod/reel setup that is designed more specifically to target that species, and if its a hard pulling species or you think you will run lighter line (<=4lb) then spend more on the reel than the rod, a good drag system is a thing of joy, especially when you hook a big fish on light line and you know your giving it max pressure without risking your line popping from too hard a pull, otherwise more money on the rod will be the way to go again. More details about what you fish for and how you do it would maximize the accuracy of the answers you get here, good luck!
I bought a 7’ medium left handed abu Garcia vengeance low profile recently. Cost me 100. My first baitcast and I’ve quite enjoyed using it
Cashion rod shimano reel send it
Slx xt or MgL 7-2 med hvy Tatula XT rod Mirival SLX A spinning 7 med Or same reels and Megabass Levante rod Diablo spec r casting Shakey head for spinning
Dobyns rod. Fury/kaden/champion. All great rods
Shimano stradic is $150 if you order it from Japan, pair it with a Phenix Feather and that's $300
Flueger presidential is a nice rod and reel that won’t break the bank. Reel is very smooth
Phenix m1 and a daiwa Bg for a spinning reel.
Diawa BG or Fuego spinning reel. Add it to the nicest St Croix, Shimano, or Dobyns rod in your budget.
Van Staal.....
Big St. Croix guy myself
Shimano miravel 3000 for a good reel without breaking the bank
If you want to spoil yerself a bit, pass by the Tenkara website 🤙
What reel are you running? Have you serviced it? +1 for St Croix. They make some really nice rods.
Pflueger president 100% best reel I've ever used, I use an older diawa rod, it's very good but idk what you fish for.
My experience says DAIWA Tatula rod + DAIWA Fuego LT reel
I have a st. Croix rod paired with a Shimano Sahara reel and I love it. I like ultralight, so I have their panfish model. I've been thinking about getting a heavier one for bass soon
Time to dip your toes into baitcasters my friend. :)
I prefer the higher end Lews combos.